Owners have filed 83 complaints on the Isuzu Ascender, covering 2003–2004. The system named most often is Electrical System (27 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2003; cleanest: 2003, 2004. 2 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 5.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Isuzu Ascender
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 83 Ascender complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 27 Read
The contact owns a 2004 isuzu ascender. The contact stated that the gauges and lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer stated that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The contact also noticed smoke and flames coming from the control panel of the arm rest on the front driver side door. The…
While driving one night, my left headlight went out, first the dim, then the bright. My wife and I both smelled a smell like rubber burning, so I stopped the car and checked under the hood to detect the origin of the smell, but to no avail. Not much later that same night, my right headlight also burned out. Luckily,…
Instrument panel cluster performed erratically and then stuck at 30 mph. Restarting the car then reset to 0 mph. No gauges are working including fuel and speedometer. This is a safety issue
Fuel System 16 Read
Fuel tank leaks spilling fuel at all times. Have been told by mechanic that the fuel filler neck was ultrasonically welded to the fuel tank and that the seam did not hold. He reported seeing this on several vehicles, different make, same body style
The contact owns a 2004 isuzu ascender. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle would shake abnormally when driving various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the fuel tank was fractured and needed to…
The contact owns a 2004 isuzu ascender. The contact stated that the check engine light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. After diagnosis they advised her that the fuel tank was fractured but there was no sign of corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they…
Exterior Lighting 6 Read
The low beams on my headlights will go out without warning while driving at night. My daytime running lights also will turn off without warning and turn back on but this is not as much of a safety issue as when it happens during nighttime driving. Sometimes my headlights will not work from the moment I start my car…
At night while driving the low beams headlights turn off and after a few minutes turn back on. The high beams work when the lights go out and we have to turn them on to have headlamps. The daytime running lights don't seem to be affected by the problem during the day. Problem happens only at night
The vehicle's headlights blink. *nm the dealer refused to repair the headlight problem. The problem had been present since purchase. The blinking problem would occur in the morning and after sitting for a few hours, while the vehicle was in motion, the lights would dim down when the consumer's foot was off of the…
Service Brakes 4 Read
The brake pedal went to the floor at a rapid pace when slowing down. This resulted in the vehicle not slowing down immediately. The ABS warning light came on. The dealership replaced the ABS module. *ak the consumer had an accident after being told by the dealer that the brakes worked normally. The brakes would go to…
ABS and brake warning lights and warning chime comes on every time we drive the car. The chime will go off after about 15 sec. Of chiming. Lights and warning on the "readout" stay on. Our mechanic said its the ABS module and gm doesn't have any. They have been on backorder for at least 8 months. He said it's a problem…
Dt: driver's seat belt became stuck, it was jammed on the inside. Will not come out at all. It has done this before but was able at that time to get it out. Also, when pushing down on the brakes consumer could hear a clanking noise
Power Train 4 Read
The contact owns a 2004 isuzu ascender. After stopping the vehicle, the contact was unable to shift gears and the ignition key failed to remove from the ignition. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000
I purchased a 2003 isuzu ascender in february 2004. In around march 2006, the transmission begin slipping. At the time there was approximately 74,000 miles on the vehicle, which meant is was still covered under warranty. I was not informed by the dealer at clay cooley motors that the warranty was not transferable.…
Vibration in drive train
Visibility 3 Read
The contact owns a 2004 isuzu ascender. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when the contact noticed a burning smell and smoke being emitted from inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the smoke came from the power switch for the front driver side door. The contact removed the cover for the door and…
The rear window popped and explode on its own, possibly injuring the back passenger. Took to the dealer for repairs twice, but the cause was undetermined
Passenger side staionary window flew off at 65 mph
Fuel/propulsion System 3 Read
Continuous gas smell in and around automobile when starting the engine. Engine light came on in jan 2013 although the smell has been present for many years. Took auto to repair shop and discovered that their was a sizeable crack at the opening of the gas tank. Around 1,500 dollars later a new gas tank, new fuel pump…
Recall has been issued on faulty gas tank. Had car inspected by isuzu facility 2/4/16 and new part(s) ordered. Cannot get any information as to when part will be in and my car repaired. In the meantime, driving with faulty, gas-leaking, probably dangerous car. Gm apparently not communicating with isuzu and parts not…
Fuel tank has leaking seals, which is causing fuel to leak and the smell of fuel into cabin area of vehicle and vehicle rejected during state inspection. Part not available until after may.took it to repair facility, was told it was unsafe to drive then was told to come pick up the vehicle. Isuzu unwilling to offer…
Steering 3 Read
Had auto towed to midas after inability to start, attempted jump start, unsuccessful. Battery replaced on 12/28/15. Drove auto next several days and on 12/30/15 drove to pick up my husband, shut off car in park. Unable to start vehicle again, keys could not be removed. Keys were in lock position in battery mode, able…
Dt: the consumer stated that the power steering failed in his vehicle while turning the corner in the mountains. The power would work, but not when he would slow down. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership and a new power steering pump has been ordered. They did not tell him why this was happening. This…
Power steering lines from the pump (high pressure and return lines) are corroding and now leaking
Ascender years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 2 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 56 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.0 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Ascender?
By complaint volume, 2004, 2003 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Ascender years are the cleanest?
2003, 2004 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Isuzu Ascender have?
83 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2004. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.