Owners have filed 96 complaints on the Suzuki Esteem, covering 1995–2002. The system named most often is Structure (19 reports). Worst years by volume: 1998, 2000, 2001; cleanest: 1996, 2002, 1997. 15 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 6.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Suzuki Esteem
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 96 Esteem complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 19 Read
Sub frame of 1999 suzuki esteem had rusted thru .I was driving at 70 miles per hour when the sub frame cracked and pushed the passenger front tire back against the fender caused the front tire to lock up which caused me to wreck. I spoke with suzuki and gave them my VIN number and was told that part was on recall and…
98 suzuki esteem cross member(engine cradle) on the suzuki esteem the engine cradle or cross member rot causing the vehicle to collapse causing into an accident ,crossmember or engine cradle supports lower control arms which if the crossmember let go will cause the vehicle to possible crash in my experience as a auto…
The contact owns a 2002 suzuki esteem. The contact occasionally heard a loud noise from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the shielding needed to be replaced around the muffler. The vehicle was repaired however,the failure recurred. The right axle shaft was…
Suspension 19 Read
I was driving onto an exit at 45 miles per hour and I heard a very loud popping noise and lost control of the steering wheel pulled over. There was no more steering
Husband was driving vehicle when the front tire gave way and bent in from frame. Took to the repair shop and was informed that the entire frame was rotted out. The vehicle could not be repaired as the part is not available. The car only had 129,000 miles on it. This is a common problem with the car and it should have…
I was driving the car on the highway and took the exit and then turning right from stop sign about 5 miles per hour and then heard a click and then tire were rubbing against the car body the kframe got rusted and twisted pushing the tire back and steering wheel off
Service Brakes 12 Read
Driving 40 mph vehicle in front stopped suddenly, hit the brakes but rearended vehicle anyway; driver's side air bag did not deploy; was rearended by another vehicle and esteem was totaled
While entering a ramp consumer was attempting to slowdown and there were no brakes. Consumer had to run car up on concrete to stop. Took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that brakes felt smushy. Please provide any further information
No summary listed for above vehicle
Engine And Engine Cooling 10 Read
Check engine light has come on 6 times and there is no computer code. Gas gauge is inaccurate. *jb *nlm *****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****768037
While driving, the engine make a ticking noise as if it needed oil, but it didn't. Upon inspection of the vehicle by the dealership they indicated that the noise was caused by an internal engine problem. *ak *cb
The defective transmission would not shift into other gears, it sounded like it was stuck in lower gear. Also, a loud sound would be produced from the transmission area of it being stuck in a lower gear when traveling at speeds around 55-65, dealer replaced transmission 3 times but vehicle still experiencing the same…
Air Bags 9 Read
The contact owns a 2000 suzuki esteem. The contact was driving 40 mph when a deer crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and a police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop who diagnosed that as a result of the crash,…
While driving at approximately 70 mph hit a deer head-on , and dual airbgas did not deploy. Also, seatbelt did not lock, causing back injuries. Consumer had to embrace steering wheel hard to prevent other injuries
Had resistant on the accelerator pedal. Had shifted into drive & tapped accelerator pedal & it became stuck. The vehicle accelerated inside the garage & hit a pillar. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. No injuries
Steering 5 Read
While making a right turn steering wheel locked in right turn position. This caused the consumer to collide into an embankment, hitting a tree
My 99 esteem stared pulling to one side while driving. As I attempted to get it home the wheel would rub on the inner fender well when turning. Upon inspection when I got home I found the driver side subframe rusted through on top and outer sides with only the inside portion intact. This part had bent allowing my…
This complaint deals with failed inner tie-rod in the gear assembly. The failure resulted in severe problems in controlling the car at high speed. The problem arose because of broken boot and subsequent moisture build-up and damage to the tie-rod. The service personnel attributed the failure to faulty part and poor…
Electrical System 4 Read
Vehicle was placed in park for over two hours. Then, consumer noticed smoke coming from the tail lights, and vehicle caught on fire. Fire department was called, and determined the cause to be an electrical problem. *ak
Purchased a new suzuki esteem in 2001. About 30000 miles the key beagn to stick in the ignition and you could not take it out. Once you turned the car on, you could not move into park. Have had it "fixed" 3 times now. There is a little white button on the inside of steering wheel that once pushed will release the key…
Was driving at night when entire electrical system died. Vehicle stopped running. This was second time that problem has happened. Vehicle was able to be restarted when driver lifted hood and jiggled master control fuse (80 amp) come loose. Taking vehicle to dealership
Tires 3 Read
1998 suzuki esteem left rear tire blew out causing the consumer to hit the guardrail. *kb the consumers daughter was slightly injured. Ohio traffic report # 10-90-0789
Vehicle purchased with yokohama a460 p195/55r15 tires. In wet road conditions vehicle skids when making a turn, in rain it slides. Yokohama representative stated this type tire will cause these problems in 50 and below degree weather.*ak DOT # fd8nnhb1700, yokohama adven a-460 tires
I would like to report some additional defective firestone tires. *ak (DOT number: elboclj129 tiresize: p185/60r14)
Esteem years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Engine And Engine Cooling,fuel System, Other | — | — | |
| 2001 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags,vehicle Speed Control | 3 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Electrical System,equipment | — | — | |
| 1996 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic,air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 80 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.0 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Esteem?
By complaint volume, 1998, 2000, 2001 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Esteem years are the cleanest?
1996, 2002, 1997 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Suzuki Esteem have?
96 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2002. Of those, 15 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.