REAR STRUTS ON A SUZUKI KIZASHI SLS

[AirRideFan]

Thanks for the info, I was out off warranty. Suzuki should include this as a recall too. So many owners are having this problem. Factory Defect..

Were you past the factory bumper-to-bumper warranty by Mileage? It's for 3 years/36k miles, right?

[AirRideFan]

I own a base model and have had no issues. My parents own an SLS and the rear struts have just been replaced for literally the 4th time...

Ahhh!! My Kiz is a 2012 with 76,XXX miles on it currently... and the rear shocks have been blown for the past 30k miles. So pissed they won't cover this under the (other) 100k-mile Warranty.... but I guess that's just for [SOME parts] of the Engine...right? Do you guys know if the 7 year warrant for a 2012 ends at the end of this year... or ends the day after the car's production date?

I'd love to redeem SOMETHING from the factory warranty...before I have to replace something stupid next year or the year after. The a/c compressor or tensioner was making a slight rapping sound... and was HEAVIER a couple months ago. I read somewhere online...Suzuki said this light 'rap' is normal upon start-up and subsides after a few minutes. (mine was doing all night, and loud a few months ago--- still want to get it looked at) HOPE THIS CAR HOLDS UP.... still owe $12,000 on it! WTF...

[KuroNekko]

I own a base model and have had no issues. My parents own an SLS and the rear struts have just been replaced for literally the 4th time...

Ahhh!! My Kiz is a 2012 with 76,XXX miles on it currently... and the rear shocks have been blown for the past 30k miles. So pissed they won't cover this under the (other) 100k-mile Warranty.... but I guess that's just for [SOME parts] of the Engine...right? Do you guys know if the 7 year warrant for a 2012 ends at the end of this year... or ends the day after the car's production date?

I'd love to redeem SOMETHING from the factory warranty...before I have to replace something stupid next year or the year after. The a/c compressor or tensioner was making a slight rapping sound... and was HEAVIER a couple months ago. I read somewhere online...Suzuki said this light 'rap' is normal upon start-up and subsides after a few minutes. (mine was doing all night, and loud a few months ago--- still want to get it looked at) HOPE THIS CAR HOLDS UP.... still owe $12,000 on it! WTF...

The warranty still active for the vehicle is the powertrain warranty which is basically the engine and transmission. Things like the rear suspension are not covered by powertrain warranties. I'm quite surprised you lived with the blown rear shocks for so long. They greatly degrade the comfort of the vehicle and are noisy. Furthermore, blown shocks will ruin your tires, costing you more money by ignoring the issue. The rear shocks aren't hard to replace and the remedy is getting the newer rear bump stoppers which have a modified design to prevent corrosion of the rear shocks. There's a whole thread on it here.

[barra48]

I replaced the rear shocks in my 2013 base model at 75,000. A while later, I got new tires and was surprised to find that the rear tires showed outside wear. I did rotation and balance on all four tires every oil change. Does the Kizashi require four wheel alignment? I got the struts and shocks from Rock Auto and they were OEM parts.

[KuroNekko]

I replaced the rear shocks in my 2013 base model at 75,000. A while later, I got new tires and was surprised to find that the rear tires showed outside wear. I did rotation and balance on all four tires every oil change. Does the Kizashi require four wheel alignment? I got the struts and shocks from Rock Auto and they were OEM parts.

Yes, four wheel alignment. The Kizashi even had bad factory specs for the rear alignment for earlier model years which caused rapid uneven wear of the OE tires. It's also always a good idea to get an alignment whenever you get new suspension and/or new tires to prevent uneven wear.

[Ronzuki]

Not sold on the "new " bump stops being the ultimate fix for the rear shock piston shaft corrosion issue. I'm at a little over 76k now and I've been starting to hear the early tell-tale sounds that the rear was making at just under 36k when I had the TSB shock replacement done under warranty. I don't drive over any of those low smooth rounded driveway entrance curbs every day any longer since the office moved 2 years ago. I hear it now when I'm creeping along in traffic across this one particular bridge that has near similar bumps at its expansion joints.

[bdleonard]

Not sold on the "new " bump stops being the ultimate fix for the rear shock piston shaft corrosion issue. I'm at a little over 76k now and I've been starting to hear the early tell-tale sounds that the rear was making at just under 36k when I had the TSB shock replacement done under warranty. I don't drive over any of those low smooth rounded driveway entrance curbs every day any longer since the office moved 2 years ago. I hear it now when I'm creeping along in traffic across this one particular bridge that has near similar bumps at its expansion joints.

My first guess here would be rear sway bar bushings or end links, but it certainly could be the shocks going again.

[Ronzuki]

I don't think so. I'd thought about it being the sway bar bushings originally back then. Then the topic of the shock TSB came up so I brought it in to have it checked out while it was still barely under warranty. When the shocks were swapped out, the noise ceased. It's the exact same sound starting again.

[SamirD]

We had ours replaced under warranty and the sounds has returned as well. At first it was just on one side, but now I'm hearing it on both. Time to get a custom suspension from KW Germany.

[Marcov71]

Well onto purchasing my second set of rear shocks and bump stops. I replaced them at about 76,000 miles. My rear left shock is now blown...so annoying. I forgot where i ordered the bump stops from. Anyone have a link to purchase them. I found the shocks pretty cheap on Partsgeek.com