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2008 Suzuki Reno

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Suzuki Reno do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 32.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

20 reports with mileage · 3 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 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

23 reports
24,500 miles · Nov 27, 2017
Unknown Or Other

I'M HAVING ISSUES WITH THE RANGE SENSOR ON MY 2008 SUZUKI RENO. I REPLACED IT LAST YEAR WITH A NEW ONE AND FAILED JULY 2016. I REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. NOW ITS LATE NOVEMBER AND AGAIN PROBLEMS WITH THE RANGE SENSOR AGAIN!!!!!!!!! AFTER RELACING IT WITH A NEW ONE IN JULY 2017 THAT'S 4 MONTHS AFTER AND I NEED TO REPLACE AGAIN?…

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I'M HAVING ISSUES WITH THE RANGE SENSOR ON MY 2008 SUZUKI RENO. I REPLACED IT LAST YEAR WITH A NEW ONE AND FAILED JULY 2016. I REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. NOW ITS LATE NOVEMBER AND AGAIN PROBLEMS WITH THE RANGE SENSOR AGAIN!!!!!!!!! AFTER RELACING IT WITH A NEW ONE IN JULY 2017 THAT'S 4 MONTHS AFTER AND I NEED TO REPLACE AGAIN??? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE LOOKED THIS UP AND THERE ARE ALOT OF ISSUES WITH RANGE SENSOR ON THE RENO'S. I'M UNEMPLOYED AND NOT GETTING ANY BENEFITS CAN'T BE RELPACING THIS PART OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!! THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS!!!!!!!!!! THIS HAPPENS WHEN I TURN MY CAR ON AS I GO INTO DRIVE MODE I FEEL A JOLT/TUG AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I COULD BE DRIVING THEN I FEEL A TUG AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT UP. ALSO WHEN I TRY TO SPEED UP IT FEELS SLUGGISH IT DOES NOT PICK UP LIKE IT NORMALLY DOES. JUST YESTERDAY I WAS BRAKING AS I CAME OFF THE EXPRESSWAY AND I FELT THAT TUG AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT POPS UP AND MY STOPPED!!!! WTH IF I HAD A CAR IN BACK OF ME THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT!!!!!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? WHEN I REPLACE THE RANGE SENSOR THE TEETH ON THE SENSOR ARE ALL SCUFFED!!! THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON AND OFF. NORMALLY I TURN MY CAR OFF WAIT A WHILE START IT BACK UP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IF OFF.

NHTSA ODI #11048799

129,905 miles · Apr 17, 2017
Engine

A COUPLE DAYS AGO THE TIMING BELT BROKE ON MY GM-DAEWOO 2008 SUZUKI RENO. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS JUST UNDER 130,000 THOUSAND AND HAS BEEN VARY WELL MAINTAINED. THE BELT HAD BEEN REPLACED BEFORE WITH A GATES TIMING BELT AT ABOUT 100,000 I BELIEVE. THEREFORE MEANING THE BELT BROKE WITH JUST UNDER 30,000 THOUSAND MILES ON IT, WHICH I…

