What is the worst year for a Suzuki Vitara?

The 2000 Suzuki Vitara has the worst FaultScore of any year of this model, with 42 complaints filed with NHTSA, most of them about the engine & cooling.

What is the best year for a Suzuki Vitara?

The 1999 Suzuki Vitara has the cleanest record of the graded years, with 63 complaints on file.

What breaks most often on a Suzuki Vitara?

Engine & Cooling accounts for more complaints than any other part on the Suzuki Vitara.

Worst years for a Suzuki Vitara

Owners have filed 148 complaints about the Suzuki Vitara with NHTSA across model years 1999 to 2004. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2000 Suzuki Vitara

42 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.

Cleanest on record

1999 Suzuki Vitara

63 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Suzuki Vitara year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

63 42 40 1 1 1

99 00 01 02 03 04

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

Year	Grade	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Median miles	Most reported
2004	—	1	0	0	—	Engine & Cooling
2003	—	1	0	0	—	Body & Structure
2002	—	1	0	0	—	Suspension
2001	D	40	3	1	48,225	Engine & Cooling
2000	D	42	5	0	53,500	Engine & Cooling
1999	C	63	3	1	125,000	Suspension

What breaks on a Suzuki Vitara

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 27 18.2%

Worst in 2001

Suspension 27 18.2%

Worst in 1999

Transmission & Drivetrain 20 13.5%

Worst in 1999

Brakes 10 6.8%

Worst in 2000

Body & Structure 9 6.1%

Worst in 1999

Airbags 8 5.4%

Worst in 2000

Lights 7 4.7%

Worst in 2001

Acceleration & Cruise Control 6 4.1%

Worst in 1999

Fuel & Propulsion 6 4.1%

Worst in 1999

Equipment & Accessories 6 4.1%

Worst in 1999

Other & Unspecified 6 4.1%

Worst in 1999

Electrical System 4 2.7%

Worst in 1999

Steering 4 2.7%

Worst in 1999

Tires 4 2.7%

Worst in 2001

Exactly what failed on a Suzuki Vitara

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Front 13 22.0%

Engine 11 18.6%

Automatic Transmission 7 11.9%

Gasoline 6 10.2%

Frontal 6 10.2%

AIR Conditioner 4 6.8%

Switch 3 5.1%

Disc 3 5.1%

Frame AND Members 3 5.1%

Door 3 5.1%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Suzuki Vitara, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1999 peak 9 Dec 2012

Compare the Suzuki Vitara

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.

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