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2006 Suzuki Forenza

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Suzuki Forenza do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 156.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

240 reports with mileage · 40 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 116 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports8 fire reports20 injury reports

What owners actually said

280 reports
100,000 miles · Sep 2, 2014
Air BagsCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA. THE CONTACT DROVE THROUGH A RED LIGHT AT 40 MPH AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD AND BACK CONTUSIONS AND TWO OTHER OCCUPANTS WERE ALSO INJURED. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTR…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA. THE CONTACT DROVE THROUGH A RED LIGHT AT 40 MPH AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD AND BACK CONTUSIONS AND TWO OTHER OCCUPANTS WERE ALSO INJURED. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. ...UPDATED 09-15-14 *BF

NHTSA ODI #10629988

130,000 miles · Aug 9, 2014
Electrical SystemExterior LightingSeat Belts

I WAS DRIVEN WHEN THE RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS STOPPED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10621065

89,000 miles · Aug 2, 2014
Electrical SystemEngine

MY ENGINE DIED WHILE DRIVING. MY BATTERY (WHICH WAS REPLACED 7 MONTHS PRIOR) ALSO DIED. WHEN I TRIED TO GET A JUMP START, THE ENGINE WOULD RUN FOR A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE DYING AGAIN. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOED TO A LOT AND HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD REPAIRS, SO I HAD IT SCRAPPED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10618361

71,000 miles · Jul 6, 2014
Electrical System

AIR CONDITIONING UNIT SHUT OFF, CAR RAN ERRACTICALLY AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, CAR RAN NORMALLY AND AIR CONDITIONER CAME BACK ON. ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. SINCE THEN ENGINE LIGHT WILL GO OFF FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND COME BACK ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS. MECHANIC CHECKED ENGINE AND FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH TH…

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AIR CONDITIONING UNIT SHUT OFF, CAR RAN ERRACTICALLY AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, CAR RAN NORMALLY AND AIR CONDITIONER CAME BACK ON. ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. SINCE THEN ENGINE LIGHT WILL GO OFF FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND COME BACK ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS. MECHANIC CHECKED ENGINE AND FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE THROTTLE SENSOR. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10608418

145,000 miles · Jul 1, 2014
Electrical SystemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE SOUND ALARM ACTIVATED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WAS A FIRE REPORT FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE FIRE DEPA…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE SOUND ALARM ACTIVATED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WAS A FIRE REPORT FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 145,000.

NHTSA ODI #10607301

Mileage unknown · Jun 11, 2014
Electrical SystemFire

MY CAR HAD A FIRE ON 5/29/2014. I DROVE IN LOW SPEED 30 MPH IN TEMPE CITY, BUT I SMELLED LITTLE SMOKE COMING OUT. I PARKED THE CAR. THE FIRE STARTED FROM SOME CABLES AT THE LEFT SIDE COLUMN UNDER STEERING WHEEL IN FRONT OF DRIVER'S SEAT. THERE WAS NO COLLISION. SOME WIRES, PARTS AND THE PLASTIC COVER UNDER THE STEERING WHE…

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MY CAR HAD A FIRE ON 5/29/2014. I DROVE IN LOW SPEED 30 MPH IN TEMPE CITY, BUT I SMELLED LITTLE SMOKE COMING OUT. I PARKED THE CAR. THE FIRE STARTED FROM SOME CABLES AT THE LEFT SIDE COLUMN UNDER STEERING WHEEL IN FRONT OF DRIVER'S SEAT. THERE WAS NO COLLISION. SOME WIRES, PARTS AND THE PLASTIC COVER UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL HAVE BEEN BURNT DOWN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO BILL LUKE SUZUKI IN TEMPE, AZ AT THE SAME DATE 5/29/2014. THE DEALER BILL LUKE ASKED ME TO REPORT THIS ISSUE TO SUZUKI. I CALLED SUZUKI CUSTOMER SERVICE IN CA ON 5/30/2014. ALREADY 2 WEEKS PAST, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM SUZUKI. SUZUKI HAS NOT TAKEN ANY ACTION. NOW THE CAR IS STILL IN BILL LUKE IN TEMPE. WOULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME? I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH IF YOU CAN HELP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10597730

104,000 miles · May 25, 2014
Electrical SystemPower Train

WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO REVERSE THE VEHICLE JUMPED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OUT OF DRIVE. WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FORWARD IT TOOK A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF POWER TO GO 10 MPH. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT PROPERLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT STAY ON WHILE THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10593939

89,400 miles · May 19, 2014
Electrical System

AT FIRST THE KEY WOULD NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION AND NOW I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE KEY EITHER GOING INTO THE IGNITION OR COMING OUT OF THE IGNITION. WITH ALL OF THE LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST DUE TO THE IGNITION PROBLEMS IN OTHER VEHICLE'S, THIS HAS CONCERNED ME GREATLY. PLEASE RESPOND QUICKLY. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10592556

99,000 miles · Apr 29, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

I WAS ONE THE HIGHWAY MY CAR RIP WENT CRAZY I TRIED TO GIVE THE CAR GAS AND ON MY DASH THERE WAS A LINE THRU THE DRIVE SYMBOL THAT WAS TELLIN ME THE CAR COULD NOT DRIVE I HAD JUST FIXED MY TRANSMISSION 3,4 GEAR PAID TO DEALER 1,400 3 MONTHS LATER THE RANGE SENSOR GOES BAD AGAIN FOR 4TH TIME.THIS CAR HAS SO MANY PROBLEM AND HARDL…

