The brands behind three of Australia’s most popular tradie utes have found themselves in hot legal water over claims of faulty suspension systems.
Sydney-based Chamberlains Law Firm is seeking tradies to get involved in a lawsuit against Isuzu for the current generation of Isuzu’s D-Max (2019 to present) and MU-X (2020 to present) as well as the current generation of Mazda BT-50 (2020 to present).
The lawsuit focuses on a flaw in the front suspension design of the vehicles, which allegedly results in “bump steer”, leading to excessive and premature tyre wear.
According to a statement by firm, this factory fault has left thousands of ute owners constantly forking out hundreds of dollars to have their tyres rotated and replaced, and is suspected to have even impacted the resale value of the $30,000+ vehicles.
Despite coming from two separate car companies, Mazda’s BT-50 is a near identical twin to Isuzu’s D-Max ute, sharing many of the same design elements (and alleged faults).
Following an arrangement between the two companies in 2016, Isuzu manufactures the BT-50 in Thailand on behalf of Mazda, with both vehicles rocking identical front suspension components.
Chamberlains’ Special Counsel Michael Lalji said that despite the problem being widely known by both companies, “no permanent fix has been offered.”
However, Isuzu Ute Australia told reporters last month that they were offering customers free wheel alignments to rectify the alleged fault, and in some severe cases has replaced tyres at no cost to the owner.
The law firm claimed independent companies were also offering after-market replacement steering knuckles for the utes but at a cost of approximately $3,000 per vehicle.
Both the MU-X and D-Max posted record sales figures in Australia in 2023, with the latter crowned the country’s third most popular new motor vehicle after selling 31,000 units.
Isuzu was also the 10th highest-selling brand in the country last year, while Mazda took out the number two spot.
Chamberlains is encouraging tradies to join the class action against Isuzu and Mazda, with affected owners invited to contact the firm either through its website or via phone.
