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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2005 Suzuki Forenza Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
30about this part
Share
19%of 156 total for the year
Median mileage
66,021miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 30 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2005 Suzuki Forenza, 19% of the 156 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 66,021 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“About 2.5 months after I purchased my car, I had to put a brand new transmission in it due to the shift sensor went bad. Now just after the warranty ran out it is bad again. This time I am going to drive the car till it dies and then scrap it. I don't have the money to fix it. Suzuki needs to figure out what is wrong with their cars, and fix it.”

NHTSA complaint #10321208, filed 2010-03, 78,584 miles

“Gears started shifting on their own, and at times did not shift at all...thank god I was already arriving home when it suddenly jumped into park, bringing the car to a screeching halt, at this point I was already slowing down to get into the driveway. This happened after I had a 1hrs drive on a highway, it would have been a huge accident if this would have happened while on the road. Since this happened, I did my research online and found out this is a very common problem with this vehicle. The bad part is the transmission range sensor. …”

NHTSA complaint #10638284, filed 2014-09, 61,500 miles

“Having trouble with my 2005 Suzuki Forenza and was wondering if your site could assist me. I took it back for numerous occasions for air bag sensor,headlight failure,key not being able to come out of ignition,and unable to move gearshift out of park without putting a key in console gearshift.dealership wants to charge me for labor. I am a single mother and I need advise on what I should do.they don't want to let me trade it in without $3,000. …”

NHTSA complaint #10191659, filed 2007-05, 13,041 miles

“I went on a trip to el paso,texas with my family and on my way back I had the worst trouble with my car. My car started jerking a bit. I though nothing of it and kept going just hoping to get home with my kids. On my way back home I stopped by a mechanic shop and they informed it was the sensors in the transmission that were no good. But it is a newer car so I though they must be wrong. I did make it safely to my home. It stopped doing the jerking. Then a few days later it started back up. This issue has been an ongoing since march 4,2008. …”

NHTSA complaint #10223165, filed 2008-04, 42,000 miles

“I took my car into the dealership in the beginning of january 2008 for the 2 safety recalls to be repaired. The very next day my car struggled to shift 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. I called the dealership and told them what was going on and they set up an appointment for the next day. They drove the car and said it wasn't doing anything. So, I left the dealership and my car continued to do this. My car progressively got worse with the engine revving high and not wanting to shift gears. It eventually began jerking violently when trying to shift all gears! …”

NHTSA complaint #10219817, filed 2008-03, 25,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20087952%
200712950%
200611641%
20053019%
2004610%

Other parts of the 2005 Suzuki Forenza

Air bags
46 complaints
Electrical system
38 complaints
Exterior lighting
38 complaints
Engine cooling
13 complaints
Engine
12 complaints
Steering
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Electronic stability control
3 complaints
Suspension
3 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Suzuki Forenza

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology