The brakes remain slammed on Suzuki Jimny XL deliveries as an unspecified problem is worked through – and customers unwilling to wait can get their deposit back.
Suzuki dealers have been told to refund Jimny XL orders "where appropriate" as a stop-sale notice due to an unspecified problem remains in place for the popular five-door four-wheel-drive.
There remains no update on the nature of the issue, nor when a fix will be found that will allow order books to re-open, and deliveries to resume.
However, the Suzuki factory in India has not indicated it is a safety issue that requires existing Jimny XL owners to stop driving their vehicles, Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota told Drive.
Jimny XL sales were paused late last month due to "an issue that is being investigated in current Jimny 5-Door vehicles that are either in dealer stock or in our warehouse Suzuki Auto Co stocks," dealers were told.
Suzuki Australia has this week advised dealers to "proactively cancel existing Jimny XL orders" and return deposits "where appropriate," given its "experience with similar matters in the past," and "the uncertainty surrounding the timeframe for resolution".
It is not a mandate to cancel orders, however, and Suzuki has asked dealers to pass on the details of customers who wish to remain in the queue so it can share "direct updates" and additional information.
Pachota told Drive the bulletin issued to dealers this week is "simply an update ... that we still have no news on the current stop sell of the Jimny XL."
"[We have] no update on the investigation from SMC [Suzuki Motor Corporation in Japan] and/or the timeline [for a fix].
"Considering the uncertainty surrounding the timeframe for resolution and based on our experience of similar matters in the past, we recommend the dealers cancel existing Jimny XL orders and return customer deposits where appropriate.
"I believe this is the most transparent and customer-centric course of action at this time and the best thing to do for our customers that are waiting on delivery of their new Jimny XL."
He said Suzuki has not advised the nature of the issue to its Australian division, but that there has been no indication it is a safety-related problem that would require existing owners to stop driving their vehicle.
The stop-sale notice applies to the only Suzuki Jimny still actively on sale in Australia, the five-door XL, which is manufactured in India.
Production of the Japanese-built three-door is on hiatus, as the current model fell foul of mandates for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology in force in Australia from March 2025.
Stock imported and complied with local rules before the end of February – and left in dealers – can still be delivered, ahead of an updated, safety-boosted three-door's arrival in early 2026.
It is forecast that existing three-door stock will run out before the new version arrives.
The five-door XL is not affected by the safety pause, as it is already fitted with more advanced AEB cameras that meet the new standards.
Suzuki has reported 4921 Jimny 4WDs as sold so far this year, down 8.9 per cent on the prior year – unlikely helped by the three-door production pause, nor the five-door stop-sale.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