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I WAS ONE THE HIGHWAY MY CAR RIP WENT CRAZY I TRIED TO GIVE THE CAR GAS AND ON MY DASH THERE WAS A LINE THRU THE DRIVE SYMBOL THAT WAS TELLIN ME THE CAR COULD NOT DRIVE I HAD JUST FIXED MY TRANSMISSION 3,4 GEAR PAID TO DEALER 1,400 3 MONTHS LATER THE RANGE SENSOR GOES BAD AGAIN FOR 4TH TIME.THIS CAR HAS SO MANY PROBLEM AND HARDLY ANY DEALERS THAT CAN FIX THE PROBLEM AND IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME PROBLEMS PLEASE HELP. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10585447

114,000 miles · Apr 7, 2014
Power Train

I OWN A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA WAGEN WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANS-AXLE THAT I BOUGHT NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP (EXPO SUZUKI) SELLING SUZUKI MOTOR CARS, IN KINGWOOD, TEXAS. PROBLEMS STARTED HAPPENING TO MY CAR WHILE I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE, WHEN I NOTICED THE GEAR SELECTION INDICATOR WINDOW ON THE DASHBO…

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I OWN A 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA WAGEN WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANS-AXLE THAT I BOUGHT NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP (EXPO SUZUKI) SELLING SUZUKI MOTOR CARS, IN KINGWOOD, TEXAS. PROBLEMS STARTED HAPPENING TO MY CAR WHILE I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE, WHEN I NOTICED THE GEAR SELECTION INDICATOR WINDOW ON THE DASHBOARD STARTED DISPLAYING ODD READINGS OTHER THAN PARK OR DRIVE OR A COMBINATION OF ITS RANGE MODES(R,D,N,1 AND 2) WITH A SLASH LINE GOING THROUGH IT, INDICATING THAT AN ERROR/MALFUNCTION IS OCCURRING (THIS STARTED AT 75,000 MILES OR LESS, ON THE VEHICLE'S ODOMETER.), I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT WITH NO ERROR/MALFUNCTIONS DISPLAYED; GOOD, BUT THE VEHICLE NOW DROVE SLUGGISH; IT WOULD NOT DRIVE BEYOND 20MPH OR LESS. IT WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SUZUKI DEALERSHIP BY TOW-TRUCK WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM, AND THEY CLAIMED THAT NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. INSTANCES ALSO INVOLVING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MY SUZUKI FORENZA WAGEN CAME ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MALFUNCTION CAUSED THE CAR TO QUICKLY COME TO A NEAR DANGEROUS STOP IN HEAVY HOUSTON TEXAS TRAFFIC, DUE TO THE NSS(NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH) MALFUNCTIONING WITHOUT WARNING; ALMOST INVOLVING ME IN A NEAR FATAL COLLISION GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS; I HAPPENED TO LOOK AND SEE THE DASHBOARD GEAR INDICATOR WINDOW HAD THAT SLASH MARK(S) IN IT AGAIN. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR BACK AND FORTH, TO MY SUZUKI DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH PROBLEM, WITH THEM ONLY REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION, THIS TIME. DEALERSHIPS IN HOUSTON TEXAS WHO SOLD SUZUKI MOTOR CARS UP UNTIL RECENT, WILL NOT TOUCH THIS PARTICULAR TRANSMISSION, I'VE BEEN TOLD TO JUST REPLACE IT, IF ITS UNDER SUZUKI MOTORS WARRANTY? O.K. FINE. THIS HAS NOT REMEDIED MY ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10578136

Official recalls

4

14V262000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

May 19, 2014

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. In the affected vehicles, heat may be generated in the headlamp switch or daytime running light (DRL) module which could melt the headlamp switch or the DRL module.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the heat generated within the headlamp switch or DRL module located on the left side of the steering column melts the headlamp switch or DRL module, there is an increased risk of a fire.

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. The recall began October 29, 2014. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's number for this recall is XA.

12V397000 · Electrical System:wiring:interior/under Dash; Exterior Lighting:headlights

Aug 14, 2012

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 the headlamps. This can result in intermittent or total loss of low/high beam headlamp function.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the headlamps fail to function, this will lead to reduced driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

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 the headlamps. This can result in intermittent or total loss of low/high beam headlamp function.

Consequence: If the headlamps fail to function, this will lead to reduced driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

Electrical System:wiring:interior/under Dash

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 the headlamps. This can result in intermittent or total loss of low/high beam headlamp function.

Consequence: If the headlamps fail to function, this will lead to reduced driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

07V452000 · Exterior Lighting

Sep 25, 2007

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: INAPPROPRIATE LIGHTING COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY OF VEHICLES AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR A CRASH.

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;. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUZUKI AT 1-800-934-0934.

07V315000 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly

Jul 24, 2007

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FRONT SEAT BELT TONGUE WILL NOT LATCH INTO THE BUCKLE AND, IN RARE CASES, EVEN THE LOCKED TONGUE WILL POP OUT BY LOW STRETCHING FORCE. IF THE BUCKLE DOES NOT LATCH COMPLETELY, THE BUCKLE COULD RELEASE WITHOUT PRESSING THE RELEASE BUTTON.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THESE BUCKLE MALFUNCTIONS, WHICH COULD PREVENT A PERSON FROM USING THE SEAT BELT OR COULD CAUSE THE SEAT BELT TO FAIL TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED, CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY IN A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLES WITH THE IMPROVED PART FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUZUKI AT 1-800-934-0934.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.