IllustrationTHE LATCH ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR IS BROKEN AND OWNER IS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. OWNER HAS TO UNLOCK THE DOOR BY USING THE REAR DOOR. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY OWNER.*AK
2000 Suzuki Esteem
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Esteem years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 10 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Latches/locks/linkages complaints
2 reportsI HAVE A 2000 SUZUKI ESTEEM. BOTH DOOR HANDLES ARE BROKEN. THE FIRST BROKE ABOUT A MONTH AGO. NOW A MONTH LATER, THE OTHER HAS BROKEN. I CANNOT LOCK MY CARE AND MAY ONLY ENTER FROM THE BACK SEAT OF THE VEHICLE. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP, HERE IN BATON ROUGE. I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE BECAUSE I FELT THAT…
Read full complaint
I HAVE A 2000 SUZUKI ESTEEM. BOTH DOOR HANDLES ARE BROKEN. THE FIRST BROKE ABOUT A MONTH AGO. NOW A MONTH LATER, THE OTHER HAS BROKEN. I CANNOT LOCK MY CARE AND MAY ONLY ENTER FROM THE BACK SEAT OF THE VEHICLE. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP, HERE IN BATON ROUGE. I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE BECAUSE I FELT THAT THIS MUST BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. I WAS TOLD THAT, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE DOOR HANDLES IN LOTS OF SUZUKI ESTEEMS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE $58.00 PER DOOR HANDLE AND $70.00 PER DOOR FOR LABOR. I AM EXTREMELY UPSET ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I KNOW MANY OTHERS WHOSE CARS ARE LOTS OLDER THAN MINE. THEIR DOOR HANDLES HAVE NOT BROKEN. THIS PROBLEM HAS ARISEN FROM A REASONABLY ANTICIPATED USE OF THE PRODUCT AND I FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM. ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS PROBLEM HAS HAD TO BE REPEATEDLY ADDRESSED IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF CAR (AS I WAS INFORMED BY THE SUZUKI SERVICEMAN. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.