Air Bags. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

16 reports

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Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 2016

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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I BOUGHT MY 07 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA IN 2008. SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ABOUT EVERY 3-4 MONTHS. THE LIGHTS EVEN AFTER BEING REPLACED WILL FLICKER AND TURN OFF. I HAVE TO OPEN THE HOOD AND WIGGLE THE LIGHT TO COME BACK ON. THE CONNECTORS ON THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BECOME OVERHEATED AND MEALTED. ONCE WHILE DRIVING I SMELLED SMOKE, AFTER OPENING THE HOOD I REALIZED IT WAS THE HEADLIGHT. I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE MY HEADLIGHT(S) HAVE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD TO DRIVE MULTIPLE TIMES WITH THE HIGH BEAMS. ALSO THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM I CAN BARELY SEE A YARD INFRONT OF MY VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. THESE ARE ALL SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS AND EVEN LIFE THREATENING IF THE HEADLIGHTS WERE TO CATCH FIRE.

NHTSA ODI #10882201

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2016

Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK. THE CONTACT HAD TO CONSTANTLY USE THE HIGH BEAMS EACH TIME THE FAILURE HAPPENED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10881876

65,000 miles · Feb 16, 2016

Exterior Lighting

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THE HEAD LIGHTS KEEP BLOWING OUT, ESPECIALLY THE LEFT FRONT. I FIND MYSELF CHANGING THIS BULB EVERY 3-5 MONTHS. NOW THE HIGH BEAMS DO NOT TURN ON FROM THE FORWARD POSITION AT THE STEERING WHEEL, THEY WILL WORK WHEN THE ARM IS PULLED BACK WITH THE HIGH BEAM LIGHT INDICATING THEY ARE WORKING, NOT THE SAME IN THE FORWARD POSITION. I HAVE CHECKED THE FUSES AND BULB. I AM TIRED OF THESE PROBLEMS AND IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD. SUZUKI SHOULD GET ON BOARD TO FIX THESE REOCCURRING PROBLEMS FOR EVERY OWNER. BUT SINCE SUZUKI NO LONGER EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES, IT WILL BE UP TO NHTSA.

NHTSA ODI #10836482

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2015

Exterior Lighting

MY LIGHTS ARE ALWAYS GOING OUT ITS HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT WHEN THEY ARE ON AND I CONSIDERED VERY DANGEROUS AND WENT DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY TELL ME THEY CAN'T FIX IT JUST KEEP CHANGING LIGHTS WHEN THEY GO OUT NOT GOOD

NHTSA ODI #10817151

730,000 miles · Feb 25, 2015

Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT ABOUT EVERY 4 MONTHS. THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10690723

125,000 miles · Jan 14, 2015

Exterior LightingService Brakes

I HAVE TWO ISSUES, AND HAVE HAD THESE ISSUES SINCE BUYING THE CAR ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO,WHEN RUNNING THE CAR COLD THE BRAKES DO NOT DEPRESS THE FIRST TIME I BRAKE, IT TAKES ALOT OF FORCE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP, IF IT IS WARMED UP FOR 15 MIN OR SO IT WILL NOT HAVE THE ISSUE, BUT FIGURES IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. MY OTHER ISSUE IS TH…

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NHTSA ODI #10672371

60,000 miles · Dec 13, 2014

Exterior Lighting

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THE HEAD LIGHTS KEEP GOING OFF EVERY 4 TO 6 MONTHS. THERE'S BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS ON REPAIRPAL.COM ABOUT THE SAME THING AND SUZUKI HAS NOT WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THIS IS PARTIALLY WHAT THEY HAVE POSTED "WE UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS YOU HAVE RAISED IN YOUR MESSAGE AND WE WANT TO INFORM YOU THAT THERE IS NO KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY". YET EVERYONE'S COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEADLIGHTS GOING OFF EVERY 4 TO 6 MONTHS IS A FACT. I TRIED REPLACING THE ENTIRE HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLY BEFORE I KNEW THERE IS ACTUALLY A PROBLEM WITH IT AND IT'S STILL DOING IT MONTHS LATER. IT'S GETTING VERY EXPENSIVE FOR EVERYONE AND MYSELF TO BE REPLACING HEADLIGHT BULBS EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT SHOULD BE LASTING YEARS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10664105

