2002 Suzuki XL-7 from North America - Comments

There are air leaks through the vents.

The floor heater does not work well.

The brakes squeak.

The vehicle is hard to control in extreme wind.

The vehicle idles high when initially started and stays high for quite awhile.

It also has noisy squeaks and interior noise.

These problems were presented to the dealership and eventually to the manufacturer.

I was told they were all structural problems that could not be fixed.

I was struck that someone else has had problems with the 2002 XL-7. I bought a 2002 as new with approximately 5,000 miles on it in November of 2003. In December of 2003 I heard a popping noise and took it to a local dealership (not the one I bought it from which is about 30 miles away). The maintenance manager there popped the hood and, low and behold, the coolant was essentially gone. They put in a whole container of fluid into the Radiator and then topped off the reservoir. No paperwork was ever done. Since then I have had it in at least 4 more times (I believe the actual count it 8 but I am still looking for all the paperwork) for the same problem. The heating system has been replaced and they replaced something in the rear of the vehicle as well. The last two time the car has overheated and when cool the radiator was checked and had no fluid in it at all - the reservoir was also completely empty. The office manager where I work put in 2 liters of water each time and I drove it back to the dealership where I originally bought it. After the last time, we informed them that we were pursuing the Lemon Law and from then on the situation has deteriorated. Both dealerships have stated that they have never seen such a problem in the XL-7 and the Suzuki rep has been called in. Yesterday they called and said they had done a pressure test when the vehicle was hot and cold (this has been done two previous times, once at the original dealership and once at the dealership close to me with no evidence of a leak) and that there was nothing wrong with the car. The maintenance man stated that they could let one of their employees drive it around for the weekend. I stated that was okay, but the problem seemed to be appearing about ever 1,000 miles (I have place 9,000 miles on it since purchase due to my job) ; of course they can't drive it that long. So now I am at a loss and my opinion is to let the thing drive until it blows up (which I am convinced is going to happen as this problem has yet to be solved.) Have you heard of any similar problems? If so Please email me at amason2@covhealth.com and let me know what resolved this problem so that I can get my car fixed. I like it, but it is turning out to be unreliable.

To the first review when the engine is cold it will turn faster to warm up then whrn it gets up to temperature will return to it's original speed. To the comment you have a leak somewhere UV light test might reveal where.

My wife is having the identical problem with her car. The dealer said it was the radiator cap, replaced it in only three days. She has had the problem repeat every 500 or so miles, I fill the radiator and reservoir then its good awhile longer. Something I noticed was that the truck has excessive moisture from the exhaust and when I traced the coolant lines I noticed a line to the rear top of the intake manifold that maight have something to do with it. Nowhere else do I see evidence of leakage, no antifreeze scent what-so-ever. More to come.

@ original comments:

Re: instability on highway: assuming you have standard 16 inch steel or alloy wheels with P235/60 R16 tires; you cannot buy inexpensive tires for this vehicle; we had same issue and finally Michelin X-Ones at 4PSI (COLD) over door sticker minimized the problem. The design trades off between side-wind resistance and agility. Stiffening up the highway stability would decrease the agility. Personally, we like the handling so we just pay closer attention at speed. Potayto, potahto.

Re engine idle speed: it should drop down in a few minutes (it does not require full engine temperature)... sounds like the idle control module or solenoid isn't working properly; good luck getting competent attention on that.

Re brake squeak: probably someone forgot the anti-squeak paste on the back of the brake pads again... pretty common error.

Brake squeak on my XL-7 was caused by the shims on each end of the pads in front, took them out, ground about 1/16th inch off, reinstalled and no problems since.

Cheaper tires can be used on this vehicle. Switch to a 225/60-16, a little smaller tire that is off 1mph @ 60mph. Handles great with these sized tires and I get 2-3 more miles per gallon.

I agree about a UV test for coolant, but have a vacuum test done on the radiator instead of a pressure test. It's easier for air to enter the system than coolant to escape, so that would give you more reliable results.