Isuzu D-Max rear suspension recall: 80% of vehicles yet to be fixed
The Japanese ute brand has so far replaced the rear leaf springs in 20 per cent of the 4000 vehicles affected.
Isuzu Ute Australia says there have so far been four reported cases of faulty leaf springs showing “symptoms” of a defect that could lead to a fracture and collapse of the rear suspension.
However, no actual suspension failures have been reported locally and Isuzu says it has replaced the rear leaf springs in 20 per cent of the approximately 4000 D-Max utes caught in the global recall during the first four weeks of the campaign.
Isuzu hopes to have the suspension in the remaining 80 per cent of vehicles fixed over the next four months, depending on customer response rates.
In early 2018, Isuzu controversially switched from a five-leaf rear suspension to a three-leaf set-up on certain models in the D-Max ute range in an attempt to smooth out the ride comfort over bumps.
At the time, experts queried how well the three-leaf design could handle a load.
It turns out the three-leaf suspension can in fact handle a decent load but unfortunately for Isuzu it was caught out with a manufacturing defect that impacted 10 months of vehicle production out of the Thailand factory.
The recall affects current model D-Max vehicles built between 27 January 2018 and 16 October 2018. Any owners of vehicles built or bought in this period should contact their Isuzu dealer to see if their vehicle is affected.
There is also a vehicle identifier (VIN) checklist here.
A statement on the Federal Government recall website says: “The rear leaf spring may fracture due to an insufficient diameter of the front eye.
If the rear leaf spring fractures, the parking brake cable may unintentionally be applied due to the rear axle being unsupported on the failed side. This could cause an accident and injury to occupants of the vehicle and other road users.”
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