#Equator

Like many things in life, not every vehicle is memorable.

Sometimes, automakers have holes in their lineups bigger than Van Halen did in 1985.

After checking out the top 10 best selling vehicles of last year, it’s now time to take a look at the worst performers on dealerships lots.

With Nissan having issued a recall for select Frontier pickups, it was probably only a matter of time before Suzuki followed with its version of the F-Alpha mid-size truck. In the case of the latter manufacturer, the recall centers on a total of 582 Equators, manufactured between November 30, 2009 and March 3 this year (2010 model year trucks). Like the Frontier, the problem stems around potentially weak welds on the lower front ball joint collars that could come apart, affecting vehicle handling and alignment.

A joint project with Nissan, the 2009 Suzuki Equator pickup truck will be built in Nissan’s Smyrna, Tenn. Facility. Suzuki will offer plenty of variants including Extended Cab and Crew Cab body styles, Long Bed and Short Bed variants, four- and six-cylinder engines, and two- and four-wheel drive options.

The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes 152hp and 171 ft-lbs of torque, whereas the more capable 4.0-liter V-6 powerplant produces 261hp and 281 ft-lbs of torque. Four-cylinder models will be available with a five-speed manual transmission. A five-speed automatic will be optional on the 4-cylinder and standards on V-6 models.