Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Suzuki SV1000S submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
MOTORCYCLE WOULD NOT CHARGE BATTERY AND COMPLETELY DIED BECAUSE OF IT ONE DAY. OPENED UP MAGNETO COVER AND FOUND THE ROTOR MAGNETS HAD DISINTEGRATED. RUINED THE ROTOR AND MAGNETO AND ONLY HAD 17,000 MILES ON IT. CLEANING UP BITS OF MAGNET ALL AROUND THE CRANK AND INSIDE THE ENGINE.
MY SUZUKI SV1000S HAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I FIRST NOTICED THIS PROBLEM WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START THE MOTORCYCLE IN MY GARAGE IN MAY OF 2011. I TURNED THE SWITCH AND NOTHING CAME ON. I CHECKED THE BATTERY AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH IT. MYSTERIOUSLY, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED WORKING SEVERAL DAYS LATER. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 3 TIMES. ON 09/26/2011, I WAS RIDING WITH MY 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ON A BUSY 2-LANE ROAD. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EVENING (5 PM, SUNNY, ABOUT 85 DEGREES). WE WERE APPROACHING A STOP SIGNAL (SPEED APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH). THE CLUTCH WAS ENGAGED AND I WAS LIGHTLY APPLYING FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. THE MOTORCYCLE LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WHILE WE WERE STILL MOVING. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, THE POWER WAS RESTORED AS MYSTERIOUSLY AS IT LEFT. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS AS THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT POSTED ONLINE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT RESULTING IN INJURY OR THE LOSS OF LIFE. *TR
TOTAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER DUE TO A FAULTY CONNECTION BETWEEN THE IGNITION SWITCH TO THE MAIN IGNITION RELAY. THIS RESULTS IN LOSS OF LIGHTS, INSTRUMENTS, AND IGNITION POWER. THE ENGINE STALLS AND CAN EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND INJURIES. *TR
CONNECTOR FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH TO WIRING HARNESS OVERHEATED AND THE CONNECTOR NO LONGER HELP THE WIRES TOGETHER FOR THE IGNITION. TURN THE KEY - NO POWER AT ALL TO THE BIKE. I HAVE READ ABOUT DOZENS OF RIDERS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO, SOME HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT. LUCKILY I WASN'T IN MOTION WHEN THE POWER GAVE OUT. *TR
2003 SUZUKI SV1000, WILL NOT START, NO ELECTRIC AT ALL. MUST TAKE OFF SEAT & MOVE WIRES, THEN WILL START, IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME I TURN IT OFF. HAVE READ MANY POSTS ABOUT THE "GREEN CONNECTOR" MANY OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
ELECTRICAL HARNESS ON MY BIKE (SV1000S 2003) WENT BAD AND NO POWER IS GOING TO ANYTHING. *TR
2003 SV1000S LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER DUE TO A FAULTY GREEN IGNITION CONNECTOR LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE AIRBOX. THE GREEN CONNECTOR MELTED AT THE POSITIVE WIRE CAUSING LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER. HARD WIRED IT WITH SOLDER AND SHRINK TUBING SINCE I DON'T PLAN ON REMOVING THE IGNITION ANY TIME SOON. *TR
FOR THE SECOND TIME, THE GREEN CONNECTOR CONNECTING THE IGNITION TO THE WIRING HARNESS HAS FAULTED, PREVENTING THE MOTORCYCLE FROM RUNNING. LET ME REPEAT, THE SECOND TIME. I HAD THE IGNITION REPLACED, AND TWO MONTHS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND BEGAN TO DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND HE DISCOVERED THAT THE GREEN POWER CONNECTOR FUSED TOGETHER, CAUSING AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. THE GREEN POWER CONNECTOR WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 9,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000.
