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Any further "off-topic" posts will be removed. Thanks in advance for sticking to the topic.
I think I am going to draft a letter and send it to the various automotive magazines concerning the frame rust issue, my experience, and also send one to Consumer Report, and see if any of them will publish it. That would be one way to get the word out. All are invited to do the same, we can collaborate on which to send it to, or just send it on as we see fit. Autoweek was mentioned as a possibility. If they get a lot of letters to the editor about the same problem, perhaps someone will take notice. Also, I plan on calling Derek Reinhardt this week, hope all you other forum watchers do the same so he gets a load of calls from concerned vehicle owners.
One more thing, lets all call our vehicles manufacturer, either Isuzu or Honda America and see what they have to say. Lets try to unite in the next couple of weeks on this and then we can post our findings/progress. These steps are all positive, and I feel would be a good use of all the energy we all seem to have concerning our vehicles. Happy New Year.
the attorneys handling the Ford Taurus SHO engine class action is:
Edelman, Combs, Latturner & Goodman, LLC; Chicago.
I also mention to be careful about where a class action suit is filed to insure proper jurisdiction.
They didn't sell too many of this model, but there's definately the same problem as evident on the Axiom forum.
Did anyone actually get some letter back from Derek Rhienhardt? I never got a single response from my email, letter or FAX (yes all 3 ).
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/defects/results.cfm
NHTSA Action Number : EA09018 N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A NHTSA Recall Campaign Number : N/A
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
HONDA / PASSPORT 1998-2002
ISUZU / RODEO 1998-2002
Manufacturer : HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.)
Component :
SUSPENSION
SUSPENSION:REAR
Date Investigation Opened : December 7, 2009
Date Investigation Closed : Open
Summary:
DURING PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE09-030, ISUZU MOTORS AMERICA, INC (ISUZU) NOTED TWO PRIMARY DIFFERENCES ONCE THE REAR SUSPENSION LOWER LINK SEPARATION OCCURS BETWEEN THE ALLEGED DEFECT (SEPARATION OF THE LOWER LINK FROM THE FRAME) OF THIS INVESTIGATION AND A SAFETY DEFECT INVOLVING LOWER LINK SEPARATION FROM THE REAR AXLE ADDRESSED BY ISUZU IN SAFETY RECALL 00V-058. IN THE CASE OF THE DEFECT CONDITION IDENTIFIED IN RECALL 00V-058, ISUZU STATED THAT THE ATTACHMENT BOLT COULD DETACH FULLY, CAUSING SEPARATION OF THE LOWER LINK FROM THE REAR AXLE POSSIBLY CREATING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. ISUZU ALSO STATED THAT THIS CONDITION OCCURS EARLY IN THE SERVICE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IN THIS INVESTIGATION ISUZU NOTED LOWER LINK SEPARATION FROM THE FRAME IS A PROGRESSIVE CORROSION ISSUE WITH PRIOR WARNING TO CONSUMERS. ISUZU ALSO STATED THAT IN THE EVENT OF A LOWER LINK SEPARATION FROM THE FRAME, THE VEHICLE IS STILL CONTROLLABLE AND CAN BE SAFELY STOPPED. THE OFFICE OF DEFECT INVESTIGATION (ODI) ANALYZED COMPLAINT DATA PROVIDED BY ISUZU AND AMERICA HONDA MOTOR COMPANY, INC (HONDA), AS WELL AS VEHICLE OWNER QUESTIONNAIRES SUBMITTED TO ODI FROM CONSUMERS. IN TOTAL, THERE WERE 60 UNIQUE REPORTS OF LOWER LINK SEPARATIONS FROM THE FRAME INCLUDING 1 ALLEGED CRASH AND 7 LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL INCIDENTS THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT. MOST OF THESE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE LINK SEPARATION. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE09-030 HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY AND RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.
I wish all of you luck with your actions and your frame issues. I just thought it would help all of you to know about the 1997 and up models seeming to have this issue. Me I live in Florida on the west coast. Salt air hits mine every day and still no rust on the frame or anywhere else for that matter.
Anyway, go back through the posts in this forum, and follow the instructions on how to submit your info to Derek Rinehardt, federal investigator. I put that on this forum for other Passport and Rodeo owners. File a complaint with NHTSA again, you should receive a claim or case#. Keep that e-mail or print it off and keep it. I had to report the vehicle to NHTSA twice before I did get a case #, so do it again. Where it asks if any property damage, mark YES, after all, the vehicle is property and it is damaged. Take lots of photos, both for yourself and for Mr. Rinehardt. Contact Isuzu again, file a claim against them, they will have to give you a claim or case #. Have your VIN available for both Isuzu and NHTSA. Isuzu will tell you that this is the first time they heard of this problem, etc., don't let them snowball you or wear you down, get that case #.
