Owners have filed 1,577 complaints on the Isuzu Rodeo, covering 1991–2004. The system named most often is Structure (297 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2001, 2000; cleanest: 2003, 1993, 1991. 149 reports describe a crash, 45 a fire, 8 a death. On average the car was 6.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Isuzu Rodeo
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,577 Rodeo complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 297 Read
The contact owns a 2003 isuzu rodeo. The stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning, causing the contact to crash into a guard rail. There were no injuries. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was advised that the frame rail was rotten…
While driving on dry pavement approx.20 mph vehicle abruptly swerved left with acceleration then swerved right with deceleration and almost rolled over. Upon investigation the left trailing arm was found to be unattached to the frame due to severe corrosion. Further investigation revealed multiple areas of severe…
The contact owns a 2001 isuzu rodeo. The contact stated that while traveling at speeds of 15 mph, the front wheels folded inward and the vehicle began to turn sideways hitting a guardrail. The contact didn't state if there were any injuries or a police report was filed. The contact stated that the sway bars were…
Suspension 270 Read
Was driving down the road and my traction bar fell off causing me to crash into the curb. The whole frame is rotting out I had no idea of the recall until I looked into it now. How can I get my truck fixed?
Within the past few weeks we received a recall notice on our 2001 isuzu rodeo. I called the local isuzu dealer and was told that they have not received the "tech bulletin" nor the parts to fix the vehicle but they would call me when they could get our vehicle in. They said it was only a minor issue that required…
I received a recall #10V-436 form in the mail from the isuzu owner relations center 1400 s. Douglass road, suite 100 anahelm, ca 92806 on or about november 2010. It stated that I should call isuzu special assistance center to identify the isuzu service center closest to me. I was told the parts to repair my vehicle…
Service Brakes 249 Read
This request is being submitted following a fatal accident that occurred this past summer involving a 1999 rodeo. The circumstances surrounding the accident are suspicious as the driver appeared to be unable to stop his car and traveled across an entire median of an interstate, hit another car head-on and burst into…
I was driviing down a freeway offramp and when I applied the brakes, they failed. I pumped the brakes and all the happened was that they made a bouncing noise but did not engage. I had to swerve to avoid the car in front of me where I then got hit and pushed into a guardrail
Brakes pedal pulses like crazy but the brakes don't work when applied
Engine And Engine Cooling 161 Read
In july 2000 consumer heard a pinging noise, and dealer discovered that catalytic converter and muffler needed to be replaced. In mar 2001, while driving 45 mph consumer heard a pinging sound, and noticed smoke coming from floor board near drivers feet.. It was a smoldering fire that burned a whole in floorboard.…
The contact stated a fire erupted in the vehicle while driving. The vehicle had just been filled with fuel. While stopping at a stop light the vehicle began to hesitate as if it were going to stall. The fire was first noticed on the front passenger side. Based on the fire departments investigation the fire started in…
The contact owns a 2000 isuzu rodeo. The contact smelled the radiator burning. A mechanic stated that the thermostat failed. Isuzu stated that the thermostat, water pump, and oil seals needed to be replaced at the cost of $1,090. While idling at a stop sign, the vehicle shut down and would not restart. The vehicle had…
Power Train 99 Read
When coming to a complete stop consumer's vehicle lurched forward and hit another vehicle
Dt: the vehicle was parked with the gear shifter in the park position and the key was not in the ignition. Consumer's son, who was 2 years old, was sitting in the back seat. Child was not restrained in a child safety seat. Consumer went inside the house for a minute and when he returned the car rolled and crashed at…
Rear axle lower link bracket bolt and nut fell off causing rollover and crash of vehicle. Driver ejected. Recall letter for campaign #00V-058000 received same day as crash
Fuel System 99 Read
The contact owns a 2002 Isuzu Rodeo. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that as she was coasting to the right to stop on the shoulder, she observed that there was smoke in the cabin. The contact stated that after she stopped, she opened the driver's…
2001 isuzu rodeo, with no prior damage, was warming up and caught fire. Apparently , a fuel line leak in the engine compartment was the cause. No warning whatsoever, and no prior mechanical work performed in the engine compartment relating to fuel lines. Apparently isuzu had a recall on fuel lines, but I'm told it…
While driving, vehicle accelerated suddenly and unexpectedly, resulting in a collision. Dealer has been contacted. This has been an intermittent problem. *ak consumer states that the intake manifold gasket was replaced, consumer was informed that the gaskets would cause the vehicle to jerk or bump once the vehicle was…
Vehicle Speed Control 66 Read
After exiting a parking lot and when approaching the traffic signal (already red) at a speed less than 5mph (the signal was approx 5 car lengths from the parking lot exit), while further slowing (braking) to line up behind the last of the 2 cars already stopped at the signal, the rodeo unexpectedly accelerated which…
Occasionally, when braking the car to come to a stop, the car begins accelerating and revving at high rpms. This causes the car to lunge violently forward. It is very difficult to stop the car with only the brakes, therefore you are forced to shift the car into park in order to prevent serious injury
Engine reves by itself while driving and when you are stopped the car surges forward. This caused an accident. This has happened too numerous to count. Vehiccle has been to dealer (bernard isuzu) 5 times, not repaired, requesting replacement from manufacturer. They are unresponsive
Wheels 58 Read
While having tires changed lug: nuts broke off
Rear wheel cracked at the seam while driving. The crack is 6-8 inches long
Whell studs came lose during rotine tire rotation & nut broke off had to replace hub also
Rodeo 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 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 14 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 17 | 5 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 56 | 7 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 11 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 10 | 2 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 20 | — | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | 4 | 1 | |
| 1993 | Electrical System | 1 | 2 | |
| 1992 | Electrical System | 3 | 13 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 1 | 11 |
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 | 463 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.4 |
| Worst single series | 30 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.5 years |
A model average of 3.4 hides a worst series at 30. 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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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 Rodeo?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2001, 2000 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 Rodeo years are the cleanest?
2003, 1993, 1991 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Isuzu Rodeo have?
1,577 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1991–2004. Of those, 149 describe a crash and 45 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.