CVT Recalls

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kissysuzuki
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2020 8:18 pm

Hi all - I am new here (but a 2012 Kizashi owner since, well, 2012. I hope I am posting this in the right place.

In 2018 Suzuki FINALLY recalled the CVT issue it seems many of us have been trying to diagnose for years. I for one have had this issue since about Fall of 2016.

Link to the carcomplaints.com article: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018 ... lems.shtml

So here lies the dilemma: I have a 2012 model and it has only been recalled on the 2013 even though it states the problem can occur on all 1st generation vehicles. I know for a fact this is what is wrong with mine and don't know who to call or what to do in order to get it checked out and/or honored for the rest of us.

Anyone have experience with this?
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

Since the fall of 2016 you have had the vehicle sometimes slow down and loose throttle control? What are the trouble codes when this happens? How many miles are on your car? Is it the original transmission? Has any service work ever been done and when ? I have a simple test I do to eliminate a bad computer . The problem that Suzuki is going after is extremely rare ( failed transmission computer). If you actually have this problem , it can be fixed rather cheaply if it isn’t covered. The computer failure and the actual transmission failure which is way more likely , end up giving you same symptoms a lot of the time. If you can give me that info I can tell you how to proceed.


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kissysuzuki
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2020 8:18 pm

Hi! Sorry I should've included that info originally. I am for certain it's a bad computer because the computer has been an absolute mess of problems since the very beginning. I have not once had a problem with anything mechanical (and took it to a shop because I did think it was the transmission at first, and second, and then again and was told it's not.)

Everything in the car is original except the battery that was replaced at the end of last year.
About 111,000 miles on it currently, but probably had 50-55,000 back when I first noticed the problem.
Car simply loses acceleration after driving around an hour on the highway - no codes/alerts pop up at all. Only fix is to stop and restart the car.

Other background info: The first four years of ownership 2012-16, I lived in Pennsylvania. I drove it back and forth down the turnpike all the time and at super fast speeds. Never shut down on me. Now, the hotter months I hardly drove at all because that was my busy season at work and I lived at my job. PA is NOT warm at all when it's not summer.

My first time experiencing the problem was on Route 66 going through Texas. In September. I pulled over and popped the hood, frantically googled, and then just waited. Started it back up after maybe 20 minutes and it didn't happen again.

The next few times were in California and again driving through the desert, the "grapevine," and the windy mountain roads outside of Big Bear. Again, turn off, turn on, continue down the road.

Now I am in Tennessee and it has happened here almost every time I hop on the interstate for over 40 miles.

Something I realize now looking back:
It didn't happen once in PA and while I thought it could be because the car didn't break until after that, I remembered I moved to Maine after California and it never happened there either.

This is why I feel like everything aligned in the 2013 recall word for word applies to my car without a doubt. Firmly believe it is 100% electrical.
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

While you could be right that it is electrical caused by the transmission computer, it still could be that your transmission is getting too warm at times. That seems to be when you have the trouble . What I’d like to see you do is make sure you have the updated dipstick which has a triangle cut out of it for levels rather than a drilled hole. I’ve posted A picture of the two different dipsticks in past posts . There’s actually three different dipsticks the first one was way longer in length and quickly discontinued.( I have only seen 2 of these) These make the full level about a quart and a half lower than the most updated stick. Make sure your fluid is full and clean with a clean pickup screen / pan floor. Try again. If you still have the issue , reread engine and transmission for codes current and pending. If any, let us know . The transmission computer can be replaced with a 2010 Kizashi front wheel drive or four-wheel-drive it won’t matter. I use a SX4 tranny computer from a 2010 for testing purposes but if the Sx4 computer is used you will not have the manual shift mode. It will just remain in drive when selected. The reason I suggest the 2010 computers is because these are way easier to get them to work with unfamiliar ROM inside the transmission. The later the model the harder they are to get to accept a different rom . The 2013‘s are nearly impossible sometimes. I see these transmission computers widely available, cheap, and shippable so you shouldn’t have any trouble in finding one. Expect to have to erase codes on the donar computer before driving.
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