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2002 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

crash1 injured · 635536 · 2007-08-22

Vehicle

Make
SUZUKI
Model
GRAND VITARA
Year
2002
Manufacturer
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC
Component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
Miles at failure
52,500
Speed
55 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

MY 2002 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA (LIMITED 4WD) WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH. IT WAS A HILLY STRETCH OF HIGHWAY NEAR PITTSVILLE, MO AND THERE WAS A LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOW JUST STARTING TO FALL. THE CRUISE CONTROL MADE THE CAR JUMP INTO A LOWER GEAR WHEN ASCENDING A HILL TO KEEP IT AT 55 MPH. THE RPM'S JUMPED FROM ABOUT 2,000 TO 5,000 WHEN THE CAR SHIFTED INTO 3RD GEAR - WHICH CAUSED THE TIRES TO LOSE TRACTION AND I WRECKED INTO 2 HIGHWAY SIGN POSTS AND SKIDDED SIDEWAYS ABOUT 50 YARDS INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN. IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT I DIDN'T ROLL OVER SEVERAL TIMES. IT COST ME $5,000 IN COLLISION DAMAGE TO FIX THE CAR. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES THIS ALL THE TIME STILL WHEN EVEN ON MODERATE HILLS TO KEEP UP WITH THE SET MPH. IT IS A DESIGN FLAW IN MY OPINION. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR THAT NEEDED TO JUMP UP TO OVER 5,000 RPM'S JUST TO GO 65 MPH AND STAY UP WITH THE SET CRUISE SPEED. THANKS. DWS *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10200466
Machine
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