2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS from North America - Comments

I bought ($10k) a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS (2-wheel drive) in Nov '04 w/approx 28k miles and good tires. It has been dependable for me, but I drive slow and careful, no herky-jerky stuff and change oil often (I haven't noticed any excessive oil burning).

A few issues I've had include gear shift drive indicator (column) out of sync with what shows on speedometer drive indicator resulting in harsh clanking from transmission. Apparently, it's not good to shift up or down while moving. Like others, I learned to stop immediately, kill the engine and restart. Always make sure your stick shifter is in D and it says so on the speedometer, too. NO problem when they agree.

More recently, I couldn't get cruise control to work. Turns out when my headlights or parking lights are turned on, the cruise control dies and when I press on the brakes (with headlights on) the back lights go out; no brake lights, no tail lights. The only brake light that works is the center one over the rear glass hatch door. I could use a schematic

unless someone can shove me into the right crevice on this one.

And I've learned to keep a healthy battery, jumper cables and/or a quick-start booster in the rear space in case I accidently leave my lights on for a few minutes while I stop in at the office on my way to the airport. Be Prepared.

I have a 2001 Rodeo... what a nightmare it has been! I took it back to the dealer a few weeks after I bought it (new..not used) it had an annoying pinging in the engine which I was told is 'normal'. They did some computer update which did not help and sent me on my way. Took it back again for the same problem which they again claim is normal. A few months later the engine seized while I was driving down the highway... Engine replaced at 50,000 miles! Engine light never came on!

Air conditioner and seals on windows smells of mold/mildew. The dealer will do nothing to fix it.

Bug deflector on hood has rubbed the paint right off of both of my fenders... still waiting to hear back from them on this.

Transmission began slipping in 1st gear I took it to a transmission specialist who advised me a seal was leaking, no transmission light ever came on... took to the dealer... needs a new transmission already! 66,000 miles.

The list goes on.. many little problems... lights on dash/buttons constantly burn out, handles for seat recline fall off constantly, jack provided broke in half when truck was on it...

This truck has been nothing, but a nightmare since I purchased it.

My cousins had both of the isuzu rodeos. The frst one is a 2002 model and her 2 children destroy spots on the seats which won't come off. Other than that, nothing went wrong with the first isuzu rodeo. Now they had a second isuzu rodeo which is a 2004 model. Nothing went wrong with the second isuzu rodeo. Thanks.

I own a 1993 Isuzu Rodeo and I have had it for 9 yrs. I currently have 193,000+ miles on it. I have not had any major problems with it. I have only changed the Rocker Arms on the right side of the engine. I have been able to rely on my 1993 Rodeo. I liked it so much I recently purchased a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS and love it. I can honestly say with my 1993 Rodeo I have not experienced most of the problems listed. I am counting on the same result with my 2001 Rodeo I recently purchased.

DON'T BUY A PIECE OF JUNK RODEO/PASSPORT.

We have had problems with our 2001 Rodeo's transmission since we purchased it in 2003 with 22,000 miles. We will be driving along normally at a consistent speed and the transmission just drops down into first or second gear and practically throws you through the front windshield. The check transmission light comes on and transmission will not up-shift until you pull over, completely turn the car off and then back on. This allows you to continue driving for about another month, when it will happen again. My brother-in-law recently purchased a 99 Rodeo (without asking me first of course) and he has been experiencing the exact same problem. When taking my problem to the dealer, they informed me that they had canceled my warranty and refunded my money against my loan, without actually telling me!!! So I found out that I have a piece of junk vehicle with no warranty.

From reading the comments here it seems that the transmission problem (as well as many others) are rather common. Does anyone know if Isuzu has addressed this problem? Regardless, I would warn anyone against buying an Isuzu vehicle.

I recently bought a 97 Rodeo and my check engine light turned on 2 days after I had it. I took it in numerous times and I got a different answer as to what it was every time. At first it was a manufacturer problem that I still can't get an answer as to what that really was. The second time it was a gas problem. Apparently you have to the most expensive gas for your engine to run how it should. The third time it was the EGR valve was stuck. Once I got that fixed the engine was making a really loud pinging or banging noise. I took it in to see what it was and I need new valve lifters. If I drive on the freeway the drivers side smells like something is burning up and I still don't know what that is either. I would advise you not to buy a rodeo.

I purchased a 2000 Rodeo LS 2 wheel driver a couple of years ago. The vehicle has been very dependable, but it requires a better maintenance routine than other vehicles I have owned. It rides good, gets pretty good MPG for an SUV (averages about 20 MPG), and I have been able to haul things inside the vehicle that typically would be hauled in a pickup. Overall I am pleased with the vehicle, but it has been somewhat expensive.

Pros:

1) Reasonable gas mileage.

2) Very dependable.

3) Good ride quality for a mid-size SUV.

Cons:

1) New tires were expensive ($520 for a set of 4)

2) Warranty require timing belt change at 60K ($500)

3) Needed tuneup and O2 sensor replaced ($500)

4) Seems a little low geared for 70 MPH+ Highways.

This vehicle has a standard transmission and I have driven it pretty hard since purchasing it when it had approximately 60K miles on it. It now has 85K miles on it and is still going strong.

I have a 2003 Isuzu Rodeo. When I sometimes stop the car and put it in "Park" position, the car does not have much power on take-off when put in "Drive" position. I am wanting to know if anyone else is having this problem. The mileage on this car is only 23K.

I have a 1999 rodeo. I bought it because I have had 41 major surgeries and I have limited movement. This is the only SUV that I can just slide in and slide out without having to bend down or pull myself up. There are some things that drive me nuts about this SUV, but all in all it has done pretty well. We had to put in a new engine in at 150,000 miles and a new transmission, but that is all of the big stuff. It now has 334,500 miles on it and going strong. My husband and I have the oil changed exactly at 3,000 miles and he tunes it up regularly. We change tires when they need it etc... Our daughter is a gymnast and now is in college, but we logged a whole lot of hours going to her meets. We see her compete in college now, but we don't drive, but maybe 3,000 a month now. We will drive it until it completely dies, but for now it is going strong!

