16th Jun 2006, 10:08

My wife and I bought our 99 rodeo brand new at it was a great vehicle for the firs 3 years. It seems like right after we finished paying it off things began to go wrong with it. It started with the transmission, there was no way for me to check the fluid level. I called the dealer they informed me that there was no dip stick for checking the fluid level. You have to pay someone drain it and refill it. The next thing that went out shortly after that was the air condition compressor. I checked all the fuses and wiring to make sure it wasn't something simple, ultimately I had to take to the dealer. They replaced the compressor for $450.00. Then the gas gauge stopped working followed by the rear wiper, ABS light, and the check engine light. I could not find a repair manuel for the four years. Now I come to the conclusion that I am just going to drive it till it dies. Don't get me wrong I still change the oil every 3k miles, and change the dirty air filter every 6k miles, but I give up on trying to fix the electrical side of this vehicle. Surprisingly my rodeo still runs pretty good aside from the light Christmas tree on the instrument panel... Alex in San Antonio Tx.

19th Jun 2006, 18:21

The issue with the fuel gauge is the Fuel Sending unit a small piece that is located in the pump in the fuel tank. Many Rodeos around this year have this problem. I do on my 1999. Many dealers have quoted a astronomical price to fix this to me. I did find the part for about 40 dollars and put about 2 hours of work in and got it going. Besides this small flaw I love my Rodeo has ran well for me.

9th Jul 2006, 21:32

All I can say is Ditto on all of the above. My 99 Rodeo has every warning light on that will come on, burns oil like mad, fuel gauge has not worked for years, ABS went out as well years ago, not to mention the transmission I had to replace. When I contacted Isuzu about these problems I got a letter that made the excuse that they could not control every factor in the manufacturing process and that sometimes mistakes happen. I think the mistakes are the Rodeos that actually work the way they are supposed to and the ones like mine are the norm. Did someone say Class Action? Count me in!

And my advice is to buy Toyota or Ford or Dodge or Nissian or Kia...Anything, but a Isuzu.

12th Jul 2006, 18:42

Seems to me it's the 99 Rodeo that has the most problems. My 98 with 140k just needs oil every 2k miles, but that's it.

19th Jul 2006, 06:37

I have a 1995.5 Rodeo with the 3.2L v-6. It has long been known that the valve clearance in the v-6 engines is off. This is why there is constant oil loss. I now have 231,000 miles on mine and still love it. I also add a quart of oil every 2000 miles or so, but otherwise it has been a great truck. With Isuzu leaving the states, this will not be a problem with any new owners.

23rd Jul 2006, 19:18

I own a 1999 LSE Isuzu Rodeo and had the same problem as the person stating the coolant kept leaking out. Take it to a mechanic and have your heads checked. Mine was doing the same thing and it was a warped head. I had it repaired and it fixed the problem.

4th Oct 2006, 18:51

I have read all of these comments and my husband suggests to use authentic sythentic oil which has less consumption. you may pay more than your everyday use of oil, but find better results. Also, my ABS light comes on which is the automatic brake system any suggestions of fixing it. The brakes are changed so it temporarily goes out then comes back on.

19th Oct 2006, 20:40

Hi we are owners of a 1999 Rodeo. We bought it used with 85,000 miles on it. When the car hit 130,000 our transmission went out. We had it rebuilt and that's when we really started having problems. We had to take it back 3 different times to have it redone. Still not working right. Our transmission went out again at 160,000 miles and had to pay once again to have the transmission redone. It ran great for 20,000 miles now once again the transmission. Our check engine light goes on and off, our ABS light is always on even after the recall was fixed, but when our transmission is going out now NO LIGHT... There is no way to check the fluids in the transmission. We do not know how Isuzu could build these cars. I agree with another comment I wish there was a class action suit against Isuzu.

23rd Oct 2006, 13:45

I have a 99 Rodeo, base model, 4 cylinders, 5 speed. Air conditioner is the only 'extra'. I had to replace my sending unit as well to get the Check Engine light to go off. The shop said the inspection wouldn't pass until I got the Check Engine light off...grrrr...I did it myself for about $70 and it sounds difficult, but it really isn't. I did it with a simple hydraulic jack and a couple of wrenches.

Now I have a very annoying whining sound whenever I accelerate. Strangely, it only happens when the A/C is on. Which is all the time here in Houston.

27th Nov 2006, 17:24

My wife and I bought a 1999 Honda Passport (Re-badged Isuzu Rodeo) in 2001. At that time the vehicle had 70,500 miles. It now has 100,500 miles. We paid $10,500. I thought we got a good deal. Then came the repairs... We've replaced two ignition coil packs, exhaust manifold gasket twice, front axles, fan bearing, and currently put 1qt. oil every 800 miles. The car runs well except when climbing hills or heavily accelerating. It's always had quite a bit of ping/knock during these times. I don't mind the car other than the lack of power and engine knock on hills. I track the mileage at every fill-up. It has gone from 19.2 to 16.7 mpg. Partly because I used to drive the car to work and now my wife just uses it for groceries, etc. I am trying to decide if I should keep the car because it hasn't needed a repair in a while (knock on wood) or sell it. I'm guessing that I could sell it privately for ~$5000. Any suggestions would be great. Although I'm guessing everyone will say sell it. I feel bad dumping this POS on someone. Anyone had any luck making theirs last forever? My poor boss bought his son one of these this year from a dealership. He paid $10,500 for one with 71K!! What a fool! Oh well, I learned you really gotta do your homework with cars.