Hi everyone.

Posting this late at night, because I can't sleep due to extreme anxiety!

My Suzuki Ciaz suffered from a mechanical breakdown, namely it got stuck in reverse gear. The gear selector would move, but it would not select any other gears, and the dash only displayed R.

I have comprehensive insurance with AXA, which included free roadside assistance. I called them and they sent a pick up truck, and they took the car to their preferred garage. Unfortunately, the Suzuki garage staff don't speak English!

AXA spoke to them, explaining the issue.

I have received a call from the garage, but communication was almost impossible, but it appears to be a broken throttle cable?

I believe they asked me if I wanted them to order a new part, which I said yes to.

Now comes the worrying part! It appears that a replacement throttle cable is unavailable, so the car can't be repaired!

Now I am only guessing that the Suzuki garage would be able to scrap the car, but I have no idea about paperwork requirements, or how much I would be offered?

I am also guessing that AXA would not pay anything, as it was not accident related!

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

Terry

Throttle cable would mean when you pressed on the gas nothing would happen. Stuck in reverse is a transmission issue.

Get a Thai speaker friend to help you with the communication between you and the garage.

Most Likely Causes (Suzuki Specific)

• Worn Shift Cable Bushing: A very common issue in Suzuki automatic/CVT models (like the Celerio or Grand Vitara) is the plastic bushing at the end of the selector cable breaking or wearing out, which causes the cable to disconnect from the transmission.

• Misaligned/Stretched Selector Cable: The cable between the shifter and transmission may have stretched or moved, causing the shifter to show it is in Park/Drive, while the transmission is stuck in Reverse.

• Faulty Shift Solenoid: An internal transmission solenoid responsible for controlling hydraulic pressure to gears may have failed. 

Troubleshooting

1. Check Linkage: A mechanic should check the cable linkage on top of the transmission, especially the bushing connecting the cable to the transmission lever.

2. Shift Interlock: Ensure the "shift lock" solenoid, which releases the shifter when the brake is pressed, is functioning.

3. Check Fluid: Low or dirty transmission fluid can cause the car to get stuck in a gear or refuse to shift. 

Thanks for the very quick reply.

My own thoughts that it was most likely to be a broken gear selector cable.

But I know that the throttle cable is connected to the gearbox.

Of course I can only go on the information that the Suzuki main garage have told me.

I did have both AXA roadside assistance to translate, and the condo manager also helped.

I am at a loss to know that a Suzuki main dealer have no personel that can speak English!

I am also partially disabled with peripheral neuropathy, which made matters worse!

Even the pick up driver couldn't speak English.

It should have taken 30 minutes for him to come, which AXA had arranged, but I eventually found out that he went to the wrong address. I had to wait over 3 hours for him to arrive! Thanks to the condo owner, he eventually came!

I actually don't know which garage he has taken my car to!

All I know is that it is a Suzuki main dealer, about 150km away from Pattaya!

That of course makes things worse, because that is a long way away, and the taxi fare to where I assume it is, is about 1,500 baht!

3,000 baht round trip!

I would have liked to see the broken cable.

Of course I note your comments, about the common problems with the Suzuki CVT gear shift, but it seems that the throttle cable has 2 connections, 1 to the throttle and 1 to the gearbox, all monitored by the TCM and ECM.

Suzuki will have been able to see any fault codes.

Anyway! I just have to nervously wait to see if I have just lost my 250,000 baht car!

My anxiety is through the roof!

I just have to hope that the Suzuki garage can obtain a new cable!

India would be an obvious choice, because the Maruti Suzuki is very popular car there.

Fingers and toes crossed, even though I can't actually cross my toes, because my peripheral neuropathy effects my feet and toes, which are numb and very painful!

Yes I can drive, even with numb feet and toes, but I take medication to relieve that, when I know when I need to use the car.

Sorry for rambling on.

I will know more when the garage contact me.

Thanks for your reply.

Removed a troll post and the reply to it.

Don't forget, you can use google translate app on your phone to communicate with these people in person

As above, if struggling with language, get their LINE and message them using G translate app.

