1999 Isuzu Trooper from North America - Comments

When I first bought the vehicle everything ran great. I had been looking into a pre-owned car and decided to buy my fathers 1999 Isuzu trooper because it had minimal problems in the past and was well taken care of.

Everything seemed great with the car aside from the massive oil consumption (which from research on the troopers I noticed that it was a common complaint from other owners as well.)

After about 85,000 miles with regular scheduled oil changes, tune ups, etc I started having problem after problem.

First, the axle and the brakes went out at the same time. When I took it to the shop to have it fixed I was left with close to a $3000 bill.

About two weeks after that labor was completed I was driving back from a friends house when I heard a loud noise and my car completely shut down. After having it towed the dealership told me that it would need a new engine. When I started looking for a used or re-manufactured engine I realized that I was not going to be able to find a used one that was under $3,000 or a re-manufactured for under about $5,000. That's not even including the $2000 to put the engine into the car. I decided to bite the bullet and just fix the car because I was still making payments on it.

I found a 50,000 mile engine for about $3,000 so I purchased it. The engine was sent to the dealership and they put it in the car (after they fixed all of the other problems on the "New" used engine that I had purchased.)

After everything was fixed I was ecstatic to finally be able to drive my truck again. No more than 24 hours after I had picked the truck up from the shop anti-freeze started leaking. The next day I took it back to the dealership and they informed me that I would need to replace the radiator (that cost about $500.) So I replaced it. After my truck was in the shop for a few more days I picked it back up.

Happy that my car problems were finally over I continued to drive my car for about two weeks when I was driving one day and my car started making a loud noise, so I had it towed to the dealership again. After they took a look at the truck again they informed me that I would need yet another engine.

Long comes to short I have a useless 1999 playground in my back yard and I was forced to buy a 1992 Buick until I figure out what to do with the Trooper. I would not recommend that anyone looking for a pre-owned SUV even consider purchasing a 1999 Trooper.

Did you ever learn what caused both of the engines to quit? Having the axles and brakes rebuilt around 85,000 miles isn't really unreasonable. However, paying $3,000 to have that done IS unreasonable. I think that's about double what it should have been. Too bad you got sucked in deeper--in for a penny, in for a pound, I guess. I can see wanting to pay for a new engine in order to get your money's worth from the freshly rebuilt axles, but again, $5,000 for a remanufactured engine, plus another $2,000 to install it--totally ridiculous! You should have been able to get a remanufactured engine for $3,000, or could have gotten yours rebuilt for about $1,000. You should have pulled the plug at that point, regardless of the new axles. It seems that whoever your mechanic was liked to charge about exactly double what he should have.

Thank You for your honest comments. We were considering a 1999 Trooper at 75K miles, it just seemed so well maintained, but now, we are thinking twice. Sorry for your nightmare experience, such a bummer. Darnit anyways!

I have a 1998 Trooper with no modifications thus far. My family and I have done some very, very serious off-roading so far, ie; Black Bear Pass, back way to Crown King, AZ, etc.

We purchased the vehicle in 2000 with 29K miles and now have 103K miles. I have not had anything break or fail on the vehicle except the CD changer. Other the regular service, ie; fluids, tires, alignments, brakes, etc., I have not had any repairs so far.

This is the second Trooper I have owned (first was an '85) and would probably buy the next model if they had one.

Lastly people need to know their mechanic, a car is a huge investment and that is why I do all my own work on my cars.

I have owned a 96 Trooper and still own a 2001. Both were bought new and both used/use oil. The '01 just a little bit the '96 used a qt every 1,000 like clock work. While I agree they shouldn't... Oil usage by itself will not tear up an engine. As a matter of fact I feel a little oil usage makes them last longer as it lubes the upper cylinder. As long as one doesn't let them get low on oil.

In my opinion premature engine failures on these trucks are cause by previous owners running them low enough on oil to lose oil pressure which causes a little bearing damage every time. Subsequent owners buy what seems to be a nice truck that has an engine that is quietly in the process of tearing itself apart.

I absolutely love my '01 Limited (it's the underrated one on the 2001 page) but I would never buy one used. I know that doesn't help you now, but I hope it sheds some light on the reason you had two engines fail catastrophically.