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A COUPLE DAYS AGO THE TIMING BELT BROKE ON MY GM-DAEWOO 2008 SUZUKI RENO. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS JUST UNDER 130,000 THOUSAND AND HAS BEEN VARY WELL MAINTAINED. THE BELT HAD BEEN REPLACED BEFORE WITH A GATES TIMING BELT AT ABOUT 100,000 I BELIEVE. THEREFORE MEANING THE BELT BROKE WITH JUST UNDER 30,000 THOUSAND MILES ON IT, WHICH IS WAY BEFORE THE MANUFACTURE OEM CHANGE INTERVAL IN THE SERVICE GUIDE. I UNDERSTAND THE ENGINE IS A GM FAMILY 2 SERIES ENGINE 2.0 D-TEC 4CYLNDER DOHC I THINK THE ENGINE CODENAME IN THESE ENGINES IS A U20SED/ L34. AS FOR THE BELT, IT JUST SNAPPED BESIDES FOR WHERE IT HAD SNAPPED AND BROKE ITS IN GOOD SHAPE, NO RIPS, TEARS ETC.. JUST WONDERING IF GM IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, I NOT TRYING TO COMPLAIN BUT HONESTLY I FEEL THAT SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG HAD HAPPENED TO MY CAR AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND OUT ABOUT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE FORUM PAGES ONLINE, YOUTUBE VIDEOS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I HAD GONE THROUGH ALL THE RECALLS AND SERVICE BULLETINS AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAVING TO DO WITH WHAT HAD HAPPENED(THE BELT BROKE ON MY CAR AS WELL AS MANY OTHER RENO AND FORENZA VEHICLES. MAYBE THE TIMING SYSTEM WAS POORLY DESIGNED, MANUFACTURING DEFECT ? I'M NOT SURE, BUT I DO THNK THE TENSIONER MAY HAVE FAILED. I KNOW THIS IS AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE IT HAS ZERO COMPRESSION AND SO IT LIKELY HAS SOME BENT VALVES WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO HAVE THIS TAKEN CARE OF? ALSO THERE'S ONLY ONE SUZUKI SERVICE DEALER THAT'S STILL OPEN IN MY AREA, AS FOR THE RECALL IT HAS I AM PLANNING TO GET IT REPLACED, I CONTACTED THAT DEALER A WHILE BACK AND I AM PLANNING TO GET THAT FIXED VERY SOON. THE VIN FOR THE VEHICLE IS [XXX] I AM IN THE UNITED STATES, I LIVE ACROSS THE WATER FROM SEATTLE BUT IN CANADA I BELIEVE THESE WERE SOLD AS THE CHEVY OPTRA 5 THANKS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10978974

Mileage unknown · Jul 8, 2016
Air Bags

I TOOK MY CAR IN TO FIND OUT WHY THE AIRBAG LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS ON BY THE CLOCK AND ON MY DASH. COME TO FIND OUT THE PART THAT I NEED TO FIX IT IS HARD TO FIND AND THAT THE PART IS ALSO BAD. IN ORDER TO FIX MY PROBLEM IT WILL COST ME $2500 TO FIX IT. SO I THINK I WILL WAIT TILL IT GETS RECALLED ALONG WITH THE AIR…

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I TOOK MY CAR IN TO FIND OUT WHY THE AIRBAG LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS ON BY THE CLOCK AND ON MY DASH. COME TO FIND OUT THE PART THAT I NEED TO FIX IT IS HARD TO FIND AND THAT THE PART IS ALSO BAD. IN ORDER TO FIX MY PROBLEM IT WILL COST ME $2500 TO FIX IT. SO I THINK I WILL WAIT TILL IT GETS RECALLED ALONG WITH THE AIRBAGS. SO NOW NO ONE CAN SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT!!

NHTSA ODI #10883702

79,000 miles · Mar 20, 2016
Power TrainVehicle Speed ControlVisibility/wiper

I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AS WELL AS THE TRANSISSION RANGE SENSOR AND THE TRANS AXLE CONTROL MODULE. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE ARMS ON THE WINDSHIELD AS WELL FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAUSE THEY HAD CAME OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS CAR HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME MY LIFE MULTIPLE TIMES AND IM SO SICK OF NO ONE TRYING TO F…

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I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AS WELL AS THE TRANSISSION RANGE SENSOR AND THE TRANS AXLE CONTROL MODULE. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE ARMS ON THE WINDSHIELD AS WELL FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAUSE THEY HAD CAME OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS CAR HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME MY LIFE MULTIPLE TIMES AND IM SO SICK OF NO ONE TRYING TO FIX WHAT IS GOING ON WITH IT. I KNOW THAT THEY DONT MAKE THIS MODEL ANYMORE BUT THIS CARE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE AND NOT EVERYONE CAN BUY A NEW CAR AT THIS TIME SO WE ARE LEFT TO FIX THE MISTAKES OF THE MAKER.

NHTSA ODI #10850665

20,550 miles · Nov 14, 2015
Power Train

THIS REALLY SHOULD BE ENFORCED AS A RECALL. OBD2 CODES ARE P0705 AND P0705P (TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR FAILURES). WHEN SHIFTING TO D OR R, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON, YOU HEAR A LOUD VOICE AND THE CAR SHAKES, IT'S SCARY. THE FAILURE STARTS SOON AFTER POWERTRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRATION DATE. I REALIZED THIS HAPPENS TO A LOT OF OW…

