1999 Isuzu Amigo

DT: THE CONTACT SAYS THAT HE GOT INTO VEHICLE AND PUT IT IN DRIVE. THE ACCELERATOR REVVED ,AND THE TIRES BEGAN TO SPIN OUT. THE VEHICLE MOVED ABOUT 10 FEET. VEHICLE VEERED SO BADLY THAT IT WORE THE BACK BRAKES COMPLETELY OUT. CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HIS MECHANIC, AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T SEE A PROBLEM FOR THE CONTACT TO GO AHEAD AND DRIVE THE VEHICLE. AND SINCE HE HAS THREE CHILDREN HE FEELS THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STARTS ACCELERATING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. HE FEELS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT. THE MECHANIC STILL HAS THE VEHICLE AT THE SHOP AND THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT FINDING ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. CONTACT STATES THAT THIS IS VERY UNSAFE ,AND THE DEALER SAYS THAT HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT THEY ARE WILLING TO GIVE HIM ANOTHER VEHICLE.*AK

MY ISUZU AMIGO (1999 4WD) STOPPED DEAD IN TRAFFIC WHILE DRIVING WITH A LOT OF TRAFFIC. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH AND ALMOST HIT IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS. THE CAR WOULD NOT START, WOULD NOT MOVE, AND I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED ON A FLATBED TRUCK. I WAS INCREDIBLY TRAUMATIZED BY THIS INCIDENT, AND VERY NEARLY KILLED BY THE SEMI-TRUCK DIRECTLY BEHIND ME. AFTER CONTACTING MULTIPLE PERSONS FROM ISUZU MOTORS, THEY ASSURED ME THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED IN MOST OF THE ENGINES THEY HAD PUT IN THIS VEHICLE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT IF I WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER, THEY WOULD FIX IT, REGARDLESS OF WARRENTY, BUT SINCE I WAS THE SECOND OWNER, THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME AT ALL. SINCE THIS WAS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM, NOT TO MENTION SUCH A SAFETY ISSUE, I THOUGHT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE MORE HELPFUL.*AK

PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT LOW SPEED I PUT ON THE BRAKES AND HEARD A GRINDING NOISE AND THE BRAKES FAILED. I CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE WALL, CAUSING FRONT-END DAMAGE TO MY CAR. THE BODY DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED (5/20-6/03/04) AND THE CAR WAS SENT TO THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES (6/02-6/03). THE BODY SHOP WENT TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE (6/04) AND WHEN THE PORTER DROVE IT TO THE FRONT, THE BRAKES FAILED AND HE CRASHED. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED THE ISUZU ENGINEERS AND WERE TOLD TO PULL THE MASTER CYLINDER OFF. THEY SAID WHEN THEY DID THAT THE PISTON WAS STUCK TO THE BOOSTER CAUSING AND INTERMITTENT BRAKE PROBLEM. DEALER MADE ALL REPAIRS AT THEIR COST AND CALLED ME TO PICK UP THE CAR ON FRIDAY (6/11). I DROVE THE CAR AND ON WEDNESDAY MORNING (6/16) THE BRAKES FAILED AND I CALLED THE DEALER TO PICK UP THE CAR. THE DEALER REP CALLED ME ON FRIDAY (6/18) AND SAID THAT I HAD TO REPLACE MY REAR BRAKES BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ISUZU PARTS (I HAD THEM DONE AT ANOTHER MECHANIC, NOT LONG AGO) AND ALSO THE ABS MODULE (WHICH I REPLACED ALREADY AT MY COST ON 6/07/02). THE DEALER SAID THE CAR WAS WORKING FINE AND RETURNED IT TO ME ON FRIDAY (6/25). I DID NOT ACTUALLY TAKE THE CAR BACK UNTIL THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY, BECAUSE THE DEALER HAD SCRATCHED THE DOOR AND NEEDED TO REPAIR. I PICKED THE CAR UP ON FRIDAY (07/02) AND DROVE IT HOME AND PARKED IT IN MY GARAGE. ON MONDAY (07/05), I BACKED OUT OF THE GARAGE AND THE BRAKES MADE THE SAME GRINDING NOISE AND FAILED TO WORK. I PUMPED THEM UNTIL THEY STOPPED AND THEN PULLED BACK INTO THE GARAGE TO PARK IT AND THEY FAILED A SECOND TIME CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO THE GARAGE WALL. I HAD A FRIEND WITH ME WHO WITNESSED EVERYTHING AND WAS SOMEWHAT SORE AFTER THE ACCIDENT. I CALLED THE DEALER TO PICK UP THE CAR AND THE SAID THEY WERE HAVING AN ISUZU ENGINEER FLOW IN TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THAT IS WHERE I STAND SO FAR, $1470.16 OUT OF MY POCKET AND I STILL DON'T HAVE MY CAR.*AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 021-002-000, CONCERNING ABS CONTROL UNIT/MODULE FAILURE. THE RECALLED PART NEEDED TO BE REPLACED SINCE THE RECALL WAS DONE. VEHICLE DID NOT STOP IN TIME, AND THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE EVERY TIME BRAKES WERE PRESSED.*AK GRINDING NOISE WHEN BRAKING IN GRAVEL BUMPS ON THE ROAD OR WHEN THE ROAD IS SLIPPERY. ALSO, STOPPING DISTANCE WAS EXTENDED. *LA