2008 Suzuki XL7 Steering Problems

FALL 2018 HAD OBD CODE FOR TIMING CHAIN- REPLACED TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER, END OF NOVEMBER 2019 PULSATING AT LOW SPEEDS- ALIGNMENT, NEW BRAKES, NEW TIRES. JANUARY 2020 MADE A U TURN AT LOW SPEEDS APPROX. 2 MPH AND VEHICLE MADE GRINDING NOISE AND SHUT OFF WHEN STARTED IT BACK UP STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF PARKED VEHICLE UNTIL MARCH 2020 WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT TO A MECHANIC, DURING DIAGNOSIS MECHANIC NOTED CORROSION TO BOTH SERPENTINE BELT AND TIMING CHAIN DUE TO OIL LEAK FROM TIMING CHAIN COVER VALVES, HAD BOTH SERPENTINE AND TIMING CHAINS/TENSIONERS REPLACED WITH NEW PARTS AS WELL AS VALVES AND SEALS REPLACED, MECHANIC ALSO NOTED BALANCE HARMONIZER MELTED AND DETERIORATING DUE TO OIL LEAK SO REPLACED THAT AS WELL, POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED DUE TO METALLIC PIECES IN POWER STEERING FLUID AND SYSTEM WAS BLED AND FLUSHED ALSO REGULAR MAINTENANCE SPARK PLUGS AND OIL CHANGE DONE. STEERING WAS STILL STIFF SO MECHANIC PUT IN A NEW RACK AND PINION, TIE RODS, STEERING GEAR AND ANOTHER NEW POWER STEERING PUMP AT SAME TIME AND AN ALIGNMENT WAS DONE AFTER NEW RACK WAS PUT IN, STEERING STILL INTERMITTENTLY BECOMES STIFF DURING TURNS, VEHICLE HAS ALSO STARTED TO MAKE LOUD SQUEALING WHILE TURNING AND PULSATING AT LOW SPEEDS. INTERNET SEARCH ABOUT VEHICLE YEAR MAKE AND MODEL WITH STEERING ISSUES RESULTED IN MANY COMPLAINTS OF SAME ISSUES.

TOOK MY 2008 SUZUKI XL7 PREMIUM INTO THE SHOP BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING FLUID, MAKING NOISES AND WAS BECOMING HARD TO STEER. 3 DAYS LATER AND 2 PUMPS LATER I STILL DON'T HAVE MY CAR BACK. THEY MECHANIC SAID THEY EVEN FLUSHED THE POWER STEERING FLUID OUT AND THERE WAS METAL SHAVING IN IT FROM THE LINE. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE THE MECHANIC $500. FOR A NEW LINE AND $500 FOR A NEW PUMP BECAUSE OF A DEFECT ON THE MANUFACTURER'S END. I WOULD LIKE THIS TO BE LOOKED INTO FOR RECALL PURPOSES FOR SAFETY AND MANUFACTURE ISSUES. MULTIPLE SOURCES STATE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH IT

MY STABILITY TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON WHICH TURNED STC OFF, IN ADDITION IT TURNED OFF THE AWD. THE POWER STEERING ONLY WORKS AT FASTER SPEEDS. I'VE ALMOST WRECKED THIS CAR ON MANY OCCASIONS DUE TO THIS. IT'S HORRIBLY UNSAFE IN THE RAIN. IT WILL LITERALLY GET STUCK IN A LITTLE MUD PUDDLE BC OF THE ST N AWD BEING OFF. SO MANY COMPLAINTS! IT SHOULD BE RECALLED SOON! IT'S 7 PASSAGE VEHICLE I'M ASSUMING MOSTLY FOR KIDS N IT'S STC,AWD,POWER STEERING JUST STOPS N IT SHAKES WHEN U SLOW DOWN. I'M SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE MINE ESPECIALLY IN BAD WEATHER!!!

DRIVING THE SUZUKI ON MULTIPLE OCCASION WHEN I BEGIN TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL STIFFENS AND IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. I MUST YOU BOTH HANDS AND FORCEFULLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING REPLACE 3 TIMES AND IT IS STILL OCCURRING!!! IT HAPPENS WHILE MOTION ON CITY STREETS AND THE HIGHWAY. IT SO STIFF ITS DIFFICULT TO TAKE AN EXIT. THIS LAST OCCURRED YESTERDAY 7/4/2018.

