There are 1 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitarain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND THOUGHT I WAS BACKING UP, BUT WHEN I PUT SHIFTER IN DRIVE, IT KEPT GOING BACKWARDS. I REALIZED BEING ON A DOWN SLOPE, THAT SHIFTER WAS NOT WORKING AND I HAD IDLED BACKWARDS. I PUT SHIFTER IN DRIVE POSITION AND CONTINUED IDLING BACKWARDS INTO A SNOW BANK. I HAD TO SHUT OFF AND RESTART SEVERAL TIMES AND IT EVENTUALLY WENT INTO DRIVE. I WAS UNABLE TO TAKE IT TO WORK DUE TO A POSSIBILITY OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I HAD SOMEONE LOOK AT IT AND THEY THOUGHT TRANSFER CASE WAS THE ISSUE, AS THERE WAS A NOISE FROM THAT AREA. I DID RESEARCH ON IT AND FOUND ALL OF THE SUZUKI VITARA, GRAND VITARA, FROM 2006-2009 HAD ISSUES WITH TRANSFER CASE LEAKING AND THERE FORE GOING OUT OF COMMISSION. THIS IS HAPPENING AT VARIOUS MILEAGES, BUT PRIMARILY AT 100,000 -138,000. I AM WONDERING WHY THERE WAS NOT A RECALL ON THIS, AS IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS ITS A FACTORY DEFAULT IN TRANSFER CASES. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE, SHOULD THE TRANSFER CASE GO OUT WHILE DRIVING OR MANEUVERING VEHICLE AROUND TO PARK, WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT SUZUKI HAS NOT GOTTEN A LAW SUIT FILED ON THEM YET, FOR THIS DEFINITE ISSUE. I ALSO HAVE TO WONDER IF THERE WERE ANY FATALITIES DUE TO THIS ISSUE, THAT SUZUKI OWNERS AND FAMILIES, WERE UNAWARE OF AT THE TIME. THIS IS A FACTORY MADE AND DEFAULT PART. THE 2006 - 2009 TRANSFER CASE ON THESE VEHICLES SHOULD DEFINITELY HAVE A RECALL ON THEM.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026