I purchased a 1999 Isuzu Trooper, I've always wanted a Trooper and having had two previous Isuzu's with minimal problems, this 3.5 Liter engine scratched out all the savings from the prior two vehicles. My Trooper uses 1 quart of oil every 500 miles since the purchase at about 70K and sometimes even more in the winter. I spent about $1K trying to get it fixed, and finally after reading some posts on the internet that it was a problem with the motor, I just decided to just keep putting oil in it. This approach would be much cheaper than buying a new engine. Lately at 110K the transfer case went out $2K, then at same time found that the rear axle was broke and for some time, and parking brake cable went bad. I am in need of new tires and am thinking the brakes are about to go, which 110K is not bad for breaks, it is just that this is all happening at once, and my credit card bill just keeps getting higher and higher. I did love the vehicle, but now I hate the expense.

Thanks, but the Isuzu problems don't appear to be so much engineering, but on the lack of service lack of a fair parts depot. Isuzu seems to have problems maintaining dealerships just about anywhere. I live in San Bernardino county, CA's largest county. Is there a Isuzu dealer nearby? Nope. Getting parts and service is such a nightmare because the parent company is distracted. Does Isuzu even care? Nope. Been this way for about a decade now. Bad people, only fair vehicles. Don't buy one.

Sorry to hear of you guys having the problems with the trooper, I have a 97 thankfully I reached almost 170k on the same motor. The local Isuzu dealership considers that a milestone, don't you know at 171k miles the notorious knock emits from the lower end.. Rod knock. After one of week of just ignoring the trooper I decided to source a "neused" motor, well after some research I found the 3.5L version was definitely the wrong way to go. I won't go into details, but to make a long story short buying a neused motor would run you roughly 3500 USD where as rebuilding your SOHC 3.2L would be less than 500 for parts and if you can turn a wrench or at least find side help you can bring life back for less than 1k.

I just purchase 1999 (SUZU trooper and I noticed on the dash board there is a flashong when I check the owners manual it was T.O.D. what is it?? and also my CD changer isn't taking the CD I refer to the owners manual and it says there is somthing I had to buy from the Isuzu dealer??? I live in Rancho Cucamonga in southern california where can I find an Isuzu dealer.

Isuzu Trooper 1998 Expensive Nightmare.

This is advice for anyone thinking of buying a used Isuzu Trooper that has the 3.5L V6 engine that came out in 1998. First off the design of the heads and cams don't allow the fifth bearing to be oiled properly. You will always use more oil than normal on most vehicles and if you ever run it low expect problems down the road. Also there were three type of 3.5L engines produced an A, B and C. Each engine has different valve clearances and different specs for turning the crank if you must have engine work done. The catch is that only bearings for one model either A, B, or C (still a mystery) are available and only one set of engine specs for doing machine work are available as well. Trying to find someone to work on it will be very expensive and engines or rebuilds do run in the $3000 to $5000 range for this model engine only. I know this because my family owns a high performance automotive and machine shop. I own a 1998 Trooper with the 3.5L engine and am currently rebuilding it. My advice don't buy a Trooper with a 3.5L engine unless you have deep pockets and or a warranty of some sort, which you can buy after market for less than what it will cost for simple repairs. The 3.2L is the better engine design and there is more information, parts and resources available for the consumer. Isuzu does make good engines and cars that are reliable, but this engine is a very technical advanced design. You can never run it low on oil and I know that 75% of the mechanics in the US do not like working on this engine. The main reason is that there are no resources available that give good information about repairs on this engine that came in all Troopers from 1998 to 2002. I would compare this engine to an advanced European design that most mechanics in the US can't even and won't touch. This engine also came in the Vehicross and the Acura SLX. One good thing is that Acura a division of Honda completely redesigned the heads for the 1998 3.5L release. So you won't encounter the oil pressure and ussage problems, but they are still expensive to repair.

As the owner of a 99 Trooper which I purchased new, I must disagree with some of the statements on this board. My vehicle has 142000 miles on the original 3.5 engine. No engine problems at all yet. Replaced belts at 100k. Replaced original brake pads at 116k, rotors were still good. Air conditioning was problem, had to replace condenser at 60k. Also had to get some transmission work (overdrive gear) at about 75k. Transmission was only expensive fix since 1999, cost about $1500 to overhaul mine. Much better to overhaul original trans. due too many different electronic chips put in various troopers, I was told. This vehicle is used for towing a 2500 lb boat and for ski trips, in addition to everyday use.

Now I'm really nervous... just purchased a used 1999 isuzu trooper... drove the car twice before I bought it, and while driving it home started hearing a sound like something is loose under the car...I'm thinking it sounds like something to do with the axle... and just spent the last bit of money I had on the car... I think I will turn around and sell it and buy something else after reading all this.

