Faults:

The only things that have really gone wrong have been mainly my own fault:

Exploded front left hand wheel bearings as a result of water leakage. The swivel housing needed a gasket kit.

The flange between the exhaust manifold and the exhaust pipe crumbled.

During a hard run the rear axle rode up and bent exhaust pipe pushing it on to the mud flap. The exhaust was re-routed to avoid the axle and mud flap.

Dents in petrol tank caused a small crack.

Sump bolt stripped tread. The sump was removed and a nut welded in so now we have a normal bolt.

Front uni joint on the rear tail shaft broke.

General Comments:

This 4x4 is unstoppable provided you know how to customize it I fitted lifted springs, removed the sway bar (better wheel articulation) and fitted large Desert Duelers etc.

I brought this as a ex security car and I think its the greatest shorty ever.

Faults:

My aunt had the car before me. She had it from 100,000 miles in 1996 and she sold it to me in March of 2001. As far as I know, the only thing my aunt has had to fix was the water pump. When I first got it, I had to put in a new radiator. It leaked and overheated easily. Ever since I got the radiator in, it hasn't overheated and I've been on trips with it.

Another thing that broke was my clutch cable. It just busted when I was in my friends driveway. It didn't cost a lot to fix though.

The only other bad thing about my car is that the carpet by the pedals on the drivers side is torn and messed up. I've heard about this from other Rocky owners also. Some of the carpet in the back passenger side is messed up too.

General Comments:

Even though Daihatsu is kind of unknown, I think it's an overall great truck. I've had trailers and boats and all sorts of things hitched behind it and it does well.

It's very slow and the gears are small, but it definitely does the job.

The 4 wheel drive does OK in the mud, but it's mainly made to get out of trouble.

Faults:

Transmission failed in 1996. It was a spring that broke inside case.

Overhead Cam seized in 1998. Oil flow stopped because of stuck oil pressure regulator. My fault - I ignored the light because it was full of oil.

Alternator gave out in 2002.

Not a bad record for 8 years.

General Comments:

Love/hate the vehicle. It rides hard, gets great mileage, looks funny, turns very wide which is a good safety feature, but makes it hell to parallel park. The engine compartment is very well organized and a pleasure to work in compared to US cars of the same era. Beware of 4WD on icy streets. Over 30mph you WILL eventually go out of control and spin helplessly. In 8 years living in Maine, I've only seen 1 other Rocky.