HTTP://WWW.SV-PORTAL.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=27074 NO ELECTRICAL POWER?? GREEN CONNECTOR ISSUE! MY BIKE LOST POWER AND CANNOT BE STARTED. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT RIDING AT THE TIME THE POWER CUT OUT. I HAD TO FIND ANOTHER RIDE HOME AS THE BIKE WAS IMMOBILE. APPARENTLY THIS DOES OCCUR REGULARLY AND BOTH NHTSA AND SUZUKI ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. READ THE FORUM ABOVE FOR MANY INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND HAD TO BE TOWED BOTH TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE IGNITION HARNESS WAS FAULTY AND REPLACED IT TWICE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.
THE GREEN CONNECTOR ON THE SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE BURNED OUT, CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE ENGINE TO DIE COMPLETELY ON A HIGH TRAFFIC STREET. PRIOR TO THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE CONNECTOR THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY DIE FOR A FEW SECONDS, AND EITHER RESUME NORMALLY IF IN TRANSIT OR DIE IF IT WAS STATIONARY. WHEN THE ENGINE DIED ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS CEASED EVEN IF THE KEY WAS IN ACCESS MODE. TURNING THE KEY SEVERAL TIMES FROM OFF TO ACCESS WOULD RESUME THE ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS. AFTER FINDING A BULLETIN BOARD THREAD ON THE MOTORCYCLE'S SYMPTOMS, THIS LEAD ME TO THE GREEN CONNECTOR"FAILURE. I DISASSEMBLED THE MOTORCYCLE AND LOCATED THE CONNECTOR. SURE ENOUGH, THE CONNECTOR WAS FRIED . REMOVED THE DAMAGED CONNECTOR AND REPLACED THEM WITH SPADE TERMINALS. SO FAR, THE MOTORCYCLE WORKED FINE.*AK CHECK THIS URL FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS. MY POSTS ARE TOWARDS THE BOTTOM UNDER THE NAME "RXSX": HTTP://WWW.SV-PORTAL.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=20730&PAGE=17
MY BIKE WAS HAVING INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL STARTING PROBLEMS FOR APPROX. 2 MONTHS. THE DEALER FOUND A GREEN CONNECTOR IN THE WIRING HARNESS THAT HAD SHORTED OUT. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON ON SUZUKI MOTORCYCLES. MY BIKE IS A 2003 SV1000S WITH 16K MILES. *NM
MY 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE HAD AN INTERMITTENT TOTAL POWER(ELECTRICAL) FAILURE THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE BIKE SHUTTING OFF. I TOOK THE BIKE TO A DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE WEEK OF AUGUST 13-19 IT BEGAN TO GET WORSE SO I STOPPED RIDING AND BEGAN TO RESEARCH ON MY OWN AND FOUND THE IGNITION SWITCH CONNECTOR HAD FAILED AND BEGAN TO BURN THE WIRES ON THE SWITCH END. FOR RIGHT NOW THE SWITCH IS REMOVED AND NOT INSTALLED ON THE BIKE FOR FEAR OF A FIRE. THE WIRING HARNESS END HAS SOME DAMAGE BUT NOT MUCH, BUT WHEN THE CONNECTOR FAILED THE HEAT FUSED THEM TOGETHER AND GETTING THEM APART HAD VERY DIFFICULT WITHOUT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE WIRING HARNESS END. AS OF RIGHT NOW I HAVE NOT REPLACED ANY PARTS THE BIKE IS DOWN UNTIL I CAN PURCHASE A NEW SWITCH SINCE ITS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *JB
MY 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF CUTTING OUT WHILE IN MOTION, IN TRAFFIC, IN TURNS, RESULTING IN EVENTUAL AND COMPLETE ELECTRONIC FAILURE ON 7/8/2006. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE BIKE IN AUGUST OF 2005. