Total Complaints
6 filings
SUZUKI DL650 · model year
6 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012SUZUKIDL650 carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 DL650 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring (1) and power train (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2012 DL650. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
6 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 SFV650 and AN650A, and 2012-2014 DL650A motorcycles. Contamination from component production and storage combined with manufacturing variations may result in excessive tappet and camshaft wear within the engines of the
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (Suzuki) is recalling certain model year 2012-2016 DL650 motorcycles manufactured August 30, 2011, to October 12, 2015. In the affected motorcycles, the alternator stator may have insufficient heat resistance, resulting in a short circuit of the stator wires.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
SUZUKI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 AN400, AN650, AND DL650 SCOOTERS AND MOTORCYCLES MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO DECEMBER 17, 2011, BECAUSE THE LEVER-MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT ACTUATING SWITCH(ES) MAY FAIL.
ABS pump issue, very likely clogged valves, lead to rear brake pedal locked up in disengaged position while riding - no rear brakes. When I was riding at moderate speed, the ABS module engaged after the rear wheel slid a little on a patch of grass. Immediately afterwards I found the rear brake pedal became stiff, and one more test brake later the rear brake pedal became rock solid, and I cannot engage the rear brake anymore while riding. Upon further investigation with mechanics, what happened was the valves on the ABS module were clogged during the movement of fluid when ABS was engaged, therefore locking up the rear brake pedal. This seems to be a common problem for 2012 VStrom DL650A model by Suzuki: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
UPON PULLING AWAY FROM A STOPLIGHT AND SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR WITH A TOE LIFT ON THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER, THE SHIFTING LINKAGE BROKE AND FELL DOWN. THE LINKAGE ALLOWED THE SHIFTER ARM TO FALL DOWN AND INTERMITTENTLY CONTACT THE GROUND WHILE DRIVING. USING 20X MAGNIFICATION IT APPEARS TO HAVE FAILED IN BENDING FATIGUE.
Mileage: 17,300
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR HAS FAILED YEARLY, PART 37730-44H01, COST IS OVER $100 TO REPLACE. FUEL INJ SYSTEM TAKES INFO FROM THIS PART, THE BIKE GIVES A INTERMITTENT FI WARNING LIGHT WHEN THIS PART IS MALFUNCTIONING. HAVE REPLACED THIS PART 4 TIMES NOW.
HEADLIGHT GOES OUT WHEN OPERATIONING WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE. DID RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS OWNERS HAVE/HAD THIS PROBLEM. I WAS STOPPED BY A FLORIDA STATE TROOPER WHO INFORMED ME MY HEADLIGHT WAS NOT WORKING. CALLED SUZUKI TO REPORT THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED.
Mileage: 13,005
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUZUKI DL650. AFTER RIDING 360 MILES, OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD, THE MOTORCYCLE WAS PARKED AND THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS AND THE PARKING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED SLIGHTLY. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS, BENEATH THE FUEL TANK ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BIKE, MELTED THROUGH FIVE WIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,800.
Mileage: 20,800
THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER IS READING HIGHER THAN THE SPEED AS MEASURED BY AN ONBOARD GPS. THE DIFFERENCE IS APPROXIMATELY +8%. IS THERE A FEDERAL STANDARD FOR VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER ACCURACY?? THE MANUFACTURER STATES THAT HE WARRANTS THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER TO BE ACCURATE WITHIN 10%. *TR
Mileage: 1,050
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.