Owners have filed 25 complaints on the Isuzu NPR, covering 1991–2020. The system named most often is Steering (5 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 1997, 2008; cleanest: 1991, 1993, 1994. 3 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 6.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Isuzu NPR
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 25 NPR complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 5 Read
The truck has what is called a "death wobble". At speeds over 55 mph the truck will shake violently until it is slowed to 15 to 20 mph. The dealer acts as if he has never heard of it but the internet is full of incidences and reports. We have two of the trucks and it is the same on both trucks
While driving at highway speed, if you hit a pothole or seam in a certain way it sets in motion what we call the "death wobble" -- an uncontrollable, violent shaking of the front end that can only be stopped by slowing down dramatically (usually below 30 mph). It feels like some sort of mechanical harmonic feedback…
Driving vehicle over 50-55 mph vehicle randomly starts to violently shake (front end) until it is slowed to approximately 25-30 mph. Usually triggered by potholes or road joints
Power Train 4 Read
Truck lost power suddenly while driving. As the gas pedal applied, the truck stalled and kicked back to the low RPM. Vehicle now can only drive at 20mph max speed. Local auto repair shop retrieved the hard code to be the throttle position sensor problem. Call the isuzu npr dealership for parts, but none is available…
The contact owns a 2008 isuzu npr . While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate abnormally. The contact applied pressure to the accelerator pedal but the vehicle continued to decelerate. After shutting the vehicle off and restarting, the vehicle would drive normally. The failure recurred…
While driving noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Stopped & looked under the hood and saw transmission leaking. Called tow truck, at dealer's & was informed transmission had burned out & needs to be replaced
Service Brakes 3 Read
Vacuum pump on the motor that supplies vacuum to the brake booster. We have replaced this pump (Isuzu PART #: 97241035) on this vehicle 3 times in less than a week. These parts were Isuzu brand and the exact part number for our VIN and application. Went to hit the brakes, the brakes were not working and extremely hard…
The contact was the driver of a 2007 Isuzu NPR for work. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the brakes failed to function as intended. The brake booster warning light was illuminated, and the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle eventually came to a stop at a busy…
Fan clutch has gone out two times already. Isuzu told us in 98 that the fan clutch was defective and a new style was to be built. In feb of 1999 they finally can out with a new model. Time will tell if it was a new model of another lie. We also have a problem with the ABS brake warning cable being worn through causing…
Structure 3 Read
The latch that helps hold the cab in place (the cab flips to get to the engine) has popped a couple of times while driving. The cab stayed in place but it is disconcerting to hear about one of the pieces that holds the cab in place popping
The contact owns a 2006 isuzu npr. The contact stated that the frame rail was rusted. The contact pressure washed and primed the frame. While driving at an unknown speed, the brake line went over the frame rail on the front passenger side tire and caused the brake pedal to travel to the floor. The failure occurred…
City of tempe arizona is forcing vehicle owners to reduce the overall length of their vehicle (21 feet) to park at their homes. The most economical way to comply is to chop in the middle to keep the tow arrangement which weakens the strength and integrity of the metal causing a hazard for the public. This includes…
Tires 3 Read
The contact owns a 2006 isuzu npr truck. The original tires on the vehicle were bridgestone radial tires. The tire size was 215/85/r16e, model number m779. The tires should not be more than 2 years old. The tire years were 2001, 2003 and 2005. He was aware of the safety risk issue involved with the aged tires on new…
Both front tires had wavy and bumpy sidewalls just prior to the left front tire exploding after driver had stopped the truck and was making a delivery.*ak (tiresize: p23585r16)( DOT number: tire size: p23585r16 )
Back left outboard tire delaminated entire tread came off 0n 8\30\99.... Both of the back left tires replaced... On 9\16\00 back right outboard tire delaminated ... Considerable amount of damage done to spray piping.. Replaced all of the 4 remaining tires. Failures were reported to the dealer. Was assured that…
Fuel System 1 Read
Fuel tank rusted from the inside ,destroyed tank fuel lines and fuel injectors .this is a well known problem to them .it should be a recall
Fuel/propulsion System 1 Read
The contact owns a 2006 isuzu npr. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a fuel leak. Upon inspection, the contact noticed extreme corrosion underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed nor repaired. The contact associated his failure with NHTSA campaign number: 15V704000…
Suspension 1 Read
Isuzu truck ,npr wheel size is 19 inch whiches. This may be too big for the size of the truck, which causing it to veer to the left/right when going over a bump. This couuld cause a loss of vehicle control anda crash. Please provide further information
NPR years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Structure | — | — | |
| 2017 | Unknown Or Other,engine | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Service Brakes | 1 | — | |
| 2008 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2007 | Fuel System, Diesel | — | — | |
| 2006 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 1999 | Suspension | — | — | |
| 1998 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1997 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic,engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1996 | Steering | — | — | |
| 1995 | Equipment | — | — | |
| 1994 | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — | |
| 1993 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 1991 | Power Train | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 25 |
| Average complaints per series | 1 |
| Worst single series | 1 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.2 years |
A model average of 1 hides a worst series at 1. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the NPR?
By complaint volume, 2006, 1997, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which NPR years are the cleanest?
1991, 1993, 1994 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Isuzu NPR have?
25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1991–2020. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.