Current generation owners Isuzu D-Max ute and MU-X SUV – and related ones Mazda BT-50 ute – are encouraged to join a potential class action lawsuit seeking damages over a widely shared suspension error.
Law firm Chamberlains is currently accepting expressions of interest from D-Max, MU-X and BT-50 owners who wish to take part in a potential class action against Isuzu and Mazda over their alleged failure to address an excessive tire wear problem.
Since the three models launched in Australia in 2020, owners have complained about excessive “bump steering,” which occurs when the vehicle hits a bump in the road and its front wheels steer themselves without driver input.
The result can be excessive, uneven tire wear. The problem is exacerbated when the vehicle’s ride height is increased, as is common practice in the off-road community.
Last month, Isuzu and Mazda announced the introduction of free steering alignment to fix the problem. The former even went so far as to replace tires with premature and uneven wear due to bump steering on a case-by-case basis.
However, according to the firm leading the potential class action lawsuit, this adjustment is not enough because owners may have forgone replacement tires and suffered a reduction in their vehicle’s resale value.
The law firm claims that “Isuzu or Mazda have not offered a permanent solution to this issue” despite it having been “evident for a number of years.”
Several aftermarket companies have developed replacement steering knuckle kits for the D-Max, MU-X and BT-50 to reduce the effects of bump steer. However, these can cost around $1,200 before installation.
Isuzu introduced the steering alignment change in the new D-Max and MU-X vehicles between November 2023 and January 2024, with all examples sold since then benefiting from the adjustment.
Mazda Australia hasn’t confirmed a timeline for the BT-50, but it will be exported from the same factory in Thailand, so it’s understood the fix was rolled out around the same time frame.
Before the repair was completed, about 75,000 examples of the current generation Isuzu D-Max were sold, as well as about 35,000 MU-Xs and about 45,000 BT-50s.
CarExpert has contacted both Isuzu Ute Australia and Mazda Australia regarding the proposed class action lawsuit.
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