Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Suzuki SX4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was on a main road going south a man run a stop sign hit me on drivers side door my neck was broken, and back permently messed up , my daughter on passenger side it jam her hip's, the side air bags did not come out only front ones did and the one on the steering wheel shattered as it came out and the switch uner the steering wheel shorted out almost caught on fire, I have pictures this needs too be investigated I have tried and tried no one will listen I hope you do
When traction control kicks in, the rear end of the vehicle comes forward causing the vehicle to fishtail. I lost control on a straight road because I applied the brakes on a powdered snow covered road. I didn't slam the brakes, I lightly applied them. After going off the road, the car rolled in a violent spin. The nose hit the ground on the front right corner and blew the front right tire. The driver's side then slammed into a rock wall which buckled the roof ten inches and pushed the driver's side pillar post in about eight inches, and pushed the driver's door in almost to the steering wheel. The car spun then it hit the ground two more times and blew both of the driver's side tires. Not one of the eight airbags went off. My top speed that day was 40 MPH. I was driving through the mountains and I went off the road and off an embankment and downhill I went. …
I was crossing a street (with the green light) entering the driveway to the apartment complex, there is a dip at the entrance to the driveway so I was doing about 3 MPH. A Dodge durango SUV, ran the "red" light and struck my vehicle on the passenger side front door totaling the Suzuki, knocking the car about 20 feet sideways, and rendering me unconscious.. The durango was doing approximately 45-50 MPH upon impact, he was not looking where he was going, he was talking to his girlfriend, and consequently did not apply the brakes, until he struck my car. None of the air bags deployed on the impact, which added to the lateral direction of travel of my head and neck, causing severe whiplash. Suzuki has had problems with their air bag system for at least five years and there was a recall of the air bag sensor, which I never received. …
Radio changed out 2x after electrical problems, light for air bag has been on for 3 yrs. Brakes have had to get worked on 2x before it hit 50,000, clip on driverside mat broke after 2 months of having car, door panels on both front and back passanger side kept falling off and kept taking car back to fix till they had no replacement parts this car should not be on the road there are many safety issues blind spots because of the design, and all the little issues from 2 batteries replaced to 2 sets of brake jobs to electricals to 3 sets of tires, and the car only has 80,ooo miles or less. I've had it 9 yrs mostly as a second car and always problems including paint. …
Airbag light has been on in the instrument cluster for four years. After recieved recall notification via mail (1 year ago). Submitted request to fix passenger seat to the only Suzuki dealership on ohau, hawaii and they stated, "my vehicle didn't fall under the recall" and that they needed to repair the entire airbag system. They couldn't pin point the problem and refused to contact Suzuki technical representatives. As the second owner and active duty military, I cannot go back to the state in which I bought the vehicle due to military orders to have any other Suzuki dealership fix this. Additionally, with the saftey inspection laws in hawaii, I cannot register this car in this state unless pay for the entire replacement of the airbag system or wait till the dealership changes thier mind about doing the recall on my car. …
I was involved in a car crash another car t=bone me on driver's side the air bag on steering wheel and passenger side did come out but they shredded and had some kind of shortage from under them that smoked like they were fixing to get on fire, also the airbag over the driver side door did not come out, we were injured from the crash I was seriously injured from the impact but scares me that the car could of caught on fire from the shortage some one needs too check on the make and models of these car before someone else has a wreck and gets seriously injured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Suzuki SX4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting a turn, he lost control of the steering wheel. The vehicle crashed into an embankment and flipped over onto the driver's side. The air bags failed to deploy. The police reported to the scene and a report was filed. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000. Updated 3/13/13
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Suzuki SX4. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 13V405000 (air bags) and stated that the parts needed for the repair were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
Vehicle rear ended causing a right hand spin resulting in a driver side down vehicle landing position in a 4 foot deep ditch at about 25 MPH. Driver side air bag did not deploy and driver received shoulder injury and head hit on driver side pillar post between front and rear left hand doors. Updated ivoq 04/24/12
I have a yellow light and and red airbag light on I already toke to the dealer and it's still the same and now the engine started knocking and the dealer in our area move nowhere to be found what can I do or where can I take it to get check
Related recalls
Air bags
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Grand Vitara and 2007-2011 SX4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, over time, the OCS sensor mat installed in the front passenger seat may fail due to repeated flexing of the mat from use of the seat.
Remedy: Suzuki will notify owners and dealers will replace the front passenger seat cushion assembly (which includes the OCS sensor mat) free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Occupant Classification System Failure
Suzuki Motor of America is conducting a safety recall to remedy the occupant classification system's (OCS) sensor mats in approximately 193,936 model year 2006-2011 Suzuki Grand Vitara and 2007-2011 Suzuki SX4 vehicles (see NHTSA recall 13V-405 for more details).The sensor mat installed in the front passenger seat can develop an electrical circuit disconnection as a result of repeated flexing of the seat from use of…
Airbag complaints in other SX4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2008 Suzuki SX4?
NHTSA has 74 complaints about the air bags of the 2008 Suzuki SX4, 73% of the model year's 101 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Suzuki SX4 airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 13V-405 (air bags, Sep 6, 2013). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Suzuki SX4 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 9 injuries to air bags 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.