POWER STEERING IS OUT, TIMING BELT AND TENSIONER, COOLING IN FRONT NOT BACK

MY 2008 XL7 SERIVCE STABILITY CONTROL AND ABS LIGHT STAYS ON AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN.

THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A RUBBING SOUND WHEN TURNING BACK AND FORTH. I HAD IT FIXED ONCE WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE BUT NOW I'M AT 101,000 MILES AND IT'S BACK. UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE, SO THIS REPAIR WILL HAVE TO BE OUT OF POCKET. DISAPPOINTED, HAD I KNOWN THAT I WAS GETTING A SUZUKI WITH GM PARTS I WOULD HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED BUYING IT. I HAD A 2002 SUZUKI XL7 AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT I ENCOUNTER ON MY VEHICLE IS THAT IT BURNS WAY TOO MUCH OIL. THE OIL CHANGES COME AROUND ALOT SOONER THAT THE INDICATOR DISPLAYS ON THE PANEL. DEALERSHIP HAS NO EXPLANATION FOR IT. *TR

MANY, MANY GM PRODUCTS ARE BEING RECALLED DUE TO FAULTY IGNITION SWITCHES, AND THE XL7 SHARES A LOT OF PARTS AND SIMILARITIES WITH THE EQUINOX, VUE, AND SO ON. CAN IT BE DETERMINED IF THE 2008 SUZUKI XL7 USES THE SAME IGNITION SWITCH? ALSO, FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS, A GROANING NOISE EMANATES FROM THE STEERING WHEEL UPON TURNS. WE OWNED A NEW 2006 CHEVROLET HHR THAT MADE A SIMILAR SOUND THAT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REMEDY. *TR

TO BEGIN, MY MOONROOF LEAKED INTO THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS IN THE CABIN ANY TIME I WASHED THE CAR. HAD TO TAKE IT IN 3 TIMES TO GET IT FIXED. WINDOW SEALS WERE BUCKLING AND GOT THOSE REPLACED BY DEALER - BUT CONTINUED TO BUCKLE. ALL STABILITRAC LIGHTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERMITTENT SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. KEY FOB WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AROUND 85000 THEN THE REAR DRIVER DOOR WOULD NOT RESPOND TO IT. REPLACED BATTERY IN FOB AND HAD TO TAKE IT IN TO ONLY HAVE IT DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACTUATOR IN THE DOOR WAS GOING OUT. WHILE I WAS TURNING A CORNER IN MY 2008 XL7, I HEARD A GRINDING/RATTLING NOISE THAT SEEMED TO WORSEN AT SLOWER SPEEDS AND WOULD GO AWAY AS I ACCELERATED THROUGH THE TURN AROUND 90000 MILES. POWER STEERING FELT TIGHT, ABS LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, AWD OFF, STABIL-TRAC LIGHT ALL CAME ON...INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK IT IN FOR OTHER REPAIRS BEFORE WARRANTY RAN OUT AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE/SOUND. AT 95700 MILES SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING, TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. AT 103000 MILES THE NOISE/RATTLING/GRINDING IS BACK IN FORCE. TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC, HE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO DUPLICATE IT, PULLED MULTIPLE MIS-FIRE CODES P0300, P0301,P0305, & P0303. REPLACED A WEAK BATTERY, CHANGE THE OIL AND DIAGNOSED THE TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CALLED SUZUKI TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE LAST 15000 MILES SPORADICALLY, FINALLY GOT IT DIAGNOSED AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THEY WILL NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND THE FIX IS AROUND $3000. THIS IS A PREVALENT RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE XL7 2007-2009. AS MANY COMPLAINTS AS I HAVE SEEN REGARDING THIS ISSUE, KNOWING THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT LIKE THIS THAT IT COULD DESTROY THE ENTIRE ENGINE, SUZUKI SHOULD BE ISSUING A RECALL AND FIXING THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. *TR

POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING ON TURNS AT LOW SPEED. REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP, PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR. *TR

LOST STEERING WHILE DRIVING,BECAME VERY HARD TO STEER. COST $2300 TO REPAIR. SAID DEFECT STARTED AS STEERING RACK AND CAUSED METAL TO GO THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM AND TAKE OUT THE PUMP ALSO. ABS/TRAC CONTROL/STABILITY LIGHTS AMONG OTHERS COME ON AND LOOSE AWD. SUNROOF LEAK AND PAINT PEELING. STEERING WAS LOST AGAIN WHILE DRIVING 1.5 YEARS LATER. DEFINITE RECALL SITUATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI SL7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE BOTH THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK AND PINION WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A SECOND OPINION HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000.

