Popular ute and 4WD hit with urgent safety recall

Isuzu has issued a massive safety recall for about 150,000 vehicles in Australia.

Two recall notices posted by the Federal Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts said the D-Max ute and MU-X 4WD were affected.

The first recall notice is for 149,049 D-Max and MU-X vehicles built between 2020 and 2024. 

The issue is caused by a software issue in the engine control module that may incorrectly reduce the engine speed. If this occurs the engine may stall.

If a vehicle loses power while driving it could increase the risk of serious accident or death according to the government documents.

An Isuzu Australia spokesperson said: “Isuzu Motors Limited have identified a rare condition-based scenario relating to the engine control module (ECM) software controlling the fuel pump which may result in a decrease in engine output or rpm across a number of 21MY-onwards D-MAX and MU-X models fitted with the 3.0-litre 4JJ3-TCX engine.

“While a very small number of cases have been reported, as a proactive precaution, 149,048 vehicles have been flagged for the ECM software update.

“Affected owners will be contacted in writing by IUA to have their vehicle inspected at their local Isuzu UTE Dealer, where the engine control module software will be updated, free of charge.”

The second recall notice is for the 36,966 D-Max utes built between 2020 and 2023, which means some vehicles will need to have two serious issues fixed.

Affected vehicles may have an incorrectly installed fuel delivery hose that may wear prematurely. This could cause a fuel leak, which could result in a vehicle fire.

This could increase the risk of serious injury or death and damage to property according to the recall notice.

Affected owners will be contacted in writing by Isuzu asking them to schedule an appointment for the fuel hose to be inspected and replaced free of charge.

The Isuzu D-Max ute and MU-X 4WD are both extremely popular vehicles in Australia.

Sales of the D-Max are up about 15 per cent so far this year and the MU-X is up more than 37 per cent.