2003 Isuzu Ascender: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2003 Isuzu Ascender. The newest campaign is 05V494000. NHTSA received the report on 27 Oct 2005. The NHTSA record gives the component Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch. NHTSA has 34 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 05V494000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install a seal along the lower part of the rocker panel to prevent intrusion of corrosive material, and inspect the rear side closure latches. Functional latches will be cleaned and lubricated. Non-functioning latches will be replaced. The recall began on february 24, 2006. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 388,225 units in total.

05V49400027 Oct 2005Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
05V1980005 May 2005Exterior Lighting / Turn Signal
04V0610004 Feb 2004Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer
03V26900021 Jul 2003Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual
03V2130005 Jun 2003Power Train / Automatic Transmission

05V494000Received 27 Oct 2005. 98,007 units.
Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain sport utility vehicles have a rear side closure latch that may not latch or unlatch due to corrosion caused by road splash, such as water and road salt. These vehicles were originally sold in or currently registered in the following states: connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the door is not latched properly and it goes unnoticed, it may open while the vehicle is in motion. If an unbelted occupant fell out of the vehicle, personal injuries could occur.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a seal along the lower part of the rocker panel to prevent intrusion of corrosive material, and inspect the rear side closure latches. Functional latches will be cleaned and lubricated. Non-functioning latches will be replaced. The recall began on february 24, 2006. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 05077. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Feb 2006.
05V198000Received 5 May 2005. 286,478 units.
Exterior Lighting / Turn Signal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain trucks and sport utility vehicles, the driver wishing to signal a turn by moving the directional signal lever, (up or down) may cause the front marker/turn lights and rear turn lights to flash in a manner similar to hazard warning, rather than flashing on the desired side only.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The driver may not be able to clearly signal their intentions to turn, change travel lanes, or potentially warn others of an impaired vehicle operating condition increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2005. Isuzu began mailing owner letters on august 4, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, buick at 1-866-608-8080, and oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 05044. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Aug 2005.
04V061000Received 4 Feb 2004. 439 units.
Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain sport utility vehicles have windshield wiper systems that will not turn on, cease operation while in use, fail to turn off/on by themselves (moisture sensitive wiper system), or have continuous windshield washer pump operation because the presence of water within the wiper modules can either cause a short circuit or can lead to the corrosion of components within the module.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Depending on the occurrence and weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will repair the windshield wiper system assembly. The recall began on july 15, 2004. Owners should contact isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Report filed by ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jul 2004.
03V269000Received 21 Jul 2003. 3,290 units.
Equipment / Other / Owners/Service/Other Manual
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage system." the owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the lower universal anchorage system.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This does not comply with the standard.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with a supplement for their owner's manual. It describes and shows the location symbols for the child restraint anchors that are located in the vehicle. Owner notification began august 15, 2003. Owners should contact isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Report filed by ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Aug 2003.
03V213000Received 5 Jun 2003. 11 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles are equipped with a mechanical override that could allow the ignition key to be removed with the shift lever in a position other than park. In addition, these vehicles have an override that can allow the transmission to be shifted out of park with the ignition in the off position.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
These overrides are not permitted unless the vehicle has a locking steering column.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will eliminate these conditions by disabling the overrides. Owner notification began june 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Report filed by ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Jun 2003.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

34 complaints, 46 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2003 Isuzu Ascender: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Electrical System		11
Exterior Lighting		7
Power Train		5
Fuel System, Gasoline		5
Structure		3
Service Brakes, Hydraulic		2
Engine and Engine Cooling		2
Steering		2
Fuel System, Other		2
Seats		1

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 16.

Complaints that report a crash: 2
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 2
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 6 Sep 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Isuzu Ascender, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2005, with 8 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Isuzu Ascender
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
RQ17002	Recall query	Loss of Headlights	Exterior Lighting / Headlights	24 Apr 2017	29 Mar 2021
EA07009	Engineering analysis	FUEL PUMP MODULE LEAKS GASOLINE	Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump	10 Jul 2007	28 Aug 2008
EA04002	Engineering analysis	WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE	Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer	6 Jan 2004	10 Feb 2004	04V046000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

20035
20041
20051
20066
20074
20081

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Isuzu AscenderThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Isuzu Ascender: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/isuzu/ascender/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Isuzu Ascender?: 388,225 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Isuzu Ascender have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns for the Isuzu Ascender, model years 2003 to 2008. 5 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Isuzu Ascender name most often?: Electrical System: 11 of 46 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Isuzu Ascender open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.