Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Every neutral safety switch made for this vehicle is faulty be driving down the road it'll switch from drive to neutral or any other gear I've had it go into reverse while going 50 mph down the road I've replaced this part five times still have same problem part works for about a month then goes out. Other times transmission won't even go into drive have to screw with shifter to get it to go into gear May last for about a mile and jumps back out of gear. Next problem computer tells me throttle positioning sensor is out car works fine at first then starts to rev around 5-6k or it to rev to half a grand and stall while driving down the road.
The car daytime running light module(drl module) burned and melted, lights were not working properly, the emergency brake light remained on, the dashboard, car had a burned smell so strong that I had to detail it and it did not go(the strong burning odor) away after 2 weeks. I took my car to the shop and repaired the problem out of my pocket(drl module). I sent all the proper documentation to Suzuki motor of America cust svc department p.o. Box 1100 brea, ca 92822-1100, including the receipt of the repair, a copy of my driver license, copy of the registration, copy of the title of the vehicle(all documentation that they asked for in the safety recall notice), case and point they do not want to reimburse me, they are giving me a hard time, please help me because Suzuki motor of America is going to find any excuse not to pay me back, because of this irresponsible behavior towards …
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.
My transmission range sensor has failed for the third time in as many years. Each time I have it repaired by the dealership. This malfunction causes the vehicle to spontaneously throw itself in to neutral or reverse either while driving or when vehicle is at a complete stop. While driving my car suddenly jerked very hard then slowed to an almost complete stop causing the car behind me to slam on its brakes and hit my bumper. I stopped, restarted the engine and then was not able to accelerate past 15mph even with my foot firmly on the gas pedal. Like I said before, this is the 3rd time this has failed and I am glad that the person who was behind me stopped quickly and only tapped my bumper. This has also happened at higher speeds and is just an accident waiting to happen. Suzuki needs to do a major recall!! …
Tl contact owns a 2006 Suzuki Forenza. The contact stated that his vehicle caught fire. Two hours prior to the fire, he took the vehicle to the dealer and they checked the dashboard computer. It was discovered that the computer failed and another one had to be ordered; however, the contact was informed that he could still drive the vehicle. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began to smoke and the wiring harness around the blow motors melted and burned. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. He suffered from smoke inhalation. The dealer stated that the vehicle was destroyed because the entire wiring harness was burned, which would cost a lot to repair. The failure mileage was 34,000. Updated 03/18/09.
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 …
Frequently asked questions
Which Suzuki Forenza years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (57), 2007 (51), 2005 (38), 2008 (32) and 2004 (10) model years. Electrical complaints make up 20% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for Suzuki Forenza electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Suzuki Forenza model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Suzuki Forenza electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles; 43% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the instrument cluster/panel (8 mentions), followed by the wiring (6).
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.