Navistar and GM recall buses and trucks over risk of steering loss, vehicle instability

Lisle, IL – December 11, 2022 – Navistar, which owns the International brand, and General Motors, the owner of the Chevrolet brand, are recalling thousands of vehicles because parts of their suspension and steering mechanisms may break apart. This would lead to a loss of vehicle stability, increasing the risk of a crash and injury. The Chevrolet vehicles in question were manufactured by Navistar.

In total, Navistar is recalling 31,467 buses and trucks, including the following models: 

  • 2023 IC Bus 1300FBC
  • 2023 IC Bus CE
  • 2023 IC Bus RE
  • 2023 IC Bus TC
  • 2021 – 2022 International CV 
  • 2021 – 2023 International HV
  • 2023 International HX
  • 2023 International Lonestar
  • 2023 International LT
  • 2023 International MV
  • 2023 International RH

General Motors is recalling 5,861 heavy-duty trucks, including: 

  • 2021 – 2022 Chevrolet 4500HD
  • 2021 – 2022 Chevrolet 4500XD
  • 2021 – 2022 Chevrolet 5500HD
  • 2021 – 2022 Chevrolet 5500XD
  • 2022 Chevrolet 6500XD

Recall summary  

Parts of suspension and steering of the recalled vehicles were made with nuts that were not properly heat-treated when made due to a supplier error. Heat-treating these components is an essential part of the manufacturing process to ensure they can withstand the test of time and hold the vehicles’ joints together.

Because of the error, these nuts – called Navistar hex flange lock nuts – may break. This can lead to the “loss of tension” in both steering and suspension and make the vehicle unstable, difficult to control and hard or impossible to steer.

Recall risks

The defect significantly ups the risk of a crash and injury. No injuries or warranty claims have been reported by either manufacturer.

Warning signs 

Should one or more affected nuts fall apart, the driver could notice the steering and overall vehicle handling become less sharp and responsive. 

Safety tips 

If you notice a “loose feeling” when driving, pull off the road to the nearest safe location. If you cannot identify any obvious causes, such as, for instance, a flat tire, get the vehicle towed. 

Other Navistar recalls

This is not the first time Navistar is having steering issues with their vehicles. Back in June 2022, there was a Navistar school bus recall, because their steering wheels could have detached

More recently, in September 2022, a batch of heavy-duty Navistar International trucks was recalled because they may stall while driving.  

While there are no recent or large recalls regarding GM vehicles in question, in the past six months, the manufacturer recalled over 1.7 million vehicles. Read more about these GM recalls here.

The repair

To fix this Navistar suspension issue, dealers will replace all suspected nuts with those that are made correctly free of charge. 

Notifications to vehicle owners will be sent on January 20, 2023. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

More than 36,000 commercial vehicles are affected by this Navistar steering issues. To do a Navistar recall check and see if yours is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool

Bojan PopicNavistar and GM recall buses and trucks over risk of steering loss, vehicle instability