IllustrationCOMPLETELY RUSTED STEERING COLUMN FAILED (TWO PIECES). STEERING WHEEL COMPLETE MECHANICAL DISCONNECTION FROM VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISM CAUSED A LIFE THREATENING CONDITION. *JB
1996 Isuzu Rodeo
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Isuzu Rodeo do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 89.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Rodeo years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 11 of 97 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Wheels. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports
Steering complaints
5 reportsDRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, DRIVER MADE ABRUPT TURN TO AVOID COLLISION, SUV LADDEN WITH X-MAS BAGGAGE, BEGAN TO FISH TAIL. DRIVER SPUN WHEEL OTHER DIRECTION AND SUV STARTED ROLLING OVER. DURING THE ROLLOVER THERE WAS A COLLISION WITH A GUARDRAIL, DURING THE ROLLOVER THE DRIVER SIDE ROOF COLLAPSED ON TOP OF DRIVER, KILLING H…
Read full complaint
DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, DRIVER MADE ABRUPT TURN TO AVOID COLLISION, SUV LADDEN WITH X-MAS BAGGAGE, BEGAN TO FISH TAIL. DRIVER SPUN WHEEL OTHER DIRECTION AND SUV STARTED ROLLING OVER. DURING THE ROLLOVER THERE WAS A COLLISION WITH A GUARDRAIL, DURING THE ROLLOVER THE DRIVER SIDE ROOF COLLAPSED ON TOP OF DRIVER, KILLING HER BY HEAD TRAUMA. NO OTHER AUTOS WERE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT. AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN SURVIVED. *AK
STEERING DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS; CAUSED LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL; DRIVER MANAGED TO STOP VEHICLE BEFORE CAUSING A CRASH; DEALER CANNOT REPORDUCE PROBLEM; EXACT CAUSE UNKOWN. *AK
DRIVNG THE SPEED 65MPH, STEERING WAS REALLY LOOSE, SLIGHTLY TOUCHED THE STEERING WHEEL AND VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO FLIP OVER, SOME IMPACT ON THE FRONT AND REAR. *AK
DRIVING AT SPEED 62MPH, STEERING CONTROL IS VERY LOOSE, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL, HIT A CONCRETE MEDIAN, VEHICLE ROLLED. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.