2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS from North America - Comments

I just stumbled across this site. if it wasn't for a recent customer with an Isuzu Rodeo, I'm sure I'd never be here. I was asked to do a complete check-over as he was on his way to New Orleans at the request of F.E.M.A.. The year is 2000 with a 3.2L engine and 4wd. 128,000 miles.

I've enjoyed reading all the comments. as an automotive technician, I know my learning will never end. I thought this vehicle drove comfortably for an s.u.v. it had plenty of power. I did notice, as I've read here many times, that the trans. didn't always shift smoothly during my test drive. both before and after the filter and fluid change.

I did a lot of regular maintenance and the worst part was refilling the trans. after the service. no dipstick!!

Anyway, I just wanted to add my two cents. happy motoring! bob.

I have a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LSE with 72,000 miles on it. At 67,000 miles the transmission stopped working completely. I called the Isuzu dealership and they came out and picked up the vehicle and replaced the transmission and the fuel pump. After talking with the dealer he told me that I would probably need to replace the transmission again at 140,000 miles, because of a design flaw. Since the warranty covered everything the 1st time it wasn’t a problem, it was more of an inconvenience to me since the nearest dealership was 3 hours away. My warranty stops at 120,000 miles. The warranty/service that I received was exceptional. But I will be selling my Rodeo soon.

Just today another problem has started. The blower on the heater/air conditioner quit working. Has anyone experienced this problem and how did you fix it? Also my CO-2 sensor blinks at random. The dealership said not to worry about it.

I like my Rodeo, but I have had more problems with this vehicle than any other vehicle that I have purchased. I have a Toyota Corolla with 240,000 miles on it. The Toyota just keeps on going. That’s what I expect out of a vehicle when I purchase it.

I have a 1998 2 WD Rodeo that I bought new. It now has 75K miles on it and has a host of problems, both large and small. I had relatively no problems until 50K when the timing belt broke while traveling at 50 mph. Bye-bye engine. Luckily, the belt isn't supposed to be changed until 60K, so I got a new engine for nada under warranty. Now, however, I seem to have the same problems that others here have expressed: engine light comes on and off with no explanation by dealer, guzzles oil, guzzles transmission fluid. I also recently paid a cent for replacing leaking fuel injectors, which, according to the mechanic who serviced it, is a common problem with this model. I have a manual transmission, so I don't have the lurching problems others have expressed.

Overall, I have enjoyed this car -- it's fun, can haul loads like an SUV and still fit in parking spaces like a car. It does have a host of problems, though, and in general is sluggish. I'll probably keep it until it just completely dies because I don't want someone else to inherit the goofy problems of this truck.

I have a 2000 trooper, 70k miles, burns excessive oil, The gm trans just puked, a 4L30e, is junk, and is poorly designed. I won't go into too much detail about the trans, but I have worked on many and have not seen one like this. The segments are not even doweled together allowing for shearing between trans segments which results in pressure drops.

The car drives well, rides exceptionally nice, except in corners and is generally good quality. However I would reccommend not purchasing anything with GM components unless they are the old tried true and proven parts. Unfortunately the Japenese made engine has it's share of problems too. Stick with Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nison.

I have a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS, approx 50k miles. I bought it used from a dealer when it had 37k miles and I have not had ANY problems with it. I change the oil regularly, don't drive erratic and take care of it with regular maintenance. It shifts fine, brakes are good, everything works and drives really good. I am happy with my Rodeo. I've had it for almost 2 years now.

I have a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo that came with a 50k mile warranty. At about 53k a transmission switch went out causing extremely hard shifting. I took the truck to an AAMCO Transmission Shop who diagnosed the problem correctly and suggested I take it to the dealer, they also mentioned that they have seen this problem quite a few times. The dealer charged a considerable amount. 2k miles later the ABS pump would stay on after the engine was shut down, I pulled the fuse and took it to Isuzu, they wanted 800+. I have opted to drive without ABS, it is safer anyway since they now have a recall on the ABS system not pertaining to the pump so it does me no good. I have close to 100k miles now, the engine light comes and goes, the fuel gauge is in-op and I have been informed by my mechanic that the transmission is on its way out. I have kept up with the routine maintenance since I bought the vehicle. The corporate Isuzu offices will do nothing for me. Please, don't buy an Isuzu vehicle.

