1999 Isuzu Trooper from North America - Comments

Agree with the above.

1999 trooper with over 100k

Replaced starter, egr, oil problems every 1000 miles. About to replace brakes. Other than that it’s a great car, just too hard to get documentation and manuals for it. Dealerships are terrible as well.

I feel your pain. I have a 1991 trooper whose drive train was so durable I bought a used, low mileage 1999 trooper expecting similar longevity. I was horribly wrong. The 1991 has a GMC engine and standard transmission. The 1999 has an Isuzu engine and transmission. Though we maintained the 1999, at 90k the engine burns ridiculous amounts of oil and the transmission is completely shot. Plus the rear seals are fading. Having read your nightmare, I'm now convinced not to throw any more money at this beast. It's a shame. If they had just kept building the 1991 model, I'd go buy another.

I need help with my 2000 trooper. It has 95k and has been very good to me; have 0 issues except for the tranny replacement needed at 65k. They said it was a fluke and covered it under warranty. Many miles later and for the past 6 months I've been getting a strange reving noise on a cold start-up. This happens on warm days as well as cold. The truck starts fine, but I get reving noise for about a long second just after the engine turns over. What can this be? I recently had the starter replaced and it did not fix the problem. Someone please help before I have to go to dealer and pay through the nose for a diagnosis.

Hello all

i found this site after I bought a 98 Trooper

i drove it twice

tested it thoroughly

was prepared to tinker with it a bit

have always wanted a trooper luv the workmanship & quality

have know the reliability of the older 4cyl models to be legendary

well I drove mine less than 5 miles

within 24hrs after its purchase and it made a loud CRACK followed by some grinding sound...

Immediately I though how much time would I get if I killed MR.

"i promise U won't have any problems with this vehicle!!!"

"there is nothing wrong with it "

well it would not drive though the engine seemed to be running fine

it was though it was DISCONNECTED from the engine

after I turned it off it would not start

and when starting it made a grinding sound...

I just scraped together & borrowed the $2600.

To purchase this "bargain"

well after waking up the wife to come and drag us home

i looked under the hood and noticed that the engine was not turning when the starter engaged

so I removed the dust cover on the tranny to find the flywheel had broken I thought that's what happened at first, but did not want to admit it

so my search began online looking for parts and manuals

i think we should take full advantage of these forums and share info (resources)

so here are some things I found..

Copy and paste this in ur browser address bar :

http://pdftown.com/Isuzu-Trooper-Workshop-Manual.html

its the manual in PDF (adobe Acrobat) format its free

and Craigslist, Ebay, Ebay Motors, and last, but not least GOOLGE THE DAMN THING!!!

I m not afraid to pull out the engine and overhaul it myself

i think its worth it!

The body has no rust!

What performs like for the price I paid?

And hey if I have an accident I'm gonna WIN

they werent thinking Crumple Zones when they built this sucker

i don't like the new cars

too much plastic & too much money for what you get

they make em all shiny to attract the bugs & idiots

and right around the time the payments & warranty end they fall apart

with all the stuff being made outside the US and for pennies

why do they cost so much?

I REFUSE to make car payments

just my nickel (5cents)

i feel a little better now good luck to all

and share the knowledge.

I bought a 1999 Trooper new. It's got 140,000 on it now. It has used oil (1 quart btwn changes every 5000 miles) but has been problem free. I have replaced the starter, ECG valve and a couple of belts. Great car. Goes from logging trails to highways with ease. I plan to keep driving it. Really too bad it's so hard to find parts/dealerships. Plus it's not great on gas - but I knew that when I bought it.

I bought a 1999 Trooper new and up to this point like it just fine. I change the oil every 3xxxx and had the expensive 100xxx mile belt changes and transmission service (no drain plug). Yes it is hard on gas and when I start it up it does have a whine somewhere under the hood. Little hard on oil now at 110xxx.

My friend, a single mother of four and a disabled Vet, bought a 1999 Isuzu Trooper 3.5L, nothing like paying on a dead horse. She just got done paying it off and it has 57,000 miles on it (about 10,000 miles more than when she purchased it). It has been parked out front in the street for 3 1/2 years with a blown motor. Ends up if you don't check your oil about as often as you take a drink of water, boom your motor is shot.

I took it to the local dealer and he said they can't rebuild it, but can replace it for $8,000, hence why it is parked out front. How sad, the first and only car of this single mother that served this country, gets bilked by a car dealership that just don't care.

Why isn't there a recall? I mean why aren't these people getting their pants sued off of them? Everyone should come together and try to do something. HAVE THEY HEARD OF DISCLOSURE?

I had a Toyota 4-runner and had a blown motor, and it was under recall and there was like well over 50,000 motors on back order. They paid for my rental car for 3 months and the only thing I had to pay for is the head work, which was a mere $400. Notice how they have good customer service and take care of problems and disclose problems, and they are still going strong, unlike the spineless auto maker ISUZU. ISUZU just decides to give up and not make cars here anymore, but will continue to make bigger trucks, which I feel no one should buy giving their proven track record.

I know I am talking to an attorney, and talking to a couple of legislatures; this is ridiculous, these people should be held accountable. If she or we would have been disclosed about the great oil consumption, like a quart per 1,000 miles is what some guy from the local wrecking yard told me, and was confirmed by a ISUZU employee: we would have never bought the piece of junk. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BIG TRUCK OR CAR FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!

