Suzuki Swift Rust Problems

Through the passage of time, as automobiles streak across the highways of life, they often acquire stories. These stories, whispered within the whispers of enthusiasts, carry tales of speed, elegance, and sometimes, unexpected challenges. One such intrigue that has nestled its way into the spotlight is the enigmatic case of the Suzuki Swift rust problems. A phenomenon that has captivated the minds of car owners and experts alike, this peculiar saga begs us to unravel its mysteries in a quest for understanding. In this article, we will embark on an impartial exploration, shedding light on the intricacies of this rust ordeal afflicting our beloved Swifts, as we seek to decipher the truth behind the rusting veil, piece by rusted piece.

The battle isn’t over for the owner of a Suzuki Swift that became severely corroded.

Michael Stewart purchased a 2017 1.2 GA derivative as a new vehicle from the Bramley branch in Johannesburg. The vehicle was relocated to Cape Town in 2018.

Before the first round of national lockdown in March 2020, Stewart claims he noticed rust forming on the body of the Swift.

He took the vehicle to the Suzuki dealership in Table View – where it had been serviced since moving – for an inspection. A lengthy back-and-forth resulted, only coming to a head as the first quarter of 2021 drew to an end, when Stewart was told that repairs were not warrantable. They believed the damage was a result of water. Extent of the rust went as far as the undercarriage.

The manufacturer commented that “water damage is from the long standing close to the sea” in an e-mail statement, when this publication initially ran the story in June.

The owner countered by saying the dealership neglected to stay abreast of the annual bodywork inspection, as evidenced by the empty corresponding pages in the handbook.     He alleged that he was asked in February this year to bring the handbook to the dealership, which he did, after taking pictures of the blank sections. He claimed the vehicle was not parked in an area where it would be vulnerable to submersion.

“I also explained I have two other cars in Cape Town under the same conditions, both of which are much older than the Suzuki and neither have rust issues,” he said.

A complaint was lodged with the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA); whose recommendations were released to the owner on September 23. The organisation sided with the manufacturer. Stewart had been aiming for a full refund.

Their report concluded: “According to the information at our disposal, the failure is due to extensive water damage and not due to a manufacturing defect.

“The respondent also confirms that the year body inspections are incomplete and as a result we cannot hold the respondent liable for the necessary repairs and recommend that the complainant must attempt to claim from his insurer.”

More rust visible around the window frames.

More rust visible around the window frames.
Image: Supplied

 Stewart has since escalated his complaint to the National Consumer Commission (NCC), which is the next step in recourse for complainants dissatisfied with a MIOSA outcome.

“I do not agree with the response from Suzuki South Africa regarding so-called ‘extensive water damage. This car was in Cape Town during the drought when they had severe water shortages and the only water that ever got on this car was normal rainfall.

“Are Suzuki saying their cars are unable to be left outside or are they saying it was exposed before the car was sold to us?

“As regards to the body inspections, the car was only serviced by an authorised Suzuki dealer in Table View and surely, they cannot hold the owner responsible if their own dealership does not do what he is supposed to.”

MIOSA stated: “Each new vehicle comes standard with a new vehicle warranty which was put in place in the event of a manufacturing defect or mechanical failure. This new vehicle warranty is, however, subject to specific terms and conditions. Failure to abide by these terms and conditions may result in certain repairs not being carried out under the new vehicle warranty.

“The respondent states that a pre-approval was submitted on the rust repair in February of 2021. They advise that the vehicle was sent to one of their approved panel beaters for a report on the rust as well as quotations and confirm that the claim was concluded and rejected on the 19th of April 2021.”

We received feedback from readers who encountered similar issues. The most recent was from Tony Marais who purchased a 2019 Swift GL new, in East London.

“A month later back in Gqeberha where I reside, I took the car to the dealership there and pointed out corrosion on the chassis. I was told corrosion on the chassis of the car is not part of the three-year body corrosion guarantee.

“In January 2020, going in for its first service, I pointed out a lot of corrosion on the bodywork and engine bay. This I pointed out the morning when I handed my car over to be serviced. The owner’s manual was stamped and dated for the service – the part where they do body inspection was also stamped, but no notes were made about corrosion I pointed out.”

Rust was also found on the exhaust manifold.

Rust was also found on the exhaust manifold.
Image: Supplied

“The service adviser gave me names of four Suzuki-approved body repair shops and instructed me to go get quotes and submit it.

“A year passed with me regularly following up and every time being told they were still waiting for head office to approve”.

When approval was finally received and the repairs completed, Marais said he received the car in a poor state.

“It was scratched, dented, with broken plastic trim, different colours sprayed in the engine bay and most of the body corrosion not even addressed. Then the dealership turned around and said it’s best if I take it directly to the body shop and deal directly with the body shop. Even the brand new left front door that was fitted had corrosion on it.

