Suzuki SamuraiYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 45 owner complaints and 1 safety recall on record for the Suzuki Samurai.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaints Best years—Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints45Top: Seat belts Safety recalls11986–1998 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Suzuki Samurai years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Samurai median. Tap a year for its full report.

5 6 20 2 2 3 4 2 1

'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'94'98

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

1998Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls 1994Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls 1992Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls 1991Not rated–/1003 complaints · 1 recall 1990Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall 1989Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall 1988Not rated–/10020 complaints · 1 recall 1987Not rated–/1006 complaints · 0 recalls 1986Not rated–/1005 complaints · 0 recalls

Complaints by system

Most common Suzuki Samurai problems

All model years combined: 45 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

15Seat belts1 crash/fire/injury

6Suspension6 crash/fire/injury

5Tires2 crash/fire/injury

5Structure2 crash/fire/injury

4Steering3 crash/fire/injury

3Seats3 crash/fire/injury

3Engine and engine cooling1 crash/fire/injury

1Wheels

1Power train

33 other systems

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Seat belts	15	1
Suspension	6	6
Tires	5	2
Structure	5	2
Steering	4	3
Seats	3	3
Engine and engine cooling	3	1
Wheels	1	0
Power train	1	0
3 other systems	3	0

1 recall

Suzuki Samurai recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Front: buckle assembly95V-103 · 1988–1991 · May 24, 1995 · 127,155 vehicles

5 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the Samurai

Mar 12, 1996
ROLLOVER ON SUZUKI SAMURAI CONVERTIBLESDP96004 · null · closed Sep 12, 1996
No recall
Mar 10, 1995
TAKATA SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILUREEA95006 · 1988–1991 · closed Aug 2, 1995
Led to recall 95V-103
Dec 9, 1988
RECONSIDER SAMURAI PETITIONDP89003 · 1986–1987 · closed Feb 10, 1989
No recall
Aug 2, 1988
VEHICLE STABILITYDP88019 · 1986–1988 · closed Sep 1, 1988
No recall
Feb 25, 1988
ROLLOVERDP88011 · 1986–1988 · closed Sep 1, 1988
No recall