I do not know how these things work here in Thailand. But to me, if the car is not that old, there must be a non-OEM part. Maybe the Suzuki shop won't or can not use non-OEM parts and just say there isn't one.

Does Suzuki have a head office in the country - with whom you can discuss the matter?

Alternatively retrieve the car from the main dealer and get around your local mechanic shops, if necessary hire an interpreter. They seem pretty good at keeping cars going, Thais only seem to scrap cars when they are smashed up beyond repair!

"I am at a loss to know that a Suzuki main dealer have no personel that can speak English!"

Well we are in Thailand, and people working in occupations like motor mechanic generally do not speak languages other than Thai (maybe Lao if they are in Isan). Nobody at the main Toyota dealer where I live can speak English but I just use a translator app on my phone whenever I take my car for service or an repairs. Works fine.

i would think its this part 'transmission Bushing Suzuki CIAZ / Swift etc' see here - https://shopee.co.th/product/283721754/21908408149?

8 hours ago, Terry2905 said:

My own thoughts that it was most likely to be a broken gear selector cable.

As per the post above mine, that is the most likely part that needs replacing, but Suzuki will want to replace the entire cable.

If you are in Pattaya go to Ood garage, next to the Esso gas station on Sukhumvit Pattaya Thai and he will have that part for you.
I had the same issue with my Navara, cost was 350 baht from memory.

You still can drive the car, just go under the car and manually put the car in gear moving the lever at the gearbox.

I once had a similar problem on my Isuzu D-Max - a broken gear selector cable. The dealers aren't far away, they sent someone who jury-rigged it, I think with cable ties, which kept us going for a day or two until they had the part.

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

i would think its this part 'transmission Bushing Suzuki CIAZ / Swift etc' see here - https://shopee.co.th/product/283721754/21908408149?

The OP mentions a cable, not a bush.

1 minute ago, Eff1n2ret said:

I once had a similar problem on my Isuzu D-Max - a broken gear selector cable. The dealers aren't far away, they sent someone who jury-rigged it, I think with cable ties, which kept us going for a day or two until they had the part.

Similar in that you broke a cable.

Not similar in that you were able to easy buy a replacement part!

Use Chatgpt for language translation.

I find that Google translate to be inaccurate, especially with technical terms.

Hope you get a successful result 🤞

I would also question why they could not have towed it to a local dealer - I would imagine a city the size of Pattaya would have a Susuki dealer or repair agent - might be worth having a meaningful discussion with AXA?

20 minutes ago, JAG said:

I would also question why they could not have towed it to a local dealer - I would imagine a city the size of Pattaya would have a Susuki dealer or repair agent - might be worth having a meaningful discussion with AXA?

They certainly used to, opposite Big C Pattaya Tai. Although that one is now a Benz shop.

13 minutes ago, JAG said:

I would also question why they could not have towed it to a local dealer - I would imagine a city the size of Pattaya would have a Susuki dealer or repair agent - might be worth having a meaningful discussion with AXA?

Suzuki is one of the smallest car dealers in TH, and there is only one dealer, service shop in Chon Buri province, and it's not in Pattaya. Even closed production factory at Rayong.

Suzuki, as other legacy auto makers from JP have downsized their operation in TH, since the arrival of EV from CN. Hoping to up the service centers to 95, and considering there's 76 province + Krung Thep, shows that's pretty scarce coverage.

2 hours ago, CallumWK said:

As per the post above mine, that is the most likely part that needs replacing, but Suzuki will want to replace the entire cable.

If you are in Pattaya go to Ood garage, next to the Esso gas station on Sukhumvit Pattaya Thai and he will have that part for you.
I had the same issue with my Navara, cost was 350 baht from memory.

You still can drive the car, just go under the car and manually put the car in gear moving the lever at the gearbox.

He has peripheral neuropathy. Not physically advisable to do this.

In respect to the car part, aren't there salvage yards, where vehicles are laid to rest to be recycled? Can't a used part be found as a hold over until a replacement part is eventually found? I am not a mechanical specialist and this is just me thinking aloud.

