2021 International Lt Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 International Lt, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- 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.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .