2003 Isuzu Rodeo review from North America

I have not had any "MAJOR" mechanical issues, yet. There are, however, a few mild to moderate irritations...

1: This is not a quiet, serene ride. There have been NUMEROUS creaks, squeaks, rattles and groans with this SUV, starting when it was only about 6 months old. Most of the noise comes from the back seat and storage area. It did go into the dealership once. They purposely bent the welded metal piece on the truck frame where the back seat latches to quiet it up some. This did help for awhile, but it's started making the noise again. I've got a year of warranty left, so I'll have this looked at again when I take it in for some other reason.

2: There's a bit of a "ghost" in the electrical system: about once per month, when I put the key in the ignition and try to start the truck, nothing happens. It's not a huge deal, but I have to take the key out, and then reinsert it to start the truck. It starts instantly the second time I try.

3: Another (likely) "electrical problem" is that I have had two times (in two years) where I started the truck, put the gear shifter into "reverse", and absolutely nothing happened! It wouldn't move. I had to move it back to "park", shut it off, start it again, and then it worked fine. I mentioned this problem when I took it in for an oil change at the dealership. They said "no codes showed up", and they couldn't reproduce the problem, so they really couldn't help me.

4: I've also had two times, where I've been driving down the road, and noticed the "check transmission" light was on. As soon as I pull to the side of the road, the light goes off again. Fluid levels are fine, etc.

5: I've had a few times (probably less than 4 times) where the transmission has put itself into "Snow" mode without me telling it to do that. In snow mode, there is a greatly reduced amount of torque sent to the drive wheels, to keep from spinning out in the snow. This makes for a fairly slow start from a red light, or a stop sign. This corrects itself after you reach about 15 miles per hour.

6: Finally, the front brakes squeak pretty loudly the first few times they are used each day. They have plenty of "life" left in them, they just sound bad when used the first few times. It's just embarrassing, that's all.

Generally, I actually love this truck. I think it was a heck of a value. I paid exactly $20K (sticker was about a $26K). I routinely see postings on the Internet where people claim these trucks "last forever" if given proper maintenance, and are not abused.

Yes, there are a few annoyances, as listed above, but after owning other vehicles with "genuine", serious problems, I can't complain too much about the problems with this Rodeo. I do expect a certain amount of noise from a vehicle made on a truck platform, especially since my city has potholed roads most of the year.

As to the starting problems, they have very, very little practical effect on me. Putting the key in the ignition a second time takes less than 5 seconds, once a month. No big deal.

I'm slightly more concerned about the faulty "check transmission" light. I'm concerned that if it ever came on when driving down the interstate, I would be in some danger slowing down and pulling off the road to check if the problem is for real, or not.

When all is said and done, I would not hesitate to buy a new Rodeo (if they still made them). I would have very little hesitation in buying a used 2003 or 2004 model. In fact, they are probably a great bargain, because asking prices are usually very low, since not many people consider buying a new or used Isuzu, due to a lack of advertising.