2000 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2 from North America

Summary:

Poor man's Honda - Not even as good as a Hyundai

Faults:

Had to replace A/C compressor at 67K miles, EGR valve at 65K. Even with new A/C compressor this unit struggles in the Florida heat.

Door trip has come off several times.

Brakes are still going strong at 70K - surprised to not have replaced those yet.

General Comments:

Considering what I paid for this car 4.5 years ago, the resale value is bad. Had a bought the Honda CRV, I would have almost 3K more in resale today not to mention the maintenance headaches I have endured.

Isuzus in my opinion are a poor man's Honda. Parts are VERY expensive also. I had an 89 Trooper a while back and it basically fell apart after 100K miles. I should have learned my lesson then. I will not buy another Isuzu.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th July, 2004

15th Aug 2009, 02:17

Curious that original comment makes comparison with Honda as better option. Honda SUVs of this vintage (late 90's early 2000) were made using ISUZU parts, including engine, body and I believe drive-train.

I bought a 1999 Honda version for a college daughter. She did an oil flush (bad idea on any older car) and it started leaking oil by the quart. In the end, the engine froze going over a mountain pass and we walked away from the car. If you are interested in either of these, I'd opt for whatever one is cheaper initial cost.

2000 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.1 from North America

Summary:

Durable undervalued in the U.S.!

Faults:

CD changer replaced in 2002 under warranty.

General Comments:

I have had no major problems with the vehicle.

Oil consumption seemed a little high, but this appeared to be due in part to the oil change place using 5w20 or 5w30.

In the last 1.5k miles it used 1/8 QT of oil. (5w40)

There have been no mechanical problems. It has been driven off road, and also on a couple of road trips with 24hours duration non stop.

Mileage has been 21-22mpg highway.

Generally speaking I am happy with it, and if I was in the market for a new one, I'd snap one up at the great prices.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th May, 2004

29th May 2004, 11:15

I think I know why it's using some oil. A couple of trips going 24 hours with no break. That's a bit harsh on an engine. Plus, off roading can use some oil also.

18th Aug 2008, 11:19

I just drove my Rodeo to Sturgis, SD 1,000 miles each way. I never made it back thou, it blew a rod when I was going home. I had almost 95,000 miles on it.

I now need a new engine for a cost of between $1500-$4000, depending on how new I want the engine. It cost me $1500 to get the truck home, so this is was a very expense trip.

But before this the only problems were the gas gauge did not register correctly, told it was a common problem and the check engine light came on at 50,000 miles, But also it went through oil and brakes quickly!

2000 Isuzu Rodeo LXE 3.2L 6-Cylinder from North America

Summary:

Great car if the company would communicate

Faults:

No apparent problems suddenly at 48500 engine seized.

From what I understand it's a problem with the oil drain-back holes in the piston ring grooves that are the cause. Running regular oil over time causes them to close, being filled with "cooked" oil.

General Comments:

The oil consumption problem is something I found out about on the Internet - even though the company HAS TO know about the problem. The dealer said running synthetic oil would reduce the oil consumption problem, I am wondering why the company will not provide this information to owners.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th March, 2004

2000 Isuzu Rodeo S 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Car is decent, but the manufacturer is does not honor there warranties

Faults:

My head gasket blew at 73,000, which costs $1,200 in labor to replace. This however was only the start. It's failure cause the radiator to melt. The coolant pipe to crack. The manifold to crack. Other parts that failed are the thermostat and the O2 sensor. Since these all need replacement, so does what seems like every bolt and seal in the engine. So $1,200 in labor and $1,595 in parts cost, and I am looking at paying $2,795 for a car that is currently valued at $4,900 as a trade-in. Pretty sad, considering I have only had the car for 3 years. I first brought it to a non-Isuzu shop, who diagnosed the problem and told me the catastrophic failures where cause by the head gasket failure. They even called Isuzu to verify that this type of work was covered by warranty before towing it to the Isuzu shop. Once it was at the Isuzu dealer, their diagnose was exactly the same with the exception of the failure order. They claim the hard plastic coolant tube cracked first, which cause the engine to overheat, which caused the head gasket to fail etc etc. The plastic tube of course was out of warranty at 65,000, I am at 73,000, so I am out of luck.

I have had 5 tires replaced since I bought the car due to flats. Though I would have a hard time blaming that on manufacturing, yet it seems abnormal.

It's clutch pedal when fully pressed in moves about 10 inches total, yet when I let up on the pedal, the clutch only engages at the last 1/2 inch. This seems either cheap or wrong. It has been reported the the Isuzu shop a few times, but always get it explained to me as normal. It has been like this since I bought the car.

General Comments:

I have serious doubts that the there cars rate such a grand warranty. Mine is 10 years / 120,000 miles, and since they changed there warranties for 2003 - 2004 to 7 years / 75,000 miles, my guess is they don't believe it either. I guess it's just a coincidence.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st October, 2003

22nd Jun 2006, 11:35

We purchased a 10/yr, 100,000 mile warranty with the vehicle in 2000. It is not a 4 x 4 (I expected higher maintenance costs with those... and this state is flat anyways).

The transmission died completely at 97,000 miles, leaving me and the kids stranded on the side of the road. Isuzu didn't want to honor their warranty because they said that a little piece attached to the transmission wasn't actually a part of the transmission, and that is what caused the problem. After several hours on the phone with the General Manager at the dealership, they agreed to cover it.

Also, the protective bracket that shields the U-joint just came loose and made a huge racket underneath the car. It has since been removed. I've never had a problem with the belts, but the O2 sensor had to be replaced twice.

Just this week, a bracket fell off the signal arm, and the thing still functions, but is just kind of dangling.

It gets pretty horrible gas mileage. What sold me on this vehicle was the Honda drive train, but apparently Isuzus and Hondas don't interface well. I'll be sticking with Hondas exclusively from now on.

22nd Jun 2006, 15:45

Honda drivetrain? In a Rodeo?