Kizashi Club

Hi Gang,

I've got a gremlin in my audio system. Thought it was the bass speaker in the trunk (we call it the kicker) because we first noticed it with the "punch bass" feature cranked-up. One of the speakers was cutting in and out. We figured it was just a simple loose connection somewhere.

Anyway, took it to the dealer, they drove it, heard the speaker cut-out, but couldn't isolate which speaker it was. The tech called Suzuki, and it turns out there was a TSB (technical service bulletin - a known problem, that isn't always made public) about this issue. The fix is to replace the amplifier.

So, they've ordered me a new amp, and it is located in the trunk, so it's an easy swap out installation. I'm not sure, but I think this would only affect models with the Rockford stereo system.

I think the dealer expected me to be really upset that I already encountered a problem, but I guess every new car, especially a new model, is entitled to a few gremlins.

-Diana (still in love with my Kizzy)

thanks for sharing, I wonder how many TSB there are that the owners don't know about.

I really don't like this about Suzuki, as a former Toyota owner I always had access to every single TSB for free. Suzuki had a system that they would charge for this info, but most recently they have eliminated the access to the general public completely.

This is not a big issue when your dealer is honest and up-to-date, but it can become a great hassle if they are not.

Luckily, I'm in an area with a very reliable dealer, but I can see where others could have problems.

I have the same system and mine sometimes gets louder and quieter at random. Is this what you're talking about or does yours actually "cut out" I have been thinking about taking it to the dealer but since it is so random, I was doubtful it would actually do it in front of a service tech.

Aragon,

That's exactly what mine was doing. I would set it at the volume I wanted, then as I was driving down the road, it would get either much louder, or much quieter. I thought it was related to hitting a bump in the road, so my first thought was a simple loose connection somewhere, but it kept happening, so I took it to the dealer. They drove it with one person in the backseat because it sounded to me like that's where it was coming from (I couldn't isolate which speaker it was). They got it to happen once or twice, but couldn't isolate it either.

So, the tech called Suzuki and said that there was a TSB on this issue. They have ordered me a new amp, but it is on backorder. No word on how long it will take to come in. If you're having the same issue, just call your dealer and tell them you have the same problem. If you tell them about the TSB, you should have no problem getting their attention. You might have to wait for the fix, that's all.

Hope this helps!

Good Info. Once you get things figured out I will move this to the technical support portion of the forum.

Hmmm, I think my GTS is doing the same thing. Was listening to some rock, rather loud, and it seemed like the volume was pretty variable. I would appreciate a posting once this has been cured too.

mine has been doing the same thing as well, not all the time, but at times it gets louder and then normalizes. I just turned off the speed sensitive volume control, so we'll see how it does with that feature off.

WHOA... Hold up Zen and Aragon!

Mine was doing the same thing and after reading the manual I figured out all I needed to do was turn the AVC (Auot Volume Control) to OFF. Since I have done this I have not experienced it again. That AVC does not function very well, so I would recommend all turn it to OFF and keep it there.

Hope this helps!

I will for sure try this, thanks Hawkzilla! Is the auto volume control the stupid thing I have seen in other cars that turn up or down the volume depending on your speed? I was trying to find any info in the owner's manual. Hopefully that is all it is. It seems like every time I'm trying to show off my sweet stereo system the music turns up super loud and people look at me all weird.

aragon20 wrote:I will for sure try this, thanks Hawkzilla! Is the auto volume control the stupid thing I have seen in other cars that turn up or down the volume depending on your speed? I was trying to find any info in the owner's manual. Hopefully that is all it is. It seems like every time I'm trying to show off my sweet stereo system the music turns up super loud and people look at me all weird.

That is exactly what it is and it's especially stupid on the Kizashi since it's not a very loud car, IMO. I had the exact same experience in my SLS... kind of embarrassing.

Turn that thing to OFF and you should be set!