Of interest, I did all of the above. So my Passport should have some type of info on a car fax that there is frame damage, however, there is nothing there. So, what did Honda do with the info I sent to them?
The recall has been updated to an engineering analysis, so we are making some progress, very slow but something is better than nothing.
Our Passport has a swiss cheese frame now, it is unbelievable how rusted it is and how the entire frame is affected. It is unsafe to drive, so we are going to get rid of it. Just sitting in the driveway is nothing but a reminder that Honda screwed us.
Let us know how you made out. Everyone on the forum is here to help others out with our knowledge and experience. May not be much, but it is nice to know you are not standing alone. M
This just happened to me on Feb. 10, 2010, my frame is junk. I'm trying to get up to speed with all that has been posted, I have called Mr Rhinhardt in DC, but as we know DC has been shut down all week. I guess what I need to know now is "What can I do with this Rodeo?" Try to trade it, junk it, save it for some kind of settlement, I'm not sure. What have others done? I can send anyone pics if they want them, sorry I don't do Facebook or Tweet. If someone tells me how to post them here I will, otherwise a quick note to "woodisgood@hotmail.com, Please put "Rodeo Pics" in subject line so I know you are not spam
ANY HELP/ADVICE WOULD BE GREAT
Shauno">
Click on the HELP link at the bottom of this page for instructions on how to post pictures.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I would contact Mr. Rhinehardt at the NHTSA, and file a complaint. It will probably take some time to get a response, but I think he will eventually contact you. It took a month after I filed before I got a phone call from him, He is a decent guy to deal with, and seems genuinely concerned. My experience with filing a complaint with Isuzu was completely different. I called a number from the Isuzu website, and spoke to a man who claimed to be a national operations manager, who would not even give me his full name. He refused to give me any information, and told me he was purposely evading my questions. I asked for a receipt for my complaint, or an email verification, and he refused, and would only give me a file number verbally.
Mr. Rhinehardt sent me an email recently, with the same questionaire that is posted elswhere on this thread. The wheels of govt. turn slow. I would encourage you to file a complaint with Isuzu and the NHTSA- there's no guarantee that anything will happen, but the more people file a complaint, the better chance we have.
Good Luck
I noticed that NHTSA describes the EA process as taking around a year to complete. I'll be patient and optimistic- although it would be nice to get that paperweight out of the garage...
also I do plan on contacting the media so if anyone in Massachusetts wants to tell their story let me know.
Dear Mr. Rinehardt.
My name is Lt. Richard X. XXXXXXXXX
I am a Paramedic Lieutenant with the XXXXXXXX MA. Fire Dept.
I am also a rescue technician with expertise in various aspects of technical rescue as well as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor.
My wife and I purchased a new 2001 Isuzu Rodeo in August of 2001 from a local dealer in Massachusetts.
Approximately 10 days ago while driving the vehicle, it abruptly swerved left with acceleration from 15-20 mph, then with deceleration, it swerved to the right and pitched into an almost rollover motion of approximately 30 degrees.
Upon inspection, the Left rear trailing arm had separated from the frame and upon closer inspection the frame has multiple areas where it has rotted through entirely and is not repairable.
With some web based investigation this appears to be a common problem with these vehicles and their Honda relatives.
I did take meticulous care of the vehicle and it appears obvious to me that this is an intrinsic defect of both the construction and the quality of steel used in the frame itself.
I am forwarding some pictures as well as pertinent information about the vehicle to you.
My primary concern is of potentially life threatening failure of trailing arms in the remainder of these vehicles on the road, it appears that the rear axle in my vehicle swung out of alignment causing the rear end to steer independently of the front.
Other than this critical problem the vehicle looks immaculate and it appears that the rot occurred primarily from the inside out and showed very little damage until it broke through to the exterior. The body has no rust and superficially the vehicle looks superb which I believe makes the problem even more serious as unsuspecting buyers of used vehicles will be unaware of the potentially severe problems with the frame.
I also plan on speaking with an acquaintance from the news media Susan Warnick who was instrumental in providing public information regarding the Toyota issues that have recently gained so much media attention.
