RoadVitals

2021 International Lt

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Mar 30, 2023
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
13
Latest Nov 25, 2025
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
2 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 International Lt, most frequently naming the body & structure, brakes and driver assistance categories. 13 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 196 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Body & structure120.0%
  • Brakes120.0%
  • Driver assistance120.0%
  • Engine120.0%
  • Fuel system120.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

13 campaigns cover this model year

View all 13

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
25V817000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE; SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Nov 25, 2025
678 units potentially affected
The defect: International Motors, LLC (International) is recalling certain 2016 7600, 2016-2023 Lonestar, 2018 8600, 2018-2023 LT, 2021-2026 MV, 2022-2023 RH, 2023-2026 HX, and 2025-2026 HV vehicles. Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop working.
The risk: Safety systems that depend on the ECU, such as Automatic Traction Control, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Active Cruise Control, and Collison Mitigation System, may have diminished or lost functionality, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: International will work with Bendix to reprogram the ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2026. Owners may contact International's customer service at 1-800-448-7825. International's number for this recall is 25525. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 12, 2026.
International Motors, LLCManufacturer number 25525View on NHTSA.gov
24V818000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE; SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Oct 31, 2024
105,276 units potentially affected
The defect: International Motors, LLC (International) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Lonestar, 2021-2025 RH, HV, MV, LT, HX, and 2022 PROSTAR vehicles, equipped with Bendix EC80 Advanced Electronic Control Units (ECU). Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop working.
The risk: Safety systems that depend on the ECU (Automatic Traction Control, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Active Cruise Control, and Collison Mitigation System) may have diminished or lost functionality, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: International will work with Bendix to reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2024. Owners may contact International customer service at 1-800-448-7825. International's number for this recall is 24515.
International Motors, LLCManufacturer number 24515View on NHTSA.gov
23V370000

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT

May 25, 2023
59,684 units potentially affected
The defect: Navistar, Inc. (Navistar) is recalling certain 2021-2024 International HV, HX, LoneStar, LT, MV, eMV, and RH trucks, and IC Bus CE, 2021-2023 IC Bus RE, and 2022-2023 IC Bus TC Commercial Buses. The anti-lock brake system (ABS) indicator light does not remain illuminated when a malfunction exists, and when the vehicle's ignition switch is on, and the vehicle is in motion. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
The risk: An ABS indicator light that fails to remain illuminated will not alert the driver of an ABS malfunction, which could increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Towing variant vehicles under this campaign will not be repaired under recall 24V-8918. Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Navistar's customer service at 1-800-448-7825. Navistar's number for this recall is 23515.
Navistar, Inc.Manufacturer number 23515View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Mar 30, 2023
Crash reported1 injury reported

The brake assist malfunctioned causing the brakes to abruptly stop without cause or warning. When the braking system abruptly stopped it caused a jack knife and lost of a trailer on a congested highway with vehicles in all lanes, I was able to finally get control of the tractor with out causing contact or injury with other vehicles and the rear trailer broke free and rolled back and landed in the grass that divided the highways. I injured myself and had to have surgery. The tractor was taken to a shop 4 days after the accident. They found that the module for abs ec80 had blocked radar and data link faults for camera, radar & camera was not properly installed. Rush truck center told the company that they needed to drive tractor on a long drive to recreate issues, but the company denied to go forward and picked the tractor up.

NHTSA ID
11514699
Incident
May 25, 2022
Body & structureEngineFuel system
Filed Dec 3, 2021
1 injury reported

I drive tractor trailer for JB Hunt. Over the last 4 Years, the three trucks I have been assigned to have had exhaust leaks that vented into the cab. One was a Freightliner (approx 2017 model), and two have been Internationals. These exhaust leaks caused me medical problems, requiring that I take off time unscheduled. The last three trucks I have been assigned to have had exhaust leaks into the cab. Some leaks I only found with a thermal camera. The exhaust leaks are not the main problem. The problem is that design of these trucks cause any leaking engine gases to be pushed into the cab of the truck, mostly through the air conditioning/heater vents. I have tested this. I zip tied a can of orange air freshener under the hood. The can was positioned in such a way as to point away from the air intake box, toward the back of the engine. When driving at highway speed, the orange air freshener was very strong coming into the cab from the a/c vents. The truck is supposed to be getting the fresh air from outside the truck, and forward of where the air freshener was spraying. I originally thought the only problem was that the cabin air intake box is located under the hood, in immediate proximity to all of the leaks. This in itself is a poor design. Even with duct tape over the openings into the cabin air box, any gases (or air freshener) is immediately pulled into the cab through the a/c and heat. I have no idea how this occurs. The design of the trucks allows any leaking gases under the hood to come directly into the cab. This applies to Freightliners and Internationals. They have the same basic design, and by experience I can say that both perform the same way. The hoods on both truck makes are designed with dedicated pathways to provide pure outside air for the intake of the ENGINE. The air provided to the driver comes from an unsealed airbox located under the hood. The main problem is not the leaks but that they get vented into the driver's cabin. The engine crankcase ventilation pours large volume

NHTSA ID
11442614
Incident
Oct 14, 2021

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

IK1201526

ENGINE

This document will guide the user through the parts and information related to A26B resonator removal and EGR cross-over tube installation.

IK0800560

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This document will guide the user through the changes of the dielectric grease/coatings used in certain areas on all International vehicles built after 1/8/2018. International's Electrical Engineering Team made this change to improve the longevity of the OEM coatings and to improve applications at the factory.

26101

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Certain International® trucks and IC BusTM CE Series buses may have out of date BCM programing that may cause erroneous fault codes after a vehicle sits for 2 or 3 days.

IK1201516

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This document will guide the user through parts information and installation instructions for the IMP Isolation Kit.

IK2600255

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This document provides guidance for assessing the feasibility of implementing a customer-requested change to an engine or vehicle parameter/feature. Customer requested changes will be approved in accordance with the requirements specified in 40 CFR Part 1037 to ensure continued compliance with greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations.

IK2600298

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

This document enables technicians to: 1. Accurately identify International® A26A engine control systems. 2. Understand the programming intricacies related to these systems. 3. Perform programming tasks independently without needing technical support.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

International Lt by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027010—
2026040—
20251100—
2024380—
20231120—
2022270—
2021Viewing2130—
2020290—
20192180—
20183170—
2017060—
2016050—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.