I purchased my 2001 Rodeo in December of 2001. Since then I have had so many problems with this vehicle. It shuttered and changed gears really bad. It died on me not once, but twice on the busy Interstate. This could have caused a major accident on the Interstate. Now my car is in the repair shop again needing major repairs. I purchased a worthless warranty that haggles forever about whether or not they are going to pay for repairs. I NEED HELP.

I have a 1999 Rodeo LS with 5 speed manual. I recently had the timing belt and water pump changed at 105000 miles as a per manual. The Fan clutch failed a 60k and replaced with after-market as Isuzu would take 3 weeks. After-market clutch not very good, but works. Fuel sending unit failed at 65K and rear ABS sensor failed neither replaced. These are a hassle, but not detramentaly to operation. Over all happy with vehicle, but would not purchase another. Isuzu dealers are becoming harder to come by, and the ones by me do not seem knowledgeable.

OMG...same problem here. I have a 2000 Isuzu Rodeo. 2 years ago... it had a transmission leak and the fuel pump need to be replaced. Well, here we are 2 years later with the same tranny problem. Sluggish and slips on 1st gear. I have a feeling it's the design itself and it will ALWAYS be a problem. AND... you can't get to the pan to check the tranny fluid. It's under the car!!!

I purchased a 2002 Isuzu Rodeo - 4WD - when the ABS activated (when just tapping the brakes) I would have no braking at all. Both Isuzu and the dealership maintained the brakes operated properly and there was nothing to fix. Gave up trying to get it fixed and traded for a 2003 - third day of ownership the brakes went out on it. I have a 1991 Rodeo - 2WD - with no ABS and it still runs - it is impossible to get anyone's help on this - please don't buy an Isuzu of any kind - they have set up a Catch 22 - if they say it isn't broken and won't fix it what can you do? I think they have a mindset now that they take no responsibility until they are forced to - either through lawsuits or Recalls - plus their warranty dropped from 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty in 2002 to a 7 yr/75000 mile warranty -- that tells you a lot right there.

I purchased a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS in September 2001. A few months later, I had to get the 6 CD changer replaced because "error" kept appearing. Then the side panels of the driver and passenger doors were coming loose so they had to replace the moulding. Then I had some black sticky glue coming out of the bottom driver and passenger door where the speakers are located (mainly when there was hot weather). To this day, the black sticky glue keeps coming out. The original tires that came on the car when I purchased it did not last very long so I had to replace those quickly because the car kept vibrating mainly on the highway. After 50,000 I had to get the drive shaft lubricated because it kept tugging when I would stop or go. The Isuzu maintenance man told me that lots of Rodeo's have that problem. I'm not sure how long the fuel sensor is supposed to last, but my car has 90,000 miles on it and I never know how much gas I have because the fuel sensor went crazy. It will cost me $500 to replace it. Also, I don't know how long the ECG Valve is supposed to last, but I had to replace that as well. So far, I have not had any trouble with the transmission. I love my car, but it seems there is always something that needs to be fixed or replaced.

