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Suzuki · NHTSA safety record

2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 13 safety complaints about the 2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the seats and the power train.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 7 complaints, 54% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 36,750 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2011 to February 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

13 complaints on file

13

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 7 · 54%
SEATS 2 · 15%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 8%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 8%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 8%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 8%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 8%
STEERING 1 · 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 8%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 13.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 3.

4 3 2 1
11 16 17 18 19 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2011 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 Suzuki GRAND VITARA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV RWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 18.5% 19.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

SEATS

19V187000 · March 7, 2019

The defect
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kizashi and 2006-2013 Grand Vitara vehicles. The front passenger leather seat may shrink due to high humidity and high temperature. As a result, the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat may not accurately detect if an adult or child is occupying the seat.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification may result in the passenger frontal air bag deploying even if there is a child in the front passenger seat, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat bottom cushion, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 3, 2019. All second letters notifying owners of the remedy were mailed by April 10, 2020. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's numbers for this recall are 4011 and 4012.

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. · up to 31,302 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

17V085000 · February 9, 2017

The defect
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Grand Vitara vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The gear shift rear shaft on these vehicles may break, preventing the gears from being able to be changed.
The risk
If the transmission cannot be shifted, it can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the gear shift rear shaft, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's number for this recall is VZ.

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. · up to 791 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

fire · 1,500 miles

FORTY-NINE DAYS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR IT BURST INTO FLAMES FROM UNDER THE HOOD ONLY MOMENTS AFTER MY WIFE HAD EXITED THE CAR IN HER PARKING LOT AT A SCHOOL. THE CAR BECAME A TOTAL LOSS AS THE FIRE REACHED THE DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT. TWO NEARBY CARS BELONGING TO WORKMATES WERE ALSO DAMAGED WITH MELTED TAIL LIGHTS AND BLISTERED PAINT. NO AFTER MARKET EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN INSTALLED AND NO SERVICE HAD YET BEEN PERFORMED ON THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10441353. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash

ON SEPTEMBER 12 2016 APROXIMATELY AT 2:00AM MY WIFE WAS IMPACTED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STANSTILL WHEN A JEEP LATE 90S MODEL HIT HER FULL FORCE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, LUCKILY THE FORTIFICATION OF THE BAR INSIDE THE DOOR THAT GOES ACROSS TOOK THE BLUNT OF THE IMPACT AND MY WIFE ONLY CAME OUT WITH MINOIR BRUISES AND CUTS FROM THE DRIVERS WINDOW. NEITHER THE DRIVERS AIRBAG OR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED AND THAT CONCERNS ME BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WASS ESTIMATED TO BE GOING AROUND 40MPH WHEN IT IMPACTED MY WIFES CAR. IVE NOTIFIED MY LOCAL DEALER WHERE SUZUKI VEHICLES ARE DEALT WITH AND ITS BEEN SAID THAT SINCE THERES NO RECALL THERES NOTHING

NHTSA complaint 10980007, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The airbag system defect light went on and stayed on. The diagnosis from an authorized former Suzuki dealer (Lincoln of Wayne, Wayne, New Jersey), charging approximately $270 for the diagnosis, was that the occupant sensing pad including the bottom seat on the passenger side had failed. This particular part had already been replaced under an NHTSA-related safety recall campaign approximately three years ago. The replaced part had not previously actually failed, but now the replacement part has failed. Contacting Suzuki headquarters in California, I found that they were saying the replacement part needed is not in stock and if it were in stock, they would be charging approximately $2700 for

NHTSA complaint 11719467, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

30,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL. MY SUZUKI GRAND VITARA 2012 HAS THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. I CALL FOR TWO TIMES TO THE DEALER THAT SUZUKI FACTORY DELEGATE THE SERVICES, BUT THEY TELL ME THAT MY VEHICLE VIN NUMBER IS NOT IN THE LIST. I USE THAT CAR TO TAKE MY WIFE TO HER QUIMIOS AND I AND AFRAID THAT SHE IS HURT WITH THE MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRBAG.

NHTSA complaint 11253408. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

121,000 miles

SEATBELT LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME.

NHTSA complaint 11202965. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

35,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE WHEN TURNED IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED LATER AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT THE CONSUMER STATED CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT 02/02/2018 & 02/03/2018 IN REFERENCE TO THE DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA complaint 11066710. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

64,200 miles

TROUBLE CODE B1312 OCM SENSOR MAT FAULT. AIR BAG AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT INDICATOR LIGHT ARE ON ALL THE TIME.

NHTSA complaint 11057970. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

46,000 miles

THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. STARTED MY CAR IN THE MORNING AND IT JUST SUDDENLY LIT.

NHTSA complaint 10993404. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Suzuki Grand Vitara

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2011 11 4 —
2010 20 5 —

Other 2012 Suzuki models

SX4 40 Kizashi 23

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Suzuki on this site — 11 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst