Isuzu quickly came to prominence in the automotive world for its excellent diesel engines and stout cab-over trucks. Unfortunately, quite a few of the Japanese manufacturer's commercial vehicles have been hit with a recall in the United States, including a number of Chevrolet LCFs.
General Motors and Isuzu go a long way back, with the Isuzu Faster-based Chevrolet LUV of the 1970s coming to mind. Ranging from the 3500 through 7500 series, the Chevrolet Low Cab Forward is technically similar to the Isuzu N-Series haulers.
To understand how close Isuzu and GM are in the realm of commercial vehicles, let's say that LCF and N-Series trucks share GM's 6.6-liter small block. Codenamed L8T, said free-breathing V8 is the only fifth-generation small block to feature an iron block compared to lighter aluminum alloy for all others.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, no fewer than 2,891 units of the Isuzu FTR, heavier-duty FVR, and Chevrolet LCF equipped with the Mobileye Collision Warning System are prone to experiencing overloaded electrical circuits due to an improperly routed Mobileye video camera cable.
Overloaded circuits may overheat, which – obviously enough – increases the risk of a fire. That's not all, though, because wiring damage may exacerbate things with a loss of collision system function, turn signals, and/or hazard lights. Affected vehicles were produced for the 2019 to 2024 model year from November 5, 2018 to January 29, 2024.
Supplied by New York-based Mobileye, the camera cable bears part number CAB000400. Said cable extends from the windshield-mounted camera to the driver-side A pillar. Said cable was installed in such a manner that allows the Mobileye camera cable to become damaged from the dash mounting bolts, steel dash support bracket, or the dashboard itself.
Photo: Chevrolet
In case of damage, the turn signal indicator wire may become grounded to the cab, therefore resulting in 15 amps of current flowing into this circuit. The heat buildup within two diodes of the T-harness under the driver side of the dashboard may result in diode failure, especially in case of continued operation of the turn signals or hazards.
Isuzu highlights that both diodes can become hot enough to ignite the aforementioned T-harness, which is dubbed 8975421250 in the Japanese automaker's parts system. The question is, how did Isuzu mess up the routing of the camera cable? As per the report attached below, "some workers invertedly misrouted the cable" during the Mobileye camera's installation.
It goes without saying that dealers – both Isuzu and Chevrolet – have been instructed to inspect the cable for damage. In this case, dealers will remove the camera cable and T-harness, then reroute the cable in a much safer way. If there's no damage to speak of, service techs have to reroute the cable.
Owners will be notified by first-class mail in the period between March 29 and June 27. In case the 17-character VIN checks out as being recalled on the NHTSA's website, owners are recommended to get in touch with Isuzu Customer Relations or the GM Medium Duty Truck division's assistance line.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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