"How reliable is the 1997 Isuzu Rodeo?"

"Based on 167 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Isuzu Rodeo has a median complaint mileage of 125000 miles. The most common issue is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Isuzu Rodeo?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Isuzu Rodeo is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS, accounting for a significant portion of the 167 total complaints filed."

1997 Isuzu Rodeo: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 167 complaints

167

Total Complaints

125,000mi

Median Mileage

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

77,329 25th Percentile

125,000 Median Mileage

150,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

STRUCTURE:BODY

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE BACKING OUT OF PARKING LOT, ENGINE STARTED RACING AND VEHICLE MADE A LOUD POPPING NOISE AND WENT FULL THROTTLE FORWARD OVER SIDEWALK , HIT A PARKED VEHICLE AND PUSHED VEHICLE (2) FEET SIDEWAYS. DRIVER HAD TO PUT VEHICLE IN PARK AND REMOVE KEY TO STOP VEHICLE. WAITING FOR INSURANCE AGENCY TO ..."

"IN 3 INCIDENTS WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ON A SLIGHT HILL AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS WHILE NO ONE WAS IN THE VEHICLE, CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO HIT A TREE. DLR CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, HEARD SQEAKY NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. *AK"

"VEHICLE ROLLED OVER WHEN MAKING WIDE TURN, CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS 18 complaints

25th: 125,000 mi Median: 145,000 mi 75th: 150,000 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 complaints

Median: 60,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 15 TX: 14 IL: 11 PA: 11 NY: 10 FL: 10 NV: 9 ID: 8 AZ: 6 OH: 6

Who Files Complaints?

37.7%

Original Owners

62.3%

Second+ Owners

Isuzu Rodeo — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	60	140,460	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2
1992	112	144,000	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY	8
1993	41	176,000	WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS	4
1994	122	136,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	6
1995	233	100,645	WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS	38
1996	121	149,000	WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS	22
1998	627	100,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	107
1999	734	74,088	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	94
2000	354	89,000	STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	40
2001	515	110,000	STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	24
2002	120	85,293	SUSPENSION	9
2004	68	70,691	SUSPENSION	4

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28