13 hours ago, Terry2905 said:

Hi everyone.

Posting this late at night, because I can't sleep due to extreme anxiety!

My Suzuki Ciaz suffered from a mechanical breakdown, namely it got stuck in reverse gear. The gear selector would move, but it would not select any other gears, and the dash only displayed R.

I have comprehensive insurance with AXA, which included free roadside assistance. I called them and they sent a pick up truck, and they took the car to their preferred garage. Unfortunately, the Suzuki garage staff don't speak English!

AXA spoke to them, explaining the issue.

I have received a call from the garage, but communication was almost impossible, but it appears to be a broken throttle cable?

I believe they asked me if I wanted them to order a new part, which I said yes to.

Now comes the worrying part! It appears that a replacement throttle cable is unavailable, so the car can't be repaired!

Now I am only guessing that the Suzuki garage would be able to scrap the car, but I have no idea about paperwork requirements, or how much I would be offered?

I am also guessing that AXA would not pay anything, as it was not accident related!

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

Terry

If you want, I will have my wife call the dealership and see what part is needed and how to obtain it. I would need the dealership telephone number and your name. You could send a private message with the above info.

3 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

The OP mentions a cable, not a bush.

the bush is where the cable connects to the gear selector, main dealers will only sell the complete cable and not a repair item, I had the same with a Nissan, main dealer replaced the whole cable, 1500thb, i bought a repair bush from Shopee as a spare, less than 100thb, i made a temp repair with a cable tie to drive to main dealer, i would think the suzuki will be a similar set up.

18 minutes ago, steve187 said:

the bush is where the cable connects to the gear selector, main dealers will only sell the complete cable and not a repair item, I had the same with a Nissan, main dealer replaced the whole cable, 1500thb, i bought a repair bush from Shopee as a spare, less than 100thb, i made a temp repair with a cable tie to drive to main dealer, i would think the suzuki will be a similar set up.

Yes exactly what I explained in my post. Nissan wanted 1600 something baht, Ood garage replaced it for 300 or 350.

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

He has peripheral neuropathy. Not physically advisable to do this.

Don't know where you get that silly comment from.

Everyone can put it in gear, as it only has to be done once, so maybe a relative who doesn't have peripheral neuropathy can do it for him.

Don't even have to climb under the car since the lever on the side of the gearbox can be reached by hand from the side of the car, unless you of course are a midget with short arms

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Suzuki is one of the smallest car dealers in TH, and there is only one dealer, service shop in Chon Buri province, and it's not in Pattaya. Even closed production factory at Rayong.

Suzuki, as other legacy auto makers from JP have downsized their operation in TH, since the arrival of EV from CN. Hoping to up the service centers to 95, and considering there's 76 province + Krung Thep, shows that's pretty scarce coverage.

Yes.

That is the garage that AXA has taken my car to.

Thanks

On 1/19/2026 at 2:06 AM, Terry2905 said:

Thanks for the very quick reply.

My own thoughts that it was most likely to be a broken gear selector cable.

But I know that the throttle cable is connected to the gearbox.

Of course I can only go on the information that the Suzuki main garage have told me.

I did have both AXA roadside assistance to translate, and the condo manager also helped.

I am at a loss to know that a Suzuki main dealer have no personel that can speak English!

I am also partially disabled with peripheral neuropathy, which made matters worse!

Even the pick up driver couldn't speak English.

It should have taken 30 minutes for him to come, which AXA had arranged, but I eventually found out that he went to the wrong address. I had to wait over 3 hours for him to arrive! Thanks to the condo owner, he eventually came!

I actually don't know which garage he has taken my car to!

All I know is that it is a Suzuki main dealer, about 150km away from Pattaya!

That of course makes things worse, because that is a long way away, and the taxi fare to where I assume it is, is about 1,500 baht!

3,000 baht round trip!

I would have liked to see the broken cable.

Of course I note your comments, about the common problems with the Suzuki CVT gear shift, but it seems that the throttle cable has 2 connections, 1 to the throttle and 1 to the gearbox, all monitored by the TCM and ECM.

