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2008 Suzuki Forenza transmission complaints

Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 79, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Suzuki Forenza transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Oct 24, 2015 · Transmission · 139,000 miles · TN

This is not the first time this has occurred. I had been traveling home as normal, all of a sudden the car started jerking. Look down at my gear selection viewer and it was scrambled showing a d and a r overlapping each other flashing. This happens periodically causing the car to stall in the middle of traffic. I am not the first person to have the problem with this specific model of car. The events that occurred are very dangerous for myself and my family and whomever else this is affecting.

Filed Apr 8, 2015 · Acceleration, Engine · 71,844 miles · VA

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was engaged and failed to respond as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine wire harness and the engine control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,844. Updated 6/11/15*cn the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired by replacing the engine wire harness. Updated 7/16/2015

Filed Dec 28, 2014 · Seat belts, Transmission · 58,230 miles · IL

I was driving on the interstate and just passed a semi truck going about 65 MPH and then my car suddenly switched gears into neutral on it's own. I was able to pull over to the side of the road safely and restart the car a couple times for it to reset and go back to normal. I was on my way to the dealership when this incident occurred. There had been an issue with the park/neutral switch previously in my car but this was the first time that the gear switched while I was driving and not when I first started the car and put it into gear. That had happened frequently when I started the car and put it in drive but it said it was in neutral but then after a couple restarts it would reset and work correctly for a little while before it happened again. Once I replaced that switch I haven't been having any issues with it again so far. Now I'm just dealing with the power locks sticking and locking on their own (the guy at the dealership mentioned that problem three years ago when I bought the car but only now am I having that issue) and also the driver's seat belt not staying fastened when I first click it. It finally does after jiggling it a little bit.

Filed Nov 18, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 80,200 miles · PA

The check engine light came on when putting my car into reverse. The car would jump whenever putting it in reverse or drive. I had a scanner put on it and the codes came out to be the transmission range sensor. The check engine light will continue to go on and off depending on how much I drive it. I am being told this is not under the power train warranty. This needs to be as it is affecting the power train.

Filed Nov 7, 2014 · Transmission · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Nov 7, 2014 · Transmission · 113,000 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated when driving at various speeds, the vehicle would fail to accelerate as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.

Filed Aug 21, 2014 · Transmission · 68,000 miles · MD

I've both my car back in september 2007 and in october 2008 I took my car to the suzuki dealership in wheaton maryland because the gear when put on reverse the car would jump and the dashboard would not go r for reverse it would blink both r and d and then when put on drive would drive on first gear. I was told that it was an electrical/sensor problem and they fix it. Started happening again late may 2014 every so often and by late june it was happening all the time.

Filed May 26, 2014 · Transmission · 38,457 miles · NM

I started the car. Let it idle for a minute to bring the RPM down. I tried to shift it to reverse but it would not go. It had an engine warning light on. I shifted back to park and turned the car off. I let it set for a minute then restarted it. When I shifted again, it clunked and would barely move. I shifted to drive and it clunked and would barely move. I am a single 55 year old woman. I work 2 jobs and live 8 miles out of town. I can't afford to have this car down. I bought it because of the low mileage. It only has 39,000 miles.

Filed May 23, 2014 · Transmission · 60,000 miles · FL

When my suzuki forenza 2008 hit around 60,000 miles I started having sporadic transmission issues, including not being able to reverse properly, mechanical sounds when shifting gears, not able to accelerate when on drive, it was very stiff and difficult to accelerate, my brother has the same vehicle and had this exact same issue and it turned out it was the transmission range sensor. I took it to the dealer and it was the exact problem, I had to replace my transmission range sensor and I currently have an internal failure with my transmission and I do not plan on investing any more money towards this vehicle as I have read that many drivers have gone this route and absolutely regretted it because of the continuing problems with the transmission and other issues.

Filed May 23, 2014 · Seats, Transmission · 75,600 miles · KS

Starting in january 2014 car had approximately 75,000 miles on it and began lurching into gear from stopped. When put into reverse, jumps into gear. When put into drive after backing out of driveway lurches forward starting in 3rd gear and continues during driving. Husband diagnosed after much online research and a few months later, even taking code into dealership for repair. Dealer insisted they couldn't replicate and cleared code without making note of problem. My husband argued that we wouldn't be picking car up until the problem was replicated and taken care of. After insisting they couldn't replicate, we drove back to dealership and made service manager ride with husband until car "performed" malfunction, literally a half of a block from dealership. It was obvious they were avoiding problem and hadn't driven car at all! Code was noted as 0700, just as my husband had reported initially. Transmission sensor was replaced and after diagnostics were finally properly performed, airbag light was also reset (has continued to come on almost entire time we've owned the car-were told our daughters long legs were kicking wires underneath drivers' side seat) and also made aware voltage is too high on drivers side but nothing was done to fix either. Dealership offered no solution. Spent $191.65 to fix transmission sensor. Originally charging $260+ but husband demanded reduction in diagnostic price due to the fact we had to drive back into town to dealership to duplicate problem for incompetent/unwilling service department . Very unsatisfied and will be looking into options after seeing transmission range sensor seems to be ongoing epidemic for many 2008 suzuki forenza owners. Have also had ongoing problems with seat airbag sensor not working on front passenger's side since 2009.

Filed May 15, 2014 · Acceleration, Transmission · 100,000 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated while driving at any speed, the vehicle would shift out of gear and fail to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle would pull in reverse, shift gears and would not return to the proper gear. The problem recurred three times. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Apr 18, 2014 · Transmission · 111,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that while shifting gears, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact also stated that the vehicle erroneously shifted into neutral. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000 and the current mileage was 111,027.

Filed Jan 21, 2014 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that while he shifted gears he heard a noise and the gear shifter could not be released from second or third gear. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who advised that the transmission sensor was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 70,884.

Filed Nov 27, 2013 · Transmission · 100,000 miles · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact was driving approximately 20 MPH when the vehicle would not accelerate as the check engine light illuminated. The contact stated the dealer was contacted and the transmission range switch was replaced, remedying the defect. The contact was unable to contact the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Nov 25, 2013 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the transmission independently shifted into neutral. The engine was turned off and restarted, however the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic numerous times. The transmission range sensor, head gasket and transmission were replaced at different times. In addition, the catalytic converter and coil pack were replaced. The failure continued after the repairs were performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Filed Oct 21, 2013 · Transmission · 53,000 miles · UT

I turned on the car, when I put into reverse it clunked and the screen that usually says r just had scrambled letters going then when I put it into drive it clunked again and when I drive it like that it starts in 2nd so I have to put a lot of gas onto it then it won't switch into 3rd gear, and every time I take it to a mechanic the check engine light goes off and it works fine.

Filed Oct 17, 2013 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · MO

I have replaced the transmission range sensor in my 2008 suzuki forenza 3 times in the last year. Once at 95,000 miles, another at 101,000 miles, and now again at 109,000. I have attempted to contact suzuki to no avail. The second time the sensor went out, I was merging on the highway and was nearly hit by a semi truck and trailer because I could not accelerate properly. The 3rd incident was yesterday 10/16/2013, I was pulling out of a parking lot onto a main road, when the sensor decided to slip, it moved the transmission into a high gear, causing me to inch out of where I was at in the middle of the road. Luckily, I was not hit. I would like to see suzuki acknowledge the fact they need to do something about this issue. It appears to be a very common problem that multiple people are having online.

Filed Oct 15, 2013 · Transmission · 122,000 miles · WA

Transmission range sensor went bad, had it replaced multiple times since the first incident yet the issue continues. Manufacture offers no solutions. Aftermarket part are just as faulty.

Filed Oct 10, 2013 · Electrical, Transmission · 20,000 miles · IN

Multiple times the transmission thuds when shifting from park to reverse. Dash display does not show "r" but has an "x" through it. Turn car off and on about three times to try to get it to work properly. Eventually works ok for a while. Has happened multiple times. Car is sluggish to drive after this happens and engine revs too high. Check engine light comes on but goes off in a few days. Transmission range sensor is bad.

Filed Sep 20, 2013 · Transmission · 15,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that the vehicle became unresponsive while attempting to accelerate from a traffic stop. The contact heard a loud bang as the vehicle began to roll away in reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where the technician stated the transmission range sensor would need to replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

Filed Sep 9, 2013 · Transmission · 55,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact was driving approximately 50 MPH when the vehicle stalled as the contact down shifted. The engine RPM's then decreased abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Filed Aug 22, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 49,885 miles · MI

Every time I change gears, my car thunks under the hood and my check engine light is continuously on. A machine was hooked up to my car and it reads that there is a bad transmission range sensor. I've done my research, and notice an unbelievable amount of complaints due to the same issue/part. When this happens in my vehicle, it drives very poorly and feels like it cannot shift into the correct gear. This is unsafe.

Filed Aug 11, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 64,500 miles · MN

My family and I were going down the road and there was a weird noise and the engine started to rev up and the speedometer was going down to 30 miles an hour, at the same time the RPM"s were going higher. I pulled to the side of the road because the shift gage on the instrument panel was flashing weird. It had a d with a line thru it. We had to shift it manually from 1st gear up to drive. It was scary since there was a truck with a trailer behind me coming up fast. It has done this to us twice in the last two weeks.I have seen that there are other people having the same problem or similar. Something should be done. When we have a warranty we still shouldn't have to pay a deductible for some problem with this brand car" power train and speed control sensors. Going out and needing to be replaced.

Filed Aug 10, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 78,000 miles · NC

While sitting at a stop sign, I decided I was a little to far into the road. I shifted into reverse and noticed it shifted really hard. I put it into drive and pulled out onto the road - again it shifted hard. When trying to speed up, the car wouldn't shift out of 1st gear, the check engine light came on and I couldn't speed up. I've been told it is a bad transmission range sensor.

Filed Jul 21, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · GA

I noticed my car having difficulty accelerating and it would occasionally feel the engine jump while driving. The check engine light was on. I was going down the interstate when the engine shut itself off. Luckily it turned itself back on and I was able to safely accelerate to speed. The shop said that it was the transmission range sensor and the transmission control sensor. A year ago the car was displaying funny symbols and would not start occasionally. Again the same sensors had to be replaced. A third time the car check engine light came on and the car was again having difficulty accelerating. The acceleration issue and the light are intermittent, it has now again begun doing the engine "jump" it is scary being at a light and not being able to move. It is very scary stopping to turn left into my apartment complex and not knowing if my car will respond when I have a gap in traffic to turn. Took it to a shop today to find out that the codes from the engine check light are again the transmission range sensor and the transmission control sensor. The car has under 65k and I have had these issues three times. I am thankful that it has not caused a major accident.

Filed Jul 17, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 42,677 miles · TX

The car will not shift correctly. Displays a scrambled message on the dash information console. Dangerous almost caused me to be struck and killed by a 18 wheeler. Something must be done by this. Is a serious problem.

Filed Jul 11, 2013 · Electrical, Transmission · 25,000 miles · IN

When shifting from park to reverse, the transmission thumps and the check engine light comes on. Car will only drive sluggishly. Goes away eventually, but has happened 3 times. Looking on internet, it appears to be transmission range sensor. Also, the brake shift interlock failed, and could not get the car out of park. Used the over-ride hole to get car out of park.

Filed Jun 27, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 79,000 miles · WA

For a few weeks the car had been running a bit off--not really changing gears right-but nothing to raise serious alarm-clunked one time a week ago when slowing down. Yesterday the engine light came on the car made a loud clunk and would not switch into gear. After turning the car off and on the engine light went of and the car was able to be drive. Took it into the local auto parts store--they ran a trouble code which came back po700 and po705. We looked this up and it referred to the transmission range sensor---the auto part fellow said get it in now to be fixed. $200 later the car is now running acceptable again. The car mechanic was able to get the part in a couple hours because the warehouse said this part has an extremely high demand for it so they stock it. We had a long distance trip planned next week and this could have been disastrous to have completely lost the ability to drive or something else.

Filed Jun 12, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 49,789 miles · PA

Owner states that the check engine light comes on and loses power..car will go from drive to a different gear. This happened on numerous occasions (when at red lights..going uphill ( which is dangerous if there is a vehicle behind you) and regular driving. Took vehicle to transmission shop 6 times and after spending over 750.00 on range sensor and computer board problems...still having the same issues with check engine light..loss of power and gear slips.

Filed Apr 19, 2013 · Transmission · 49,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 suzuki forenza. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle started to hesitate as if it were attempting to stall. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the transmission range switch needed to be replaced. The contact had the dealer replace the transmission range switch four times, but the failure continued to recur. The contact stated that after the second repair, the manufacturer assisted with 100 percent of the repair costs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 49,000 and the current mileage was 73,000.

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