Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 91-105, 106-118
I have a 2000 Isuzu Rodeo V6 with 120,000km. At only 30,000 km the engine started to make strange noises. The dealer informed me that there was oil-starvation to the crankshaft bearings even though oil was changed regularly and always topped up, never less than low on the dipstick. The GM/Isuzu warranty did not want to cover the $8000 engine repair, so I was stuck with it. A few phone calls to customer service and Isuzu quickly changed their minds and offered to pay half! I was still not happy with Isuzu so a phone call and consultation with my lawyer solved all my problems. Isuzu repaired my vehicle no charge and other than adding 1/2 Liter of oil every 1000km I'm quite happy with it.
My 1999 Rodeo LS just had it's warranty finish in May of 2004. I too have had the oil consumption issue and it only has 43k on it. While it continues to gulp oil, I will be searching for a different car. Isuzu Customer Service did not seem to want to acknowledge anything. How does something like this get overlooked for a recall issue?
2000 Isuzu Trooper 3.5 Oil Consumption Problems Persist.
A visit to the dealer prior to 40k/4yr expiration didn't help. The dealers have their story down.
I hear the "ticking" even though never below the add mark and can imagine the problem -- down the road. Consumers are at a huge disadvantage these days and class action lawsuits seem to be a thing of the past.
Most of the experiences of others are exactly the same for me: Corporate and Dealership.
I am so glad that I read all of these comments. I was considering buying a Rodeo because they are stylish and you can find them very cheap, but the oil consumption and blown engines have helped me decide to buy what I was considering in the first place, a Jeep Cherokee. I thank God for this web site all of these comments are extremely helpful. I have a Chevrolet with 190,000+ miles on it. It drops oil, but not as bad as these Rodeos burn it. My brother has a Jeep with 227,000 miles on it and it doesn't consume oil that bad either. Any time a dealer mechanic tells you that burning 1 quart of oil every 1200 miles is normal for that vehicle you should try to get rid of it ASAP. (Unless it's a Porsche some times new Porsche's burn rather large amount of oil for them to be new cars.)
Mr. Shade Tree.
sorry Owner of a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo
Everything was fine until one morning the engine began to make a horrendous sound. Dealer said the engine has to be replaced as the sound was due to Rod Knock.
Wish I had read this posts before and Traded in my Rodeo before. Now I have to pay for a new engine.
Anyone else having the same problem please write at maybe we can get together and start a litigation with Isuzu.
Sum_itp<AT>yahoo.com.
Rodeo 1999 LSE. Mileage was at 90,590 when I noticed that the 'Check A/T' light would come on. About a day later my engine knots upon accelerating from a stop. Finally, at a light, it refuse to move forward (backing up works though) when I stepped on the gas. Just got it back from the transmission shop today. The damage was a mere 1,847. Transmission has to be rebuilt, cylinoid burn out, metal bad, etc, etc. I echo a lot of the sentiments here... I love it when I first bought it. Now the cost of ownership is crazy. I had the 30k, 60k maintainance done at the dealership for about $500 each time. Was about to take it in for the 90k check when the transmission went out. Oh well, I'm down 2k for the trans, so I figured I shell out another $500 for the 90k service. Maybe then I can keep it for another 20-30k. Shoulda trade it in a long time back. Other problems...
- Right brake light does not work for over 2 years now. Keep changing bulbs. They burn out about a week later.
- Intermittant wipes does not work in this setting any more. Sometimes the next low setting does not work either.
- Oil comsumption is high. Has to change oil every 3k instead of the the '5k' in the manual. In between changes, it requires about a qt. to sustain normal level.
WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ISUZU AGAIN!
