Currently reading: Suzuki Jimny stability control 'phantom skid' problem uncovered

Autocar test reveals unusual problem with 4x4's ESP system, confirmed by Suzuki, but no recall is currently planned

An ESP stability control fault affecting the the new Suzuki Jimny will not yet be the subject of a recall or delay UK deliveries, despite being confirmed by the Japanese brand.

Autocar uncovered the issue with the second-generation small 4x4, which goes on sale in the UK in January, during test drives for the World Car of the Year awards in California. On two test cars the Electronic Stability Programme caused disturbing on-road behaviour in specific circumstances. 

During certain cornering conditions the Jimny's ESP system brakes an individual front wheel as if to correct a skid that isn’t actually occurring. The effect is to cause the car to rock from side-to-side, as the front spring of the braked wheel compresses and expands with the pulsing intervention of the ESP.  The condition can also affect one of the rear wheels.

Chief Jimny programme engineer Hiroyuki Yonezawa attended the event with Autocar, alongside an Australian journalist, and experienced the same issue once it had been demonstrated. Two test cars were provided, both exhibiting the same behaviour.

Suzuki says that this behaviour has not previously appeared during Suzuki’s development testing, which included UK roads, or during the international launch event in Germany. Autocar’s own UK road test did not trigger the problem either.

13 Suzuki jimny 2018 uk first drive review cornering rear

Once alerted, Suzuki immediately despatched additional engineers to the Angeles Crest Highway near Pasadena, California, to investigate. They were able to replicate the behaviour, but have not been able to reproduce it at the company’s test facility in Japan.

In a statement, Suzuki has said that "the continuous activation" of stability control occurred "when a specific road condition, tilt angle in the road, incline and slope, and degree of the curve was combined with a certain level of speed."

"There is a possibility that the (stability control) is instantaneously switched on (by) reacting to the vehicle sway when departing the S-shaped curve - and then consecutively switches on because the vehicle is circling the curve at high speeds."

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During this reporter’s test of the car, with chief engineer Yonezawa aboard, the Jimny was driven briskly not only on the particular incline and bend sequence that triggered the behavior, but along an eight mile stretch of the Angeles Crest Highway. On this longer section the nearside front wheel occasionally braked, as did the offside rear wheel.

Suzuki has also said that ‘the intervention of the stability control may give a sense of discomfort to the driver but is not an event that would disturb the vehicle’s direction of movement.’ This would reporter would agree that the vehicle’s direction of travel remains unaltered.

But the side-to-side rocking motion triggered by quick-repeat, single wheel brake interventions, which occurred only on one particular stretch of road taken at a speed higher than the (cautious) mandated limit, would probably alarm an inexperienced driver.

Suzuki says that it will "further analyse the event and carefully consider how to adjust the program while maintaining the Jimny’s performance balance. Therefore, we regret to say we are unable to inform you when exactly we will be able to implement any changes to the program at the moment."

Read more:

Suzuki Jimny waiting list now a year in the UK

2019 Suzuki Jimny: can the compact 4x4 beat a Toyota Land Cruiser

 

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whiteliner 23 December 2018

new jimny

The ESP control unit is a Daimler - Benz design and manufacture that is used by most car companies all over the world. 

At least Suzuki acknowlege a possible tech fault and will sort it quickly.

As city tiger said VW group have a fault in their middle rear seatbelts and are allowing buyers to continue to use it, how long will they take to fix or are they hoping nobody will notice.

coolboy 26 December 2018

wiki how

whiteliner wrote:

The ESP control unit is a Daimler - Benz design and manufacture that is used by most car companies all over the world. 

At least Suzuki acknowlege a possible tech fault and will sort it quickly.

As city tiger said VW group have a fault in their middle rear seatbelts and are allowing buyers to continue to use it, how long will they take to fix or are they hoping nobody will notice.

Not like that. The ESP got the market introduction first on a Daimler vehicle but it draws onmultiple patents and design features hold by many companies, although the great majority ofthem falling under Daimler and Robert Bosch. It is greatly expected the Suzuki gets theirESP components manufactured by Aisin Advics, Fujitsu Ten or Hitachi. Vehicle integration is the problem here and that responsibility falls under Suzuki staff and/or contracted engineering to Suzuki.Good for them they are kept busy with things other than muchi and pianos.

ramases 23 December 2018

Don't panic !

I don't see what more Suzuki can do. They have acknowledged a problem that may or may not be specific to that road and a particular driving style. They have engineers working on it and if it is found to be a genuine issue they'll fix it - not least because of the potential for litigation if an accident occurs given the tendencey for this to be the first course of action in the modern world. No doubt any fix or analysis will be as widely publicised and discussed as this initial "revelation".

In the spirit of "full disclosure" I feel I should state that my wife has a Celerio (and we both think it is brilliant for what it cost and what we have it for - second car alongside my 2015 MX-5 ND) and when the MX has to go, a Swift Sport maybe on my shortlist.

 

coolboy 22 December 2018

high quality

As expected, here comes another subject for debating at Autocar. The fanboys that say look at other manufacturers, they have problems and just say; keep calm and carry on. Then the finger pointers; another failure after the Celerio.

The issue here is that the Jimny is engineered to be a yellow licence plate vehicle in Japan. They have few problems engineering it with a suitable ESP & city braking for "Japanese roads", on the other hand, for export roads where more powerful engines are used, it`s a different matter. This Suzuki company is a very small company, there`s no unlimited hours for engineering. They got an engineer in California and soon after a bunch of them more: so what? That is typical Japanese reaction: damage control & investigate how to avoid future "noise". Are they going to reflash all ECU`s now with a different calibration, starting in the first week of January 2019?

But, who wants and needs a me-to Geländewagen, smaller & cheaper? Anyway, they should have named it Weetabix in keeping with the familiar cereal naming as with the Celerio and the colour pallete proposed.

 

jason_recliner 23 December 2018

coolboy wrote:

coolboy wrote:

As expected, here comes another subject for debating at Autocar. The fanboys that say look at other manufacturers, they have problems and just say; keep calm and carry on. Then the finger pointers; another failure after the Celerio.

The issue here is that the Jimny is engineered to be a yellow licence plate vehicle in Japan. They have few problems engineering it with a suitable ESP & city braking for "Japanese roads", on the other hand, for export roads where more powerful engines are used, it`s a different matter. This Suzuki company is a very small company, there`s no unlimited hours for engineering. They got an engineer in California and soon after a bunch of them more: so what? That is typical Japanese reaction: damage control & investigate how to avoid future "noise". Are they going to reflash all ECU`s now with a different calibration, starting in the first week of January 2019?

But, who wants and needs a me-to Geländewagen, smaller & cheaper? Anyway, they should have named it Weetabix in keeping with the familiar cereal naming as with the Celerio and the colour pallete proposed.

 

Cool story bro!