cumsumer reports

:screwy: The latest edition of consumer reports (the 2005 model previews) has little good to say about Isuzu. No surprise. Their headline says Isuzu hanging on by a thread, barly. Says Isuzu is pulling all car lines for '05 except the Ascender. Promising a new SUV in 2007. Servicing existing vehicles will be present but difficult.

Anyone care to explain how Isuzu lost its market share? I'm on my second Zu vehicle and have no compaints. But really, if Hyundai or other related manu. live on why can't Isuzu? HAte to see a good thing go by the waste side.

I don't remember seeing any commercials on TV for Isuzu in a long time. Their marketing dept. is either under funded or slacking off big time.

don't know if us "zu" owners realize this, but this is kind of a huge deal...i guess more so for those that bought there truck from a strictly isuzu dealer (rather than izusu and mazda/toyota/whoever) per say. i can tell you that as much as i like my rodeo, i wouldn't buy a brand new one right now with the knowledge i have of the future of the company. I have a feeling their downfall has more to do with their insistence on forcing their customers to accept "normal" faults and "inherent" traits of their vehicles, with a general disregard to their customers more than anything. By this I mean the "normal" oil burning, or "inherent" slip yoke thumping (although my dealer did fix mine under warranty), or refusal to grant a recall for the sending unit issue, or the annoying but needed maintenance of the EGR system. Seems like about the only thing they help out with across the board are their leaky intake manifolds. Their marketing department is probably underfunded b/c there is no money to advertise in the first place. Isuzu says that GM's holdings of interest in their company have destroyed them, and are in the process of severing their ties (with the exception of the duramax diesel MONSTER!!) with them. What boggles me is if they are so fed up with them, then why are they embracing the Trailblazer as their own (Ascender)? Doesn't make sense to me.... I'm not bashing them, I love my Rodeo. But they have some issues and I have found a lot of their business practices to be a little disheartening.

Isuzu makes a fine truck. Much better than the domestics if you compare apples to apples. Isuzu stopped throwing money to their US and Canada dealers years ago. If the dealerships cant make money from their isuzu line, they cannot afford top knotch support for the product (techs, parts, general knowledge base, etc..). Everything goes down from there. Isuzu most likely does not offer much *support* to consumer reports as well- thus the continual bad reviews from them. Isuzu Corp has to pull the plug on the US/Canada passenger vehicle line until they get their act together. Hopefully they will!
G/luck
Joel

isuzus problem is that they were letting GM use them for far too long. GM owned a huge share of AIM american isuzu motors.
There is a tarrif in place also known as the chicken tax which is so high that Isuzu just cant afford to import and profit from the sale of their vehicles. Most of GM's evolving technology was comming from Isuzu and GM was taking Isuzu to the cleaners.
Example they are so proud of their 2.2L I-4 that they did not use it in any of their vehicles yet owned enough shares to force Isuzu to use them.
And the great duramax that GM uses that helped them to build a reputation for having one of the better deisel engines guess what, is designed and built by Isuzu.

Isuzu has recently purchased back most of its shares from GM and I belive that there planning a come back we just have to wait for it. Dont know if any of you have seen Isuzu's latest p/u but if it makes it here I will be waiting for the transport truck to get the first one unlaoded.

Not trying to start an argument here, 2eyed, as I believe you are an Isuzu mechanic. But...I don't believe that most of GM's technology was coming from Isuzu. That is a personal opinion based on what I have read on Isuzu's recent stock buyback, although I will agree that Isuzu did help GM more than GM helped Isuzu. Their "golden nugget" from working together has been the Duramax, and without Isuzu GM could have never produced this engine/increased their market share for h/d trucks. Other than that, there was not a whole lot of benefit on either side of the relationship. It's noted that Isuzu realizes this as well, and will continue to maintain a working relationship with GM on diesel engines regardless of how many shares they still own in the company. I believe their relationship was capable of producing many more successful results such as the Duramax if the two could have gotten along. If Isuzu had played their cards right things could have been a lot better, and they may have been able to avoid the current pickle they have gotten theirselves into. And, the 2.2L was in Cavaliers/Sunfires, S-10's/Sonomas, and Malibus/Cutlass', as well as a couple of other models I believe. So obviously GM did not use them only in Isuzus, although I will admit they did use Isuzu as guinea pigs for some ideas over the years. Isuzu is making a mistake by disappearing and "planning a comeback". That is not an excellent business plan in today's automotive environment. Hope you understand and respect my opinions, no offense intended.

....the 2.2L was in Cavaliers/Sunfires, S-10's/Sonomas, and Malibus/Cutlass', as well as a couple of other models I believe. So obviously GM did not use them only in Isuzus..

Nope. The cavalier & rodeo 2.2L are completely different animals. The only other vehicle in the US that shared the same 2.2L as the rodeo was/is the daewoo nubira -or- leganza can't remember which one :rolleyes: . From what I undersand Holden, Isuzu and Daewoo were the only ones to use this not so great DOHC 4 banger.
Joel

thank you Rodeo
and never did I say that most of Gm's technology is comming from Isuzu it's only everything that is good
Garbage Motors ran Isuzu into the ground they owned over half of AIM's shares and had just about total controll of Isuzu in the US thats why they did not advertise and thats why Isuzu went to spit.
The 04 model rodeo and axioms which form what I know so far is all Isuzu and I am willing to bet Isuzu is just pulling back and will try to make a storng comeback in the US

the only good thing GM ever had was Isuzu lats see how great the are now. with their old ugly fall apart vehicles. Sleeves dropping out of cylinders. What the hell is that. Even Ford got it right the first time.

