Underbody Shield Problems of Suzuki Esteem

Driving along big timber straight at 40 mph then all of a sudden car started pulling to the right and started to shake, I managed to stay straight until I turned left to meadows rd. I made it home okay in the complex but was unable to use the car again. Next day looked at the under carriage and then noticed the rusted out sub frame (cradle) by the right (passenger) control arm. This car is garage kept if that means anything. Well this certainly is a bummer, I'll have to figure on how to fix this problem at a reasonable expense.

See all problems of the 1997 Suzuki Esteem 🔎.

2000 Suzuki Esteem sedan. The subframe and front passenger side axel rusted through and collapsed while turning corner. Loud grinding of tires. This caused the front passenger side wheel to be pushed back into the wheel well. Repaired cost of $1200. Fortunately no one was hurt as the vehicle was slowing down, but if these parts had failed at highway speeds, it is quite likely a fatal accident would have occurred. I have searched on line and found that other Suzuki owners have reported this same problem. I wrote to corporate relations at Suzuki in brea California, they contacted me and left a message that they were not going to reimburse me for the cost of repair and that the warranty for this known problem was no longer in effect as of Dec 21, 2011. However, the warranty they sent to owners said this repair would be for 12 years from the date the car was originally put in service or 180,000. My car met the conditions but they refuse to honor the coverage extension warranty. I hope this vehicle is recalled or at least owners should be notified of this defect before a fatal accident occurs.

See all problems of the 2000 Suzuki Esteem 🔎.

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 wheel to change position. The rest of the undercarriage seems to be in good shape while this section has rusted away. Thankfully, this did not happen at highway speed or that I did not hit a pothole while driving. This could have broken and caused total loss of control, ending in injuries and/or fatalities not only to the occupants of my vehicle but to other cars in my vicinity. I understand that this is not uncommon on this vehicle an sincerely believe that this is an issue that merits immediate attention before people are killed.

See all problems of the 1999 Suzuki Esteem 🔎.