Selling an old or dead Isuzu Rodeo

If yours has a rotted rear end, worn-out brakes or a dead engine, it can go as one piece. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

How these numbers were counted

Every complaint figure here comes from NHTSA's complaint file, pulled October 10, 2026: reports Rodeo owners sent in themselves. Read them as a map of what people reported, not a score, and know that one report may list several components. Rodeos from 2003-2004 had fewer road years before this tally, so their totals run lower. Where a recall's vehicle total is given, it is the size of the entire campaign; for several Rodeo campaigns that total may take in other models too. Enter your VIN on NHTSA's lookup to see your own truck's open recalls.

Known problems, grouped by model year

Isuzu used the Rodeo name on two vehicles, a compact pickup in Japan and a midsize SUV in North America, Wikipedia says. The SUV runs from 1991 to 2004 in EPA data, as the Rodeo and the Rodeo Sport, in 2WD and 4WD. The sources behind this page give no generation breaks, so these groups are drawn from where the complaints cluster.

1991-1997: drivetrain, engine and wheels

These seven years hold 629 complaints. Power train complaints top the 1991, 1992 and 1994 lists. Wheels lead on the 1995 (25) and the 1996 (22).

• 91V118000 (1991): the automatic transmission dipstick showed low when the fluid was at the right level. Dealers replaced the gauge. 3,023 vehicles in the campaign.
• 94V132000 (1993-1994): the camshaft seal end plug could work loose from the cylinder head and leak oil. Dealers added retainer plates. The 122,297 count may include other models.
• 96V170002 and 02V281000 (1994): the front seat belt latch plate could partly engage if the tongue went in slowly at an angle.
• 97V034001 (1994-1995): a circuit inside the voltage regulator could carry manufacturing errors. 118,485 vehicles, a total that may span other models.

1998-2002: brakes first, then the rear suspension

This is where the file piles up: 1,902 complaints in five years. The 1998 has 194 brake complaints out of 486 (hydraulic service brakes, in NHTSA's terms), and the 1999 has 178 out of 564. From the 2000 on, structure and suspension take over, peaking on the 2001.

Three campaigns deal with the rear suspension lower link and its bracket:

• 00V058000 (1998-1999): the rear axle's paint was too soft in spots, including where the lower link bracket bolt seats. The fix was a new joint nut and bolt. Campaign size: 213,736, possibly including other models.
• 10V436000 (1998-2002): filed in 2010 for Rodeos and the 2002 Axiom in certain states, alongside Honda's recall of the 1998-2002 Passport. The dealer check looks at the bracket; light corrosion gets treated. The 149,992 count covers all of those vehicles, the Hondas included.
• 12V306000 (2001-2002 Rodeo Sport): check this one as well when your Rodeo Sport was sold new in, or carries plates today from, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island or another state on NHTSA's notice list. The campaign also covers 1998-2000 Amigos.

Smaller campaigns from these years: an engine harness whose ground terminal was crimped wrong at the supplier (98V170000, 1998), a rubber floor mat that could shift under the pedals (97V206001, 1998), an interior that did not meet the federal head-impact standard (00V121001, 1999), fuel return hoses made with the wrong rubber (00V298000, 2001), and passenger air bag inflators built wrong on a handful of 2000-2001 trucks (01V055000, 02V213000).

2003-2004: the last Rodeos

Only 56 complaints: 17 on the 2003 and 39 on the 2004. The Rodeo Sport was dropped in 2003 and the Rodeo a year later, per Wikipedia's Isuzu article. Recall 13V547000 carried the bracket inspection to 2003-2004 Rodeos and Axioms and the 2003 Rodeo Sport, in states starting with Maine and New Hampshire; 8,816 vehicles. Recall 05V466000 (2002-2004) covers fuel pumps that could develop pinholes in the feed port after running on silicon-contaminated fuel; 15,515 vehicles.

Rodeo complaints and recalls by model year

Complaint totals as of October 10, 2026. The recall column sums past 17 because one campaign can list several Rodeo years.

Worth fixing, or time to sell?

1. Start at NHTSA. Its recall search tells you which of the 17 campaigns your VIN carries.
2. On a 1998-2004, look under the back before anything else. Three campaigns point at the rear suspension lower link bracket. If the metal there is rotted through, read rotted frame before you spend on anything else.
3. On a 1998 or 1999, brakes come next. Our bad brakes guide covers what to check.
4. Then do the math on paper. A shop's quote on one side, asking prices for running Rodeos of your year on the other. When the first number swallows the second, the truck is worth more to you sold than fixed.

Weighing an early Rodeo against the later Axiom or the Amigo? All three share the bracket recalls. Every Isuzu we cover is listed on the make page.

Selling your Rodeo whole

1. Know which Rodeo you have: Rodeo or Rodeo Sport, 2WD or 4WD, plus the VIN and odometer reading.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe the spot it's in. A Rodeo with a broken rear link may not roll on its own wheels, and the driver needs to know before arriving. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Leave it whole. Anything already pulled off belongs in your description.
5. Have your Rodeo title and ID ready for our driver. Title lost? See selling with no title. Plates and insurance afterward are covered in after you sell.