Rear Shock failure - remedy!

motorhead1977 · Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:52 pm

I have just talked with Suzuki America as the rear shocks on my 2013 SLS AWD Kizashi (42,500 miles) have failed as a result of the faulty design of the bump stopper allowing water to collect and corrode the shock piston as described in TSB No. TS 01 05223. Their initial answer to me was essentially, "Go scratch, you are outside the 36000 mile period". I am considering taking action against Suzuki America over the defective design. I would like to hear from everyone who has had this failure on their 2010-2013 Kizashi whether during or after the 36 month/36000 mile warranty period. We should not have to bear the cost of replacing the shocks even outside the warranty period as the shock bump stopper design was defective and those shocks should last more than 36,000 miles. You may email me at [email protected] or contact me through this board. I look forward to hearing from you. We can't let them get away with it. Thanks!

Woodie · Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:43 am

Good luck with that.

They're wear items like brake pads, and they cost $50 each. I wish you luck, as I still haven't replaced mine, but I doubt anything is going to come of it.

11zukizashi · Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:16 pm

should have bought the extended warranty

Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:40 pm

We all probably should have bought the extended warranty....least those of us who plan to drive the wheels off them.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:45 pm

I had mine fail rather early at close to 20,000 miles, if I recall correctly. I had both rear shocks replaced and got the modified bump stoppers at no cost to me.
Here's a rather extensive thread on this issue and many who had this problem discussed it here:
http://www.kizashiclub.com/forum/viewto ... =12&t=3186

Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:44 pm

I'm actually surprised the rear bump stop isn't recalled. Other manufacturers have recalled smaller issues. Someone get the NHTSA on it!

LPSISRL · Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:54 pm

bootymac wrote:I'm actually surprised the rear bump stop isn't recalled. Other manufacturers have recalled smaller issues. Someone get the NHTSA on it!

Probably not enough of a safety issue. How many people are driving around with blown shocks? Probably tens if not hundreds of thousands.

joshuac2651 · Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:05 pm

I'm just replacing mine. Everything was fairly easy to get off. The bolts they want you to replace don't come with the aftermarket shock absorbers (just comes with the rod nut). So, I re-assembled everything and ordered them. I should be able to change it out when the new bolts arrive this weekend.

I purchased the new bump stops also ($70). Other than a jack, stands, maybe a breaker bar & WD-40 (the rod is rusted pretty bad), there isn't much cost to doing it yourself.

paininthenuts · Fri Dec 19, 2014 7:21 pm

Now I live in the UK, and only about half a mile from the Suzuki head office. I have a friend who is a senior executive for Suzuki and in charge of the parts for all the UK, as well as having a Kizi as a company car. I brought this up with him, so he researched it. He can't find any evidence of a warranty claim in the UK for rear shocks. He said that the spec is different in every country, and there is a possibility that the rear shocks you get are different to ours. The U.S is renowned for their love of a softer suspension, so I would guess that your shocks or not the same as ours. I hope so anyway !!

Wed Dec 24, 2014 8:29 pm

paininthenuts wrote:Now I live in the UK, and only about half a mile from the Suzuki head office. I have a friend who is a senior executive for Suzuki and in charge of the parts for all the UK, as well as having a Kizi as a company car. I brought this up with him, so he researched it. He can't find any evidence of a warranty claim in the UK for rear shocks. He said that the spec is different in every country, and there is a possibility that the rear shocks you get are different to ours. The U.S is renowned for their love of a softer suspension, so I would guess that your shocks or not the same as ours. I hope so anyway !!

The problem is the shock corroding but that's actually caused by the bump stopper that has a flawed design that traps water. That trapped water then promotes the corrosion of the shock located below it.
I believe factors like humidity and climate have a big effect on this problem as well. North America also sold more Kizashis than Europe, I believe, so the problem may be more prevalent here simply because there are more Kizashis to have this issue.

In the link to the thread I posted above, you can see the difference between the original flawed bump stopper and the "countermeasure" bump stopper design.