Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Suzuki Forenza owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
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 …
Dear NHTSA - I really appreciate your agency in the us and world. You do great work for the value of safety! So, I received safety recall notice in the mail from Suzuki and I called the Suzuki headquarters to find out where/how to get it fixed. They told me to call this 1 dealer in oahu since I am on oahu to get the recall repair done. When I called that specific dealer, the dealer refused to fix it stating that they didn't have all the equipment and tools or some other reason. All they could do was put my name on a list. Then, when I called Suzuki headquarters to confirm this inability to fix my recall, Suzuki repeated the dealer info and phone number and told me that my problem was something else. They didn't believe me when I told them the dealer wasn't fixing it! I told them that their process was not accurate and Suzuki headquarters stated that there was nothing they could do. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power while driving through an intersection. The contact stated that the vehicle also experienced an issue with starting. The dealer (germain Toyota of naples, 13315 tamiami trail n, naples, fl 34110) was contacted, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was notified. The contact noted that the vehicle operated as intended prior to being repaired per NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V262000 (exterior lighting) and 12V397000 (electrical system, exterior lighting). The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
I have 2 Suzuki forenzas of this model year. One had a recall on the daytime running lights (xa recall). One of the symptoms was the headlights going out while driving at night. Finally had it done (had to drive 2 plus hours to find a dealer who could do this because of it's orphan status). Now the second Forenza has the same thing happening yet somehow it's not a part of this recall......this seems to be a mistake and I am stating that other vehicles than the original group are affected by this problem. Problem happens while driving with the regular headlights on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V262000 (exterior lighting). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired however, the exterior lighting indicators on the instrument panel no longer worked. In addition, the contact stated that there was a delay when switching from high beam to low beam. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,400. Updated 3/24/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. The contact stated that there were exposed wires near the steering wheel and the dashboard was not secured. In addition, the contact stated that the interior trunk light remained illuminated. As a result, the battery was replaced by the contact on more than two occasions. The contact stated that the failures occurred after the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 14V262000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 111,125.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. The contact stated that the headlights, turn signals, and high beams did not work. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 112,000......updated 02/11/16 the consumer stated the hazard lights, dash panel lights, and the daytime running lights were also inoperable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. When the vehicle was started, the headlamps failed to illuminate. The contact continued driving home using the fog lamps. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Related recalls
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 investigations
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).
Headlight complaints in other Forenza years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Suzuki Forenza?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Suzuki Forenza, 24% of the model year's 156 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Suzuki Forenza headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-262 (headlights, May 19, 2014); NHTSA recall 12V-397 (headlights, Aug 14, 2012); NHTSA recall 07V-452 (exterior lighting, Sep 25, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Suzuki Forenza headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.