What breaks most · 2002 to 2007 model years
Suzuki Aerio problems by year
Owners have filed 115 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Suzuki Aerio across model years 2002 to 2007. Three years stand out: 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2006 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2005 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2002.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2006, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2002
- Complaints on file
- 1152002 to 2007, all trims
- Worst year
- 200336 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 114 fires · 14 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 25kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 7Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2 | 2 | Suspension (4) | |
| 36 | 3 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 14 | 3 | 1 | Tires (6) | |
| 22 | 3 | 1 | Suspension (7) | |
| 27 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) |
What fails on the 2003 Suzuki Aerio
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 31% |
11 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 17% |
6 | 1 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 6% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 3% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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While driving at 15 mph and making a turn driver tried to accelerate and the vehicle just stopped. The left front cv axle came out of the trans axle. The clip came out of the cv joint, causing the vehicle to become immobile. Owner had vehicle towed to the dealership. *ak
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Air intake and computer chips placed very low within 12" from the ground. The streets were flooded. The intake sucked water up into my engine and caused my car to instantly stall. If anyone had been behind me, i could have been hit. I didn't even have time to put my brakes on.
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Front suspension is shot and vehicle is inoperable 1 month after 3-year warranty expired (recommended not safe for travel by service manager). Only 39,000 miles on vehicle. Service requires new complete strut assemblies for both front-left and front-right struts, and 6 new tires over course of three years.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Suzuki Aerio years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2006, 2005 carry the most filings on the Suzuki Aerio. The 2003 alone has 36 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Suzuki Aerio problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Suzuki Aerio problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Suzuki Aerio complaints that include mileage is about 25,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.