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE MECHANICS (EVEN DEALER MECHANICS) CHECKING THE FUEL PUMP, GAS TANK, AIR FILTER, FUEL FILTER, AND FUSES TO ATTEMPT TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER FOUND BECAUSE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURGING AND CUTTING OUT MADE THE BIKE BEHAVE AS THOUGH IT WAS STARVING FOR FUEL. I SUSPECT THIS CUTTING OUT ISSUE TO BE THE CAUSE OF MY CRASH WHILE MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN AT 25 MPH WHICH OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 27, 2005, RESULTING IN MILD INJURY TO NECK/SHOULDER AND $1,000 IN DAMAGE TO THE BIKE. AFTER THE TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON JULY 8TH I PAID $75 TO HAVE THIS SV TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE GREEN IGNITION SWITCH WAS BURNT AND BLACKENED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW SWITCH PLUS SOME DIELECTRIC GREASE. I PAID FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR, AND AFTER A CALL TO SUZUKI OF AMERICA, THEY HAVE OFFERED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR PARTS AND LABOR IN EXCHANGE FOR MY GIVING THEM THE BURNT IGNITION SWITCH. I HAVE ACCEPTED SUZUKI'S OFFER, HOWEVER, IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT I HAVE ALREADY PAID OVER $1,500 IN BIKE REPAIRS AND MEDICAL BILLS BEFORE THIS ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. I HAVE WARNED TWO OTHER SV1000S OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPRESSED TO ME THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR BIKES CUTTING OUT AS WELL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I THINK ISSUING A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE OF TOP PRIORITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. *JB
2003 SUZUKI SV1000S, BIKE WAS RUNNING FINE FOR THREE YEARS. STOPPED BIKE FOR 15 MINUTES. COME BACK TO FIND NO POWER. CAUSE IS A FAULTY CONNECTOR BETWEEN IGNITION SWITCH AND MAIN WIRING HARNESS. IF CONNECTOR WOULD HAVE SHORTED WHILE IN A TURN THE BIKE COULD HAVE WENT DOWN INJURING MYSELF. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER. THEY ARE CHECKING TO SEE IF SUZUKI HAS CHANGED THAT CONNECTOR ON THE NEW HARNESSES. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON AT LEAST FOUR OTHER SV OWNERS. IT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE OR DEATH. THE CONNECTOR NEEDS TO BE OF HIGHER RATING TO HANDLE THE ELECTRICAL LOAD AS WELL AS THE HEAT FROM THE PLACEMENT ABOVE THE ENGINE. *NM
AS PER THE ADVICE OF ANOTHER PERSON, I CHECKED THE IGNITION ELECTRICAL HARNESS. IT WAS BURNT AND READY TO FAIL. SINCE THIS IS A MOTORCYCLE AN IGNITION FAILURE COULD BE DEADLY. LOSS OF POWER IN A TURN WOULD CAUSE A MOTORCYCLE TO CRASH. THE WIRING WAS REPAIRED BY BYPASSING THE HARNESS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE WIRING HARNESS, INCLUDING FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE WIRING. *NM
THERE IS A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS ON THE IGNITION OF MY 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE. A FEW FRIENDS FOUND THIS PROBLEM AND ONE CRASHED THE BIKE BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. I SIMPLY INSPECTED MY BIKE AFTER HEARING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT THIS WAS THE CASE IN MY IGNITION. THE HARNESS CANNOT SUSTAIN THE CURRENT LOAD AND MELTS, CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO SHUT DOWN. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BY SUZUKI TO PREVENT ANY MORE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. FIRE IS A POSSIBILITY OR CRASHING DUE TO TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. *NM
IGNITION CUTOUT ON MY 2003 SUZUKI SV1000S MOTORCYCLE LEFT ME STRANDED. MY BIKE HAD TO BE TOWED AT CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE. THE DEALER REPORTS THAT I NEED A NEW IGNITION AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED (HTTP://WWW.SV1000.ZYNS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=8174&PAGE=2&HIGHLIGHT=IGNITION+CUTOUT), YET SUZUKI FAILS TO COVER REPLACEMENT COSTS. *NM
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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