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THIS REALLY SHOULD BE ENFORCED AS A RECALL. OBD2 CODES ARE P0705 AND P0705P (TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR FAILURES). WHEN SHIFTING TO D OR R, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON, YOU HEAR A LOUD VOICE AND THE CAR SHAKES, IT'S SCARY. THE FAILURE STARTS SOON AFTER POWERTRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRATION DATE. I REALIZED THIS HAPPENS TO A LOT OF OWNERS OF SUZUKI CARS, SHARING THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCES. IT'S A SHAME SUZUKI CHARGES $500 TO REPAIR SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO VIRTUALLY EVERYONE. ON THE INTERNET EVERYONE COMPLAINS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS ONLY 20,550 MILES. IT REALLY SHOULD BE MANDATED AS A RECALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

NHTSA ODI #10790371

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2014
EnginePower Train

TRANSMISSION HAS TROUBLE SWITCHING GEARS, ODOMETER SCRAMBLES WHEN SWITCHING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, ODOMETER READS AS BEING IN REVERSE WHEN IT'S IN PARK, AND WHEN IT SWITCHES GEARS IT SWITCHES HARD AND STRUGGLES TO ACCELERATE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10648656

104,000 miles · Sep 4, 2014
Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI RENO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE HEAD LIGHTS SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND STOPPED OPERATING. THE CONTACT INDICATED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ONLY THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WOULD OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FA…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI RENO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE HEAD LIGHTS SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND STOPPED OPERATING. THE CONTACT INDICATED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ONLY THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WOULD OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000.

NHTSA ODI #10630785

65,000 miles · Aug 19, 2014
Electrical SystemFire

MY CAR SUZUKI RENO 2008 WAS PARKING AT MY DRIVEWAY AND IT CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE DRIVER STEERING COLUMN. THE DAY AFTER I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO SUZUKI MOTORS CORP AND THREE DAYS AFTER I RECEIVED IN THE MAIL A SAFETY RECALL "XA". I TOOK MY VE *TRHICLE TO A SUZUKI DEALER IN MIAMI BUT I WAS TOLD BY SUZUKI THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPON…

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MY CAR SUZUKI RENO 2008 WAS PARKING AT MY DRIVEWAY AND IT CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE DRIVER STEERING COLUMN. THE DAY AFTER I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO SUZUKI MOTORS CORP AND THREE DAYS AFTER I RECEIVED IN THE MAIL A SAFETY RECALL "XA". I TOOK MY VE *TRHICLE TO A SUZUKI DEALER IN MIAMI BUT I WAS TOLD BY SUZUKI THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTING FIRE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10626352

115,000 miles · Jun 23, 2014
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

CAR IS HAVING TROUBLE WHEN SWITCHING INTO GEAR AS WELL AS REVERSE AND DRIVING IS VERY SLOW AND RESTRAINED. THE PROBLEM IS SO OFTEN ON FORUMS, IT IS STRANGE THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. EXPENSIVE TO FIX AND SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURING FAULT/CHEAP PART. AUTO SCANNER SAID PART IS THE TRANSMISSION SENSOR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10605130

85,000 miles · May 16, 2014
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

VEHICLE LURCHED AND HOPPED OUT OF GEAR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC, HE STATED THE CODE INDICATED THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR WAS HAVING AN ISSUE, NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I HAD IT REPLACED AT A LATER DATE. THE FIX LASTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND THE SENSOR AGAIN WENT BAD, I JUST HAD IT REPLACED AGAIN BUT IT DID NOT SOLVE…

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VEHICLE LURCHED AND HOPPED OUT OF GEAR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC, HE STATED THE CODE INDICATED THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR WAS HAVING AN ISSUE, NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I HAD IT REPLACED AT A LATER DATE. THE FIX LASTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND THE SENSOR AGAIN WENT BAD, I JUST HAD IT REPLACED AGAIN BUT IT DID NOT SOLVE ALL OF THE ISSUES, I HAVE TO DRIVE IN 3 TO KEEP THE CAR SHIFTING AND KEEP IT FROM RANDOMLY HOPPING OUT OF GEAR. THIS IS DANGEROUS! I HAVE PULLED OUT ONTO HIGHWAYS AND HAD THE CAR JUMP OUT OF GEAR AND NOT BE ABLE TO MANEUVER TO A SAFE SPOT, NEARLY GETTING HIT NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE! IF YOU VISIT ANY SUZUKI OR REPAIR FORUM YOU WILL SEE NUMEROUS POSTS ON THIS EXACT PROBLEM. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS A MECHANICAL ONE. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10592060

Official recalls

1

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.

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.