Your vehicle report
1996 Suzuki Sidekick
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 59
- Received Mar 1996 to Dec 2007
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring6 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Manual clutch wears out or fails early5 complaints · 8.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract3 complaints · 5.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #00V008000Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Insufficient strength of the mounting base on the upper end of the front struts can lead to breakage of the mounting bolts that attach the upper end of the front struts to the vehicle body.
- Recall #96V121002The fuel tank on these vehicles can become punctured by a fuel tank flange attachment reinforcement during rear-end collisions. This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 301, "fuel tank integrity."
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 3 crashes, 3 fires, 2 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 7 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 8 |
| 1997 | 8 |
| 1998 | 11 |
| 1999 | 7 |
| 2000 | 12 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 59 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 10% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 5 | 8.5% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 5.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 5.1% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 5.1% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 3 | 5.1% | – | NHTSA recall #00V008000 |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 3 | 5.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #00V008000January 20, 200013,461 vehicles affected
suspension
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Insufficient strength of the mounting base on the upper end of the front struts Can lead to breakage of the mounting bolts that attach the upper end of the front struts to the vehicle body.
If the strut broke loose, a driver could lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will add a reinforcement, for both front struts, between the front strut mounting base and the vehicle body. In addition, the front strut mounting bases, mounting bolts and nuts, and strut bar stays will be replaced.
NHTSA recall #96V121002July 2, 19964,325 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
The fuel tank on these vehicles Can become punctured by a fuel tank flange attachment reinforcement during rear-end collisions. This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 301, "fuel tank integrity."
Consequence of non-compliance: if an ignition source was present, fuel leakage resulting from this puncture could result in a post-crash fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install two new shield gussets between the fuel tank and attachment brackets to prevent the reinforcement from puncturing the fuel tank wall.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1996 Suzuki Sidekick.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN