Suzuki Recalls Nearly 19,000 SX4 Vehicles for Power Steering Issues

Laguna Hills, CA – November 30, 2018 – Suzuki Motor America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Suzuki SX4 vehicles due to potential seizing of the power steering pump. The potential number of units affected is 18,673.

The Defect

According to the NHTSA Safety Recall Report, under cold start conditions in cold weather conditions, the power steering pump internal pressure may rise, resulting in seizure of the pump. Seizure of the power steering pump can result in a sudden loss of steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Timeline of Events

In April 2016, SMC received an initial Field Technical Information Report (“FTIR”) from its Canadian distributor that indicated that there is no power steering assist when turning the steering wheel at low speed. It was confirmed that the vehicle in question had a replacement power steering pump (PS pump) installed for the 15V-587 recall (Suzuki VS recall for PS pump failure), reported to NHTSA in September 2015. SMC collected the PS pump from the Canadian distributor and asked the supplier to investigate the failure.

The following investigation results confirmed that there was seizure of the cartridge sliding surface inside the PS pump. It was identified that for the VS recall countermeasure PS pump, the lower limit of the spool clearance value was changed and 11.6mg of contamination was found inside of the PS pump, exceeding the supplier manufacturing process contamination control value of 5 mg or less. SMC could not identify the reason why the cartridge sliding surface seized.

SMC subsequently received a second, third and fourth FTIRs from its Canadian distributor with more or less the same results and no ability to identify what cartridge sliding surfaces seized. From January to March 2018, SMC received 15 additional FTIRs from Canada and 9 FTIRs from the United States. SMC confirmed that all of the vehicles involved had the VS recall correction. From April to June 2018, SMC received 3 additional FTIRs from Canada and an additional 9 FTIRs from the United States, and from June to August 2018, SMC received 2 additional FTIRs from the United States. SMC had received a cumulative total of 42 FTIRs.

SMC began to coordinate with a supplier of competing PS pumps to request an evaluation test of the VS recall countermeasure PS pump, but despite low temperature accelerated tests of the VS recall countermeasure PS pump the cause of the PS pump seizure could not be identified. In October 2018, SMC continued conducting the investigation and in November, 2018 SMC decided to report the existence of a safety-related defect. SMC is still working to identify the root cause of the PS pump failures, and to determine a recall countermeasure.

The Solution

The remedy for this recall is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Owners may also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 18V-804.

Sean ReyesSuzuki Recalls Nearly 19,000 SX4 Vehicles for Power Steering Issues

Suzuki Recalls More Than 20,000 Kizashi Vehicles for Potential Fuel Tank Cracking

Laguna Hills, CA – November 24, 2018 – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles, due to potential fuel tank cracking. The potential number of units affected is 21,052.

The Defect

According to the NHTSA Recall Safety Report, when driving on very dusty roads, a large amount of dust can enter the vent line that provides fresh air to the carbon canister, causing a restriction in the vent line. If this occurs, air flow through the evaporative system may be impacted such that excessive negative pressure is created in the fuel tank. This can cause deformation of the fuel tank, which can lead to fuel tank cracks.  If the fuel tank becomes cracked, fuel leakage and venting of gasoline vapors can occur, increasing the risk of a fire. Drivers may have some warning a crack has occurred; when the fuel tank becomes cracked, a pressure sensor will detect fuel vapor leakage and will illuminate the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), alerting the driver to seek corrective action.

Timeline of Events

In February, 2016, SMC received one Field Technical Information Report (FTIR) from Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) concerning fuel odor from a Suzuki Kizashi vehicle due to a fuel tank crack. A second FTIR was received from SMAI concerning Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination in a Suzuki Kizashi vehicle. Both incidents occurred in Wichita, Kansas. SMC’s investigation revealed that sand had accumulated in the carbon canister filter and carbon canister. SMC was unable to find the route of sand entry or the root cause of the problem.

From March to June, 2016 SMC installed collected parts on a test vehicle and measured internal fuel tank pressure changes using simulated driving modes, and conducted a fuel tank durability test to determine that the fuel tank crack occurred at about 34,000 miles, but also showed that 125,000 miles of driving was needed to replicate the sand accumulation seen in the incident vehicles.

