North American models were to be built in CAMI's Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada plant alongside its almost identical twin, the domestic-built Suzuki Sidekick (Escudo).

In the beginning, all Canadian-made Trackers were sent to the United States to circumvent the 25 percent Chicken Tax; the Canadian market was supplied entirely from Japan.

The Tracker was originally powered by Suzuki's 1.6L SOHC four-cylinder engine producing 80 hp (60 kW).

LSi equipment included air conditioner, chrome rally wheels, intermittent wipers, rear window wiper/washer, spare tire cover, three-speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic 180 automatic transmission, tinted glass, and special red/black front and rear bucket seats.

The two-door XL bed was a North America only edition which came with four more inches in the rear and a sealed two door cab.

Although it appeared to be a comfortable passenger SUV, it was bolstered by a sturdy off-road four-wheel-drive system with a conventional light truck engine and transmission coupled to a hi-lo, 2-4 transfer case.

The Tracker had a strong front suspension with a rugged recirculating ball steering box.

The production of the first-generation model of the Tracker (and Sidekick) came to an end in Ontario after 1998 in order to make way for the second generation of Tracker/Vitara.

The GMC Tracker was also introduced for the 1989 model year to be sold at Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealerships in Canada.

While the Geo Tracker was also sold as a four-door wagon beginning in 1996, the Sunrunner never got this body style.

The Tracker series was discontinued in the United States and Canada in 2004, but all models including the LJ80/Jimny are still in production in other Suzuki plants.

In North America, the first generation Tracker was sold as a Chevrolet in 1998 after GM discontinued the Geo brand.

Geo Tracker was sold since 1994 (Imported from Canada) three-door soft top 4WD or 2WD, automatic or manual transmissions.

The Tracker was replaced in the summer of 2008 by the Saturn Vue in the U.S. and Canada (Chevrolet Captiva Sport in Mexico).

In the Philippines, General Motors introduced the Tracker in late 1999, sold alongside the related Suzuki Grand Vitara.

Suzuki also offered the Grand Vitara at the time, with more engine choices and also a two-door hardtop and the XL-7.

A later IIHS study clearly shows that, while two-door Trackers have a slightly below-average injury rate, the four-door models are better than the average for utility vehicles.