What breaks most · 1991 to 2008 model years
Isuzu Rodeo problems by year
Owners have filed 2,476 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Isuzu Rodeo across model years 1991 to 2008. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1998 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2001 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 1993 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 1998, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 1993, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 24761991 to 2008, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999550 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 29260 fires · 199 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 100kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 40Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 2 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (12) | |
| 80 | 8 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (23) | |
| 34 | 3 | 2 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 82 | 6 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (15) | |
| 176 | 28 | 2 | Wheels (27) | |
| 97 | 17 | 1 | Wheels (22) | |
| 118 | 17 | 1 | Body and structure (32) | |
| 478 | 81 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (211) | |
| 550 | 76 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (193) | |
| 274 | 23 | 4 | Body and structure (84) | |
| 389 | 18 | 4 | Body and structure (214) | |
| 101 | 8 | 2 | Body and structure (22) | |
| 16 | 2 | 3 | Body and structure (4) | |
| 39 | 3 | 2 | Suspension (8) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (1) |
What fails on the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 35% |
193 | 48 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 15% |
85 | 2 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 13% |
72 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
| Fuel System, Other | 10% |
56 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
50 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
40 | 12 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
37 | 4 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
35 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1999 Isuzu Rodeo |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
On dry sandy road, or slightly sloped road vehicle's ABS system turns on executing rapid pulses fast enough to not be effective causing extremely bad stopping distance. Car slows down very slowly. To correct the failure operator eliminated the ABS fuse to disable ABS. Brakes work fine now. *nm
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You may encounter extended stopping distance ABS, coil integrated module replacement its been a month and they still have not corrected the problem. *jb
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Left rear frame rusted through evidentially the person new of the problem now i have no title and they stole my trade of a 95 lexus gs300.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Isuzu Rodeo years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 1998, 2001 carry the most filings on the Isuzu Rodeo. The 1999 alone has 550 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Isuzu Rodeo problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 193 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Isuzu Rodeo problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Isuzu Rodeo complaints that include mileage is about 100,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.