2007 Suzuki XL7

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI XL7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING SPACE, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE COULD HARDLY STEER THE VEHICLE AND WOULD HAVE TO ENGAGE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN ORDER TO REGAIN SOME TYPE OF CONTROL OVER THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION, AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,500.

I PURCHASED MY 2007 X7 NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP THAT CLOSED WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE PURCHASE (THAT SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME SOMETHING) FORTUNATELY, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY MAJOR ISSUES SINCE THE PURCHASE UNTIL RECENTLY. THANK GOODNESS, BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY 2 SUZUKI DEALERSHIPS WITHIN 120 MILES OF ME. OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE POWER STEERING HAS BECOME VERY SLUGGISH AND DIFFICULT TO TURN, AND MAKES A LOT OF NOISE WHENEVER I TURN. IN READING THE MANY OTHER VEHICLE COMPLAINTS, I SEE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. I'VE BEEN TO ONE OF THE 2 DEALERSHIPS IN ALL OF HOUSTON, TEXAS AND WAS TOLD IT NEEDS A NEW STEERING GEAR BOX, WHICH WOULD RUN ABOUT $800+ . THIS VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 68000 MILES ON IT, AND OF COURSE ALTHOUGH IT HAS AN 80,000 POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE XL7, SUZUKI WILL NOT COVER THIS PROBLEM UNDER THIS WARRANTY. I HOPE THE NHTSA WILL HELP REPRESENT THE MANY SUZUKI OWNERS WHO ARE BEING SHAFTED BY THIS COMPANY'S APPARENT LACK OF CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY AND WELL BEING OF IT'S CUSTOMERS. THERE SHOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL OF VEHICLES IMPACTED BY THIS ISSUE. I WILL NEVER BUY A SUZUKI AGAIN! *TR

I WAS DRIVING AROUND THE SCHOOL, WAITING TO PICK UP MY KIDS AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE CORNER MY STEERING LOCKED UP. I COULD HARDLY MOVE THE WHEEL AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I THOUGHT I HAD SOMETHING CAUGHT IN MY TIRES, WHICH REALLY SCARED ME BEING NEAR A SCHOOL. I GOT OUT AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING, BUT WHEN I GOT IN AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE, I COULDN'T STEER WELL AT ALL. AFTER SOME TIME DRIVING WITH THIS CONDITION, I REALIZED THAT I COULD STEER BETTER IF I ACCELERATED INTO THE CURVE, BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM VERY SAFE, ESPECIALLY ON ICY ROADS. MY STEERING ALWAYS HAD A LITTLE "GROWL" TO IT, BUT WHEN THIS HAPPENED, IT GOT MUCH LOUDER. I HAVE READ ON THIS PAGE AND OTHERS THAT OTHER SUZUKI XL7'S HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE, THERE WAS EVEN A RECALL ON THE 2006 MODEL, BUT THEY ARE NOT HELPING ON THE 2007 MODEL. THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. I HAVE THREE KIDS THAT I NEED TO DRIVE AROUND AND I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO KEEP SINKING INTO THIS CAR. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN AT 70,000 MILES, WHICH IS ALSO RIDICULOUS. I CONTINUE TO HAVE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE AS WELL. AT ONE POINT LAST YEAR, MY CAR TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND TRY TO RESTART IT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, IT DID START, BUT THEY COULDN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM OR TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG. MY BATTERY ALSO KEEPS DYING, THE FACTORY CD PLAYER THINKS IT HAS A CD IN IT AND WON'T WORK, THE TEMPERATURE DISPLAY IS NEVER CORRECT, AND THE FRONT TIRE PRESSURE DISPLAYS ON THE REAR TIRES. NOT TO MENTION THAT THE OIL CHANGE TECH'S RARELY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO RESET THE INDICATOR IN THIS MODEL. EXTREMELY POOR DESIGN/PARTS. I CAN LIVE WITH THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE DISPLAYS, BUT PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THIS STEERING ISSUE - IT IS NOT SAFE, AND IT IS HAPPENING TO LOTS OF US! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SUZUKI. *TR