50,000 miles · Aug 21, 2014

Air BagsExterior Lighting

I SEE THAT YOU HAVE RECALLS ON SOME VEHICLES FOR THE DAYTIME HEADLIGHTS OVER HEATING. IT IS ALSO HAPPENING ON THE 07 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA. I HAVE TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR FROM THE OVER HEATING ISSUE AND IT ALSO HAS A RUBBER BURNING SMELL. IF MY VEHICLE IS RECALLED HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING IT FIXED IF I HAVEN…

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NHTSA ODI #10627722

92,900 miles · Aug 11, 2014

Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior Lighting

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I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THE AIR BAGS MALFUNCTION IN THE EARLY PART OF 2014. IN FACT MY AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON AND WILL NOT TURN OFF. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE RECOMMENDED DEALER, AND WAITED 3 HOURS, WHILE THE DEALER (BIG RED) TRIED TO SELL ME ANOTHER CAR FOR ALL THAT TIME, ONLY TO BE TOLD 3 HOURS LATER THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PART TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THIS WAS DONE IN MARCH 2014 AND TO DATE - JULY 2014 AS OF THIS LETTER, I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN NOTIFIED THAT THEY EVER RECEIVED THE PART, SO THIS CONDITION REMAINS UNFIXED. REPORT RECEIPT DATE: SEP 06, 2013 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V405000 COMPONENT(S): AIR BAGS COULD YOU PLEASE ALSO HELP ME WITH THIS, I NOTICED THAT I HAVE REPLACED THE SAME HEAD LIGHTS OVER 4 TIMES IN ONE YEAR, THE LAST TIME THE LIGHT WENT OUT THE GENTLEMAN AT OREILY'S SHOWED ME THAT THE HEADLAMP SWITCH WAS BURNT, AND TOLD ME THERE MUST BE SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE SWITCH AND TO BE VERY CAREFUL. I DID READ WHERE THERE ARE RECALLS FOR PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING HEADLAMP SWITCH AND MODULE THAT POSES A RISK OF FIRE. DATE OF INCIDENT: 02/12/2013 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10618387 COMPONENT(S): EXTERIOR LIGHTING LASTLY I HAVE A TRANSFER CASE PROBLEM AND THE CAR GETS STUCK IN 4WD HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE POWER TRAIN RECALL? ALL MY 4WD LIGHTS ARE BLINKING, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU KNEW IF THESE PROBLEMS MAYBE RELATED. REPORT RECEIPT DATE: DEC 07, 2007 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07V554000 COMPONENT(S): POWER TRAIN *TR

NHTSA ODI #10621375

87,000 miles · Aug 2, 2014

Exterior Lighting

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I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLAMP BULBS 17 TIMES ON THE VEHICLE MENTIONED ABOVE THE EACH TIME THEY WOULD STOP WORKING. FOUND OUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BULBS THERE IS AN ABNORMAL OPERATION OF THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS AND THE DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS. THEY FLICKERED CONSTANTLY AND STOPPED WORKING ONE NIGHT AS MY SON WAS DRIVING HOME FROM COLLEGE. HE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!!! WE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH MECHANIC STATED THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME VEHICLE HAVE POSTED THE SAME COMPLAINT ON THE INTERNET AND I THINK THERE SHOULD AN IMMEDIATE RECALL. WE CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE LIGHTS CONTINUE TO STOP BEAMING RANDOMLY. THERE IS A SUZUKI SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE ON THE 2004-2008 FORENZA AND RENO AND THERE SHOULD BE ONE ISSUED ON THE GRAND VITARA AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10618387

Official recalls

19V187000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification; Seats

Mar 7, 2019

Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kizashi and 2006-2013 Grand Vitara vehicles. The front passenger leather seat may shrink due to high humidity and high temperature. As a result, the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor mat may not accurately detect if an adult or child is occupying the seat.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification may result in the passenger frontal air bag deploying even if there is a child in the front passenger seat, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat bottom cushion, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 3, 2019. All second letters notifying owners of the remedy were mailed by April 10, 2020. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's numbers for this recall are 4011 and 4012.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, an incorrect classification may result in the passenger frontal air bag deploying even if there is a child in the front passenger seat, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat bottom cushion, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 3, 2019. All second letters notifying owners of the remedy were mailed by April 10, 2020. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's numbers for this recall are 4011 and 4012.