I bought my 1999 Trooper in Nov. 2005 with 37,000 miles on it for $6,000 and it was in perfect condition. I LOVE IT!!! I have a new Toyota Tundra but like my Trooper more. It now has 50,000 miles on it since I drove it down to my house in Zihuatanejo Mexico-2700 miles from the border without problems and without oil loss. I did have to get a new computer for my transmission shifting hard on occasion. This week I got a hole in my radiator and my starter went out. Other than this I have changed the oil every 3,000 miles or 6 months and it has not used any. I drive the hell out of it in rough conditions and man does it hold up and go. It turns on a dime and was made for the rough roads down here. Sorry about those of you with major problems. I hope my Trooper continues to impress me and give me the joy it was made for.

I leased my 1999 Trooper new and exercised the purchase option after the lease as I like driving it so much. The oil usage 800-1000 km per litre is a pain in the neck and I am guilty of running it low at times. I have 134000 km on it now. I have replaced the starter and a set of tires that's all.

Maybe someone can tell me why my 4x4 light blinks and now is hard to get into 4x4. Also there is a noise coming from the right front wheel which I can't determine and is still there after a tire rotation.

I just purchased my 1999 trooper and after reading the reviews I am a freak about checking the oil. It had 86000 miles on it when I bought it and thank god it was under warranty. It runs fine now, but we were off to a rough start. To answer the 4 wheel drive flashing light question, it is the computer module, it is probably burned up. The 4wd likely is not fully engaged, and you will probably notice your gas mileage drop because the hubs are locked. I think it is about $1200 to fix it. If it is not that then it is the 4wd motor, which is about the same. Mine was doing the same thing. One of the modules in the board actually burned causing a short and making the light flash. Good Luck.

I recently purchased a 2000 Trooper LS on E-Bay for $5000. I flew from Winnipeg, Canada to Virginia to pick it up and then I drove it 1600 miles home. The vehicle ran perfectly. It used a little more gas than I expected, but when I slowed to about 60 mph the fuel economy was OK. It did not burn any oil on the trip home. This is the third trooper that I have owned, after a 1989 and a 1994 (which I still drive).

So far I just love the vehicle. I don't know where else I could find such a solid, luxurious vehicle for the price that I paid. I am anxious to see how it behaves in the snow this winter. My only expense so far is to have daytime running lights installed in order to satisfy federal regulations (what a joke) and to have a block heater put in in preparation for colder temperatures.

We've owned a 2000 Trooper since it was about a year old. Bought it with about 11,000 miles. Checked the VIN on-line and it appeared to be from a group of Troopers (I checked a bunch of them out after we bought the truck) that were deployed in the Southwest on a lease program. This one (like many others) had a ski rack on it when we bought it.

Unlike most buyers, I wanted a tough 4X4 for off-road use. I considered virtually everything out there at the time and settled on the Trooper for a variety of reasons. Consequently, this truck was soon outfitted with a massive ARB "bull bar", Warn winch, larger tires on 17" HD Centerline alloy wheels with BFG off-road tires and HD air adjustable Rancho shocks.

Since then, it has been to Wind Rock here in East Tennessee, Climbed many mountain trails in the San Juans of Colorado and been driven on trails that many other 4X4s would have a tough time with. In short, it has been an astounding off-roader.

So, with that in mind, this is how it has done service-wise until now at near 70K miles: replaced EGR valve around 55K; brake pads all around at about same time; Oxygen sensor last Thanksgiving after fussing with "Check Engine" light for 6 months; and a freak event: left front axle pulled out of hub about an inch when a cotter pin sheared. This caused no damage because it gave me a clue (atypical noise when turning with 4WD engaged) and coaxed me to carefully inspect under the vehicle. I tried to fix it myself, but I didn't have the correct tools to deal with it, so took it to my mechanic who fixed it for about $120.

That's it. Keep in mind that this truck gets Castol Syntec every 3,000 miles (and uses about 1 quart between changes). I check for leaks (and, particularly for any undercarriage damage after going off-road). I drive the truck almost every day, even though I have a Mustang, Corvette and a Ranger STX to choose from. Yes, I'm a car nut.

The Trooper has just what I was looking for: more space than a Jeep, better repair record, quality construction and reputed to be one of the better off-road vehicles in the world. Remember, these trucks are still sold (in their most recent incarnation) in many places - just not in the US.

Would I recommend a Trooper to a friend? Probably not, even though I love mine and have no plans to replace it. Incidentally, the nearest thing to it these days is a Toyota FJ Cruiser, but you can see out of the open, airy Trooper. The reasons for not recommending it would be: it's getting harder and harder to find parts for it and they cost more than my wife's Lexus parts; the engine, as expressed in other reviews, is very sophisticated, and thus, somewhat of a liability off-road (although this one has never even burped - oxygen sensor and clogged EGR aside) ; and in this day of expensive fuel, few people need a vehicle like this.

On the other hand, if you really need a UTILITY vehicle with 4X4 capabilities with 90 cubic feet of storage and you can pick up a used one that has been well taken care of (check the service records and have a qualified mechanic check it out before you buy it if you don't know what to look for), then you can pick these up really cheap. What's really cool is that hardly any owner has used theirs off-road, and that's what they are really designed to do.

Just bear in mind that eventually, you will have to have repairs made and they will probably cost more than the vehicle is worth if it involves serious engine or transmission repairs. Incidentally, the transmission is a version of a GM unit that is used many GM trucks and cars.