I just read all your stuff about Isuzu. I don't owe an Isuzu but I sell them for a couple years now. Our Dealership also has Chevrolet and there you have both big shots talking to each other. This hole crap about Isuzu is going down hill is big marketing BS like the fight Bush against Kerry. Isuzu has just anounced the quarterly report and it is in black Numbers not red. True is that after 12 years the Rodeo is discontinued and the Axiom goes also to get redesigned for 2006 late fall. Also the D-Max which is Isuzu new Truck is coming in the same year.For 2005 and most of 2006 is only the Ascender avaiable. By the Way, Isuzu made the Inline-6 Engine for the Trailblazer. Anyway the Ascender is build on a complete different frame than the TB and Envoy. I have the luck to set both vehicles sider by side and guess what even the Customer can see there is a huge difference. Isuzu just bit GM butt by getting out the Ascender. GM has 14% market share of Isuzu. Politics let Isuzu cut back on the Advertisement, because it is better than the Trailblazer, but GM don't want nobody to realize that.

Very interesting discussion going on here, lots of good information...

I didn't know a lot about the GM / Isuzu partnership, until now.

I'd like to see Isuzu increase their reliability.

With Isuzu, it seems that the small details are the ones that hurt them. Valve cover gaskets, fuel gauge trouble, too much oil leaking / burning. These issues could be solved permanently at the factory level, increasing their reputation with the public. No owner wants to have to pay to repair these troublesome items, but it sure does increase revenue for the service department. Isuzu could easily increase reliability up to say, a Honda level and word would get around to consumers. But I think Isuzu wants to be a "lower price" leader, so reliability suffers. I'd gladly pay more for an Isuzu- one with the bugs worked out.

Lots of reviews I've read for Isuzu knock them for simple details. Some deserved, some not. If they borrowed some of the better ideas from Honda and Toyota, incorporated them in the Isuzu, they would do better from a review standpoint.

Again, I was very happy with my Trooper, hardly any trouble. That is why I bought the Rodeo. I guess I just have to get things worked out, then take it from there.

I really like my Rodeo; I just want fewer problems with it. I have too many other things to deal with right now.

As usual, just my 2 cents worth.

Dale

binky,
being as you work at a dealership, i would imagine (at least hope) that you know more than me about the relationship between the ascender and the trailblazer/envoy/rainier. however, i am honestly (and with no offense intended) going to have to call you out on your claims that the ascender is built on a completely different platform than the other three. I find it hard to believe that GM gave Isuzu the task of building their new Vortec Inline 6 and their 5.3 L (which by the way is a reincarnation of the old 327 cu that has been around since way before isuzu came into the picture). I don't buy your claim that they had them build either engine and happily trusted them enough to risk one of their most lucrative monikers (Vortec). Yes, there are cosmetic differences and the frame is also extended by about 17 inches (on the extended version, not the shorter one). However, other than that the only difference is Isuzu's superior warranty, which they have been forced to use as of late to attract customers. If you have proof of your claims I would love to see them, and I give you permission to tell me to go to h*ll.

sounds like someone ate all the poop that he was fed
oh and the D-Max was supposed to be here two years ago
I will not belive anything untill I see it and I am not just talking about black and white
and what collins said

GM has definately been using Isuzu as their personal test dummies for some good & some not so great *new* technology items. They always have. Look at all the delphi electronics on all 'zu vehicles. The "ION sensing" ignition system on 2000+, the "grade-logic" 4L30E tranny programming on newer units, the "Convenience starting feature" on 2002+, even the direct injection fuel system on 2004's. These are delphi systems that good'ol same old/same old- GM has not put on their own vehicles yet. They collect real world data from isuzu, so to not *tarnish* their image. :disappoin
G/luck
Joel

Sorry Guys and Girls I was to busy looking in this forum lately, but anyway.
I don't know if you have a chance to set a Trailbalzer and an Ascender side by side and drive both vehicle's, you would feel the Difference.
I'm not starting an Argument but if you don't believe me ask Isuzu directly about the frame on Ascender and Trailblazer. And you people are right about GM using Isuzu. The Duramax Diesel Engine was designed by Isuzu and there is no Question. And it is the same with the Inline-6. I didn't say Vortec on the 5.3 Liter. GM bought the right's on those engine's anyway. I see both Rep's on the Chevy part also on the Isuzu part, so I have to believe what there telling me, but there is a lot of Confusion out there. I'm here at the Dealership on the Isuzu Commercial side and the NPR and FFR Trucks sell like crazy. I don't know which part of the USA you are living, but there is in Arizona a lot of Isuzu on the road.

I didnt know about the GM/Isuzu connection either.

All the service gor the 99 rodeo recalls has been done at the FORD dealership, and I must say from this dealer, I have ALWAYS received good service.

Anyway, Fishclaw, let me ask I have a very annoying rattle from it seems the rear cargo area of my rodeo, any ideas>