2004 Suzuki Forenza Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2004 Forenza most often write about lighting and electrical trouble: headlights that flicker, fail or stay on, melted wiring and switch gear, and an intermittent no-start or stall. A second cluster involves the engine quitting or idling rough, sometimes with a check engine light, and a smaller group describes front airbags that did not deploy in a crash. Mileage at the reported failures varies widely, from near-new cars to well over 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights flicker, fail or stay on; melted wiring

   • 15 complaints (24%)
   • median 91,000 mi at 10.1 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2015

   Complaints describe low beams that quit working, headlights that flicker or illuminate on their own with the key off, and a burning smell from the dashboard or a smoking light switch. Several owners say a dealer found melted wiring or a burnt splice pack in the headlamp circuit, and some report the problem came back after a recall repair. Others were told their vehicle was not covered by a given campaign. Reported from new up to roughly 120,000 miles, with many cases in the 70,000-100,000 mile range.

   Recall 14V262000Recall 12V397000Recall 07V452000Recall 05V0220001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Turn the headlights, high beams and dash lights on and off repeatedly and look for flicker, a burnt smell or lights that stay lit with the key off. Ask whether the headlamp wiring recalls were performed and whether the harness or switch has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2004 Suzuki Forenza. I have always had issues with the rear brake lights staying on after the brake pedal is released. I have noticed a recall listed on the model I own for the part. I was never informed of this recall. I have had to replace my battery 3 times because of the faulty switch.”

   NHTSA complaint #10292010, filed 2009-11

   “Exterior lighting in august 2011 went to dealer ship to have the recall done for the headlamp low beam or daytime running light (drl). So now it?s june 2012 my headlamps and drl lights not working. Very thankful it didn?t go out on my when I was driving at night I seen me light look different. Went to have bulbs replace lights still not working. So the place I was at ran a test and found out that the wiring is melted so, they side they did have a recall on this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10462840, filed 2012-06
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalls or cuts off while driving or slowing down

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 19,700 mi at 2.0 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2017

   Owners describe the engine shutting off without warning, often when slowing for a stop, turning or coming off a highway, and sometimes failing to restart for a while. Complaints mention repeated dealer visits where codes were reset or parts such as the ECM, sensors or fuel system were replaced without a lasting cure, and one owner was told the fuel blend was involved. Several say the car stalled in traffic or at an intersection. Mostly reported between roughly 12,000 and 75,000 miles, often after the engine is warm.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records covering ECM reflashes, crank sensor and fuel-system work, and take a test drive that includes stop-and-go driving and a long idle to see whether the engine stumbles or dies.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car just dies on us in traffic for no apparent reason and then we have to let it set for about 20 minutes and it will start rigth back up. We have had it in at the dealers to be fixed on 2 different ocassions and they hook it up to their diagnostic tools and it shows no defects.they said they thought it was because of the cruise control they had installed aftermarket. So they removed that and told us it was fixed. The very next day it started dying on us again.”

   NHTSA complaint #10088373, filed 2004-08, 250 miles

   “I bought my car used and it has a new tranny, cv axles and everything the only thing original is the engine. So I have already had to replace the o2 sensors twice at $60 each. I have had to replace the tps sensor, thermostat and housing, ignition coil, battery, starter, fuel pump and alternator. All because I kept getting the check engine lights on and throwing coding all over the place. And the car still stalls when I stop at a stop light and runs and idles rough. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10713790, filed 2015-04, 110,244 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbags did not deploy in a crash

   • 5 complaints (8%)
   • median 43,000 mi at 5.1 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2014

   Several complaints describe front or side impacts where the airbags did not inflate, in some cases after the vehicle was declared a total loss. Owners say dealers referred them to their insurer or could not explain the cause, and some mention an airbag warning light coming on after the engine cut out. One complaint notes the car was parked with the key off during the impact. Mileage is often unknown or moderate; reports span vehicles from low mileage up to about 43,000 miles.

   Recall 03V426000

   What to check: Confirm the airbag warning light self-tests and goes out after startup, and ask whether the driver airbag deployment-sequence recall was completed. A history report showing prior collision damage is worth reviewing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I am not sure if this is really a defect or not, but my airbags did not deploy upon impact. My car was legally parked on the street when it was totaled by a drunk driver going 70 MPH in a head-on collision. Some have told me that they did not deploy because the key was not in the ignition, but others (including the body shop owner) claim that I had a faulty airbag sensor on my car. If this is a defect, I want the Suzuki manufacturer to know about it so that no one will get hurt. If not, just disregard this message. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10100057, filed 2004-11

   “While driving consumer hit a curb, lost control of vehicle, and hit a tree. Upon impact, both frontal air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained head injuries, but refused to go to the hospital by ambulance. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection.”

   NHTSA complaint #10092162, filed 2004-09
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or surging

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the car accelerating on its own, sometimes after coming off a highway or while trying to slow down, and in some cases reaching highway speeds before they could stop it. Complaints describe dealers finding nothing wrong, replacing a transmission control module, or attributing it to a corroded gasket fragment in the throttle. Others describe the opposite: hesitation and loss of power when pressing the pedal. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 95,000 miles, at both city and highway speeds.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body and control modules have been serviced, and during a test drive note any surging, hanging idle or hesitation when lifting off the pedal.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car accelerates on its own when it does brakes don,t work acts like anti lock bad has just hard pedal car will accelerate until it decides to stop last time up to 105 MPH for about 20 miles it has happened twice on high way 3-4 times in city took car to dealer they said it could be trans control module or engine control module they replaced trans control module told me car was fixed . I asked them how do they know its really fixed because its a intermittent problem . …”

   NHTSA complaint #10290886, filed 2009-11, 57,000 miles

   “On april 21, 2006 after coming off i95 interstate coming to a stop my vehicle accelerated, resulting in hitting a parked car. I took the vehicle to the dealer, who found nothing wrong. The vehicle continued to have the same performance, accelerating when attempting to slow down after over 45 MPH non stop, on 3/27/07 I had the vehicle in for parking lights not shutting off, and spoke with a technician who immediately know the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10188728, filed 2007-04
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission shifting and shift-lever problems

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 12,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2016

   Complaints describe harsh or delayed downshifts, a shifter that feels loose in the gate, and in some cases the ignition key not releasing. Owners also report vibration at idle that a dealer addressed by replacing the transmission and mounts without fully resolving it, and one owner was told the transmission needed replacement after a speedometer fault. A service bulletin covers loose shift-lever feel and key removal. Reported from very low mileage up to around 140,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the shifter sits firmly in each detent and the key releases freely, and drive at low speed to feel for harsh downshifts or vibration at idle in gear.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When at idle after the car warms up my seats vibrate terribly. The dealer put a new transmission & mounts in and it still vibrates. The dealer now said their is nothing more they can do.”

   NHTSA complaint #10081134, filed 2004-07, 500 miles

   “While driving 65 MPH consmer heard a knocking noise coming from the engine. Also, it was hard to down shift the gears. Dealership was notifed, but did not resolve the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10117248, filed 2005-04, 5,000 miles

Buying note. Inspect the headlamp and dash wiring closely and confirm the lighting recalls were completed, since that is the most frequently reported area. A longer test drive covering stops, idling and highway speeds will help reveal stalling, surging or transmission behavior before you commit.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.