The 1999 Suzuki Vitara has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 10,992 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 63 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the suspension. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMP-ACTUATING SWITCH. IF THE BRAKE LAMP-ACTUATING SWITCH DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY BE INOPERATIVE. ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE, A FAILURE IN THE…
Consequence
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS FOLLOWING CLOSELY, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH ASSEMBLY.
EQUIPMENT99V1540001999-06-281,273 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 2-DOOR PASSENGER VEHICLES. DURING PORT INSTALLATION OF REAR STEREO SPEAKERS, THE VEHICLES WIRING HARNESS COULD HAVE BEEN PINCHED BETWEEN THE REAR STEREO SPEAKER AND SPEAKER RETAINING PLATE.
Consequence
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT COULD OCCUR DUE TO THE PINCHED WIRES.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POSITION/CONDITION OF THE REAR WIRING HARNESS AND REPAIR THE WIRING HARNESS, IF NECESSARY.
SEAT BELTS99V1550001999-06-281,273 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 2-DOOR PASSENGER VEHICLES. DURING PORT INSTALLATION OF REAR STEREO SPEAKERS, THE FRONT SEAT BELT LOWER ANCHOR BOLTS WERE REMOVED TO FACILITATE THE REAR SPEAKER INSTALLATION AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TORQUED TO SPECIFICATION AFTER INSTALLATION OF THE SPEAKERS.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT PROPERLY RESTRAIN AN OCCUPANT INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL RETORQUE BOTH OF THE FRONT SEAT BELT LOWER ANCHOR BOLTS TO SPECIFICATION.
STEERING98V3240021999-02-0938 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE COUPLING THAT CONNECTS THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT TO THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT IS CRACKED. THIS COULD ALLOW THE STEERING SHAFTS TO SEPARATE.
Consequence
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL COULD OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFT COUPLING.
Complaints by component
SUSPENSION
9
SUSPENSION:FRONT
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
2
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
2
Total complaints63
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1999 suzuki vitara. While driving at an unknown speed the vehicle accelerated on its own. When the contact applied the brakes they failed to engage. The vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into a truck and caused serious damages to the vehicle. The contact sustained a…”
“While driving at night, brakes were applied in an emergency stop to avoid hitting a deer running across the highway. There was a loud bang noise from the front of the car.anchor for the right "a" arm is rusted out in the frame front cross member causing the vehicle to dive to the left and into the…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1999 suzuki vitara. While the contact was repairing the brakes, he discovered corrosion on the front cross member (frame). The contact is a mechanic and stated that if the frame comes apart, it can cause the front suspension to fail. The dealer stated that there were no…”
“Front suspension crossmember has rusted through on my 1999 suzuki vitara. The chevrolet tracker, which is the same car has had a safety recall due to this issue. This poses a significant safety concern! *tr”
“Front suspension crossmember has rusted through on my 1999 suzuki vitara. The chevrolet tracker, which is the same car has had a safety recall due to this issue. This poses a significant safety concern! *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1999 suzuki vitara. The contact stated that he has extreme difficulty turning the steering column because it remains in a fixated position. He inspected the steering fluid and concluded that the levels were normal. The dealer stated that although he was experiencing the same…”
“While driving 35 mp engine locked up. Consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership repaired the problem once, but it was not resolved. *ak....*ak”
“While driving at 45 mph a collision occurred, consumer's vehicle hit another vehicle in the rear. Upon impact, air bag did not deploy. Consumer sustained bad injuries. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Suzuki Vitara as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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