At what point do I consider it a lemon?

Ask technical questions or post on problems/issues related to the Kizashi under this topic. Symptoms and pictures of your problem are a good idea.
NOTE: Any car related technical question can be posted here.
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gentle_ben
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:30 am

I've posted here before about our various issues with our Kizashi, but after our last visit to the dealership I am starting to wonder if we have a car built on a Friday (and so is the service manager at Suzuki).

So far in chronological order we've had the following replaced under warranty:

- Subwoofer (stopped working)
- Steering Wheel (leather cracked and split in winter)
- Transmission (RPM's on the car would randomly start spiking on the hwy)
- Transmission Control Module (replaced at the same time as Transmission)
- Stereo Head Unit (volume would randomly change on its own)
- Rear Speaker Grills (not replaced but had to be repaired)
- Grill (chrome was peeling)

Despite all that, we do still enjoy the car, but it makes me nervous about keeping it past its warranty.

Honestly if it wasn't for the amazing service manager who doesn't ignore issues at the Suzuki dealer we bought it from, I think we would be pretty upset.
themeat424
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:42 am

It does seem like you got a Friday car. However, most of the problems you're experiencing are pretty rare, except for the subwoofer which I had replaced too. The tranny problems are unnerving, but if that doesn't come back and you weed out the small things like grille paint peeling, bad head unit etc... you will be left with a great car for years to come. Other than your rare transmission issues, the rest of the major components of the car seem to be rock solid. Hang on a little more, if not maybe have the dealer cut you a break on a replacement... Almost every new product under the sun has its small issues for the first year or two that its out there.
Northernstar
Posts: 590
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:49 am
Location: Surrey Canada

dont have any prob with my kizashi except rock chips
not sure under what circumstances can a car be considered as lemon
there are some regulations or something you should look around
~tc~
Posts: 999
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:33 am
Location: Houston, TX USA

Lemon laws vary state by state, but I believe they usually revolve around an inability to fix a certain problem.
2011 Sport SLS with nav Black Pearl Metallic
chazyouwin
Posts: 402
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2010 9:57 pm
Location: Northern New Jersey USA

Yes, technically speaking lemon laws do typically concern inability to fix a problem - which you do not seem to have. Of course, subjective feeling is another matter. Your description somewhat reminds me of one Toyota purchased new (requiring many out-of-warranty repairs) and a Honda (requiring premature and repeated exhaust, electrical, and transmission repairs). Good cars however.
2010 Kizashi SLS FWD Gray; 2013 Grand Vitara 4wd red; 2012 SX4 blue; 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV black

Previous: 2002 XL-7 Limited (2); 1992 Accord; '91 Volvo; '85 Toyota; '84 Celica; '73 Mercedes.
jute2003
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:44 pm

As long as the Transmission is fixed now and you don't have any more issues with it I don't think I'd consider it a lemon. The other stuff is very frustrating I'm sure but all very minor in the grand scheme of things. A lot of new cars have little quirks and kinks to take care of when they're fresh off the lot. This is especially true with new models. hopefully, you've found all of them on your car and it'll give you 100's of thousands of trouble free miles
Blackbelt
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 3:18 pm

Your problems mostly seemed to be in 2 areas. The transmission, which i assume they replaced, and the stereo. I had the same issues with the tranny and they replaced mine and it has been perfect ever since. the stereo is not that big a deal, in that you could always go aftermarket later if you want. If the tranny is OK, i wouldn't worry about it, just enjoy your car!
2010 Kizashi S AWD
2009 Suzuki SX-4 Touring AWD
2008 Smart fortwo Passion Coupe
2007 Dodge Caliber R/T AWD
alarman
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:11 pm

I am pretty sure in NJ the lemon law reads something like this.
If there is a unresolved safety related repair in the first 18 months or 24k miles. The
vehicle has been the shop at lease three time for same concern or down for more the 30days. I gets a little more involved but thats the basics of it.
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