Selling a dead or junk Isuzu Impulse

A non-running Impulse, turbo or not, can still go in one piece. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Two very different cars

Wikipedia splits the Impulse into two generations, both built at Isuzu's Kawasaki Plant in Japan.

First generation, JR120/130 (June 1981 to August 1991). Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, front-engine and rear-wheel drive. Engines included a 1,994 cc 4ZC1-T turbo four and a 2,254 cc 4ZD1 four sold only in the US. Impulse buyers could pick a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed Aisin automatic.

Second generation, JT22 (August 1991 to December 1993). Designed by Shiro Nakamura and related to the Gemini/Stylus. Front-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive offered. In the US and Canada it used a 1.6 L 4XE1 DOHC four and a 5-speed manual. For 1992 the Turbo was dropped and the base engine became a 1.8 L (1,809 cc) rated at 140 hp. Wikipedia notes very few were built.

Where the complaints and recalls land

The first-generation years are quiet. The 1985 has three complaints and the campaign 85V109: a rear brake line at the rear axle could contact the fuel tank retaining band during severe operating conditions, and continued contact could damage the line. The fix was a new, rerouted line. That campaign covered 5,300 vehicles.

The second recall, 92V091, covers 1990-1992 cars. The steering wheel center hub could fracture in certain frontal crashes, and dealers added a reinforcement plate and nut. Its 25,059-vehicle count is for the whole campaign. NHTSA lists the same campaign for the Stylus, so that number is not the Impulse's alone.

Across all years, electrical system complaints total 11 and speed control 8. Owners reported 3 crashes, 1 fire, 1 injury and 1 death in their complaints.

Complaints by model year

Impulse reports in NHTSA's data, pulled October 10, 2026. The 1986, 1987, 1992 and 1993 have none and are not shown.

The 1994 row, which records the one death, falls after the Impulse's last EPA year, 1993.

Keep it or let it go

On a car this old, run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup first. Then get the repair priced. Wiring faults can take many shop hours to trace; our electrical problems guide covers when that stops making sense. If the car has become a stalled project, old project car is the page for that.

Selling it whole

Write out your Impulse's VIN, its mileage and what it's doing wrong. Request an offer online or call (877) 421-6008. Give us the address and say if the wheels turn freely; a low coupe on a flat tire changes which tow rig comes out. Keep the parts on it and flag anything someone already took. The driver collects the Impulse title and checks your ID.

See also the Stylus, I-Mark and Pickup, or every Isuzu we cover.