I have a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo, 4 cylinder, manual transmission. I bought the vehicle because I could not get a new SUV this size for $14,900 anywhere. The fuel sensor went bad right away, but was covered under warranty. This is common with Rodeos and Passports from what I hear, and should have been a recall. I really enjoyed the vehicle, short of the lack of power and having to shift, but those were my choices. The horror story starts at 40,000 miles when the clutch went bad. The flywheel was damaged, and the repair cost me over $1,200. I argued that it had to be a design flaw since I drove my last car 150,000 miles plus and never had an issue with the clutch. I was told it was a wear item and not covered under the warranty. I persued this issue to corporate Isuzu with no luck, they just don't care. They wouldn't even pay for the towing which was part of the roadside assistants warranty. Then my A/C went out at 50,000 miles. Good luck finding a compressor for this vehicle. the dealer wanted $1,400 to replace the compressor. The compressor alone costs $900. At 81,000 miles I found one on Ebay for $375, and paid a local shop $275 to put it in. A week after the compressor was in the blower stopped working correctly. I don't know if it's the blower or switch since it works fine sometimes, and not at all other times. I now have 82,000 miles, and 2 payments left. I am waiting for the next disaster. Either the clutch will go again, the timing belt will break (with all the funstuff that comes with that,) or the water pump will go which a huge amount of labor on this car, and I still have A/C that works when it wants to. I was looking forward to no car payment, but may have to step up and get a Honda Pilot.

I have a 2002 Rodeo LS with 85000 miles on it. It’s been a problem free vehicle up until recently with me only having to replace the stock tires (Bridgestone Duelers) which were used up fairly quick despite rotation and proper inflation. The stock shocks were also replaced with Monroe sensa-tracs which should have come on the vehicle because they made it actually safer while cornering. Twice, the 3.2 litre motor has gone through a long starting cycle which I can’t explain, but otherwise it’s always started and generally within a few cranks. The 6cd changer developed the dreaded error code that others have posted about and it was replaced under warranty. I’ve maintained all fluids and service per maintenance plan including servicing the automatic transmission, belts and hoses. Despite this, the transmission suddenly started shifting hard (both up and down shifting). I took it in to have the transmission serviced and it appeared to fix the problem. 500 Miles later, after several days of flawless shifting, the problem returned, but not quite as badly. I took it in to Isuzu and after hooking it to the computer was told that the inhibitor switch was bad and had error coded at some point causing the transmission to think there was a failure imminent. This condition apparently causes the transmission to run at high pressure to allow you to get to a service center and thus the hard shifting. It wasn’t covered under Isuzu warranty because it’s externally mounted to the transmission and the warranty covers internal parts only. My extended warranty did cover it with only a deductible.

I love my Isuzu and despite these recently problems think it’s a great vehicle. I’ve had worse luck with GM and Chrysler products. My advice is if you have an Isuzu or are thinking about buying one used expect your vehicle to have these same problems.

I own a 2001 Honda Passport LS V6 2WD. I bought it at 43k miles and it now has 111k miles. I love it, but have had these problems:

The engine would stop while I was waiting at a red light. The check engine light went on intermittently. The dealer told me the check engine light was due to the throttle sensor. I had them replace it at $750 (the sensor is not a part, you must replace the complete throttle body). This did not fix the engine shutting off on its own. Then the dealer said it was the wiring harness, which was replaced at $850. Still, the car was not fixed. So after taking it back to the dealer 3 separate times because they could not recreate the problem, they asked me to test-drive it with the service manager. When it stalled again they said they had some ideas to look into. Finally it turns out it needed a new computer, which cost another $650. I will not name the Honda dealer, but I will say even though I was angry and frustrated, they took care of me. They worked with me on the fees and put new tires, new shocks, new starter, paid for my rental, and various other small items that needed fixing to make up for the $$ I spent that turned out to be unnecessary.

I love to drive the truck and it now runs like a champ. Knock on wood.

I have a 2001 isuzu rodeo LS that I really like and have had no problems until about a month ago. it only does this when the motor is cold. like when I first crank it up in the mornings, it cranks good and then it starts acting like its choking or out of gas. and then sometimes when I put it in park it will rev up real high and low and real high again

and continue till I cut it off. i only have these symptoms when the vehicle is in park. I've ahd the timing belt changed.. did not help. then I had the manifold intake gaskets changed... did not help... now I'm out of money... has anybody

else experienced this???and what is it??? debbie.