Most common 2005 Suzuki Forenza problems
Share of the 156 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Suzuki Forenza complaints by model year
Best Forenza years: 2004, 2005, 2008. Years to avoid: 2006, 2007. Compare all years →
2005 Suzuki Forenza recalls (3)
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Forenza vehicles, and 2005-2008 Reno vehicles manufactured from September 1, 2003, through July 30, 2008.
Remedy: Suzuki will replace the signal switch and add a jumper relay kit and will replace the DRL Module in teh instrument panel harness. Suzuki distributed to owners an interim letter on July 30, 2014.
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Suzuki is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 Forenza and model year 2005-2006 Reno vehicles manufactured from September 23, 2003, through March 7, 2006. Increased resistance due to poor contact between the terminals of certain wires can generate heat that can melt the splice pack used to connect the power circuit wires for…
Remedy: Suzuki will notify owners, and Suzuki dealers will reconnect the affected wires with two heat-shrink crimps, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 25, 2012. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-877-697-8985.
Exterior lighting
On certain passenger vehicles, headlamp low beam or daytime running light (drl) function May be inoperative due to a melted splice pack on the wiring harness.
Remedy: Dealers will splice the power circuit wires for the low-beam headlamps and drl free of charge. The recall will be mailed in three phases, starting at the end of October 2007 and concluding by the end of January 2008;.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2005 Suzuki Forenza:
Headlight / drl malfunction
On September 25, 2007, Suzuki notified the agency that it will recall model years 2004 -2006 forenza and reno vehicles to correct a defect that can result in loss of headlight and/or drl function.this recall affects 93,963 vehicles.NHTSA assigned number 07v-452 for this recall.NHTSA's investigation initially focused on 2005 forenzas, then expanded it to 2004-2005 forenzas (total of 58,448 vehicles).
What 2005 Suzuki Forenza owners say
Air bags all 46 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. While stopped at a stop sign, another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the left leg, back, and waist.the contact did not receive medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. While driving 50 MPH, the contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the throat, left wrist, and knee. Medical attention was required. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Electrical system all 38 →
Not sure if you can tell us what to do but we bout a 2005 Suzuki Forenza last April for our 18 year old for graduation and we only bout it for $1200 and was never told about a recall at all. Long story short my son was about to leave one night and within a matter of minutes of him leaving he runs in the house yelling his car is on fire so we ran out put the fire out and then looked it up and found a recall on the part that caught fire. Headlamp switch drl module. Thanks god he was not driving down the street or the other cars or house caught fire. So after I put in the ven number and find this info within a week we received a recall letter from Suzuki. Now my question is will this get paid for like the wiring that got burnt up and who pays to get it to another town to get fixed? …
Back in nov 2012 I took my 2005 Suzuki Forenza in for a recall repair as suggested the recall was on the wiring harness that put the headlights on and off (I had been having trouble with my headlights popping on and off at random times) so after I obeyed the recall I noticed that the problem was fixed so in jan 12 2013 my car was sitting at a local applebees parking lot completely turned off nothing plugged in no lighters in the car just sitting there when someone ran into the restaurant and shouted "whose gold Suzuki is that? Its on fire" needless to say when I ran out the dashboard was completely in flames the fire dept came to rescue and at my request a fire investigator investigated the incident and concluded that the fire started as a result of a electrical short in the wiring harness...(yes the "recalled'' "fixed" part) the actually dealership that "fixed" the recalled part has …
Lights all 38 →
Not sure if you can tell us what to do but we bout a 2005 Suzuki Forenza last April for our 18 year old for graduation and we only bout it for $1200 and was never told about a recall at all. Long story short my son was about to leave one night and within a matter of minutes of him leaving he runs in the house yelling his car is on fire so we ran out put the fire out and then looked it up and found a recall on the part that caught fire. Headlamp switch drl module. Thanks god he was not driving down the street or the other cars or house caught fire. So after I put in the ven number and find this info within a week we received a recall letter from Suzuki. Now my question is will this get paid for like the wiring that got burnt up and who pays to get it to another town to get fixed? …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. While driving approximately 35 MPH, there was burning odor emitting from the vehicle. The contact noticed smoke under the hood, the headlights, and the floorboard without warning. The contact pulled over and discovered that the vehicle caught fire. The contact sustained a burn on the right leg that required medical attention. There was no incident report filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V262000 (exterior lighting). The failure mileage was 119,115.
2005 Suzuki Forenza engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 28 / 22 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 27 / 22 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Suzuki Forenza a good car?
Based on 156 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Forenza rates better than average: 41% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Forenza at the same age. It is one of the best Forenza years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Suzuki Forenza?
The air bags — 46 complaints, 29% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal › sensor/control module. Next are the electrical system (38) and lights (38).
How many recalls does the 2005 Suzuki Forenza have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2005 Suzuki Forenza, the most recent from May 19, 2014 (headlights). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Suzuki Forenza?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2004, 2005 and 2008. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2006 and 2007. See the full Suzuki Forenza years comparison.
At what mileage do 2005 Suzuki Forenza problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 48,000 miles; 52% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.