Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Engine in my 2002 Isuzu Trooper burned up the main rod bearing in piston one due to insufficient oil pressure. Engine had to be replaced. Truck has 79K miles on it and was out of warranty. Isuzu of north America stated nothing would be done via the manufacturer. I replaced the engine myself at a cost of $4800.
When in motion for long periods of time, the vehicle will lose acceleration power. This will continue until consumer is able to pull off the road to restart the engine. The EGR valve has repeatedly been replaced, but the problem is still in existence. Ts
The contact owns a 2001 Isuzu Trooper. The contact stated while entering and starting the vehicle, he noticed an extreme heat in the interior of the vehicle coming from the engine. The contact proceeded to shift the gear into drive however, while his foot was still on the brake pedal the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact had to pulled up the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times afterwards. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a bypass for the fuel line and brake line failure that needed to be replaced however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause for the heat entering the vehicle from the engine. …
We have had to add 1-2 qts of oil every couple thousand miles although we did not see an oil leak (no marks on the driveway) mechanic could find no oil leak or problem our check engine light has been on,and mechanic said we needed emissions sensor replaced. We did replace it. On our way to thanksgiving in oklahoma from michigan our engine blew ! We are now without that vehicle but still making payments. A dealership in tulsa said that those engines are replaced a lot at his shop due to this problem. He said that there is carbon build up in the valve that goes to the engine causing the oil to burn up. After so long of it being built up it gets clogged and ends up blowing. He said if we had been taking the car to an Isuzu dealer to get the oil changed they know about it and can clean it. Problem for us is there isn't an Isuzu dealer in the city we live in so we didn't have a chance. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Isuzu Trooper. While driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was diagnosed by the owner as a certified mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,000.
After maintaining our 2000 Isuzu Trooper by the book and being fully aware of the oil consumption problem, it blew the engine at 103000. I kept very good documentation of all the repairs- and there were a lot of them, Isuzu is not backing their powertrain warranty (120,000 miles)because they found a way to get away with it by saying because I didn't have actual receipts for every oil change even though I did many myself and documented dates and mileage, they are not responsible. I've done some research which was easy because its such a common problem, but didn't find much on any Trooper owners satisfied or fairly treated by Isuzu. The sticker price was $32,000 when I purchased it in 2000 I fully expected to get more than 103,000 out of it. If anyone has any luck with the same problem,please let me know and in the mean time im going to do as much as I can to fight this.
Last 3 weeks - initially seemed like power loss/surge, then heard unusual sound coming from engine compartment 1 week ago, engine started to die while operating on city/residential streets whenever not pushing gas (slowing to turn or stop) Friday, would not even hold idle to start, pushed gas and held RPM's at 1 - 1.5 for a while and finally started. Today, initially would not start. Next time started RPM's at over 2, dropped when shifted to reverse, when shifted to drive vehicle accelerated without use of gas pedal up to steady 35 MPH on city street. …
I get frequent oil changes in my 99 Isuzu Trooper and had just gotten one last month. I had at least 2700 miles before my next one. I was driving down the freeway and I saw smoke coming from my hood and all my dash lights came on like a christmas tree. I pulled over and found out that my engine was on fire. I called the fire dept to put it out and got it towed to my house to later find out that the piston had got thrown from the engine because it locked up due to no oil getting to that piston. So now I have to get a new engine which cost about the same as the car.
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive and automatic transmissions built with tod (torque-on-demand). In certain high speed, frontal crashes, movement of engine compartment components can cause the potential for fuel leakage.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new, reinforced fuel hose assembly. Note: the fuel leakage issue in this recall campaign is not the same as the one addressed in their previous campaign 00v-253.
Frequently asked questions
Which Isuzu Trooper years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (58), 2000 (25), 1998 (19), 2001 (9) and 1996 (8) model years. Engine complaints make up 72% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Isuzu Trooper engine problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 00V-376 (gasoline, Nov 14, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Isuzu Trooper engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles; 19% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the engine (57 mentions), followed by the engine › gasoline (36).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.