A class action law firm is investigating a vehicle manufacturer over concerns 90,000 vehicles have been sold with defects.

A class action law firm is investigating vehicle manufacturer Isuzu over concerns an estimated 90,000 utes on Australian roads could have defects.

Bannister Law is calling for owners of the Isuzu D-Max 4x4 and Isuzu Mu-X 4x4, sold by Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd, to come forward.

Their inquiry concerns the vehicles’ inner guards in the engine bay, with customers experiencing cracking that was costly to fix. Customers have also had issues with the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).

The firm believes roughly 90,000 of the vehicles have been sold between 2017 and 2021.

It first came to their attention when dad-of-one William* found himself thousands of dollars out of pocket and months without a working vehicle.

“I’ve spent $65,000 on a car that’s cost $20,000 to repair in five years,” the Isuzu D-MAX owner told news.com.au.

“The car has been off the road for four months in that five years [because of repairs].”

William, 36, provided an engineer’s report that concluded the issues had arisen from a manufacturing defect, however he claims Isuzu refused to compensate him.

Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd has denied there are any widespread issues with its vehicles.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Isuzu UTE Australia has not been approached regarding any potential class action law suits,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.

“We are not in a position to comment further on that, however if a customer has any concerns we encourage them to contact either their local Dealer or Isuzu UTE Customer Relations as soon as possible.”

William and his partner wanted a sturdy vehicle while travelling around the Northern Territory working as arborists with their one-year-old and thought the Isuzu was the perfect fit. They live elsewhere in Australia.

In 2017, they forked out $65,000 for the car but by 2020, he had noticed deep cracks in the engine’s inner guards.

Isuzu said it wasn’t an issue covered by warranty as the cracks were the result of accessories on the car, including a bull bar and suspension upgrades.

However, William claims the cracks showed up before modifications were made to the car.

A year later, after the cracks had been welded shut, they reappeared.

“We wanted to buy a new car to avoid exactly this,” William lamented.

In all, he had to shell out $9,722 to mechanics to fix the problem.

“We were sort of stranded without a car with a baby in the middle of the Northern Territory, for a month or something while it was fixed.

“Isuzu said to me ‘if you think it’s dangerous, don’t drive it.’

“We asked Isuzu if they’d pay for our accommodation.”

Not only did the car company not cover those costs, but a year later, in March this year, the couple started experiencing more issues from the vehicle’s Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).

The DPF needed to be replaced which cost $8,770.

In total, his family have been left $18,500 out of pocket.

“It was out of my savings for my house, I don’t have a house deposit anymore,” William said.

“I can’t sell it [the car] to someone privately because they might go through this nightmare again.

“I don’t want a phone call in six months saying ‘what have you sold me?’”

He also paid $1600 for an independent engineer to investigate the cracks and he claims their findings confirmed his suspicions – that it was a design flaw.

“The subject vehicle has not been used excessively, and has been used within the constraints of its design, in its four-year life,” the report, from 2021, stated.

“The fitment of the aftermarket bullbar and winch attached to the chassis should not factor in to the premature failure [of] any components of the vehicle.

“The most likely root cause of the cracks is a fatigue type failure.

“These cracks may develop under normal service conditions due to inadequate section design that cannot withstand the service loads.”

The findings have left William fuming and wanting to become involved in a class action.

“My thing is they sold us a product that wasn’t fit for purpose,” he said.

The law firm says it has found several other vehicle owners experiencing the same problems but is calling for more affected customers to share their experiences.

“Bannister Law Class Actions is currently investigating,” a spokesperson said in a statement to news.com.au.

“The cracking issue might be recurring after the crack has been fixed once.

“Cracks may show up within an engine bay other than inner guards such as near a VIN plate or suspension towers.

“Furthermore, DPF issues can be seen in several vehicle makes and models of diesel cars.

“Bannister Law Class Actions is wanting to hear from owners who have or are facing these issues and to understand the losses that they are incurring as a result.

“All information provided by you will assist investigations which will help determine what remedies may be available to affected owners.”

Bannister Law won the recent class action against Toyota for similar DPF issues.

*Last name withheld over privacy concerns

The world’s richest person has revealed his car company Tesla sold around 75 per cent of its cryptocurrency after the market crashed.

The consequences of relying on China for one crucial industry has been exposed as Australia and the US vow to challenge its dominance.

Environmental experts say ditching gas is the new way to save both the earth and you bills. But if you don’t have solar, you’ll be losing big.