Seats

13V405000 · Air Bags

Sep 6, 2013

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. As a result, during a crash necessitating deployment, the air bag will deploy regardless of whether the front seat occupant is an adult or a child.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bag deployment with a child in the front passenger side seat increases the risk of injury to that child.

Remedy: Suzuki will notify owners and dealers will replace the front passenger seat cushion assembly (which includes the OCS sensor mat) free of charge. Sufficient quantities of parts are not currently available to fix all of the affected vehicles. Owners will be notified of the recall in October 2013 and will receive a second notification when parts are available to have their vehicle repaired. The recall began on May 23, 2014. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's recall campaign number is VD.

07V554000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Dec 7, 2007

CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114, 'THEFT PROTECTION. ' THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER "PARK" LOCK FUNCTION MAY BE INOPERATIVE DUE TO A STICKING SHIFT LOCK ARM. THE SHIFT LEVER MAY BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF "PARK" WITH THE KEY REMOVED AND WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CAN GIVE RISE TO INCREASED INCIDENTS OF CRASHES RESULTING FROM THE ROLLAWAY OF PARKED VEHICLES AS A RESULT OF INADVERTENTLY MOVING THE SHIFT LEVER FROM THE "PARK" POSITION WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SHIFT LOCK MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 7, 2008. 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

PE13021 · Occupant Classification System Failure

Opened Jun 14, 2013 · Closed Sep 30, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

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 the seat.According to Suzuki, when the failure occurs, the OCS system, by design, will not suppress the frontal passenger air bag for a seated child or small-stature adult.A deploying passenger air bag can cause serious injury to such an occupant.The recall population excludes those vehicles that previously had proper remedies under the special coverage campaign for this issue (~11,600) that began in July 2012.The recall remedy will be to install a new front passenger seat cushion assembly that includes an improved OCS sensor mat and an OCS control module with updated algorithms designed to properly identify the type/size of the seated occupant.Consequently, this recall action will address various OCS related problems, including a programming error (associated with diagnostic trouble code B1318) related to detecting a change or shifting in load on the front passenger seat in the model year 2009 Grand Vitara and SX4 vehicles.This Preliminary Evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10178750, 10185778, 10200217, 10200123, 10206368, 10217021, 10250561, 10254251, 10263756, 10283309, 10285166, 10294320, 10316125, 10323718, 10324530, 10326910, 10332645, 10347204, 10348957, 10349038, 10350237, 10353604, 10354901, 10355400, 10364190, 10367631, 10369777, 10371056, 10373558, 10375165, 10375789, 10376071, 10376621, 10378154, 10380794, 10382860, 10392447, 10392434, 10392599, 10393975, 10395430, 10395602, 10395821, 10395983, 10398172, 10400092, 10400035, 10401106, 10401424, 10404772, 10405359, 10406459, 10407500, 10409412, 10409993, 10413235, 10418162, 10419237, 10419578, 10425035, 10425212, 10426703, 10434905, 10435090, 10435091, 10437600, 10437892, 10437994, 10438100, 10438501, 10438613, 10439357, 10439979, 10440088, 10442968, 10442759, 10442883, 10443173, 10443592, 10443594, 10444434, 10445034, 10445447, 10446215, 10446580, 10447689, 10448161, 10448446, 10448499, 10448554, 10449238, 10450746, 10451260, 10452961, 10453168, 10453403, 10453376, 10454445, 10454978, 10455231, 10455529, 10456043, 10456367, 10456407, 10459063, 10460417, 10460510, 10462016, 10463337, 10464941, 10464693, 10467988, 10468641, 10479583, 10479929, 10481120, 10484053, 10484863, 10486369, 10486729, 10487379, 10491755, 10499622, 10506034, 10508282, 10511057, 10511439, 10512962, 10521656, 10521779, 10523512, 10523931, 10524266, 10526435, 10533196, 10535513, 10537314, 10537619, 10543672, 10544287.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Air Bags:frontal

Air Bags