2005 Suzuki Forenza

TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THE STRUTS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOSE AND LETTING THE HANDLE UNSAFELY. THE LOCAL DEALER REPLACED THEM UNDER WARRANTY AND THE CAR DROVE BETTER. FAST FORWARD TO MARCH 2015, I CARRIED THE CAR IN FOR A DIFFERENT WARRANTY REPAIR BUT WASN'T TOLD THAT THE STRUTS WERE LOOSE AGAIN. I FOUND THIS OUT FROM MY OWN MECHANIC THE NEXT DAY. I CONTACTED CORPORATE SUZUKI AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL. MY MECHANIC TALKED TO ANOTHER SUZUKI DEALER & WAS TOLD THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND THAT A KIT HAS TO BE INSTALLED TO CORRECT IT. I HAD TO PAY MY MECHANIC TO FIX IT. SHOULDN'T THERE BE A RECALL FOR THIS BECAUSE I HAD ONLY PUT 19,000 MILES ON SINCE THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WHICH APPARENTLY WAS DONE WITHOUT THE KIT? THE STRUTS WERE MOVING A QUARTER OF AN INCH. DOES THIS NOT POSE A SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

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 ALREADY STATED THAT THEY ARENT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT & I AM WAITING TO SUZUKI CORPORATE TO CONCLUDE THEIR FINDINGS I TRULY HOPE SUZUKI DOES THE RIGHT THING IN THIS UNFORTUNATE MATTER IF NOT I AM PREPARED TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION BUT IM PRAYING THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

AFTER FIRST PURCHASING THE CAR, THERE WERE PROBLEMS ACCELERATING AND THEN CAR FAILED. POWER STEERING HAD TO BE FIXED, TIMING BELT REPLACED. A FEW MONTHS LATER SPEAKERS STARTED TO GO IN AND OUT, RADIO LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF, ETC. IN 2010 HEADLIGHTS FAILED. BEING A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT I RODE WITH MY BRIGHTS FOR ALMOST A YEAR UNTIL I LOOKED UP THE RECALL ONLINE AND GOT THAT FIXED AT THE DEALERSHIP. 2011 REPLACED SPEAKERS, STILL DON'T WORK ON ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE OF CAR AND BACK OF DRIVER SIDE. ONE SPEAKER WORKS, VERY WEAK AND SOMETIMES GOES OUT COMPLETELY. INTERIOR LIGHTS GO IN AND OUT. STARTED TO LEAK OIL, HAD TO HAVE HEAD GASKET REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, THEN HAD TO HAVE RADIATOR HOSE REPLACED. 2012 TIMING BELT POPS, ENGINE DAMAGED COSTING ALMOST $2000. TODAY DECEMBER 2012, RADIATOR CRACKS ALL THE WAY OPEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. TERRIBLE HORRIBLE CAR TO BE A 2005. SEEMS LIKE I CAN'T GO A MONTH WITHOUT SOMETHING ELSE GOING WRONG. FEELS UNSAFE AT ALL TIMES! *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUZUKI FORENZA. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS STARTING THE VEHICLE ON MARCH 23 , 2007. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE TRYING TO START IT AND REQUIRED THREE OR MORE ATTEMPTS IN ORDER TO START THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. THE DEALER ORDERED AND REPLACED A SECTION OF THE STEERING COLUMN. ON 4/15/07 WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH ON I-95 THE VEHICLE STALLED, WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, THE CONTACT ALSO LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKE CONTROL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY AN EXIT RAMP, FORCING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,617, AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,643.*AK

THIS IS A ROUGH DRAFT OF THE LETTER I WILL BE SENDING TO SUZUKI: I BOUGHT MY SUZUKI FORENZA IN FEBRUARY OF 2005. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR THREE TIMES TO SUZUKI OF WEST BROWARD FOR AN OIL LEAK. THE FIRST TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD AN AFTERMARKET OIL FILTER (FROM MEINEKE). I HAD MY DOUBTS THAT THIS WAS THE PROBLEM. I AUTHORIZED THAT THEY CHANGE THE OIL FILTER. WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR HOME IT WAS STILL LEAKING. I WAS CHARGED $28.04 FOR THE SERVICE THAT DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A POROUS OIL PAN. I WAS NOT REFUNDED (NOR OFFERED TO BE REFUNDED) MY $28.04 FOR THE OIL CHANGE AND FILTER CHANGE. THE PARTS WERE NOT IN STOCK AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD ARRIVE THE SAME WEEK. THEY ARRIVED THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE OIL PAN WAS REPLACED. THE CAR WAS STILL LEAKING OIL. I TOOK IT A THIRD TIME AND THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. THEY SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. BESIDES THE OIL LEAK, THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN MAKING A HUMMING SOUND WHEN I WOULD TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS PROBLEM I TOOK TO BILL SEIDLES SUZUKI IN MIAMI. I WAS TOLD THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS DIRTY. THIS SEEMED TO WORK FOR SOME TIME BUT NOW THERE IS STILL A LOWER HUM. BEFORE THESE TWO SETBACKS, THERE WERE MINOR PROBLEMS THAT AROSE AFTER THE 36,000 MILE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. A BULB WENT OUT IN THE DASH AND THE FOG-LIGHT BULBS WOULD CONTINUOUSLY BURN OUT. I BELIEVE THIS IS A GROUNDING PROBLEM IN THE CAR THAT PRODUCES INTERFERENCE ON THE RADIO DIRECTLY RELATED TO MY ACCELERATION OF THE CAR. AFTER THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNING THIS CAR, IT HAS BEEN PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE SERVICE CENTERS FOR SUZUKI IN SOUTH FLORIDA ARE OF THE POOREST QUALITY. THERE IS NO ATTENTION AND IT SEEMS THAT PARTS ARE NEVER AVAILABLE AT THE FACILITIES FOR REPAIRS. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF SUZUKI AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THE COMPANY.

THE CLOCK SPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN OF MY VEHICLE MAKES A TERRIBLE SOUND WHEN IT IS TURNED AT LOW SPEEDS. I BROUGHT IT IN FOR REPAIR UNDER THE WARRANTY AND SUZUKI REPLACED IT. THE REPLACED PART CONTINUED TO MAKE THE SAME SOUND SO I BROUGHT IT IN AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT SUZUKI WOULD NOT AUTHORIZE A NEW PART, ONLY THAT THEY NEEDED TO "LUBE THE HELL OUT OF IT." THE LUBING HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT SUZUKI WILL NOT, OR CANNOT FIX. IT IS A SUB-PAR PRODUCT THAT NEEDS A REPAIR, NOT A BAND-AIDE. *NM