AI DamageSuzuki Aerio: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Suzuki Aerio across 6 model years: 115 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 14% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 13% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 7 Wheels 5% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 19 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 18 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 16 complaints (14% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 15 complaints (13% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl 2002–2003
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl 2004–2007
- automatic, 4-speed 2002–2007
- manual, 5-speed 2002–2007named in 3 complaints
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 115 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Tires | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The 'parking' transmission. I really scary whit this car. I put the car in parking and he go in reverse and hit me.
2005 suzuki aerio sx, unit 1 tire blew out. Unit 1 moved into right lane striking unit 2. Unit 1 drove off the left side striking the median barrier bounced off that into the right side striking the guardrail. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0503-91)
The car seemed on the brink of hydroplaning at low rates of speed. At 14,000 miles the rear tires were completely bald and I purchased 4 new tires. The dealership attributed this to lack of rotation. Local tire shops stated this is a common problem with this model car.
After I bought my car (in late december 2004), I noticed that the rear-end twitched (very slight swings to the left & right that quickly re-grabbed the road after losing traction). This occurred every time the roads were wet or slippery, and I used it as a signal to slow down.
I took car to dealership:replaced pads, mashined rotors and aligned/replaced one tire. Month later I come back to dealership with the problem to stop the car on the speed 15ml/h: push the brakes pedal to the floor, car did not stoped.
Consumer lost steering control and hit a pole. Vehicle was towed. Dealership repaired the lower control arm. The consumer stated the air bags did not deploy as designed. Updated 02/09/06.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.