I have had my 2000 Rodeo LS 4x4 for about 18 months now and it currently has 63,000 miles on it. Recently I have begun experiencing issues with the trucks transmission seeming to 'slip' as it engages first gear. I will place it in drive and give it gas and the truck will hesitate and then once the gear catches, the truck lurches forward and the rear tires squeal. Right now, this is the only problem I have with the transmission, but from what I have read here I am beginning to get nervous since my drive train warranty ran out 3k miles ago.

I have had it in before for the check engine light that kept coming on and the vehicle randomly stalling at lights and such and the tachometer dropping very low and then jumping up the rpm's. Fortunately this issue was covered under the drive train warranty at the time. I am also having the issue with the ABS light on the dashboard staying on all the time and the dealership has said that it is a faulty sensor. There seems to be no immediate issues with the brakes and until I can find another repair center to fix this issue I am just ignoring it. My local Isuzu dealer\repair shop was extremely unaccommodating following the replacement of my gasket and the discover of an aerosol can that was left in my engine rubbing up against my belt.

Overall, my Isuzu has been a great vehicle. Regular oil changes have kept it running pretty smoothly and a gas additive here and there to clean the fuel injectors has tended to smooth it out a bit when it starts feeling rough. My experiences with it in snow have been great as it handles well and I feel much safer than I did in my little Celica. I find the vehicle very fun to drive and quite peppy compared to the Xterra and Explorer that I test drove prior to purchasing my Rodeo.

I have owned my 1998 Isuzu Rodeo S as the original owner, making it nearly 7 years old and with 112,000 miles. The vehicle has been great and I have had no probelms over the past 7 years. Recently though, the thing has cost me a good chunk of change with normal maintenance and a few problems. After replacing my timing belt last month, my clacking valves went away (thank goodness). I also had a tune-up done, so all in all it runs like new. My check engine light was also on and so I had Precision Tune check it for me and it turned out that the EGR valve was stuck shut, or open, which I replaced for $350 and now the check engine light is off.

I have seen a lot of transmission issues on here and now I am having the same problem. My transmission periodically will "slam" in and out of gear for no reason. It seems to do it after it sits for a few days without being operated. I assumed it was the fluid being low, but as it is a sealed system and there is no visible fluid leakage, I am not sure what to do. I am also having a problem getting my key out of the ignition from time to time. I saw someone posted a similar problem with the key-transmission issue and how they may be related. I think I agree now with their assesment based on my experience. I am not sure what direction to go in though... tired of getting "slammed" around in my otherwise great vehicle. Need to get it fixed as cheaply as possible given the amount I just spent on the timing belt replacement, tune-up and EGR valve. Any ideas?

Oh, and mine burns about a quart of oil per month... but no leakage anywhere in the garage or at work.

I am glad to see I am not the only one having issues with my Isuzu. I currently have a 99 Isuzu Rodeo that I bought used with approx. 24K miles. I have had the ABS module replaced under warranty although I had to pay a deductible upfront only to get a recall notice in the mail shortly after having it replaced saying that it is faulty. But of course they would not give me back the $ I put out for the deductible when I shouldn't have had to pay a dime since it was recalled.

I am currently experiencing transmission problems like everyone else seems to be having. A few months back I went to shut off my car and it turned off, but I was unable to get my key out of the ignition. So for about a week I would leave my key in the ignition and just lock it with the remote. Luckily the key just happened to come out as I turned the car off one day and hasn't happened again (knock on wood). Now my issue is the transmission. As I write this my Rodeo is at the dealer's and I am awaiting a call as to what the problem is. For about a week now I have been experiencing hard shifting and now the past few days when I come to a stop and start to take off it acts as if it's in neutral and doesn't want to move, but eventually does after shuddering for a minute. I also experience the dashboard indicator is not always in sync with the shifter. I put it in D and the dashboard says L or it may not light up at all. As I dropped my car off this morning and told them of my problem one of the guys kind of shook his head like he has seen this issue before and knew what I was talking about. He said it may be a electro mechanical switch that isn't reading right. But of course they don't know anything until' they rob you of everything you have. So I am awaiting the phone call to see what the damage is. I will re-post if I have any news to share with any of you.

I have a Honda Passport 2000, six month after I bought it brand new I had the "head" of the engine replaced due to over heating...Fortunately, I still had manufacture warranty, so it was fixed. Until now the car started to have "check trans" light on and experience the jerking movement. Then now the "check engine" light is on constantly as well. An auto-mechanic told me that he does not know what caused it?????

A number of people had similar experiences with this truck... could you please share what had been done on your truck to correct these problems?

Thank you,

Tyler.

I have a 2000 Isuzu Rodeo and recently had a problem with the transmission. The vehicle would lurch forward and occasionally squeal the tires like someone else had mentioned. I took it to an oil change place to have the transmission flushed, but the tech said it was leaking to heavily. So we took it to a transmission place and they replaced 2 gaskets, a leaky service assembly and a filter. It is running beautifully now!

This is my second Rodeo. If it wasn't for the fact that Isuzu doesn't make them anymore I would probably get a third. My 15 year old son wants a Rodeo as his first vehicle.

The isuzu rodeo 2001 is a defective and dangerous vehicle. purchased and the engine light stays on, the car stops without warning when driving. the manufacture refuses to recognize this problem and no one will accept trade in because the engine light stays on. never again will I purchase an Isuzu rodeo and I will tell anyone and everyone about this death machine.