“I have emailed head office a number of times and you don’t get assistance. I’ve had such verbal abuse from the dealership, saying I’m full of nonsense, I will never be happy and satisfied, I’m making a lot of work for them – even as far as saying I just want to fight and complain as I get a kick out of it.”

We forwarded the correspondence from Marais to Suzuki South Africa on September 15. The company provided feedback on September 30: “The dealer in question, Suzuki Port Elizabeth, made contact with Mr Marais to discuss his expectations.

“As a result of the conversation between the dealer principal and the customer, the vehicle was taken to the dealership on September 20 2021.

“After many months during the customer care journey, all concerns were discussed. It was determined that the way forward, and in order to satisfy the customer, a refund on the vehicle was agreed.

“This was facilitated by the dealer and in agreement with the customer. The dealer and customer settled on an agreed amount and the case has been closed.”

1. “The Unwelcome Intruder: Exploring the Silent Rust Epidemic Plaguing Suzuki Swifts”

The rust epidemic affecting the beloved Suzuki Swift has quickly become a growing concern among car owners. This unwelcome intruder silently invades the unsuspecting vehicles, leaving a trail of corroded metal and countless headaches in its wake. What initially appears as innocent surface rust soon develops into more serious structural damage, compromising the car’s integrity and value. Here, we delve into the intricacies of this silent rust epidemic and explore the steps that Swift owners can take to combat this detrimental issue.

1. Understanding the silent enemy:
From the undercarriage to the roofline, no part of the Suzuki Swift is immune to the rust onslaught. Once the protective paint layer is breached, moisture and oxygen make their way through to the underlying metal, initiating the corrosion process. Not only does the rust weaken the affected areas, but it also spreads like wildfire, possibly reaching critical components such as the suspension or chassis. Swift owners are advised to regularly inspect their vehicles for any signs of rust, including discolored paint, bubbling, or a chalky residue. This proactive approach allows for early detection and prompt intervention before the rust becomes irreparable.

2. “From Gleaming Elegance to Corroded Troubles: Delving into the Looming Rust Challenges of the Suzuki Swift

There is an incredible number of cars out there—more cars than I could ever imagine naming, I’m sure. That being said, there are definitely some specific cars that I know most people will have a pretty good understanding or appreciation of in some way, shape, or form. These are the sorts of cars that people either respect or think are ridiculous. And regardless of which side one would end up on, pretty much all of the cars below are cars that no one would have ever expected to get very rusty.

HOTCARS VIDEO OF THE DAY

And that could be for a number of reasons. It could just be because the owners of some of these models typically are the opposite of thorough in the way they take care of said cars. Or it could just be that some of these cars are so venerated that there is just no way that anyone could ever imagine them ending up as rusty pieces of junk somewhere in the middle of nowhere after being mistreated by their owners.

That last one is probably the biggest one. And then, perhaps the final reason that petrolheads across the world might not ever assume these cars to become rusty during their lives is that they just seem to last forever. For example, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla are probably two of the more popular and affordable cars in this list and they typically last years and year…but that does not mean they don’t rust if neglected over extensive periods of time.

23Mini Cooper

MossMotoring.com

To be fair, this Mini Cooper is pretty old. There is no escaping that fact, but I can honestly say that until I looked for a Mini with rust on it online, I had never seen one of these that was this bad in real life. A Mini Cooper is usually shining and ready for the town because owners of this car seem to really take care of it. It probably has something to do with the car being pretty pricey for its size and people not wanting to have to pay out for big repairs all the time, so they pay for regular maintenance instead. That is a pretty smart move with just about any car but unfortunately, this car gets a tad rusty earlier than people may want.

22Chevrolet Equinox

Via TenWheel

Alright, so here we have the Chevy Equinox. This is not a very popular car in terms of reliability or in terms of comfortability, but it will certainly get one from point A to point B and it can certainly help out a busy soccer mom or hockey dad. But that is not why it’s on this list.

The Chevy Equinox is rated as one of the poorest vehicles out there in terms of rust protection according to the APA (Automobile Protection Association).

Considering there was a 15-year study to find out just how corrosive this car is, I think one should maybe pay attention to the results before making an Equinox purchase.

21Ford Escape

CarGurus.com

I actually know several people who happen to own the Ford Escape and it is actually a pretty comfortable car. It’s got a decent amount of room on the inside and enough roof space to throw a canoe on top and enough trunk space to camp out for a fun summer weekend by the lake. However, and I think people will probably begin to notice a trend here with the Ford community of cars, the Ford Escape has one of the poorest ratings when it comes to rust protection. Maybe it is because of the typical usage for a vehicle like this, but this also seems to be a Ford problem overall.

