2003 Suzuki Aerio SX from North America

Summary:

Fantastic

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

Bought a battery and new tires car drive great and stores pretty well everything and great of fuel love the car nice suspension and good on the comfort level great car for the musician.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2007

2003 Suzuki Aerio SX 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Really bad -not enough space to explain

Faults:

Crankshaft sensor - 10 hours to fix at 85.00 dollars an hour. Seven of those hour to find out it was the sensor.

General Comments:

I loved the car up until the car died and have been unable to drive it for 3 days. They are charging for 11.00 but I have not had the car for three days.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th August, 2007

13th Dec 2007, 01:32

This comment is for all car owners out there. One of the best investments you can make in owning cars is to go down to AutoZone and buy an Actron CP9125 OBDII scanner. This simple little device will tell you what the check engine light is showing for. Cost of sensor: $70. Time to scan: 5 minutes. Cost of Crankshaft PS: $95. Time to install yourself: Take your time, it's Sunday.

29th Aug 2009, 15:25

The fact that it took the guys at your garage over 10 hours to find this issue, suggests to me that they are not specialized in diagnosing electrical problems. Not all auto technicians are created equal. Is your tech certified?

My husband has been an auto tech. for 26 years and is constantly having to find problems, such as this one, after the car has been out of service and has made the rounds of many other local shops. In our community, even the dealers send their problem cars to my husbands shop, as they have an excellent reputation for finding unusual problems.

One person had been unable to use their car for almost a year before it ended up at his shop, and 2 days later (parts needed to be ordered) the car was back on the road.

Don't be afraid to ask for accreditation, it's your car, and it's your money. Learn to spend it wisely.

2003 Suzuki Aerio SX from North America

Summary:

It is a rip-off

Faults:

Faulty brakes -- even with replacement parts they roughly grind.

Electrical system -- ground wire needed to be replace when car was just over two years old.

Engine -- was replaced, under warranty, because it clogged with sludge.

Tires -- have tried a variety of sizes and brands, but all wear abnormally quickly.

Exterior design -- bottom of the front bumper has one piece that isn't secured properly so it has come off.

Interior quality -- cd player no longer works and the clock's back-light is off.

General Comments:

Poor quality; NOT worth the money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd May, 2007

2003 Suzuki Aerio 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Good roomy, economy car

Faults:

The car never had any major problems. Small things were a little annoying, such as squeaking belt, unevenly worn brakepads, interior fabric seemed a little cheapish (used seat covers though).

General Comments:

The first thing we liked about the car was that you sit a little higher than in an average small car. Performance was adequate. Cabin noise is a little too loud... both road and engine noise is very noticeable. It is very roomy for it's size and has a nice trunk. Gasmileage could be better... I don't know why it gets at least 5-6 less miles per gallon than a Corolla or Civic. I would not hesitate to buy another one if the noise level and fuel consumption could be fixed. It is not quite up to it's competitors standard (Corolla, Civic, Mazda etc).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th March, 2006

2003 Suzuki Aerio SX AWD 2.0 from North America

Faults:

Squealing fan belt covered under warranty by TSB. The squeal has since come back, but the dealer claims that a new TSB has been issued dealing with the power steering bracket (aka the culprit)

Fog lights crack - covered under warranty, but DO NOT wash them when they are hot. Also, ensure that there is no snow packed in them when you turn them on!!

Paint chips - Pearlized White chips extremely easily.

Interior plastic - scratches easily.

Break click when reversing - Fixed under warranty (TSB)

Electrical gremlin - thermometer/time display sometimes fails to light up when headlights are turned on.

General Comments:

Thus far, the Aerio is a good vehicle. My wife likes it and it handles snow well. The gas mileage is decent and the power, while not outstanding, is adequate. The car will not shift into high gear until it warms up and the engine temp light goes out. This can be annoying as I am sometimes already to the freeway and it is still not ready.

Visibility is a concern as the center beam is located in a poor position for an average sized male. Shoulder checking is made difficult and I have banged my head off the top of the window frame on several ocasions (5'10")

The heater is decent and provides lots of BTUs.

The Aerio is a decently priced AWD alternative to Subaru, but the overall finishing is somewhat concerning.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 21st December, 2004

9th Dec 2009, 11:07

Now have just over 180,000. Additional problems issues as follows...

Front bumper is too low and easily gets snagged/ripped if you are not careful.

All the heat shields have vibrated off the exhaust. I just went under and either pulled them off or used straps to hold them on.

Squeal came back. Had to take it in and they replaced the pulley again.

Developed leak which dripped oil on belt causing yet more squealing.

Overall, still not a bad car and good in snow. Car is now 6 years old and has probably cost me $2000 to service (including a brake job)

22nd Jul 2013, 13:34

Now at 225,000+km.

I drive the s**t out of it and it keeps going.

I was rear ended by a guy who was doing about 60km/hr when he drove into the back of me with an old Ford Festiva (I was doing about 30-40km/hr, as we had just entered a construction zone).

Aside from the rear bumper being smacked in a bit and the plastic damage, I was fine. My car drove away - the other guy crushed his front end, blew his radiator, and went to the hospital.

Since the accident I have replaced one rear wheel bearing and I'm probably looking at replacing the other one now. Not sure if this was a result of the accident (the noise appeared two days after it was rear ended), but my insurance company would not cover it.

I also replaced the lower radiator hose, as it was leaking.