Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Suzuki Forenza owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. When the vehicle was started, smoke appeared from the steering wheel. Immediately, someone screamed outside the vehicle and alerted the contact to exit the vehicle quickly. When the contact exited the vehicle, smoke and flames shot out of the steering wheel. An independent mechanic, who happened to be in the area, advised to open the hood so the battery could be disconnected. While the technician was disconnecting the battery, the fire department arrived at the scene and assisted the technician to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the residence of the contact's friend. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and requested copies of the fire pictures. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. The contact noticed that the windshield was cracked and the parked vehicle was filled with black smoke. A police report was not filed and the fire department was not notified. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was parked at the contact's residence. The cause of the failure was not determined. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 14V262000 (exterior lighting). The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. While driving 30 MPH, the contact observed smoke coming from the dashboard and smelled a strong burning odor. The contact immediately pulled the vehicle over. Moments later, the fuse box shorted out and caused a small fire. The fire department was not called. The manufacturer and dealer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 34,000.
I recently lost my car which was a '07 Suzuki Forenza to what has been described as a mechanical car fire brought on by some sort of mechanical failure. I believe this was a culmination of a series of failures over time despite whatever action I took to avoid it. Initially I encountered intense flickering with my headlamps. Headlights would stay on even after removing the key from the ignition. I believe that the consistence of this occurrence, has caused my vehicle's battery to fail. I ultimately had to have the battery replaced. I would also have a toxic smell come through the ventilation system from time to time. It smelled like something burning and melting. However, I was never able to determine what it was. This was going on intermittently for quite sometime. Then eventually my car was lost to the mechanical car failure fire. …
After my daytime running lights stayed on all night, my battery died and I had to have the engine jumped. I went along with my day, parked my car at the bus lot and went to work. After returning to the car, I smelled smoke. When I tried to pop my hood, I noticed the interior paneling under my steering wheel was black and melted. The hood would not pop open because the release lever was also melted. There was smoke damage on my windshield near the air/defrost vents and on anything sitting in my car. Lucky for me, I was not in the car when the fire occurred and it was in a parking lot where no one was around to get injured. After having the transmission sensor replaced on the car 4 times before they replaced the entire transmission, I've realized there were electrical problems with this car long before the fire occurred. …
I bought a 2007 Suzuki Forenza 4 door sedan new in 2007 but now the drive lights would not turn off did this once before about three months ago but turned off after about 47 minutes after I took the battery cable a lose. It started again on May 24, 2011 when my wife took our kids to basketball practice she smelt something burning, the car burst into flames with a lot of smoke down by her leg, another motorist saw her and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. The car does not run it will turn over but not crank no power in car, no lights nothing works. Car is full of extinguisher smoke from trying to put fire out. The harness with wires going inside of it inside of car is melted, had to have car towed home 31.9 miles. Called Suzuki about car they asked me is there a recall on the car, go figure please help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! …
This Suzuki needs to be recalled altogether! No one should still be driving these. Not only can the headlights or brake light sensor switches go bad and just stop working, they overheat, drain the battery, overwork the alternator, which then needs to be replaced, the fall displays every gear all at once even while in drive and displaying a speed the vehicle is traveling. The door handles brake off, so you can not escape the death trap. They have blown head gasket, many small oil leaks, tire pressure gage problems, tires/wheels won't align, this balds the tire lop sided so tire blow outs occur more frequently. Half the tone it won't even go, now or won't start at all. Many more issues with this vehicle, buyer beware, do not buy these cars!
On 12/3/08 @ 12:30 a.m., my 2007 Suzuki Forenza caught fire resulting in a total loss. I've contacted Suzuki & I'm awaiting there return call. The fire marshall ruled out arson & concluded that the origin of the fire was underneath the hood resulting from electrical wiring in the vehicle. I purchased the vehicle in May of 2008 & I've never had a problem since the purchase. On 12/2/08, I drove the vehicle once in the morning & then again in the evening. Both trips were short distances. On the evening/early morning of 12/3/08 I woke up to my car engulfed in flames.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. While driving at 30 MPH, the door locks would constantly made a clicking noise and the interior lights emitted burning fumes. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the timing belt failed and there was no power to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact also stated that the air condition fan made an abnormal noise. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. While parked, the vehicle was unable to start and had to be jumped by a tow company. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V262000 (exterior lighting); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 93,000.
Electrical complaints in other Forenza years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2007 Suzuki Forenza?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the electrical system of the 2007 Suzuki Forenza, 20% of the model year's 256 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Suzuki Forenza electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2007 Suzuki Forenza, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Suzuki Forenza electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 17 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.