NHTSA Complaint #10638464 — 2008 SUZUKI XL7

TO BEGIN, MY MOONROOF LEAKED INTO THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS IN THE CABIN ANY TIME I WASHED THE CAR. HAD TO TAKE IT IN 3 TIMES TO GET IT FIXED. WINDOW SEALS WERE BUCKLING AND GOT THOSE REPLACED BY DEALER - BUT CONTINUED TO BUCKLE. ALL STABILITRAC LIGHTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERMITTENT SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. KEY FOB WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AROUND 85000 THEN THE REAR DRIVER DOOR WOULD NOT RESPOND TO IT. REPLACED BATTERY IN FOB AND HAD TO TAKE IT IN TO ONLY HAVE IT DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACTUATOR IN THE DOOR WAS GOING OUT. WHILE I WAS TURNING A CORNER IN MY 2008 XL7, I HEARD A GRINDING/RATTLING NOISE THAT SEEMED TO WORSEN AT SLOWER SPEEDS AND WOULD GO AWAY AS I ACCELERATED THROUGH THE TURN AROUND 90000 MILES. POWER STEERING FELT TIGHT, ABS LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, AWD OFF, STABIL-TRAC LIGHT ALL CAME ON...INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK IT IN FOR OTHER REPAIRS BEFORE WARRANTY RAN OUT AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE/SOUND. AT 95700 MILES SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING, TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. AT 103000 MILES THE NOISE/RATTLING/GRINDING IS BACK IN FORCE. TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC, HE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO DUPLICATE IT, PULLED MULTIPLE MIS-FIRE CODES P0300, P0301,P0305, & P0303. REPLACED A WEAK BATTERY, CHANGE THE OIL AND DIAGNOSED THE TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CALLED SUZUKI TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE LAST 15000 MILES SPORADICALLY, FINALLY GOT IT DIAGNOSED AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THEY WILL NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND THE FIX IS AROUND $3000. THIS IS A PREVALENT RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE XL7 2007-2009. AS MANY COMPLAINTS AS I HAVE SEEN REGARDING THIS ISSUE, KNOWING THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT LIKE THIS THAT IT COULD DESTROY THE ENTIRE ENGINE, SUZUKI SHOULD BE ISSUING A RECALL AND FIXING THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. *TR