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AS I WAS DRIVING. ALMOST CRASHED. CHANGED OUT RACK AND PINION & POWER STEERING PUMP WITH NO CHANGE. COST $ 1,200. PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. WILL NOT DRIVE BECAUSE OF DANGER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI XL7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED AND THE STEERING WHEEL COULD NOT BE TURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI XL7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,980.

IN TURNING THE WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT THERE IS A ZIPPING SOUND AND A TIGHTNESS IN THE STEERING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP AND HAD THE FLUIDS CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POWER-STEERING FLUID WAS ACCURATE. I WAS TOLD BY THE SHOP THAT THE FLUID LEVELS WERE CORRECT. HOWEVER, THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING COLUMN, WHICH I HAVE NOT GONE TO HAVE CHECKED OUT AS OF YET. *TR

AT SLOW SPEEDS THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES NOISES WHEN BEING TURNED IN EACH DIRECTION. ALMOST FEELS LIKE A LOSS OF STEERING POWER AND IS DIFFICULT TO TURN. IT WAS NOTICED AFTER PURCHASE AND DEALER COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE ISSUE. HAVE CONTINUED TO USE THE VEHICLE, AND PROBLEM PERSISTS. REVIEWED INTERNET FOR RECALLS. DON'T SEE ANY, BUT SEE PLENTY OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. *TR

STEERING HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE AT LOW SPEEDS. ALMOST FEELS LIKE THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT AND TURNED MANUAL. ALSO NOISES COME FROM STEERING WHEN MAKING TURNS. THIS CARE WAS PRODUCED ON A GENERAL MOTORS ASSEMBLY LINE. ALL THE GM CARS WERE JUST RECALLED FOR STEERING PROBLEMS. WHY ISN'T THIS BRAND OF VEHICLES BEING RECALLED? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI XL7. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL HAD BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,226.

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY SUZUKI XL7 2008 VIN/SERIAL [XXX]. THE POWER STEERING IS LEAKING FLUID AND HAVE TO REFILL IT CONTINUOUSLY. THE WHEEL MAKES NOISE WHEN I MAKE TURNS AND ALSO IS BECOMING HARD TO MANEUVER. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE SOUTH DEERFOOT SUZUKI DEALER AT 7220 RAILWAY ST SE CALGARY, AB T2H 3A8 (1-888-284-1809), CANADA ONCE I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME I HAD 62,000 KM (38520 MILES) ON THE VEHICLE. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. AFTER I GOT TIRED OF REFUELING THE POWER STEERING FLUID, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THIS TIME I HAD 65,000 KM (43390 MILES). THEY FOUND THIS TIME ABOUT THREE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS, BUT SINCE THE WARRANTY OF THIS VEHICLE HAD EXPIRED, I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. NOW, THE LEAKING, THE NOISE, AND THE MANEUVER HAVE BECOME MORE CRITICAL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC SHOP. THEY FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE A SEAL DAMAGED WHICH CONNECTS TO FRONT SIDE TIRE (THE DRIVER SIDE)AND RECOMMENDED ME THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE STILL NEW (2008) I SHOULD CONTACT CHACON SUZUKI ABOUT THE WARRANTY. I ALSO HAD CONTACTED NICHOLAS ROCKWELL, FIXED OPERATIONS MANAGER SOUTH DEERFOOT SUZUKI ABOUT A POSSIBLE POWER STEERING RECALL WITH SUZUKI XL7 2006 THAT COULD BE APPLICABLE TO MY SUZUKI 2008. I HAVE FILED A RECALL COMPLAIN WITH NHTSA AND I HAVE CONTACTED SUZUKI CANADA IN ONTARIO. I HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED TO CONTACT THE CHACON SUZUKI DEALER AT 3566 I-35 S, NEW BRAUNFELS, TX 78132 PHONE: 830-624-7000 AND THE SOUTH DEERFOOT SUZUKI DEALER DAVID BAKER DEALER PRINCIPAL MDBAKER@SHAW.CA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR