Feds open investigation into 200,000 Suzuki vehicles

More than 200,000 vehicles made by automaker Suzuki are the subject of a federal investigation into faulty warning lights, The Times has learned.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe on June 14 to look into the Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV made from 2006 to 2011 and the Suzuki SX4 hatchback made from 2007 to 2011.

The agency said it had received 128 complaints from owners who had experienced trouble with their vehicles’ warning lights. This included passenger airbag off lights that would indicate the seat was empty (potentially disabling the airbag) when someone was, indeed, sitting it in it.

Other issues include a seatbelt indicator light malfunction, and a potential problem with the passenger seat sensor that would keep the airbag ready to deploy, even if the seat was empty or occupied by a small child.

NHTSA said no injuries or accidents have resulted from these issues. The group estimated about 205,000 vehicles would be affected by the probe.

This is just the first step in the process of investigating these issues. No recall has been proposed at this time. Customers with vehicles affected should contact their dealers, assuming they’re still in business selling other brands.

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