2012 Suzuki Kizashi problems & reliability
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2012 Suzuki Kizashi vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 8 | 35% |
| Power Train | 8 | 35% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 17% |
| Steering | 4 | 17% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 17% |
| Engine | 3 | 13% |
| Seats | 2 | 9% |
| Suspension | 2 | 9% |
| Wheels | 2 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Power Train · filed May 30, 2026
“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…”
Power Train · filed May 31, 2025
“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…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 16, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi.
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.
SUZ_016008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 8, 2022
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…
N-Q-G-045 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2018
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…
suz_013727 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 6, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2012 Suzuki Kizashi has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2012 Suzuki Kizashi?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.