2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS 4WD - I have just reached 40,000 miles on my vehicle when suddenly the car started backfiring. It turned out that the engine's main wiring harness burned out. Since my 3yr/36K full warranty that covered electrical problems was expired, I had to pay for an expensive harness. The dealership told me that they had changed over 200 of these harnesses, but Isuzu never recalled any vehicles. Since the day that I drove the vehicle off the lot, it ran "erratically" when first driving it from starting the engine. I brought it back a few times and was told that the problem could not be duplicated. It was the harness all along. Finally when the engine was ready to be ran again, I had found that three cylinders had no compression. Upon further inspection of removing the one head, it was determined that the valves had seized due to high carbon (and a decarbonization treatment) in the cylinders - thus provoked by high oil consumption. My local dealership had previously urged me to have an engine decarbonization process performed. Apparently that did break up the carbon to some extent, but ruined my engine (seized the valves, scored the cylinder walls) AND clogged my catalytic convertors. Isuzu said that even though I am the original owner, the powertrain warranty was now voided because a non-isuzu dealer had removed one of the heads for inspection purposes. That's a bunch of crap, but then again the garage that I brought it to be serviced, has very qualified, certified mechanics - not to mention that they are honest unlike most of the Isuzu dealers that I had experience with. Anyway, I was told that a new engine would cost me $9000.00 but I decided to have the head rebuilt and am dumping this horrific lemon of a vehicle. Word to the wise, don't buy an isuzu unless you have money to throw away. I'm mostly upset that I purchased the vehicle in good faith and was especially impressed with their 10 year/120K mile powertrain warranty. Yeah right... some warranty.
"Do any of the morons who complain of engine damage due to a lack of oil ever think to check their oil level?"
Yes we morons who own Isuzu's check our oil... each time we fill up. We've been alerted by the guys at jiffy lube, worried when they tell us we're two quarts low, again.. we add's our oil and take's our chances. we keep spare bottles aboard... we listen for the tell-tale clicking...
The part that gets us, is that the oil light doesn't come
on until the pan is bone dry and it's too late to save.
Forget to check it once or twice, then go on a roadtrip and next thing you know you're surfing the web for a 3.5L engine. (for less than the 4K the dealership is quoting) In searching you stumble into this site and find you're not a lone moron.
I am glad I read all of this... I have a 99 Rodeo LS that burns about 1 quart per 1K miles driven.
The light started coming on just around 60K miles, and it was bone dry... I think an EPA action/class action lawsuit is needed here.
Something should be done… 308thumper@austin.rr.com
Pasted from another site:
Mbeach09/29/2005, 10:36 AM
It's funny that I resurrect this thread, only to post some bad news right behind my earlier (positive) post.
Last night, (during a snowstorm no less), the wife's Dragon started burning oil.
Well, to be exact, I checked the oil 300 miles ago (at fillup) and it was AOK, but last night, there was NOTHING on the dipstick. 1.5 quarts later and it was alright. That's some pretty heavy usage, even for a VX I figure.
Well, here's what happened, and I suspect that I might not be the only one out there.
While adding the first quart of oil, I noticed a slight amount of smoke/steam rising from the vicinity of the EGR valve -hmm, says I. I have the wife pour in the other.5 quart while I jam my head/hand/flashlight into the little nook at the left rear of the engine bay.
We use a very light (0W) synthetic oil, so it's difficult to see -but there is a leak. It's a small cut/tear in the valve cover gasket, at the rear corner of the cover. When the engine is started, and placed under load, the oil pressure forces a small, but steady stream of oil out of this breach and right onto the exhaust manifold/EGR pipe/valve where it is immediately vaporized. Very little smell, and almost no smoke. This leak went from nothing to serious in just a few minutes I figure.
This is a 38k mile VX with an excellent service history. No work has been done to the heads/valve covers since it left Japan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anita09/29/2005, 11:14 AM
excellent sleuthing... thank you for sharing what you found.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mbeach09/29/2005, 03:52 PM
My diagnosis was just confirmed.
The nearest Isuzu dealer is 400ish miles away, so I took it to an "authorized Isuzu service center" here in Fairbanks.
The tech there states: "she's leakin' pretty good" (at the valve cover gasket).
The leak is nearly INVISIBLE as well. You really have to get in just the right position to even detect it. The stream is small, and only travels about 1.5 inches before it is burned off. The design of the valve cover seal is such that a small tear will become a major leak very quickly.
