Aussie cars shelved following UK Suzuki Celerio recall

THE discovery of a brake fault in Suzuki’s new Celerio micro hatch has caused the Japanese brand’s British arm to recall the model, and prompted a cancellation of its Australian launch.

In a statement today Suzuki GB said it was suspending all sales of the Celerio and notifying owners of the car which went on sale in Britain on February 1.

“The Safety Recall relates to a possible fault in the brake pedal release mechanism,” the statement reads.

“A rectification by Suzuki Motor Corporation is currently being implemented and delivery of modified brake components is expected in the coming weeks.”

UK motoring magazines Autocar and What Car? alerted Suzuki to the fault following a emergency braking test in which the brake pedal “lost all stopping power” and became stuck on the floor.

Following the failure, Suzuki Australia released a statement saying the Celerio’s February 4 debut would be postponed and the car would not be sold until the safety issue was rectified.

A Suzuki spokesperson told GoAuto the company could not predict when the Celerio would return to showrooms or how far off a solution is.

“Suzuki Australia has nothing official to add on this matter, at this point,” the spokesperson said.

Both the Australian and UK Celerio are built at Suzuki’s Rayong plant in Thailand.

The Celerio replaces the Alto as the new entry car in Suzuki’s line-up and should have been the first new model to arrive as part of a range-refreshing roll-out over the next five years.