Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 52 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 52, in the owner's own words
THE ENGINE BLEW UP. I HAD THE OIL CHANGED AFTER THANKSGIVING 07. STARTED COLLEGE IN JAN. 08, SECOND WEEK IN TRAVILING DOWN ALONG HILL THE ENGINE BLEW UP. IT HAD ONLY BEEN 7 WEEKS SINCE LAST OIL CHANGE. *TR
COMING TO A STOP LIGHT WITH A SPEED OF 10 - 15 MILES, I START PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR, INSTEAD STOPPING THE RPM CAME DOWN TO 1000 AND SUDDENLY THE PEDAL DOES NOT GO DOWN AND IS NOT STOPPING AND STARTS ACCELERATING AND INCREASING THE SPEED AND RPM JUMPS TO OVER 8000. I LEFT THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO THE DEALER ( SHAVER AUTO CENTER ) SAN BERNARDINO, CA AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE MY STORY. ON OCTOBER 29, 2002, I DID SEND THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER, I PAID FOR THE TRANSPORTATION, I CALLED YOUR ORGANIZATION ( CLAIM # 2301038 OCT. 28, 2002 ) AND ISUZU AND I DECLINED TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR NOT INJURING MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE. IN ONE WEEK IT WAS A RECALL AND THE CAR WAS FIXED. (I HAVE A COPY OF THE TOWING COMPANY SIGNED BY THE DRIVER.) -TWO MONTH AGO, APRIL 2012, MY CAR HAS DONE ALMOST THE SAME THINK. ON JUNE 04, 2012, I DID EXPERIENCE THE SAME THINK AS IN 2000. I CALLED A DEALER AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO LIVE THE CAR OVER THERE TO SEE IF THEY COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IT COULD BE DUPLICATED OR ...MAYBE NEVER AGAIN, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THERE AND IS A BOMB READY TO EXPLODE. I CALLED YOUR OFFICE AND I RECEIVED A VERY DISTURBING COMMENTS AND VERY UNPROFESSIONAL REMARKS FROM; [XXX] AND SUPERVISOR [XXX] AND FINALLY I DID FILE A COMPLAIN. SINCE YOUR OFFICE WAS VERY ETHNIC AGAINST ME I DO NOT TRUST MY COMPLAIN WAS REGISTERED EVEN IF I HAVE RECEIVED A CLAIM NUMBER. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO WAIT 4-6 WEEKS TO RECEIVE YOUR FILE, TO LOOK OVER AND TO SEE WHAT ELSE I NEED TO ADD ON. IN THE MEAN TIME NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS WRONG AND NO ONE BELIEVES THAT ACCELERATION OF THE CAR IS UNSTOPPABLE AND COULD ENDANGER MY LIFE AND OTHER PEOPLE AROUND. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE SOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
AFTER ONLY HAVING MY RODEO FOR A FEW MONTHS MY ABS WENT BAD BUT IT WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE WARRANTY ENDED AND GAS GAUGE WOULD READ EMPTY BUT IT WAS FULL, NEXT I HAVE TO ADD OIL TO MY CAR EVERY TWO TO THREE DAYS BECAUSE IT BURNS OIL REALLY BAD NO LEAKAGE OR NOTHING LIKE THAT. NOW I HAVE STARTED ADDING ANTI-FREEZE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. THERE ARE MAJOR TRANMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR AND FROM READING THE INTERNET IT'S NOT JUST MY CAR IT'S ISUZU. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 ISUZU RODEO. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING BELT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM RECALL # 01I002000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE). THE CONTACT FELT THAT HIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 64,000.
THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM INDICATION LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION. CHECK THE MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE INTERNET AND YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE. ALSO THE EGR VALVE PROBLEM WHERE THE VEHICLE CLOGS WITH CARBON BUILD UP CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENLY AND THE VEHICLE STALLS OUT. THE PROBLEMS HAPPEN TO ENOUGH OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLES THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *NM
ON MY 1999 RODEO THE OIL DISAPPEARS IT WILL GO FOR LITTLE WHILE THEN NO OIL REGISTER ON STICK IT IS NOT BURNING OIL AND CAN'T FIND ANY LEAKS. I KNOW THIS IS PROBLEM IN MANY OF THESE . IT ALSO SEEMS AT TIMES THAT SOMETHING IS DRAGGING IN THE ENGINE AREA LIKE FAN OR SOMETHING. *JB
JAN 2004, I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND DROVE ABOUT 500 FT WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO OPERATE ROUGH. I TURNED AROUND TO GO BACK THE PARKING LOT AND WHITE SMOKE (STEAM I BELIEVE) WAS COMING FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE. THE ISUZU DEALER SHIP TOLD THE WARRANTY COMPANY THAT I HAD BEEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND THAT THE ONLY THING TO DO WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE. THE TEMP GAUGE HAS NEVER READ ABOVE MEDIAN RANGE. I HAD THE HEAD GASKET AND THERMOSTAT REPLACED BY MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE SAID THERE WAS NO REASON TO REPLACE THE ENGINE JUST THE GASKETS. NOW, I WAS SETTING IN TRAFFIC 11/2005 AND THE SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING. WHAT IS THE ISSUE WITH THE HEAD GASKET? ARE THEY DEFECTIVE? *JB
