2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2 liter V6

Summary:

Best vehicle I have ever owned - Satisfied with every aspect

Faults:

Absolutely nothing except regular maintenance such as tires, filters, etc.

General Comments:

King capability.

My family is extremely happy with this car, and I wish they were still in North America selling Rodeos! What a shame there will only be used Rodeos for sale from now on.

Unless I buy new, I will always look to Isuzu for my vehicle needs. I also have had an Axiom, and I am just as happy with it as the Rodeo.

This vehicle is just like any other... If you do not maintain it well, it will not last long or work to its full potential. Please do not blame a model or company for consumer faults. It is also good to remember that Isuzu is no longer available in North America, so parts occasionally are hard to find, such as both TPS sensors (the only thing I have had to buy for mine).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th July, 2011

2001 Isuzu Rodeo

Summary:

Awesome!!!

Faults:

Nothing. I have an oil leak, but this car is 9 years old... so there are bound to be a few leaks.

I have had this SUV for over a year now. Thank God, nothing has gone wrong. I check my oil and change it every 3000 miles. I do have to add power steering fluid now. It is making a whining noise. I think it's the steering, but I need to check it out.

General Comments:

Overall, I love my Rodeo. It's got nice seats in it. It was given to me by a friend who bought a new car.

I would buy another one. But, this time I will opt for the automatic. Because city driving kills me with shifting. I do have to say though, I get great gas mileage on this truck. I wouldn't if I had an automatic.

I don't have to gas up but every other weekend. Or sometimes every 2 1/2 weeks.

Love it. Just love it!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 21st November, 2010

2001 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2

Summary:

This car is a piece of foreign junk!! I want American made!!!

Faults:

Things gone very wrong with 2001 Isuzu Rodeo:

Front end alignment.

Rear wiper motor went out.

EGR valve had to be replaced, rotors warped, idles inaccurate, CV boot joint split.

Was having all lights coming on and off, reading different codes every time. Now found out it's the transmission is gone according to the Isuzu dealer.

There are no recalls on this vehicle, but so many are having these same problems.

Check your transmission fluid; if black, your transmission is going or gone, even with all the lights and dings going off!!

General Comments:

This vehicle is a nightmare!! Don't buy one. They will not honor their power train warranties like they should. Or any warranties on this vehicle.

We should not have replaced all these things, and just have only just over 100,000 miles on it.

It recommends you only change your sparks plugs at 100,000 miles, but everything else has done fallen apart by that point.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th August, 2010

14th Aug 2010, 23:11

We learned our lesson with Japanese cars too (Honda and Mazda). We have never driven such poorly built, unreliable junk. They didn't last as long as our WORST domestic. We currently drive well built, reliable domestics and are very satisfied with them. No more poorly made Japanese garbage!!

15th Aug 2010, 13:55

We had a '99 Trooper and the tranny failed at 58K miles. They replaced it with a brand new one for no charge. Never had a problem again. Maybe your problem is lack of maintenance. You should do your fluids regularly including the transmission. We towed a boat with ours, so it required extra maintenance to keep it running well. Isuzu's were known to burn up oil too, so I checked it and changed it often and had no engine problems.

You bought yours used, and even though 45K seems like low miles, if someone towed with it and did nothing to it maintenance wise, you will definitely have problems with it by 100K miles.

Don't go running to the domestic brands either. I just traded a Trailblazer that I sunk about $1,500 into for ridiculous repairs. I found out it needed almost $2K more, and decided to put that down on my new import SUV instead of wasting any more on the GM. It only had 90K miles on it, and I had owned it since it was brand new with regular maintenance. The engine still looked brand new on it; I took such good care of it. Still, it was junk.

24th Oct 2010, 00:35

Not at all uncommon for a vehicle to need a front end alignment by around 100k miles; most need alignments long before that.

If your auto transmission fluid was black, goes black, it's due to lack of maintenance on the owners part, driving it rough, etc.

I have 200k miles on my 97 Rodeo with the same automatic transmission as in the '01 models. My fluid has NEVER once gone black, but I do a drain and refill every 15k miles, and I change the filter every 30k miles.

And for what it's worth, if one's recommending an American vehicle over Japanese, I'll have you know, that Rodeo you're driving is over 85% American.

The auto transmission units in these trucks are Chevy/GM product; the engine is Isuzu... transmission is not.

Sounds like a lot of owners need to research more into the vehicles they own; you can't just drive a vehicle for 100k miles and never expect to have to do any kind of maintenance.

Could YOU walk for 100k miles and never need new shoes, need fresh fluids, perhaps your ankles are killing you, so you might need to adjust your walking, etc.

In reply to 15th Aug 2010, 13:55

19th Jul 2013, 10:27

The Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Oldsmobile Bravada are the same vehicle. The engines and transmission are Isuzu.