Summary
The Isuzu FTR has 14 recalls covering 2018 through 2025 model years, with the most serious recent issue affecting 2025 models where tie rod ball studs can break and cause a complete loss of steering control. The 2022 model year has three separate concerns: certain trucks equipped with Allison 2500RDS transmissions are missing the parking pawl entirely, meaning the vehicle has nothing to hold it in place when shifted to park and can roll away freely; the electric fuel heater can overheat, melt its housing, leak fuel into the electrical connector, and create a fire risk; and a software error in the engine computer removes engine braking, leaving drivers with longer stopping distances than expected on downhill grades or when slowing quickly.
On 2018-2021 models, a bolt on the left front steering knuckle can come loose and expand the turning radius to the left, making sharp left turns difficult or unpredictable. Those same years also have a starter motor ground cable that can break at its attachment eyelet; if a driver repeatedly tries to start the vehicle after the cable fails, electricity routes through the power steering hose braid, which can heat the hose enough to rupture it. The 2018-2020 models have a chassis wire harness that can chafe against the leaf spring hanger bracket, potentially causing the engine to stall, reducing anti-lock brake function, or creating a short circuit that can start a fire.
The 2018-2019 models share a cab tilt-lock warning issue: after servicing, the cab may not adequately signal that its locking lever is unsecured, and an unlatched cab can tilt forward while driving.
The 2018 model year alone carries several additional issues. The left front steering stopper bolt jam nut can back out and widen the left-turn radius, a problem addressed through multiple filings. The front stabilizer bar brackets can break and allow the stabilizer bar to detach, putting road debris in the path of other vehicles. There is also a wire harness routing concern specific to 2018 trucks where contact with the leaf spring bracket can cause engine stall, anti-lock brake faults, or a short circuit.