EXTREMELY EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION ON ISUZU RODEO 1999 MODEL. HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH ISUZU RODEO 2000 MODEL. FORTUNATELY I DONT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE 2000 MODEL ANY MORE AS IT HAS BEEN TOTALED BYT MY INSURANCE COMPANY DUE TO IMPROPER REPAIR AFTER A COLLISION IN MARCH OF 2005. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE 1999 ISUZU RODEO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM UNTIL MY SON WHO DROVE THE SUV BROUGHT IT BACK TO ME TWO WEEKS AGO, AS HE IS IN THE MILITARY AND IS DEPLOYING TO IRAQ. IT SEEMS THAT THE VEHICLE SPENT MORE TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP GETTING REPAIRED THAN BEING ON THE ROAD. MY SON ASKED ME TO GET RID OF IT AS HE IS TIRED DEALING WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAD. UPON HIS ARRIVAL I NOTICED THE CAR LOW ON OIL AND I ADDED TWO QUARTS. MY SON INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD JUST CHANGED OIL PRIOR LEAVING GRAND FORKS AFB IN ND AND DRIVING TO NORMAN, OK. AFTER DRIVING FOR 5 DAYS I CHECKED OIL LEVEL AND IT WAS AGAIN TWO QUARTS LOW, AFTER ONLY DRIVING 300 MILES. I THEN DECIDED TO INQUIRE ON THE WEB FOR SIMILAR INCIDENTS, AND I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE QUANTITY OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR ISUZUS. IN ADDITION, ONE OF MY CO-WORKERS ISUZU TROOPER ENGINE WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THE SAME PROBLEM IN 2004. I FOUND THIS SITE TROUGH SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR SIMILAR ISSUES. IN ADDITION I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY 2000 ISUZU AND HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT ISUZU IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT NO BULETIN OR RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED, AND THAT IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. I KEEP MY CARS WELL MAINTAINED, AND CHECK MY PCV AND EGR VALVES ON A REGULAR BASIS. I PERFORM MOST OF MY CAR MAINTENANCE MYSELF AND USE THE BEST PORDUCTS ON THE MARKET. WITH SO MANY OF US AFFECTED WITH THE SAME CONDITION ON OUR ISUZU'S IS ISUZU/GM GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR A BAD PRODUCT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE, OR ARE WE AS CONSUMERS HAVING TO PAY THE BILL FOR THEIR INFERIOR ENGINES INSTALLED IN THESE SUV'S. AVERY DISSATISFIED AND FRUSTRATED AND NEVER TO BE AGAIN ISUZU OWNER. JR
COMING BACK FROM OHIO, THE OIL LIGHT BRIEFLY WENT ON. THERE WAS NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER ASIDE FROM THE OIL LIGHT COMING ON FOR A FEW SECONDS THAT A BIG PROBLEM COMING UP. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A KNOCKING SOUND. WE TRY TO DRIVE IT TO A NEAREST GAS STATION TO GET IT CHECK OUT. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS SUNDAY AND NO MECHANIC WAS AVAILABLE. WE OIL CHANGE OUR VEHICLE EVERY 3-4K MILES SO WE HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE AN OIL PROBLEM. WE TRIED TO DRIVE IT BUT THE ENGINE JUST DIED ON US. THE CAR ONLY HAVE 66K MILES ON IT AND NOW THE CAR IS WORTHLESS.*JB
WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STARTED RIDING ROUGHLY AND HESITATED WHILE ACCELERATING. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, KNOW OF SEVERAL IZUZU RODEOS AND HONDA PASSPORTS THAT NEEDED THESE REPLACED!*AK
THE GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK ANY MORE AND THE REAR WIPER ALSO STOPPED WORKING. BOTH SEEM TO BE COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THE 1999 ISUZU RODEO LS. *AK
ENGINE DEFECT
1999 ISUZU RODEO: FUEL GUAGE FAILURE DUE TO PROBLEMATIC FUEL SENDING UNIT. THE FUEL GUAGE IS NOT FUNCTIONING. THE GUAGE READS EMPTY AFTER DRIVING LESS THAN 100 MILES ON A FULL TANK OF FUEL. AFTER DRIVING 30 MILES ON A FULL TANK, THE GUAGE SAYS HALF EMPTY. THE ENGINE ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFICULTLY STARTING 80% OF THE TIME. *JB
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, MY SUV (1999 ISUZU RODEO) BEGAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT NOISE AND LOST ALL ENGINE POWER IMMEDIATELY. AFTER BEING TOWED TO LOCAL MECHANIC, I WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN BLOWN BECAUSE OF A LACK OF OIL. DOCUMENTED RECORDS SHOW THAT 5 QUARTS WERE REPLACED 6 WEEKS AGO (2500 MILES). THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED REGULARLY APPROX EVERY 3000 MILES, EVEN THOUGH RECOMMENDATION FROM THE MANUFACTURE SUGGEST CHANGING EVERY 7500 MILES. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE RAPID OIL CONSUMPTION, AND THE MAJORITY OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY MILES. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT FROM THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE PRIOR TO DISASTER, NO HISTORY OF PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED RAPID OIL CONSUMPTION, AND NO INDICATION OF AN OIL LEAK. ESTIMATES HAVE RANGED FROM $6000-$8500 FOR A REFURBISHED OR NEW ENGINE. THIS IS A LEASED VEHICLE WITH APPROX. 81000 MILES AND NOT COVERED BY A WARRANTY ANY LONGER. FROM RESEARCHING ON THE WEB AND THIS SITE, THIS APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON INCIDENT. I HAVE NEVER RECIEVED ANY NOTIFICATION REGARDING THIS MATTER. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN DIRECTLY RELATED TO A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM IN THE ENGINE, AND THE COMPANIES (ISUZU/HONDA) HAVE DONE NOTHING TO INFORM THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM AND RISKS. I RECOMMEND AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE AND POSSIBLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR NEGLIGENCE.