Suzuki will have been able to see any fault codes.

Anyway! I just have to nervously wait to see if I have just lost my 250,000 baht car!

My anxiety is through the roof!

I just have to hope that the Suzuki garage can obtain a new cable!

India would be an obvious choice, because the Maruti Suzuki is very popular car there.

Fingers and toes crossed, even though I can't actually cross my toes, because my peripheral neuropathy effects my feet and toes, which are numb and very painful!

Yes I can drive, even with numb feet and toes, but I take medication to relieve that, when I know when I need to use the car.

Sorry for rambling on.

I will know more when the garage contact me.

Thanks for your reply.

I don’t think you should stress quite so much.

For sure a replacement part can be sourced. It might take a while to arrive, but Suzuki will be able to source it, even if it had to come from Japan! Which it won’t, Bangkok is the likely source.

I wonder if your insurance includes the provision for a hire car in the event that yours is off the road for a lengthy period. It would be worth while asking I think.

https://youtube.com/shorts/v_XxKEABuRk?si=TbM2BQQdevIDN2F9

First of all my suggest taking a deep breath and calming down look at the good side you have an accident nobody was hurt you’re alive you know where the car is or you’ll find out where the car is I would go to a local mechanic maybe the manager who speaks the language with assist you have a local mechanic check it out and these guys can Jimmy rig and fix almost everything to the point where then you could drive it to the dealership and let them fix it worse scenario trade it in I don’t know how many miles on it I don’t know how old it is and try not to buy your next vehicle if there’s no garages or dealers where you live it’s definitely not the end of the world if you’re retired worry about more important things it’s just a piece of metal TIT ✅

On 1/18/2026 at 6:16 PM, Terry2905 said:

Hi everyone.

Posting this late at night, because I can't sleep due to extreme anxiety!

My Suzuki Ciaz suffered from a mechanical breakdown, namely it got stuck in reverse gear. The gear selector would move, but it would not select any other gears, and the dash only displayed R.

I have comprehensive insurance with AXA, which included free roadside assistance. I called them and they sent a pick up truck, and they took the car to their preferred garage. Unfortunately, the Suzuki garage staff don't speak English!

AXA spoke to them, explaining the issue.

I have received a call from the garage, but communication was almost impossible, but it appears to be a broken throttle cable?

I believe they asked me if I wanted them to order a new part, which I said yes to.

Now comes the worrying part! It appears that a replacement throttle cable is unavailable, so the car can't be repaired!

Now I am only guessing that the Suzuki garage would be able to scrap the car, but I have no idea about paperwork requirements, or how much I would be offered?

I am also guessing that AXA would not pay anything, as it was not accident related!

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

Terry

I had same problem with my old Chrysler Jeep. Ask the garage to check if a second hand (used) cable is available.

2 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

I don’t think you should stress quite so much.

For sure a replacement part can be sourced. It might take a while to arrive, but Suzuki will be able to source it, even if it had to come from Japan! Which it won’t, Bangkok is the likely source.

I wonder if your insurance includes the provision for a hire car in the event that yours is off the road for a lengthy period. It would be worth while asking I think.

For sure a replacement part can be sourced. It might take a while to arrive, but Suzuki will be able to source it, even if it had to come from Japan! Which it won’t, Bangkok is the likely source......Yesssssss !!

Hi guys.

Thank you all for all your advice.

I have good news.

I eventually contacted the Suzuki head office, and they have told me that the new spare part has arrived at the garage, and the car will be fixed.

It may be today, but guaranteed by Friday.

Now to try and calm down, LOL!

Thanks again to all of you.

Terry

42 minutes ago, Terry2905 said:

Hi guys.

Thank you all for all your advice.

I have good news.

I eventually contacted the Suzuki head office, and they have told me that the new spare part has arrived at the garage, and the car will be fixed.

It may be today, but guaranteed by Friday.

Now to try and calm down, LOL!

Thanks again to all of you.

Terry

Glad it’s all worked out. These things usually do.