2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS from North America - Comments

I have a 2000 rodeo 4x4 with only 73,000 miles and I am having to have the transmission completely rebuilt!!! $2000.00!!! I am a college student and my parents and I both thought this would be a great dependable car. I guess we were all wrong. The mechanic I am going to is saying that it is due to the transmission over heating. A light never came on!!! Not only that, but there is no dip stick to check the level of the transmission fluid!!! Turns out you have to get under the vehicle and check these two plugs. So the whole time I have been taking my car to get the oil changed and all of the fluids checked on and filled, thinking that the transmission oil level was being checked. Turns out nobody knows how to check it!!! I have also had so much trouble with my brake lights!!! Every time I have the lights on and I hit the brakes, the tail lights and brake lights go dark except for the one at the top of the back windshield. I have been pulled over SO many times at night for my brake lights not working, but nobody can seem to figure out how to fix it!!! I will be selling this rodeo after I get it repaired!!!

How many miles to a gallon?

I must be fortunate. I have owned 2 Rodeos, both used, first a 94 with 32K on it in 1997 and a 98 with 52k on it in 2001. Had the first one until it hit 100,000 miles and it developed frame rust. But otherwise it had not a single problem. So I traded it in on a newer one. I've had a few minor problems, but nothing major. Fuel gauge is not working properly and the ignition key gets stuck occasionally. Replaced the ignition switch once already about two years ago for same problem. But I'm rolling on 156K and was trying to decide whether to sell it and buy something else or hang onto it and drive it until the wheels drop off. I've loved the vehicle and I really haven't been too good about changing the oil... usually at about 6-7 K. Maybe I've been lucky? Goes absolutely great in snow. Anyone else had good experiences with the Rodeos?

I have a 1998 Isuzu Rodea LS. Has about 97k miles on it, but when I bought it used in '03 it had 52K. I have had this transmission problem spoken of here where the car hesitates shifting out of 1st to 2nd gear... had transmission fluid flushed replaced and it seemed to help.

Now I have a new problem. Today the vehicle decided to stay stuck in park! It seems to be a problem with the gear shifter itself in the vehicle. The thumb release on the gear shifter does not seem to engage to allow the vehicle to come out of park. I was lucky and was able to get the car to shift to Drive... but now it's doing the same thing in my driveway!

Very unfortunate... does not feel like a car, but a toy at this point...don't know if I should just sell it at this point.

Anyone have this problem?

Sincerely,

Stuck in Park.

I have a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo I bought brand new. I just paid it off last year. It only has 67K miles on it. It has been burning oil now for about a year and a half. I brought it to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong with it. It is a 5 speed standard transmission. It has recently started to stall and the check engine light is blinking, the funny part is it only does it when the car is warm and I don't mean warmed up I mean warmed by the sun. Weird!!! I have not brought it to the dealer yet too busy with work, but will soon. Can't wait to hear what they have to say. I have a 120k mile warranty. It will be interesting to see if it is covered.

I have a 1998 Rodeo and have had the gear shifter stick numerous times. I took it apart and cleaned debris and gunky grease. I re greased and it seemed to work. A few days later I had the same problem. This only occurs occasionally, but is still annoying. I just hit it a few times and it works.

I got the key stuck in the ignition today and cannot figure out what to do. Someone thought it might need a new ignition switch.

No real problems otherwise. Gas mileage is not what I expected, but I had a four cylinder before this car. Hopefully this will help someone. Or if anyone knows what to do about a stuck key in the ignition, please let me know.

I am the luckiest woman alive owning a "wonderful" car such as the 2001 Isuzu Rodeo (yeah right>>>>!!!) I bought it used at dealer 60,000 miles- since day 1 problems with the AC - still making a grinding noise and the dealer thinks I'm crazy...anyways, now the engine started stalling and they think needs a tune up and cables. but get this cable ignitions can only be bought at the dealer which cost an arm and a leg... to summarize everything... I have waisted more money repairing a few things on this car then a lot of things on my old car. Parts are very expensive, get this... do not let your AC get damaged. Repair can go up to $2500 and lucky for all of us Rodeo owners, this type of AC in this particular model is the most expensive one to repair.

Do not recommend Isuzu to any of my friends.

Unhappy customer...

I have a 2002 Isuzu Rodeo that I purchased 3 months ago. It has 76,000 miles on it and I really like it, but my husband is having problems trying to find "how to" check the transmission fluid. Very weird! Also there is a a squealing sound when you go around a curve to the left at a very slow speed. Also weird. Does anyone know how to check the transmission fluid other than the dealership?

I am the owner of a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS and was just recently hit from behind on a local street. My insurer tells me that there is "minimal" damage to the frame, floor, back of vehicle, rear towing package, and my bumper has to be replaced. For all of this I would think that the vehicle would be considered totaled because now you have a lot of "minimums" that equals up to one big serious problem. I mean don't get me wrong... it runs great and I have never had any major problems with this vehicle outside of my purchasing it from Toyota with damaged struts of which they boasted through advertisment that "all used vehichles are Toyota Certified. Well not this one people. My point is that it is a reliabel vehicle to me and I have been hit on four different occassions of which noone got hurt. So, I for one, am very graetfull that at least the people at Isuzu provided theis vehicle with an interest in its drivers lives in mind in the instance of an accident.

I own a 2001 Honda Passport that I purchased new. It's been a very reliable vehicle and now I have 68,000 miles on it. The only problem I've had so far is a failure of the transmission position switch that is activated in the driver's compartment when you move the shift lever from Park to Drive or any other gear. The display on the dash will show a different position the gear shift is in than what you currently are in. If this happens the computer gets confused as to what gear you're in and so it shifts very rough. If any of you have this experience try replacing this switch BEFORE replacing anything to do with the transmission... This has fixed my problem twice before.

I replaced the switch in 2004 and just now it's gone bad again. When ordering the part I notice there is no change in the part number as you might see if the part has been beefed up, changed or whatever. So, I'm expecting it will probably go bad in about 3 years as the others have done... At least I know what the symptoms are and what the cure is. Outside of this annoying problem I've been very lucky with the vehicle and I'm a satisfied owner...

I just bought a used 2001 Isuzu Rodeo 2 weeks ago. I drove it 2 times and its back at the lot I bought it from. Thank goodness I know a little bit about cars and took it for a test drive. As I said they have had it now for about a week and a half. They promised to fix before I paid cash for it -- the brakes and the A/C and the ABS light. Well they have now replaced rotors, pads, ac condenser; pretty much the entire cooling system as well as the ABS sensor. Lots of money! I would have been ticked off if it came out of my pocket! I wonder if this would qualify under the Lemon Law? lol... Oh well by the time they are done replacing everything I will have a new car!:)

I have a 2001 izusu rodeo, I put 90k miles on it, now I'm having problems w/transmission, ABS light, brake light is on, and a weird sound underneath, I'm going to get a new car this weekend, the car is dying after 100 k miles, I have to put 1 quarter of 10-40w oil every 3 weeks, or lese the engine loght comes out, th ecar is making some funny and scary sounds, I strongly recommend to get a bicycle rather than a rodeo, for those who decided to keep their rodeo, the transmission fluid is underneath the car, it's hard to get there, so get a professional if you need to change the trans fluid, this car has too many problems, I can wait to get on a new vehicle.

98 rodeo 4wd.. pos. Like the above post said "I would have been better off with a bicycle" Yesterday I took it to 5 different mechanics and the dealer. None could fix my problems and the dealer basically laughed at me.

1. check engine light will not go off

2. stuck in 4wd (so I'm guessing I get around 8 mpg)

3. when getting inspected (TX) no one will pass and no one knows why.

My tickets are piling up, plus I'm a broke college student and I really don't have anyone to turn to for help. I will be walking everywhere or dropping out of school very shortly.

Any one want to buy? 2,000 o.b.o. - mickkellyii@gmail.com

but I highly doubt it because 90% of you guys on this thread hate this car.

In December'05 I bought a 1994 ISUZU Rodeo, V-6, 3.2 engine, 4-wheel drive, 5-spd manual tranny with 110,000 miles from a dealer in Lancaster, PA for $2,700. It came with brand-new American Racing mags AND tires. The vehicle was from the original owner who had it dealer-maintained.

I must admit that the first thing I did was to have the oil changed in the manual tranny, the transfer case and both differentials. Also, the oil and filter are changed every 3 to 4,000 miles and I've rotated the tires front and back at 135,000 miles and they still look new.

The odometer now reads 141,800 miles, which means I've added just under 32,000 miles. At 130,000 miles, the original alternator died and was replaced with a new one. Last week (141,600 miles) the original starter quit. Since the exhaust system had to be dropped to replace the starter, I did my homework and found a great independent mechanic who works on Rodeos all the time.

It's a great road vehicle and a superb off-road critter. It does not burn oil and is very responsive. It starts immediately every single morning in the coldest weather, gets 16mpg city and 22mpg highway. And I NEVER rev over 4,500 rpm.

I've had literally no problems with this vehicle (a 12 year old alternator and starter replacement are to be expected) and am extremely happy with it's performance and reliability.

By the way, the 1994 through about 1997-8 ISUZU Rodeo and the corresponding HONDA Passport are IDENTICAL vehicles. Both were made by ISUZU. My HAYNES Repair Manual bears this out as do various dealers and independent mechanics.

Great SUV!

I bought a used 2001 Isuzu Rodeo a little over a year ago. BIG MISTAKE!! This car has given me nothing, but problems since about a month after I bought it. My shifter was stuck in park at the gas pump. I had to rip out everything around the shifter just to be able to even get the car to shift. My truck also stalls when I drive it. No one can figure out what is wrong with it. It also stalls when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. You know how when you have a manual and you forget to shift on time. I am a college student and cannot keep paying money to have this piece of junk fixed. I guess I am going to have to use some of my school money to buy a new car.