Suzuki Swift Problems

In a very broad sense, these components should last the life of the vehicle. Certainly, by the time you need to replace any of these major components, the cost of doing so is likely to be more than the value of the whole vehicle. That's often when cars get scrapped.

I'll take a stab in the dark and suggest that the warranty you're being offered is from a car dealer attempting to sell you the vehicle and the warranty as an up-sell. So here's the bottom line: With very, very few exceptions, these aftermarket warranties are not worth the paper they're printed on. The fine-print will exclude just about any fault or problem that is likely to occur, meaning that real world problems won't be covered.

In any case, a 2021 Suzuki Swift will still be covered by Suzuki's factory warranty which will cover problems with these components. Why would you need two warranties to cover the same components? Or is the dealer suggesting that Suzuki's factory warranty is not sufficient? Suzuki might be interested to hear that.

Since the Bluetooth is refusing to respond to either the head unit or steering wheel controls, it’s likely to be a problem with the unit itself, rather than a simple switch failure.

In any case, your car is still under factory warranty, so take it back to the dealership and make it Suzuki’s problem. Sometimes these units can be reset by disconnecting the power to them for a period of time, but unless you know the factory procedure, you’re flying blind. Back to the dealer.

This model Swift was recalled to check and tighten, if necessary, the bolts that connect the torque converter to the car’s engine. However, if these were to fail or fall out (as happened in some cases) it would be a one-off event and the car then wouldn’t work at all.

Your problem sounds more like a worn transmission which is not accepting the load you put on it when you try to accelerate. This could be worn bands or some other component inside the transmission. CVTs are pretty complex things and rely on physical parts like bands and pulleys as well as hydraulic bits and pieces to take drive to the wheels. It would also be worth checking the torque converter, as a damaged or worn unit can also produce the symptoms you’re seeing. I’d start with checking that the recall was carried out and work backwards from there.

Modern engines like the Suzuki’s use literally dozens of sensors to keep the engine’s computer informed on the operating temperature, quality of the fuel, coolant temperature, ambient temperature, camshaft position and lots, lots more. If just one of those sensors starts to offer up false or misleading information to the computer, the whole operation of running the engine can be compromised. That’s when you’ll get rough running and/or stalling as well as the excessive fuel consumption you’ve noted.

Rather than starting to change sensors on an ad hoc basis (which could take weeks and hundreds of dollars, and even then not arrive at a solution) the best advice is to have the car electronically scanned. At that point, the car’s computer is a good chance to tell the interrogating computer what ails it, and then you can zero in on that component and replace only the parts that are the problem.

To connect your mobile phone to the Suzuki Swift’s Bluetooth, you must have the vehicle stationary and your phone’s Bluetooth switched on and set to Discoverable. The next step is to press the Setup button on the car’s media-control panel. The setup menu will be displayed and you can then turn the Tune knob to select Setup and then press the same knob to confirm that selection. Turn the Tune knob again to select Pairing and press the knob to confirm that selection.

Select Car Audio from your phone’s menu and that should establish the pairing. Enter the passkey code displayed on the screen to your phone to confirm the pairing. Then press the On Hook and you’re good to go.

For more instructions on how to play music through the system, more setup options, and troubleshooting problems, refer to the vehicle’s owner’s manual.

There are still plenty of great small cars around within your budget, Agnes, and they all have good safety packages (or we wouldn’t recommend them). Look at offerings such as the Suzuki Swift Navigator (with the optional autonomous emergency braking) for around $17,000 (plus on-road costs) or the Kia Rio S at around $19,000 or Kia Picanto S (one size smaller than the Rio) at closer to $16,000. Both the Kias also feature the brand’s excellent seven-year warranty, capped-price servicing and free roadside assistance which is great peace of mind.

The Volkswagen Polo is a classy drive but a little more expensive at closer to $21,000 for the 85TSi Comfortline. Actually, to be honest, you’ve missed the boat on bargain small cars by a couple of years. Firm favourites such as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 have both been updated relatively recently and have recorded big price jumps in the process. The cheapest Yaris with an automatic transmission is now around $23,000 (it was less than $17,000 back in 2018) while the Mazda 2 Maxx went from being a sub-$17,000 proposition in 2018 to a $23,000 car by the time you add an automatic transmission in 2020.

You don't need to spend $30,000 to get a great small car to run around town in. A Suzuki Swift GL Navigator from $17,690 plus on-road costs ($1000 more for the auto) makes for an excellent choice, with a surprisingly roomy interior, a refined, frugal and lively engine, great handling and superb reliability. Great value for money, in other words.

Moving on from there, to the next size up and in our order of preference, are the Mazda 3, Ford Focus Active, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla Hatch, Honda Civic (turbo only) and Subaru Impreza. All are quality small cars that should fit the bill perfectly.

There's also merit in considering a small SUV, chiefly because their higher roofline and loftier seating positions make them easier to get in and out as well as see out of. Our value pick is the Kia Seltos S with Safety Pack. The Mazda CX-30 and Toyota C-HR are also high-quality and refined choices, though they're right at the cusp of your budget so you may have to search for a discounted demo model. Going small SUV does  mean extra outlay, but they do generally offer better resale value, as their popularity seems endless.

As you can see, there's lots of choice, so take your time, drive the ones you like the look of, and see which feels best. Out of scores of alternatives, these 10 are our top recommendations at under $30K.

While the less sporty versions of Suzuki’s Swift of this era used a conventional automatic transmission, the Swift Sport used a CVT transmission. And I’m wondering if maybe that’s all there is to your question. The CVT is quite capable of feeling like its slipping when you use lots of throttle, such as when going up a hill or accelerating to overtake. It’s actually quite normal and is the method a CVT uses to maximise fuel-economy by keeping the engine operating in its most efficient zone.

But if you’ve owned the car for some time and its behaviour has changed, then it could be that the CVT is beginning to wear internally. Or perhaps it’s the torque-converter (that links the engine to the transmission) that is starting to wear out and allowing the engine to rev harder than it used to for a given road speed.

Suzuki did recall this model (and conventional automatic versions) to check for loose bolts that secured the torque converter to the transmission. But if these became loose and fell out, you’d have no drive at all, so I don’t think that’s the problem here.

It can, Jayson, but there’s one vital thing you must check first. Lift the bonnet of your car and find the build date. It should be on a small, silver tag somewhere in the engine bay. Here’s why: Suzuki lists 2008 as the cut-off year for E10 fuel for the Swift. That is, Swifts built before that date can’t use E10, those built after that date can.

So why check the build date on your car? Because even though it may have been sold in 2008, it might have been built in 2007. Even if the registration papers list the car as a 2008, it could still have been built in 2007. Paperwork is only as accurate as the person filling it in, but the build-date on the car’s tag doesn’t lie.

It’s not possible to say what is causing the noise, it could be engine or driveline related, and without actually being able to hear it there’s no way of accurately diagnosing it. Have it checked by a mechanic, who should be able to quickly determine the cause of the problem.