I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM EVERY YEAR WITH MY AIR CONDITIONER. THE COMPRESSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED EVERY TIME, TWICE LAST YEAR WITH IN 3 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER. THEY HAVE REPLACE THE FOLLOWING PARTS AS WELL GASKETS, DRYER, VALVES AND COOLING CLUTCH. NOW I HAVE IT IN THE SHOP AGAIN TODAY. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT FIRST EXCEPT THAT I WAS LOW ON FREON AND THEY SAID I SHOULD BE ADDING EACH YEAR. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. NOW THEY TELL ME THEY FOUND A BAD O RING THAT GOES TO THE HOSE OFF THE DRYER FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER. I HAVE TO PAY $100 FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY CHARGE. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD EVEN HAVE TO PAY THIS.
THE CONSUMER HAD JUST LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED. THE NEXT DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINE THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF. *NM
ORGINAL VALVE STEM SEALS MALFUNCTIONED. EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OIL ENTERED COMBUSTION CHAMBER CAUSING ACCUMULATION OF ABNORMAL AMOUNTS OF CARBON DEPOSITS WHICH RAISED TEMPERATURE IN COMUBUSTION CHAMBER LEADING TO PRE-IGNITION / DETONATION WHICH RUINED THE ENGINE. COST OVER $7,500 TO REPLACE ENGINE THAT WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND HAD BEEN DRIVEN LESS THAN 75,000 MILES UNDER NORMAL OPERATION. *AK
MY RODEO IS AT 61000 MILES, EXACTLY 1000 MILES OVER WARRANTY AND I HAVE TWO CRACKED CYLINDER HEADS WHICH IS $4500 TO FIX. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND I HAD NO WARNING. I HAVE SPENT 3 DAYS CALLING ISUZU HEADQUARTERS AND RECEIVING NOTHING BUT VOICEMAIL. AFTER LEAVING 15 MESSAGES I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RETURN CALL.*AK
TIMING BELT ASSEMBLY FAILURE. *LA
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. *AK
PROBLEMS WITH ABS ON A 1999 ISUZU RODEO. *MR THERE WERE INTERMITTENT ABS PROBLEMS SINCE PURCHASE. THE ABS MODULE WAS CHANGED. THE DEALER SAID THAT A RECALL WAS BEING ISSUED AND THEY WOULD REIMBURSE THE CONSUMER FOR THE REPAIR CHARGES. THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM WHICH HAD NOT BEEN SOLVED SINCE THE CONSUMER WAS GIVEN THE RUN AROUND. RECALL# 02I002000 *SCC *JB
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL STALL. *AK
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. INSTEAD OF THE SPECIFIED 1 QT/1000 MILES, THE VEHICLE CONSUMED 2.75 QT IN 2075 MILES. THE DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO DRIVING CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION. IN ADDITION, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE MATERIALS WERE NOT DEFECTIVE AND WOULDN'T BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *PH *JB
I WOULD LIKE TO PLACE MY COMPLAINT ON THE ISUZU COMPANY. I HAVE (HAD) A 1999 ISUZU RODEO LX WITH 78,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD IT SERVICED REGULARLY OIL CHANGES ETC.EVER SINCE I HIT 40,000 MILES MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS CAME ON AND WILL NOT GO OFF, MY GAS GAUGE WENT OUT SAYING I AM ALWAYS ON EMPTY (500.00 TO FIX) AND NOW AT ONLY 78,000 MILES MY ENGINE HAS BLOWN!!!!! $4,500.00 WORTH OF DAMAGE. MY STORY HAS A LOT MORE TO IT BUT I CANNOT WRITE IT ALL. I TOKE IT IN SEVERAL TIMES TO THE ISUZU SERVICE CENTER IN AUSTELL GEORGIA TO EDDIE AND TOLD THEM SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK. IT HAD A GAS SMELL TO IT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND IT WAS RUNNING SLUGGISH. MIND YOU I WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. EACH TIME THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG UNTIL AFTER MY WARRANTY WAS UP!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ON THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE FOUND THAT 100'S OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I WANT OT FILE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT RECOMMEND TO ME BY MY LAWYER.*AK
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.
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