2007 Suzuki Sx4: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2007 Suzuki Sx4
On the 2007 Suzuki Sx4, the failure owners report most often is airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault, and the reports cluster around 55,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 55,000 miles. Overall it scores 63 out of 100, high risk for a 2007.
High risk for a 2007 — 312th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. 106 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2007 Suzuki Sx4
Owners have reported 21 named failure modes on the 2007 Suzuki Sx4, and the three most-reported carry 47% of everything filed.
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault leads with 27 reports, about 1.6 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 39k to 65,000 miles.
Seat belt or retractor failure follows with 14 reports, usually reported between 60k to 70,000 miles.
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure follows with 9 reports, median 700 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (42), electrical (11) and engine (8).
When these failures get reported
88 of the reports on the 2007 Suzuki Sx4 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 55,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 35% by 50,000 miles, 89% by 100,000 miles and 93% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 60,000 and 70,000 miles, which alone holds 20% of the dated reports.
26% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 21. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 4 mention a crash, 4 a fire and 3 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.96, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault at $300–$1,600, seat belt or retractor failure at $200–$900, control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure at $700–$3,000 and other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
10% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 27 | 25 | 39k | 54k | 65k | 1.6 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 14 | 12 | 60k | 63k | 68k | 0.8 | $200–$900 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 9 | 7 | — | 690 | — | 0.5 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 7 | 7 | — | 18k | — | 0.4 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Oil leak | engine | 5 | 5 | — | 61k | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 3 | 2 | — | 56k | — | 0.2 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 3 | 2 | — | 93k | — | 0.2 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Wheel bearing or hub failure | drivetrain | 2 | 2 | — | 199k | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 126k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 33k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Manual clutch or hydraulics failure | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 17k | — | 0.1 | $900–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 23k | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 1 | 1 | — | 23k | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 72k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 44k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 19 | 13 | 42k | 60k | 76k | 1.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2007 Suzuki Sx4 draws about 6.1 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 83rd percentile of complaint rates among 2007 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 17,396 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2007 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
I bought my sx4 2007 suzuki nov 2007. I have had problems with gas fumes inside car, took it to service said there were no leaks. Still smells on occasions. Took car to service 3 times the had it for 7 days and could find no problem. It is the worst car I have ever had for poor gas mileage. And also the passenger airbag light comes on constantly. Was told passenger must not be sitting in seat right, give me a break!!!!. I wouldn't recommend this car. *tr
I bought my sx4 2007 suzuki nov 2007. I have had problems with gas fumes inside car, took it to service said there were no leaks. Still smells on occasions. Took car to service 3 times the had it for 7 days and could find no problem. It is the worst car I have ever had for poor gas mileage. And also the passenger airbag light comes on constantly. Was told passenger must not be sitting in seat right, give me a break!!!!. I wouldn't recommend this car. *tr
Seat belt or retractor failure
Upon start-up the air bag indicator light and the passenger seat belt light are on persistently. This is whether or not someone is seated in the passenger seat. According to an on-line query, we found multiple entries (complaints) of other customers experiencing the same problem for 2007, 2008 and 2009 models. The culprit is a faulty sensor in the seat cushion. Thus far suzuki has not addressed this issue, nor do they feel it is a safety concern. From what the dealership service manager indicated (and as stated on complaints we found) with the car in the current condition, our air bags will not deploy in the event of an accident. The dealership stated the estimate for repair of the seat cushion and seat belt assembly is $1700.00. The dealership compared this repair to that of say an engine or transmission going out. They (both the dealership personnel and suzuki corp. Customer service personnel) say it is fair to expect to pay for such repairs, after the warranty period. We feel this is a faulty component. We feel that it is wrong of suzuki to expect car owners to pay for such repairs. We believe that this non-value added feature…
Upon start-up the air bag indicator light and the passenger seat belt light are on persistently. This is whether or not someone is seated in the passenger seat. According to an on-line query, we found multiple entries (complaints) of other customers experiencing the same problem for 2007, 2008 and 2009 models. The culprit is a faulty sensor in the seat cushion. Thus far suzuki has not addressed this issue, nor do they feel it is a safety concern. From what the dealership service manager indicated (and as stated on complaints we found) with the car in the current condition, our air bags will not deploy in the event of an accident. The dealership stated the estimate for repair of the seat cushion and seat belt assembly is $1700.00. The dealership compared this repair to that of say an engine or transmission going out. They (both the dealership personnel and suzuki corp. Customer service personnel) say it is fair to expect to pay for such repairs, after the warranty period. We feel this is a faulty component. We feel that it is wrong of suzuki to expect car owners to pay for such repairs. We believe that this non-value added feature…
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure
1) normal driving with seated adult passenger 2) pass air bag off light came on. Numerous times between october 7 2006 and continuing until yesterday ( january 14, 2007). 2a) contrast to poor to see above mentioned light in sunlight. 3) nothing after three trips to the repair shop and several other requests for the dealer and american suzuki to repair the problem. *jb
Purchased vehicle 11/24/06 not 1 week old and TPMS light on 12/6/06 they reset it on 12/11/06 light went on again per service tech wheel sensor not communicating therefore replaced sensor, hooked up to scanner and cleared codes road tested ok, 12/13/06 light went on again per service tech they spoke with suzuki tech line and the computer did not register the sensors, registered the sensors calibrated them as well and road tested so far so good. 2nd problem, on 2/1/07 my engine light went on they reprogrammed ECM for this code as per tbs ts0111286r (not sure what that meant but the light went off). Also while on your site I saw a complaint in reference to the passenger air bag light going on and off. I too have seen this light go on a couple of times and will contact my dealer once again tomorrow. *jb
Recalls on the 2007 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2007 Suzuki Sx4, affecting an estimated 34,659 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags and visibility:rearview mirrors/devices:exterior. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
AIR BAGS
189,901 vehicles 2013-09-06- Defect
- Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Grand Vitara and 2007-2011 SX4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, over time, the OCS sensor mat installed in the front passenger seat may fail due to repeated flexing of the mat from use of the seat. As a result, during a crash necessitating deployment, the air bag will deploy regardless of whether the front seat occupant is an adult or a child.
- Consequence
- Air bag deployment with a child in the front passenger side seat increases the risk of injury to that child.
- Remedy
- Suzuki will notify owners and dealers will replace the front passenger seat cushion assembly (which includes the OCS sensor mat) free of charge. Sufficient quantities of parts are not currently available to fix all of the affected vehicles. Owners will be notified of the recall in October 2013 and will receive a second notification when parts are available to have their vehicle repaired. The recall began on May 23, 2014. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki's recall campaign number is VD.
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
69,587 vehicles 2010-10-19- Defect
- Suzuki is recalling certain model year 2007 sx4 hatchback and model year 2008-2010 sx4 hatchback and sedan passenger vehicles. The three screws that secure each of the outside rear view mirrors to the mirror base can come loose due to vibration.
- Consequence
- If a rear view mirror falls off the vehicle the driver will have reduced visibility increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the base screws on both outer rear view mirrors free of charge. The safety recall began on november 5, 2010. Owners may contact suzuki at 1-887-697-8985 or visit suzuki's website at http://www.suzukiauto.com.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2007 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2007 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2007 — 312th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 7 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2007 comes out best at 63 and 2010 worst at 76, with 2007 itself at 63.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2007, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2007–2013 generation specifically, 2007 is the strongest year at 63 and 2010 the weakest at 76.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2007-2013 generation, 2007 Suzuki Sx4 scores best at 63 and 2010 Suzuki Sx4 worst at 76.
What the numbers say to check
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault from about 39k and seat belt or retractor failure from about 60k.
On a 2007 Suzuki Sx4 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
106 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 106 reports, 88 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 83% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Suzuki Sx4?
The most-reported failures are airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault (27 reports, median 55,000 miles), seat belt or retractor failure (14 reports, median 65,000 miles) and control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure (9 reports, median 700 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2007 Suzuki Sx4 problems start?
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 55,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 40,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 55,000 miles.
Is the 2007 Suzuki Sx4 reliable?
It scores 63 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 312th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2007 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Suzuki Sx4 is best?
Within the 2007–2013 generation, 2007 scores best at 63 out of 100 and 2010 worst at 76. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed