I-280

Isuzu i-280 Problems

What actually breaks on the Isuzu i-280 — 8 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across 2006–2006, sorted by model year and by system, with what owners wrote in their own words.

NHTSA owner complaints · 8 reports · 5 builds · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Quick answer

Owners have filed 8 complaints on the Isuzu i-280, covering 2006–2006. The system named most often is Electrical System (3 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006; cleanest: 2006. On average the car was 5.9 years old when the problem happened.

What breaks on Isuzu i-280

Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 8 i-280 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.

Electrical System 38% 3 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

Complete loss of brake lights / cruise control / keeps blowing fuses. Learned of recall id # 52989 dated 7/29/2009 - so I took vehicle to dealer ( courtesy gmc - 205.836.2000 ) their service manager sent me away - said truck had recall #06030 performed on 11/27/2006. I had a trusted mechanic I know check brake light…

2006 Isuzu i-280

The contact owns a 2006 isuzu i280. The contact stated that the anti theft lock device would not allow the contact to start the vehicle. The contact had to wait over 20 minutes for the engine to operate, which caused the interior lights to dim. The dealer was notified of the issue who offered no assistance. The…

2006 Isuzu i-280

The contact owns a 2006 isuzu I-280. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the security pass lock warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. After waiting ten minutes, the engine resumed normally. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for…

Suspension 13% 1 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle became hard to steer. It was taken to the dealer who found the front passenger tire was worn on the inside and determined the factory specifications were off

Engine And Engine Cooling 13% 1 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

The contact owns a 2006 isuzu I-280. While driving 25 mph, the vehicle shut off in the middle of traffic. After a few minutes, the engine restarted. In addition, the vehicle idled roughly. The contact took vehicle to auto zone for diagnostic testing and was informed that the exhaust crankshaft position caused the…

Service Brakes 13% 1 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

The contact owns a 2006 isuzu i280. While driving approximately 25 mph, the ABS warning indicator illuminated and a message displayed faulty brakes on the instrument panel. In addition, the brakes would make a grinding noise when depressed. There was a recall related to the defect under NHTSA campaign id number…

Fuel/propulsion System 13% 1 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

Strong odor of gasoline coming from truck. Leak appears to be coming from the top of the tank. There are many complaints of the same issue with the chevy colorado pickups and a few of the same issue with the isuzu i280. I did replace the gas cap, but that did not solve the problem. My next step will be removing the…

Exterior Lighting 13% 1 Read
2006 Isuzu i-280

Couple of wks. Ago I had to replace front left hub wheel assembly which affected drive shaft, ABS, emer. Brake. That was fixed . Now tonight driving from a friends I hear a clicking noise sounds like underneath gear box or behind heater what is it. Also interior lights turn control & have to hit around light for it to…

i-280 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.

FIG.02·Isuzu i-280 complaints by model year
Model yearComplaintsTop systemCrashesFires
20068Electrical System
ROWS 1·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

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.

FIG.03·Isuzu i-280 complaints by production series
MeasureValue
Distinct production series5
Average complaints per series1.6
Worst single series3 complaints
Average age at failure5.9 years
ROWS 4·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints + ForCar

A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.

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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 i-280?

By complaint volume, 2006 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 i-280 years are the cleanest?

2006 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.

How many complaints does the Isuzu i-280 have?

8 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2006–2006. Of those, 0 describe a crash and 0 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.

Owner complaints from NHTSA, published as filed and unverified. Age at failure computed by ForCar from incident date and model year; production series grouped by the first 11 VIN characters. Last updated Aug 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.