Subsequent reports, most from Wichita, led SMC to determine that an investigation at a test site in Wichita was necessary, because the sand accumulation in SMC’s “Dust Road Test” did not correspond with the sand accumulation in incident vehicles. In April, 2018 SMC operated test vehicles in Wichita to evaluate the sand accumulation volume in the canister filter and checked customer vehicles selected at random and judged that the problem of filter clogging was due to driving on rough roads with fine dust like sand.

From June to July, 2018, SMC studied computer simulations to find the route of sand entry and noticed that the volume of sand entering this area could be reduced by plugging space between the rear fender lining and the wheel housing. SMC decided to make trial parts to cover this space and to conduct further testing in the U.S. which subsequently found that the very fine sand could pass through the rear fender lining made of non-woven fabric. On October 25, 2018 SMC reported the identified problem as a safety-related defect, even though the reported incidents were clustered around discrete geographical areas and there remain no clear indications of the root cause or an appropriate remedy.

The Solution

The remedy for this recall is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Owners may also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 18V-769.

Sean ReyesSuzuki Recalls More Than 20,000 Kizashi Vehicles for Potential Fuel Tank Cracking

Suzuki Recalls SUV with Defective Shift Shaft

Recall Masters – March 22, 2017


Suzuki Recalls SUV with Defective Shift Shaft

Suzuki Motor Company of America has recalled almost 800 vehicles due to shift shafts. The recall impacts Grand Vitara sport utility vehicles with manual transmissions produced between June 2008 and October 2012, according to documentation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Defect
The affected models include gearshift rear shafts – fixtures responsible for the shift lever to the transmission – that are prone to breakage due to defective materials. Shifters can snap during normal operational movements, especially when maneuvered right-to-left or left-to-right repeatedly. This poses serious risks for customers, as it prevents them from changing gears while driving, increasing the risk of a traffic accident. No injuries have been linked to this defect as yet…

Read the entire article on the Recall Masters website

Sean ReyesSuzuki Recalls SUV with Defective Shift Shaft

Suzuki Recalls SUV with Defective Shift Shaft

Brea, Calif. – Mar. 22, 2017 – Suzuki Motor Company of America has recalled almost 800 vehicles due to shift shafts. The recall impacts Grand Vitara sport utility vehicles with manual transmissions produced between June 2008 and October 2012, according to documentation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Defect

The affected models include gearshift rear shafts – fixtures responsible for the shift lever to the transmission – that are prone to breakage due to defective materials. Shifters can snap during normal operational movements, especially when maneuvered right-to-left or left-to-right repeatedly. This poses serious risks for customers, as it prevents them from changing gears while driving, increasing the risk of a traffic accident. No injuries have been linked to this defect as yet.

Timeline of Events

  •  In July 2012, Suzuki learned that drivers were experiencing trouble when shifting gears from a distributor in Nigeria, according to a document filed with the NHTSA. Quality control specialists investigated the issue and discovered that broken gearshift rear shafts were the cause.
  • More than one year later, the automaker was forced to investigate further as more incidents involving broken shafts had been reported. Suzuki engineers eventually decided that operator overuse was to blame. It altered production practices and changed the shaft design to accommodate more aggressive gear-shifting. Suzuki implemented the new fabrication workflows in June 2013.
  • In July 2015, the company looked into the defect once more in response to an influx of new incident reports. Engineers tested the materials used in the original production process and found that they failed to comply with internal quality metrics. By then, Suzuki had fielded 29 complaints related to the defective transmission components.
  • Four months later, similar tests were performed using the alternative shafts introduced in 2013. The new fixtures met durability standards.
  • In April of last year, Suzuki engineers altered the Grand Vitara production process once more, replacing circular shafts with square-shaped models. This new design complied with company standards. Production of the new shaft began in August.
  • On Feb. 2, 2017, the automaker chose to initiate an official recall, citing more than 100 separate incident reports involving the original gearshift rear shafts. While none were filed in the U.S., the defect was mentioned in various warranty claims, necessitating the involvement of the NHTSA.
  • Dealers received notification Feb. 24.

The Solution

Suzuki has instructed dealers to replace the original shaft with the newly designed square alternative, free of charge. The automaker intends to notify affected customers March 1.

MotorSafety.orgSuzuki Recalls SUV with Defective Shift Shaft