1999 ISUZU TROOPER Complaints

ENGINE DIES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. FROM 5 MPH TO 60 MPH. DIES WHILE TURNING, THEN STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. ALMOST BEEN IN A FEW ACCIDENTS. HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES THIS SUMMER. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. *AK ENGINE ALSO BURNS 1QT OIL EVER 1,000 MILES.

SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, THE ENGINE FAILED ON OUR 1999 ISUZU TROOPER, POSSIBLY DUE TO LOW OIL. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SYMPTOMS OF ANY KIND - VEHICLE JUST QUIT ON ROUTE 95 IN MANSFIELD WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME FROM BOWLING. CAR WAS TOWED TO LOCAL GARAGE, WHERE THEY CONFIRMED THAT ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED - IN FACT, THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER HAD LITERALLY PICKED PIECES UP FROM THE PAVEMENT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. UPON SEARCHING FOR A NEW ENGINE, WE DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE NOT EASY TO FIND UNLESS PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM ISUZU, AND ACCORDING TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE, THIS IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS COMMON AMONG ISUZUS MANUFACTURED IN LATE 1990'S/EARLY 2000'S. OUR REGULAR MECHANIC, AND SEVERAL OTHERS QUESTIONED, CONFIRMED THAT THE ISUZU'S WERE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. BOTTOM LINE, IT WOULD COST US $5000-$6000 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, WHICH IS ABOUT WHAT WE OWED ON THE CAR. *NM

FROM THE TIME I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS ONLY A COUPLE YEARS OLD, EVERY TIME I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, THEY SAID IT WAS ALMOST EMPTY OF OIL. I BROUGHT IT IN TO A DEALER SEVERAL TIMES SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY COULD NEVER FIND THE REASON FOR IT BURNING OIL. EVERY DEALER SAID IT WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE ISUZU, BUT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. *JB

ENGINE OIL BURNING ISSUE. 1999 ISUZU TROOPER S. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE BURNS OVER 1 QUART OF OIL PER 3K MILES. HAS DONE THE SAME SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN 2003 WITH 52K MILES. NOW HAS 93K MILES. BASED ON ONLINE RESEARCH, THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE OIL FLOW PORTS WITHIN THE 3.5 LITER V6 AND IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45MPH, THERE WAS A KNOCKING NOISE WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND THE OIL WAS DRY ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE RECEIVED REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE.

MY 1999 ISUZU TROOPER ENGINE SEIZED UP. NO WARNING LIGHT OR ANY INDICATIONS THAT ANY THING WAS WRONG. TOWED IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID IT HAD NO OIL IN IT. I HAD JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 1 MONTH EARLIER AND HAD THE OIL CHANGED/FILLED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PURCHASE. I HAD DRIVEN IT LESS THAN 2000 MILES. I NOW SEE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET. NOW I AM HAVING TO REPLACE AN ENGINE WHICH COULD BE MORE THAN THE COST OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURERS OIL CONSUMPTION DEFECT AND LACK OF LOW OIL GAUGE/WARNING. *NM

I PURCHASED A NEW TROOPER IN 1999 AND DID EVERY REQUIRED MAINTENANCE ON TIME AT A AUTHORIZE ISUZU DEALER. AFTER THE 5 YEAR 60,000 MILE WARRANTY WAS UP WE STARTED TAKING IT TO A REPUTABLE NATIONAL OIL CHANGE COMPANY. WE NEVER HAD ANY INDICATION IT WAS USING OIL AT AN ABNORMAL RATE. IT WAS NOT LEAKING OIL, IT WAS NOT BURNING OIL AND THE OIL LIGHT WAS NOT COMING ON. ONE DAY THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND MY WIFE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND WE ADDED OIL. IT WOULD RUN ROUGH AND TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO DID SOME MAINTENANCE WORK. I HAD NOT TOTALLY WRECKED THE ENGINE. I GOT IT DRIVING GOOD FOR ABOUT $2,000 AND HOPED THIS HAD FIXED THE PROBLEM. WE ADDED AND CHECK THE OIL EVERY 500 MILES. TWO MONTHS LATER THE ENGINE SEIZED AND I AM NOW TOLD I NEED A NEW ENGINE. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS ENGINE OIL PROBLEM. ESTIMATED COSTS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE ARE $4K-$6K WHICH IS ABOUT BLUE BOOK FOR THE TROOPER AND NOW I WOULD HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN PUTTING A 1999 ENGINE WITH KNOWN PROBLEMS IN AS A REPLACEMENT. *JB

WHILE DRIVING SOUTH ON US INTERSTATE 89 NEAR MONTPELIER, VT, PULLED OVER TO ADJUST STUCK WINDSHIELD WIPER (DUE TO SNOW). AFTER EXITING HIGHWAY VIA EXIT RAMP AND PARKING IN A PARKING LOT, RETURNED TOWARDS HIGHWAY AFTER ABOUT A 5 MINUTE DELAY. AS WAS ACCELERATING UP THE ON RAMP, TRANSMISSION "LET GO" AND ENGINE REVVED. TRANSMISSION WOULD NO LONGER SHIFT AND REMAINED STUCK IN 2ND GEAR. LIMPED TO NEAREST SERVICE STATION. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ISUZU DEALERSHIP WHERE METAL WAS FOUND IN THE TRANNY PAN UPON INSPECTION INDICATING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE HAD 79K MILES, WAS SERVICED AT 60K AS PER MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATIONS, NO OTHER DRIVETRAIN PROBLEMS OR INDICATION OF IMMINENT FAILURE BEFORE INCIDENT. TRANSMISSION (4L30E) HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW TRANSMISSION. *JB

BURNING TOO MUCH OIL WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. MY CHECK OIL LIGHT HAS NEVER COME ON. HAVE TAKEN IT FOR 3,000 MILE OIL CHANGES A COUPLE TIMES TO FIND NO OIL AND NO TRACE OF OIL IN IT, THOUGH I HAD FILLED IT TO WHERE THE DIPSTICK REGISTERED FULL WITHIN THE LAST SEVENTY MILES. I CAN'T MAKE A DECENT STAB AT ESTIMATING HOW MUCH IT BURNS BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE FINE AND THEN BE EMPTY. IT DOESN'T LEAK ANYWHERE AND IT DOESN'T SMELL LIKE IT'S BURNING IT, BUT IT'S JUST GONE. I HAVE TO STAY ON TOP OF THIS ALL OF THE TIME; IT'S A DRAG. I'M GOING TO GO CHECK IT NOW WHILE I'M THINKING ABOUT IT. I AM WONDERING IF WHATEVER THIS DEFECT IS AFFECTING MY MILEAGE BECAUSE I ONLY GET 16 MPG. MY MECHANICS SAY THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS GET THE ENGINE REBUILT. I DO WISH ISUZU WOULD HELP OUT HERE. I LIKE THE VEHICLE AND AM NOT IN A POSITION TO HAVE THE ENGINE REBUILT OR BUY ANOTHER CAR. I WOULD ALSO FEEL BADLY SELLING THIS TO SOMEONE KNOWING THE ENGINE COULD LOCK-UP WITH NO NOTICE. AND IF I TELL THEM, WHO WOULD BUY IT? *NM

WE BOUGHT A 1999 TROOPER FROM THE DEALER THAT WAS NEVER REGISTERED, BUT THAT THE DEALER HAD DRIVEN FOR 14,000 MILES. WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT A NEW FACTORY WARRANTY APPLIED AS WE WERE THE "ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASER." AFTER DRIVING THIS VEHICLE THREE YEARS AND LESS THAN 60,000 MILES, THE ENGINE FROZE GOING UP A MOUNTAIN PASS, ENDANGERING OUR LIVES AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN'S LIVES. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND NOW HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE NEEDED AN NEW ENGINE -- THOUGH THERE WAS STILL OIL IN THE ENGINE, THERE WERE SHARDS OF METAL IN THE OIL. (WE HAD PROPERLY MAINTAINED THE ENGINE MORE THAN REQUIRED UNDER WARRANTY BUT IT SEEMED TO BURN A LOT OF OIL OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.) ISUZU DENIES THAT IT IS RESPONSIBLE, AND THE DEALER DENIES THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE, SO WE ARE NOW STUCK WITH A VEHICLE WE'VE HAD THREE YEARS THAT WILL COST US $5,000 - $8,000 TO REPAIR (AND THAT WE STILL OWE 11K ON AND IS WORTH 6K AS A TRADE-IN OR 8K IF WE SELL IT OURSELVES). I NOW SEE OTHER EVIDENCE OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE ON THIS SITE AND HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER MECHANICS WHO HAVE SEEN SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, YET MOST CONSUMERS DON'T SEEM TO FILE THESE REPORTS. I'VE HAD SEVERAL VEHICLES, AND MAINTAIN THEM WELL, AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ENGINE FREEZE WITH 71,000 MILES ON IT. AS NEITHER ISUZU NOR THE DEALER HAS BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE NOR STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT, I HOPE THAT THE NHTSA INVESTIGATES THIS ISSUE SO THAT NO OTHER OWNERS OR PASSENGERS ARE PLACED IN POTENTIALLY DEADLY AND CERTAINLY COSTLY CIRCUMSTANCES AGAIN. *NM