A few weeks ago, GPS manufacturer Garmin issued a recall on its Nuvi portable navigation systems after it was discovered that the batteries in these units have the potential to overheat and could, in a worst-case scenario, result in the system catching fire.
It also just so happened that Suzuki->ke87 has three vehicles in its line-up that use the aforementioned Garmin GPS – the SX4->ke943, the Grand Vitara->ke945, and the Equator->ke3049 – and as such will also be issuing a recall of the cars to fix the malfunction at the soonest possible time.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 20,000 of these Suzuki vehicles ranging from the 2008-2010 SX4, the 2010 Grand Vitara, and the 2009-2010 Equator, will be recalled beginning this month with Garmin technicians on hand to replace the malfunctioning batteries “by replacing the battery and inserting a space on top od the battery” at no cost to the customers.
So, if you own any one of these models, you can contact either Garmin (1-866-957-1981) or Suzuki (1-887-697-8985) for further information on the impending recall.
NHTSA Press Release after the jump.
Vehicle Make / Model:
SUZUKI / EQUATOR
SUZUKI / GRAND VITARA
SUZUKI / SX4
Model Year(s):
2009-2010
2010
2008-2010
Manufacturer: AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP.
Mfr's Report Date: SEP 01, 2010
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 10V392000
NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: EQUIPMENT
Potential Number of Units Affected: 20692
Summary
SUZUKI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2010 SX4, 2010 GRAND VITARA, AND 2009 THROUGH 2010 EQUATOR VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750, 760, AND 765 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.
Consequence
OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
SUZUKI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING SEPTEMBER 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR SUZUKI AT 1-887-697-8985. OWNERS MAY ALSO VISIT GARMIN¿S WEBSITE AT WWW.GARMIN.COM/NUVIBATTERYPCBRECALL.
Notes
SUZUKI'S RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS SJ. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .