Navistar recalls nearly 3,000 International LT trucks

Navistar is recalling certain International LT trucks after discovering an issue with the battery cables.

Specifically, Navistar is issuing a recall for more than 2,800 International LT trucks model year 2018-23 equipped with a 1500W Purkeys inverter system.

According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, the positive battery cable may be incorrectly routed, causing it to chafe on the side skirt frame and become damaged. A damaged battery cable can cause an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Navistar says it will notify owners of affected International LT trucks. Dealers will replace damaged battery cables and install new inverter cable brackets and saddles, free of charge. Navistar plans to send out notification letters around May 16.

For questions about the International LT recall, call Navistar’s customer service at 800-448-7825 with recall number 22507. NHTSA’s number for this recall is 22V-164.

Navistar discovered the issue on Feb. 18, when it received a message of a fire event involving an International LT. Although nearly 3,000 trucks may have the battery defect, Navistar expects only about 18% of them have defective battery cables.

This is not the first time Navistar has experienced an issue with battery cables. In February 2021, Navistar recalled more than 27,000 International LT and LoneStar trucks regarding battery cables. In those trucks, the battery ground cable ring terminal at the frame connecting point may break, resulting in a loss of electrical power and unintended engine shutdown without warning.  LL