I, with due respec,t will furnish her with this correspondence as well as the Edmunds forum postings along with the current list of NHTSA complaints.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1d6728
1.VIN 4S2DM8W714331524
2. Original owner purchased new in 2001 from,
Showcase Isuzu 418 Macarthur Bvd. Bourne MA 02532
a) Purchased on 10/20/1001,Used primarily for local travel in Massachusetts.
3. Incident occurred on 02/16/2010
4. I was alone driving the vehicle at the time of the incident at approximately 3pm dry road conditions about 1/2 mile from my house on a side street with very light traffic.
I was able to drive the vehicle in reverse to my house. I could not drive forward since the axle would swing causing the tires to contact the frame and prevent forward movement.
a) By pure co-incidence my wife and 3 and 5 year old children were not with me at the time.
The incident occurred without warning and I believe only the low rate of speed prevented the vehicle from rolling over.
The vehicle has 101,000 miles.
I am in the process of trying to contact Isuzu but thus far they are not being helpful.
Please give this matter your urgent attention.
I see so many of these vehicles on the road driven by families with small children and based on how close my own vehicle came to rolling over at only 20mph and the number of complaints coming to light that it is a critical safety defect.
Please feel free to call me or contact me vie email.
I will gladly furninsh you information as you deem appropriate.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
I'm with you here in Mass and I emailed, sent certified letter, faxed, called and left voice messages to the same guy and received absolutely ZERO for a response.
I put posting up here awhile ago with my experience and my steps that I took. Isuzu did nothing, DOT did nothing and NHSTA is doing nothing as far as I can tell. They are now probably dealing with Toyota.
My wife had a 2002 Isuzu Axiom which uses the EXACT same frame as the Rodeo.. Here are a few photos of the car.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3293653/Axiom%20Rust.jpg
I would be glad to talk to any press or Help Me Hank!
Send me a PM if you want to talk.
Here for your pleasure are photos of a 2002 Isuzu Axiom
Perhaps the frames are from a 2001 "batch"?
Is this the same thing you all have seen? I've got tons more of these photos....
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3293653/Axiom%20Rust.jpg
My vehicle is a 1998, not sure why gurlzylla keeps saying 2002 is the first year, I believe the first year is 1997. My incident occurred 01/21/09.
Saw my Passport's twin on the road yesterday, but had no way to contact the driver as he was not going the same way as I was. Just thought to myself, "please keep safe."
Let me know if you need any of my info.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Thank you very much for the correspondence. Could please take 15 minutes to file a complaint with my office at www.safercar.gov . Once you have filed a complaint could you please send me the complaint ID (number) of your complaint. The more information we have on record as a formal complaint the better.
We are in the process of investigating these vehicle and have upgraded the investigation from a Preliminary Evaluation to an Engineering Analysis.....
I filed a report with them... I will get the media ball, rolling this weekend...
I am acquainted with Susan Wornick...she was instrumental in breaking the Toyota issues so I am fairly confident that she will do something.
I'll figure out how to get a hold of you all soon...
Stay tuned!
Again, let us all know what you need from us.
I am moving fast on this so give me a heads up if I miss anything.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=187031801231&ref=search&sid=1637479541.283- 254114..1&v=info#!/group.php?gid=187031801231
The same thing happened to me on 2/10, I also got my from Showcase on the Cape. You can count me in on anything you need (pics, media interview, complaints filed, ect...) to get this ball up and running. My Rodeo looks like a 3yr vehicle from the top, but is junk underneath. As you pointed many of these cars are still being used and sold. "Time bombs" waiting to go off
shauno
My concern is that due to the Toyota issues this may be perceived as trying to jump on the bandwagon and the problem may get downplayed
My opinion is that it is as serious or more so than the frame issues Toyaota is having
. I am going to try and assemble some kind of press release package I think.
My suggestion is again to go to the facebook page and post your pictures there.
feel free to contact me via that route.
Has anyone had any feedback from Isuzu?
I am thinking of trying to get a hold of the parent company. My guess is that they are pretty scared at the moment and may try some kind of preemptive damage control? Does anyone have contact info for Isuzu other than CA?
Thanks in advance
______________________________________________________________________
Thanks Mr. XXXXXXX,
Would you mind if I shared the information you provided me with my contacts at Isuzu's safety office? In particular the pictures of you vehicle, your complaint you filed on NHTSA's website and the description of the incident you provided in your initial email to me.