I purchased a 1999 Isuzu Amigo for my son to drive. The vehicle had 50,000 miles on it at the time of purchase. The Amigo now has close to 70,000 miles on it and yes it uses a bit of oil, maybe 1 quart per 1000 miles (not a real nuisance). Frankly, 1 quart per 1,000 miles for many vehicles including Isuzu is considered NORMAL. Read your owners manual people... it tells you to check your oil after every other tank of fuel. The problem nowadays is that most people want a maintenance free vehicle and that just does not exist.

Most of the comments made on this board surround used vehicles with more than 50,000 miles on them, what do you expect at higher miles?

Tell you what... look under your Isuzu and look around at the components... what do you see? Most of them are over built as a truck should be. Do you ever hear of Isuzu's having stabilizer link problems? Ball joint failures? Brake replacement every 15,000 miles? Go ask a Dodge or Chevy owner about those issues.

Go take a Suzuki or a KIA off road and let me know how that little adventure works out for you. Isuzu is a truck, built by people who build trucks. Does it have the cushioned ride of a Murano? Or the sleek lines of a Cayenne? No, but go plop those over-priced sleds in the backwoods and see who comes out... the new $100,000 Porsche or your faithful Trooper with 75,000 miles on it that requires you to add one quart of oil a month.

Really if adding one quart of oil every few weeks is that big of an issue for you... your new Saturn Vue is waiting for you with it's 16 cup holders and 72 months of payments.

The comments that have been written over the past year about the Isuzu Troopers are most disturbing to me. The Trooper is one of the best built vehicles ever built, however, it is unfortunate that some of the owners who have purchased poorly maintained used vehicles do not agree. I am the owner of a 1999 3.5L Isuzu Trooper with 130K miles on it. I purchased it used in 2005 with 89K miles on it. The Trooper had been run hard by the previous owner, but the oils, coolants, and brakes were maintained, however, it had what a previous person commented as a "rod knock". The Dodge dealer took care of this simple problem (before I purchased the vehicle) by only having to tighten the rockers and checked the valves for adjustment as well. The loud knock was gone and the engine has purred like a kitten ever since. I must agree with the writer's comments that the Trooper will run circles around other high performance SUVs off-road and even sometimes on-the-road. It has a full Box I-Beam (like the old Jeeps) frame construction which saved myself and the vehicle in a side impact collision. Only the right front quarter panel repair and a small hood alignment was needed... not so for the unfortunate fellow that tried to turn left in front of me! I drove Highly Mobile, Multi-Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), or "Hummers" as they are known to civilian drivers, for 6-years in the Marine Corps in all kinds of terrains (including Saudi and Kuwait). I chose the Trooper for its sturdiness, power, performance, and creature comforts when I returned to the states. I could not afford a "Hummer" H-1 (civilian model of the military HMMWV) nor would I want to purchase a leaf-spring H-2 or H-3 which are just "Hummer" wanna-be's! The Isuzu Trooper has a suspension system that rivals most of the commercial off-road vehicles in the world. I am very sorry to hear that those of you who have purchased a used Trooper product experienced troubles due to the previous owners poor maintenance of the vehicle. If a used car dealer, or owner, will not allow you to drive the vehicle for a couple of days before your purchase, I would recommend looking for another Trooper. Last week, I spent almost $400.00 USD for simple oil and transmission maintenance alone. The engines are rated for 200K before overhaul and I intend to make it to that mileage with proper care. I know of two entreprenuers that spent a fortune on a large garage and machine tool shop in preparation of receiving engine overhaul orders for the 3.5L engine in 2004. Only two engines showed-up at their door step in a 6-month period! Keep adding that quart of oil when needed and please use a Teflon resin type oil additive for a proven extra long engine life.

I'm the one who let the oil run low...my 99 Trooper has taken such good care of me, what in the world was I thinking

clearly I wasnt, I'm so dissappointed in

myself...all I can say is I'm glad I found this age!

Purchased a new 1998 Trooper and have run it for 147 K miles.

1. Starter has failed.

2. EGR Valve replaced.

3. Scheduled oil/lube/brake pads & rotor replacement

4. Serpentine belt replacement.

5. Oil consumption (I add about a quart every 750 miles)

6. My driver side CV boot just cracked.

No other issues. Great vehicle IF maintained.