HEARING A NOISE IN THE STEERING, REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP ALONG WITH OTHER SERVICE ISSUES IN FEB. 2011..WAS TOLD THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING ON WITH THE POWER STEERING DID NOT HAVE REPAIRED DUE TO COST QUOTED AT THAT TIME.... REPORTED AGAIN TODAY -11/11/11 AT DEALERSHIP AND AM NOW TOLD THAT THE COMPONENTS IN THE STEERING GEAR ARE BAD, AND IS NOT WARRANTIED. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THESE COMPONENTS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO GO BAD? WELL WHAT CAUSED IT THEN, AND IF THAT'S THE CASE THEN WHY WON'T SUZUKI DO SOMETHING?? I WAS QUOTED A REPAIR COST OF $800!. CANNOT HAVE REPAIRED TODAY DUE TO THE COST. I ASKED QUESTION IF THE MANUFACTURER WOULD ASSIST WITH THE COST, WAS TOLD NO. I SEE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS SAME ISSUE AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE BY SUZUKI..IS THERE A CLASS ACTION SUIT OUT THERE REGARDING THIS? WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET ONE STARTED. OR MAYBE THIS MAY FALL UNDER THE LEMON LAW? OR WAS THIS EVER A RECALL ISSUE? VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH SUZUKI, I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN 2007 AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY OTHER MAJOR PROBLEMS UNTIL THIS!. ANY FEEDBACK WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI XL7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BECOME DIFFICULT TO STEER AND AT TIMES, WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR TO THE DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

MY 2007 SUZUKI XL7 WAS BEING SERVICED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS FOR ENGINE TROUBLE. THE DEALER CALLED ME AND STATED THAT DURING A TEST DRIVE THE STEERING HAD SEVERELY TIGHTENED UP AND WAS HARD TO DRIVE. THEY CALLED BACK AND QUOTED THE FIX TO BE ABOUT $2800. THE DEALER STATED THEY HAD SEEN THIS ISSUE BEFORE AND THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE STEERING SYSTEM FOR THE XL7. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT SUZUKI WOULD NOT PICK UP ANY OF THE COST FOR THIS REPAIR. I HAVE RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINT FROM MANY 2007 XL7 OWNERS AND EVEN SAW THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR STEERING PROBLEMS FOR THE 2006 MODEL YEAR. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM VERY DISAPOINTED WITH SUZUKI AND THERE LACK OF ACTION ON THIS MATTER. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI XL7 AWD. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE OWNER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED HIM THAT HE NEEDED A POWER STEERING PUMP. THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITHIN A FEW MILES, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 57,000.

I PURCHASED MY XL7 NEW FROM SHORTLINE SUZUKI IN 2009. IT HAS 43,000 MILES ON IT AND IT HAS DEVELOPED A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN, I HAD THE DEALERSHIP CHECK THE ISSUE AND WAS TOLD THE STEERING RACK NEEDED REPLACEMENT, I HAVE DRIVEN THIS VEHICLE FOR ONLY 2 YEARS!! THIS IS A DEFECT, NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AS MANY HAVE COMPLAINED HERE AND IN THE SUZUKI FORUMS. I ALSO HAVE HAD WATER LEAK INTO THE VEHICLE FROM THE SUN ROOF AS REPORTED BY ANOTHER OWNER. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM WITH THE QUALITY OF THIS VEHICLE. I PURCHASED NEW SO I WOULD NOT HAVE SPEND TIME IN THE SHOP, YET I HAVE HAD A MYRIAD OF ISSUES. *KB

MY 2007 SUZUKI XL7 (48,000 MILES) HAS BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER, WHICH HAS ALSO BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE. RESEARCH HAS TOLD ME THAT, WHAT SEEMS TO BE A VERY SIMILAR, IF NOT EXACT, PROBLEM EXISTS WITH THE 2006 MODEL. SUZUKI APPARENTLY WAS NOT WILLING TO FIX THE 2006 PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE INITIALLY BUT IN SOME CASES, AFTER MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS, DID. THIS STEERING PROBLEM SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE ON A CAR WITH 48,000. I WILL BE CALLING SUZUKI AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME RESULTS BEFORE SOMETHING SERIOUS OCCURS. *TR

MY STEERING WHEEL ON MY 2007 SUZUKI XL7 HAS ALWAYS MADE A LITTLE NOISE WHEN TURNING,BUT IN THE PAST 6 MOS.IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE AND IS MORE DIFFICULT TO STEER. SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON 06,COULD YOU PLEASE CHECK ON THIS AND SEE IF SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP WANT HELP ME. I READ RECALL ON 06 AND MINE SOUND LIKE THE SAME THING AND IM AFRAID IT WILL GET WORSE AND CAUSE ME NOT TO BE ABLE TO STEER IT AND HAVE AN ACCIDENT...ANY RECOMMENDATIONS? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR