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 speed, bogged down to 15 mph until he pulled over and turned off the car. It scared him of course, but sadly this became his summertime travel ritual when traveling to and from college. Every trip in 87°< temperatures, a 2-3 time limp mode was in store. I realized in June of 2025 that this problem doesn't throw any DTCs when it happens and because sometimes he didn't wait long enough to clear the limp mode, I had him disconnecting the negative battery cable then reattaching it in order to clear the resident memory to get him going right away. I went a step further and installed gate switch on the negative battery post so he could just lift the hood, break the circuit with the gate arm and put it back down. I write this today because the car's 1st episodes for 2026 was on a similar mileage trip home, however it was only 82°. The CVT fluid has been changed, the level is correct and his driving habits appear to be in line with GPS ETAs vs. his actual arrival times. I went down the rabbit hole regarding the 2013 Kizashi TCM recall and I truly believe the defective TCMs they found have been around for some time before the 2013 Model year. He loves his car, but the car is putting him at risk as well as the driving public around him EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 2012 Suzuki Kizashi problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Airbags8
- Transmission8
- Acceleration4
- Fuel system4
- Steering4
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags8
- Transmission8
- Acceleration4
- Fuel system4
- Steering4
- Engine3
- Seats2
- Suspension2
- Wheels2
- Body1
- Driver assistance1
- Electrical1
- Lights1
- Seat belts1
Trouble codes owners of the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi mention
B1015 2B1084 2B1312 2
Recalls 5
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 19V343000 · Recall details
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 19V187000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 18V769000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 14V811000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 14V464000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi 3
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Reminder of the importance to conduct safety inspections for rust damage to suspension and related parts...
- This Service Bulletin was sent by Suzuki Motor Corporation to its authorized Suzuki automobile...
- This bulletin describes corrective action needed to address complaints of reduction in engine power output...
What 2012 Suzuki Kizashi owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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 changing the transmission fluid and also the filter. No success. Car still not working correctly
The contact owns a 2012 Suzuki Kizashi. The contact had received notification of the federal safety agency 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 was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
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 damage to the gearbox. He recommends that I go back to the dealer and ask for a refund of the money or change of vehicle, since the owner omitted the true fault of the vehicle, I ask him the return or exchange and there was a refusal to return the money and change the vehicle, leaving me with a newly purchased unused vehicle, it was explained to the owner that the vehicle does not pass emissions. The vehicle cannot be fixed since it is a discontinued brand of vehicle and there are no spare parts.
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 lanes of heavy traffic. When this happens no warning lights nor messages appear on the dash. It just shuts down and you literally have to limp it off the road and let it set for a long period of time before it will restart. When it restarts it idles roughly for a long period of time.
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 interior gas fumes, and is also having check engine light evap emissions readouts. On 09/12/22 I contacted Suzuki Motor USA regarding the issue because I had learned of the recalls specific to these issues. Customer Service informed me that the recall work on the vehicle had already been completed and said I would have to pay for further repairs, since the recall work was not guaranteed. Recall work not guaranteed? Even though the symptoms I am experiencing are the exact same problems that initiated the recall. Said vehicle is garage parked and shows no signs of rust or deterioration of rubber or metal. Therefore, I am convinced that the recall repair work was insufficient, improperly completed, or involved defective replacement parts. I am seeking assistance to make Suzuki "properly" complete the recall work on this vehicle.
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 the federal safety agency 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 stated that on 8/18/2021, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer who was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
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 sensor mat performance. This car is clean and has never had any accidents whatsoever. The light just suddenly came on one day. I read that there were other airbag recalls to the 2012 suzuki kizashi, but mine supposedly is not included. This is dangerous. The airbag light has not gone out. Seeing that there are many issues with the 2012 suzuki kizashi airbag system, this should be a recall. The supposed faulty part is not available to purchase. Why is this not a recall? Isn't this what the government is supposed to protect us from? With this many issues, this should have already been taken care of. Fix it
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 sensor mat performance. This car is clean and has never had any accidents whatsoever. The light just suddenly came on one day. I read that there were other airbag recalls to the 2012 suzuki kizashi, but mine supposedly is not included. This is dangerous. The airbag light has not gone out. Seeing that there are many issues with the 2012 suzuki kizashi airbag system, this should be a recall
[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Compare the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi
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Questions about the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi
Is the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi reliable?
Owners have filed 23 complaints about the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi, close to a typical Kizashi model year.
What is the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi year score?
The 2012 Suzuki Kizashi scores 69 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Suzuki Kizashi: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi?
Airbags, with 8 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles. Next is transmission (8).
How many recalls does the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi have?
5 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and power train.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi airbags?
Yes, 2 recalls: 19V343000, 19V187000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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