2012 Suzuki Kizashi problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (4) · Air Bags (4) · Power Train (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Suzuki Kizashi model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-05-02 · campaign 19V343000 · 21,052 vehicles
Defect: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling 2010-2013 Kizashi vehicles. The front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) may misclassify an adult occupant as child and deactivate the front air bag.
Risk: The deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Suzuki will notify owners, and service providers will replace the front passenger seat cushion, which includes a new OCS mat assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed on October 29, 2021. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's number for this recall is C5.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2019-03-07 · campaign 19V187000 · 31,302 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2018-10-31 · campaign 18V769000 · 21,063 vehicles
Defect: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles. Dust can enter the vent line that provides fresh air to the carbon canister, restricting its air flow and possibly creating excessive negative pressure in the fuel tank which may result in the fuel tank cracking.
Risk: A cracked tank may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Suzuki has sent owners an initial notification to inform them of the recall. When parts are available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will install a cover over the opening near the suction pipe inlet, and relocate the suction filter. The fuel cap and fuel tank will also be replaced with improved parts. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (Prndl) 2014-12-22 · campaign 14V811000 · 60,823 vehicles
Defect: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 SX4 vehicles manufactured July 16, 2009, to November 1, 2012, and 2010-2013 Kizashi vehicles manufactured October 13, 2009, to October 31, 2012. The shift selector can be moved out of the "Park" position without depressing the brake pedal.
Risk: If the shift selector is moved out of the "Park" position while the brake pedal is not depressed, the vehicle may unexpectedly roll, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Suzuki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift selector assembly and inspect, and if necessary, replace the shift knob, free of charge. The recall began January 16, 2015. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-714-996-7040. Suzuki's number for this recall is VL.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2014-07-30 · campaign 14V464000 · 19,249 vehicles
Defect: Suzuki Motor Of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Kizashi vehicles manufactured October 2009 through July 2012. In the affected vehicles, spiders may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent hose, blocking it and causing the fuel tank to have an excessive amount of negative pressure.
Risk: Negative pressure could cause the fuel tank to crack resulting in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Suzuki is in the process of notifying owners, and dealers will replace the evaporative canister vent line on the affected vehicles with a vent line that has a filter on the end. If the canister vent line is found to be obstructed by a spider web, the fuel tank will also be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 12, 2014. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's number for this recall is VG.
Service bulletins (3)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Suspension 2022-07-08 · SUZ_016008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
reminder of the importance to conduct safety inspections for rust damage to suspension and related parts that could be caused by road salt or other chemicals applied to the roadway.
Suspension 2018-11-20 · N-Q-G-045 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service bulletin was sent by suzuki motor corporation to its authorized suzuki automobile distributors in the u.s., explaining the importance of proper inspection and maintenance of suspension lower arm ball joints to prevent the ball stud from becoming separated from the suspension lower arm.
Power Train 2017-07-06 · suz_013727 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin describes corrective action needed to address complaints of reduction in engine power output due to activation of the continuously variable transmission (cvt) temperature protection control system due to deterioration of the cvt fluid or malfunction of the transmission control module.
What owners report
2026-05-30 · Vehicle Speed Control“this is my son's vehicle, purchased by me in january 2025. he attends a college 110 miles from home in pa. as the warmer/hot weather came along in 2025, he was experiencing random scary situations of the car just going into "limp mode" while driving 70 - 75 mph on [xxx]. no warning indicators, no dash lights. no acceleration, couldn't maintain spee…”
2025-05-31 · Power Train“purchased car from family friend about two weeks ago. first day we got the car, it shifted extremely hard. the transmission is causing the rpms to rise rapidly when trying to shift gears. it also cut all movement to the vehicle, meaning could not move forward or reverse. hard shifting or not shifting at all. had to get it towed to my home. tried ch…”
2024-09-16 · Seats“the contact owns a 2012 suzuki kizashi. the contact had received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v187000 (seats, air bags); however, the contact was informed that the dealer could not repair the vehicle. the contact stated that the dealer and the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer …”
2024-09-13 · Power Train:automatic Transmission“i bought the vehicle in a dealer, the vehicle came with serious mechanical failures which, when purchasing it, asked the owner what problems the vehicle actually had, which responded that it could have a fault in the vehicle sensor, which is normal in vehicles of that brand. . the next day we took the vehicle to the inspection report which showed d…”
2023-07-05 · Structure:body“on long trips vehicle shuts down and goes into limp mode. it has a very rough idle after restart when it allows you to go. the rims have massively lost large chunks of paint from them as well.it is never close to a dealership when it happens. this normally happens when you are running on the interstate and the vehicle dies in the middle of six la…”
2022-09-26 · Fuel/Propulsion System“there is/are recalls on this vehicle regarding the fuel tank and vacuum lines on the fuel filler neck assembly, which causes check engine warnings that indicate "evap emissions" readouts, leaks during refills, interior gas fumes, and potential explosions. this car is currently leaking fuel during refills (and only during refills), has frequent inte…”
2021-09-27 · Air Bags · 4,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 suzuki kizashi. the contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. the contact had previously received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v343000 (air bags) in 2019. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer on 7/18/2021 and had the recall repair completed. the contact stat…”
2021-03-19 · Air Bags · 83,000 mi“was driving my 2012 when suddenly the airbag light came on. the codes that came up are b1084, b1312, and b1015. the codes were cleared but the b1312 stayed on. the problem is that the passenger seat belt light is staying on with or without a passenger, and buckled or not. the air bag b1312 says that the issue is something in the passenger seat sens…”
2021-01-19 · Seats · 82,000 mi“i was driving my 2012 when suddenly the airbag light came on. the codes that came up are b1084, b1312, and b1015. the codes were cleared but the b1312 stayed on. the problem is that the passenger seat belt light is staying on with or without a passenger, and buckled or not. the air bag b1312 says that the issue is something in the passenger seat…”
2020-12-25 · Air Bags“[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.