NHTSA Complaint #10461242 — 2006 SUZUKI FORENZA

A MALFUNCTION OCCURS WHEN I ATTEMPT TO SHIFT GEARS FROM PARK TO ANY OTHER. 1. IT MAKES A LOUD, DEEP SOUND, SIMILAR TO "THUNK-THUNK" AND IF I DON'T HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE HARD ENOUGH, THE CAR LURCHES. 2. THE DASHBOARD SIGNAL FOR PDRN ETC RANDOMLY CHANGES TO A WEIRD SYMBOL THAT IS NOT ANY LETTER IN THE AMERICAN ALPHABET. 3. IT MAKES A REVVING SOUND WHICH SHOULD INDICATE A HIGHER VELOCITY WHEN IN FACT IT IS AT A LOWER VELOCITY. 4. IT WILL NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. WHEN ENTERING A HIGH FREQUENCY ROAD OR HIGHWAY, I HAVE TO FLOOR THE GAS PEDAL TO GO NORMAL SPEED THEN MAINTAIN IT. 5. IT SHIFTS OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL WHILE I AM DRIVING AND INDEPENDENTLY OF MY ACTIVITY, THANKFULLY APPROXIMATELY ONLY ABOUT ONCE EVERY MONTH. 6. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. 7. THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION BUT WAS CALLED A RANGE SOMETHING OR OTHER. 8. I NOTICE THESE PROBLEMS MORE IN STOP-AND-GO CITY TRAFFIC THAN ON LONG UNINTERRUPTED DISTANCES. 9. I CONSIDER THESE RANDOM CAR BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS UNSTABLE AND UNSAFE. 10. TO ANY DRIVER NEW TO HANDLING/DRIVING MY CAR, I WOULD HAVE TO EXPLAIN ITS QUIRKS FOR THEM TO DRIVE AND NOT HAVE A TRAGIC VEHICULAR ACCIDENT INVOLVING THE IMPROPER RESPONSE OF MY CAR TO NORMAL USE. 11. THE WARRANTY RAN OUT LONG AGO. IT WAS ONLY FOR THREE YEARS. THE PROBLEMS STARTED OCCURRING AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED, OF COURSE. 12. IT WILL COST ME ABOUT $200 TO GET THE RANGE WHATCHAMACALLIT FIXED, $200 OF WHICH I BELIEVE SUZUKI SHOULD PAY. UNRELATED PROBLEM, SOMETIMES THE SEATBELT BUCKLE UNCLICKS ITSELF. *TR