The 2005 Isuzu Ascender has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 17,815 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 84 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
VISIBILITY05V0350002005-02-0317,815 affected
Defect
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, 'WINDSHIELD MOUNTING.' THE WINDSHIELD URETHANE BEAD MAY NOT HAVE ADHERED TO THE BODY IN CERTAIN AREAS DURING THE CURE PROCESS.
Consequence
IF A CRASH OCCURS, THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT BE RETAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO A VEHICLE OCCUPANT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 10, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
22
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
14
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
6
AIR BAGS
5
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
3
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM
3
POWER TRAIN
3
Total complaints84
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Driving at night on highway and my exterior lights will go completely off and only my high beams will come on but that's it. They'll come back on usually when I get to where I'm going and park the car but driving on the highway at night and all of the sudden your headlights go out is extremely…”
“Driving at night on highway and my exterior lights will go completely off and only my high beams will come on but that's it. They'll come back on usually when I get to where I'm going and park the car but driving on the highway at night and all of the sudden your headlights go out is extremely…”
“Smoke in the cabin, burning plastic/electrical smell, electrical connector failure, blower motor resistor pack interface connector electrical failure on 2005 isuzu ascender five (5) passenger vehicle”
“Letter from constituent regarding airbag in his 2005 isuzu ascender went off for no reason causing personal injuries. *ld the consumer stated the manufacturer and the dealer were aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was inspected, but the claim was denied due to the…”
“The lights go off while driving at night. It is the same problem as with the ascender 2006-2008 recall, but does not include the 2005. The hdm has gone out. It has happened several times in the past 4 months only to go out and not come back on this last time 03/01/2016. I should not have to pay to…”
“Vehicle's rear airbags deployed with out any cause. I was driving aprox. 5-8 mph turning into a parking lot and out of nowhere the vehicles air bags deployed without any warning. Upon the airbags deploying the seatbelts locked up completely.”
“I was driving our car ( 2005 isuzu ascender), having just exited the highway I was only going around 5- 8 mph when out of no where and with no reason the side, and rear airbags unexpectedly deployoed. There was no reason for them to have deployed, no accident, impact, bumps or anything. One minute…”
“Fuel gage fluxuates reading empty when full at start up and at speed.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationRQ17002 Opened 2017-04-24 · closed 2021-03-29
Loss of Headlights
The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 Isuzu Ascender as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.