Best Regards,
Derek L. Rinehardt
Safety Defects Engineer / Federal Investigator
U.S Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Defects Investigation, Vehicle Controls Division
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
W48-219, NVS-213
Washington, DC 20590
Office: (202) 366-3642, (877) 536-8368 x63642
Fax: (202) 366-1767
You may know we have done similar stories involving Toyota Tacomas and Tundra trucks...but yours is the first complaint we've received about these other models. Do you have documents from your repair shop about the problem and costs to repair? And if we do a story, will you do an interview with us?
Thank you for watching Channel 5.
Jen
I understand that the drivetrain warranty doesn't cover the frame but if a component that is under warranty (rear axil for instance) required replacement or repair and the vehicle didn't have enough frame left to bolt the new part on the car it would make it pretty hard for the dealer to comply with the terms of the warranty.
What made me think about it was the post above from somebody that said the rear axil shifted so much that they couldn't move the car forward without the tires grinding on the fender wells.
I know this doesn't solve anything but it occured to me that if a manufacturer warranties the drive train for 10 year or 120,000 miles it sort of implies that they expect the frame to last at least as long as the engine/transmission/etc. Seems like it makes their case pretty indefensible. Just thinking out loud. I'm the original owner of my Rodeo and it's still under factory drivetrain warranty. The frame hasn't rusted out yet but based on what I've been reading I suspect that it's headed that way.
Did you post am email from Jen at Channel 5 (Boston)? Is she going to look at this thread? It won't take too much research for her to read back to the beginning of this thread and find a bunch of owners. I think there's at least 5 on this thread from massachusetts alone.
I have a receipt from Midway Isuzu in Natick stating the frame is rotted and unrepairable. When I spoke with the service manager over there he says that he has seen this quite a bit in the past and the only option they can offer is to replace the frame at $10K.
Just have her provide her phone # and info either here or on the FB page and we can all give her a call.
Thanks
http://www.isuzu.com/owners_warranty_2000to2002.jsp
6-Year/100,000-Mile Perforation From Corrosion Limited Warranty
Isuzu vehicles excel in a plethora of extreme conditions. Scouring salt air. Blistering desert heat. Corroding winter muck. No matter how abrasive the environment, you can feel confident your Isuzu vehicle will hold up. And to be sure, it's covered for 6 years or 100,000 miles against perforation from corrosion.
The pictures are totally shocking! The frame of my car looks alot like Rodeorot's. It's sad that the outside of my car is beautiful but you look underneath it and you can't believe you were driving around in something so dangerous! :-(
I was only following up on the Rodeo- didn't think to look at the Axiom. Thanks for sharing the photos!
I got your posting, it looks like things are starting to SLOWLY move foward. Did you want me to contact this "Jen" @ch 5? I not sure what you would like & don't want to step on any toes. But I want this thing (the Rodeo) out of my driveway. I feel as if I have been used by Isuzu because of their response to the whole thing.
I'm just trying to stay in the loop, let me know what to do.
Shauno
ps; .
I had also sent a note to WHDH Channel 7 consumer advocate and never heard anything back. Help me Hank, must be out helping someone else!
If anyone has any notifications from Isuzu or invoices etc. from repair shops or insurance company saying the vehicle is totaled, can you get in touch with me...use the facebook contacts. I am still waiting to hear from Isuzu.
I would like to give the media a list of owners in this area but I need your permission to give them this info even just your first name and town you live in...
can you get a hold of me via facebook?
Back to the question, are all affected vehicles 4 wheel drives?
The same thing happened to me here in London, Ontario just yesterday with my 2001 Isuzu Rodeo. I heard a clunk and I felt the back end of the car start swaying back and forth. I got out of the car and looked under to my surprise saw that the stabilizer bar had broken off due to rust, the other side is rotten as well but hasn't fallen off yet. Just a year and a half ago I had to replace my engine with a used one that burns about a litre of oil a week. Have you heard of any recalls or any sort of compensation for the rust problem or even the engine?
Feel free to email your story to her assistant Sarah.
Hopefully this will get aired and get the ball rolling.
Here is her address...
sstolper@hearst.com
for those of you who aren't familiar with Susan Wornick,
tenacious is an understatement!
I think she may want to talk to a few more people before getting it put together.
I'll post a link to it when it comes out.
In the meantime... keep plugging away with your local media as well as Isuzu and NHTSA. I have also been thinking perhaps the Honda route may be a good one...They are really pushing safety and longevity in their ads. Isuzu is essentially all done with their light vehicle division in this country, but a Honda recall/lawsuit would really help get Isuzu back in the picture... I did try to emphasize that in my interview but it depends on how it gets edited...
People prefer to keep the conversation here. That way everyone benefits.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper