1998 Isuzu Rodeo LX from North America

Summary:

Safe vehicle, just love the Rodeo

Faults:

My rear axle seals leaking, had one replaced cost a fortune.

Rattling noise from rear, had washer replaced as dealer informed me of the recall problem. Had it fixed and noise came back soon after. Not a big deal, just annoying.

Rear wiper motor replaced at 50,000 miles.

General Comments:

I really love my Rodeo, I is sad that it is no longer being manufactured. It has kept me safe in the blizzards of Colorado. I would say that tire rotation and oil changes, all upkeeps are so important to keeping the vehicle in shape. Rodeo looks great and is high enough off the ground to not get stuck in snow and ice. Rear seats fold down to give great space when needed. Upholstery is not wearing too well, parts ordered are hard to get from the dealership. Overall it was a great buy for me. Would love to know if I have any outstanding warranties on the vehicle, how would I find this info.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st January, 2007

1998 Isuzu Rodeo LX V6 from North America

Summary:

Not well-engineered

Faults:

Constant pinging once car warms up.

General Comments:

The car is actually a Honda Passport, which is a serious flaw. I keep getting referred back from Isuzu to Honda, etc. A service tech @ Honda told me to tell people not to buy this vehicle! Then another Honda dealer was unable to look up the VIN. She referred me to Isuzu, who laughed when I asked them if they could look it up.

My current problem is the loud pinging coming from the motor after it warms up, under load. I've done quite a bit of research & apparently it could be:

A worn timing belt

A bad/dirty EGR valve

A needed firmware (computer program) upgrade.

One Honda dealer told me it was "totally normal"!

There is a TSB listed on the net dealing with this issue, but no dealer (Honda or Isuzu) was able to look it up, even after I gave them the #. Crazy.

As a side-note, I wondered why the suspension on the 2WD vehicle was so harsh until I got underneath it: There is only 1" (That's ONE INCH) of suspension travel in front! There's a huge rubber bumper bolted to a bracket that is welded to the frame & it sits ONE INCH (!) above the lower control arm. I was wondering why I almost bite through my tongue going over speedbumps! My guess is that Isuzu never really planned to make this vehicle in a 2WD version & so they had to mess it all up for Honda. Other than these two issues it's been a pretty good rig, but I am seriously frightened of the next thing to go wrong & am going to sell it.

PS--Unplugging (& then re-plugging after a day's driving) the O2 sensors helped with the ping, but didn't remove it.

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

Review Date: 19th October, 2006

19th Oct 2006, 20:40

Actually, Isuzu built the Passport for Honda. I believe that at one point Honda asked Isuzu to remove the badging from the valvecovers of the V6 engine, I suppose to keep people from noticing they weren't really driving a Honda after all.

25th Jan 2007, 09:49

Believe it or not Isuzu is a GM built car.

3rd Feb 2007, 00:00

Correction to last poster, Isuzu's with the 3.2L V6 engine are ISUZU's with the GM automatic transmission.

If they're 4-cylinder Rodeo's, then yes, they're GM/Chevy engines AND transmissions (auto).

The pinging is generally due to an engine that needs a tune-up; i. e spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter, EGR valve needs cleaned, pcv valve needs changed. This stuff is not unlike any other engine that's ever been in need of a tune-up, and also, it sounds like your using bad quality gas too.

Put a good set of sparkplugs in it, clean the EGR valve (20-min do it yourself at home job) - doesn't take a dealer to clean this, change all of your filters, and throw some fuel system cleaner into a full tank of good gas. Not from your local 7-11/Circle K gas station either.

And, also, seeing as you do own a 10yr old vehicle, it probably is due for a new timing belt if it's never been done before.

Do NOT allow the dealer to *reset* the computer to stop the pinging, chances are it's most likely 100% related to either old spark-plugs, fouled spark-plugs, or spark-plugs that are not compatible with an Isuzu engine.

5th Jul 2008, 09:34

The only thing your car needs is basic tune up and new shocks which is just regular maintaince.