20Dodge Challenger

BangShift.com

Oh, my goodness, not the poor Challenger! The Dodge Challenger is a pretty wicked and muscular car, to be sure. However, there seems to be a flaw within the Dodge workshop that is the ultimate reason for the rusting away of these wonderful cars.

There is a foam that the company puts into the rear quarters by the rocker panels of the car and it seems that this foam is really good at holding water.

Of course, water and metal are a bad mix, and this has ultimately ended up rusting out Challengers well before their time. There are several forums dedicated to the unfortunate corrosion of the Dodge Challenger and some ways to get around this issue.

19Mazda Tribute

AutoAubaine.com

The Mazda Tribute is not as celebrated a car as the name might suggest it should be and I think there are some pretty good reasons as to why. Now, when it comes to reliability, I have never really experienced much of a problem with a Mazda. That being said, I have never had a Mazda in my possession long enough to really be concerned about something like rust. But when it comes to rust, it turns out that Mazda is one of the most poorly rated companies out there…and I guess that the Mazda Tribute pays its necessary tribute to that very poor rating.

18Honda Accord

Reddit.com

There is every reason why someone should not fully pay attention to this one, namely because of how popular and reliable the Honda Accord is known to be. However, for those who do not regularly treat their cars to an undercoating come the winter months or those who don’t do regular maintenance, I would suggest not getting this car. It does have a “good” rating from the APA (Automobile Protection Association) but that is just about the protection that comes with the car right out of the factory. The Accord has long had an issue with the front subframes though when it comes to rust during longer terms of ownership.

17Jeep Wrangler

Reddit.com

Oh, the Jeep Wrangler. This should be pretty well-known to people by now, but the straight-edged style of the Jeep Wrangler is definitely a contributor to something like rust.

When there is a right angle that can collect a ton of moisture that will then sit there longer than anywhere else, there is always going to be a higher rate of rust in that area.

And it does not help at all that the Automobile Protection Association rates the factory protection of the Wrangler as “poor”. So, not only is the car already going to be prone to rust, but Jeep seemingly doesn’t care enough to fix the issue.

16Nissan Altima

Via Car and Driver

The Nissan Altima is an okay car to drive. I’ve rented it a few times now and again and been moderately satisfied. But there is something pretty intense about this car when it comes to rust issues. There was a class-action lawsuit brought against Nissan because of the drainage of the floor pans. It turns out that certain model years had poor or no drainage in the floor pans, which obviously ended up causing the floor panels to completely rust out. I am not sure if everyone here quite knows what that means, but let me say unless someone wants to Fred Flintstone their way to work every morning, rusted out floor panels are bad.

15Chevrolet Camaro

RustingCamaros.com

This is probably one of the more popular muscle cars out there these days, both new and old. The number of Camaros I see on the road is pretty ridiculous. This image is obviously of an older Camaro but this interesting story has to do with the very new ones. There has been an issue that has surfaced on several forums now where people who have just purchased their Camaros have discovered an incredible amount of rust underneath the car. Now, this could be because they were display cars out there in bad weather, but many dealerships have refused to deal with it. The situation is just unacceptable for buyers thinking they’re getting a great new car.

14Pontiac Montana

AutoTrader.com

This vehicle is the very van that my father currently drives and I feel like I just have to say that there is already rust on the thing. To be fair, a lot of the vehicle was replaced after a pickup truck backed into the front end, but that is beside the point (and in fact, maybe there would be even more rust if more of the van was original). It just so happens that the Automobile Protection Association has rated the Pontiac Montana as a pretty poor vehicle when it comes to rust prevention, a deplorable situation for people looking for a reliable daily driver like the Pontiac Montana could have been.

13Suzuki Swift

Wikipedia.com

Anyone here want to know what one of the poorest car models is when it comes to rust resistance? Well, welcome to the world of the Suzuki Swift. Now, to be fair here, I don’t really consider this to be one of the most popular cars out there, but this is surely one of the most unsuspecting cars to suffer from rust so quickly. After an extensive study, the Automobile Protection Association has decreed that the Swift is one of the poorest vehicles out there for rust resistance. And this car does not even have many right angles to catch moisture in for long periods of time, like so many other rust-prone models.

12Toyota Corolla

Via Motor1

The Toyota Corolla is simply one of the most popular cars in the world. There is every reason why someone might want this car. For reliability standards, there are almost no cars like it.

However, in terms of comfort ratings and handling, the Corolla is far from the most enjoyable.

It also does not help that this little guy is somewhat prone to rust, as surprising as it might sound. The Corolla might have great fuel economy and it might be pretty cheap, but that might not be able to make up for the bits of rouge that this car gets a little sooner than some people may like.

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