I advise all drivers who are experiencing excessive oil consumption, or who have suddenly lost 1+ quarts of oil to check their valve cover gaskets thoroughly. This is not the only problem with the motor, but at least it's something detectable and easy enough to repair.
The new gasket is on order and covered by warranty. YeeHaa.
Hi everyone, I was reviewing the comments that everyone posted and I cannot believe it. I have a 1999 Isuzu rodeo, and I bought it used at 44,000 miles back in 2001. 4yrs and 7months have gone by, and now I have 165,000+ miles on it, And these are the problems I came across...
- 70K miles:
* I had an issue with the gas gauge not reading. I had to buy a new gas sending unit and have the gas tank dropped to replace it. Then 10k miles later, the floater went bad. Now it started again at 155k.
* I noticed that I have to top off every 2-3 weeks because I would burn 2-3 quart of oil.
* I have to replace the O2 sensors since 60K miles, but still have not done it. I need to 2 sensors and they are not cheap.
* For some reason the fan belt wears and tears a lot faster than other cars.
* With the fan belt wearing and tearing so fast that I had to replace a couple of the fan belt pulleys that were causing a loud screeching noise and grinding into the engine.
* The transmission jumps/ chugs when I go from 1st to 2nd gear, and from 2nd to 3rd. It feels like some thing is dropping in the engine when it jumps. Every mechanic and transmission specialist I take it to can't figure it out. Plus, it does not do it all the time, only when I idle the car for a long time, then when I step on the gas a little harder than usual is when it starts to act up. But If I stop some where and allow it to cool down, it won't start chugging.
* There are some problems with the brakes, I remember there was a recall on the ABS and ever since they either replaced it or removed it, I'm having an issue when I'm driving long distance then hit traffic, the ABS light turns on and the car shuts off. Then when ever I need to make sudden stops, the brakes are not catching and I feel the shoes skidding/ trying to catch, and this happens after I just replaced the brakes...
* Of Course, I paid a lot of money on getting the rear and front Axel seals replaced, transmission repair kit, new brakes, and rotors replaced in 2004.
* Last, but not least, I spend an average of 16 miles to the gallon now. I drive 60 miles to and from work and that is before any errands I need to run. Every 4 to 4.5 days I have to fill up.
*As of today, during my tune-up, the coolant seal is leaking. What other problems can occur!
I never realized that this car had so many problems, until I found this website. I thought I was not taking care of the car.
Yes I have a 1999 isuzu rodeo that I loved then in december I had a bad knocking sound in the engine. so I stopped driving the rodeo. then in febuary when I had the money I took it to a mechanic shop and he did a diagnostic test on my engine and told me it was the cylinder head gasket. so I said OK do the work well I don't know that much about cars so he did the valve shims instead. well on feb.27 on my way to work the engine blew a rod. oh yea I only have 59365 miles on it. if anyone has any answers like legally against isuzu please email me. i think isuzu needs to be held responsible for this my email address is gino118@yahoo.com thanks.
If you check the oil every time you fill up (presumably with petrol) you will always get a very low reading because all the oil is pumped up around the engine. You will have to let the vehicle stand for at least an hour (with a V6) on level ground for the oil to drain back down to the sump before checking the level.
If you overfill the engine with oil you are inviting all manner of problems such as blown head gaskets and oil under pressure being forced past the piston rings and being burnt off (coking up the cylinder head and possibly gumming up the piston rings, which WILL make it burn oil regardless of what the oil level is).
I'm not trying to defend Isuzu and it does sound like Rodeo is a poorly designed car, but there are some misconceptions in the previous comments.
To the poster of Feb. 18th:
You drive an SUV and are surprised you are getting "bad" gas mileage? If that's one of your priorities I suggest you look into compact cars.
No one buys an SUV expecting any type of remarkable mileage, EVER.
If the dealers say you will get 20 miles per gallon, then you should get 20 miles a gallon give or take 2 or 3 miles! If your only getting 14 miles per gallon, that's a legitimate complaint!!!