1991 Isuzu Trooper

THE TROOPER HAD AN OIL LEAK AND THE ENGINE WENT ON FIRE. MY CAR IS TOTALED. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR. HELP! I WANT ISUZU TO PAY FOR MY LOSE EVEN IF I WAS THE SECOND OWNER OR BOB CIASULLI USED CARS FOR SELLING ME THIS CAR WHICH HAD A RECALL ON AND PUT MYSELF AND MY 5 YEAR OLD SON IN DANGER.

THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SHIFTING ROUGH SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 1991. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND SOME MINOR REPAIRS/ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE BY THE DEALER. THE SECOND INCIDENT REQUIRED MORE EXTENSIVE REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION AND I WAS REQUIRED TO PAY A PORTION OF THE REPAIRS SINCE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED BY SOME 2-3K MILES. UPON THE THIRD INCIDENT WITH THE DRIVE TRAIN, I REQUESTED SOMEONE FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO INVESTIGATE. THEY REQUESTED THAT I KEEP A LOG FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF THE CONDITIONS OCCURRING WHILE DRIVING. AFTER THIS PERIOD, THEY FELT THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE UNIVERSAL JOINTS. THESE WERE REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. OTHER COMPLAINTS IN THE DRIVE TRAIN INVOLVE THE INABILITY OF THE CRUISE CONTROL TO MAINTAIN SPEED ON SLIGHT INCLINES AND WOULD SUFFER A GREAT REDUCTION IN SPEED ON A MODERATE TO STEEP INCLINE. WITH REGARDS TO THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM, A FUEL INJECTOR PLUG EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND ERUPTED IN A FIRE THAT SELF-EXTINGUSHED. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 7 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME. I PROCEEDED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS ABLE TO USE A GM PART (I FOUND OUT THAT THE DRIVE TRAIN AND ENGINE ARE ACTUALLY MADE IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY GM EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE IS AN ISUZU). THERE WAS A SECOND INCIDENT IDETICAL TO THE FIRST AND THE REPAIRS WERE AGAIN MADE. I HAD THE DEALER CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THIS FAILURE. THEY WER ONLY ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS NOT OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY, BUT COULD NOT SAY THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE INJECTOR FAILURES.

I HAVE HAD A HISTORY (DOCUMENTED) OF ELECTRICAL/TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH MY 1991 ISUZU TROOPER. ON 11/95, A FAULTY COMPUTER CONTROL PANEL CAUSED MY TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. I HAD A WEEK LEFT ON MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ISUZU SANTA MONICA. THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER PANEL UNDER WARRANTY ON 11/95. 15 MONTHS LATER, MY TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING AGAIN. SAME SYMPTOMS. THIS TIME, I SPENT $2,000 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. ISUZU REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. ON 6/12/99, WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND WITHIN SECONDS THE ENTIRE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPT. CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. NOW THE TRUCK IS COMPLETELY TOTALED. I AM IN THE MIDST OF HAVING INSURANCE INSPECTORS DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FIRE. I HAVE ALL OF MY SERVICE RECORDS FOR THE VEHICLE. IT WAS KEPT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

I JUST EXITED THE HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING THE 1991 ISUZU TROOPER CAUGHT ON FIRE. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND GET OUT.THE FIRE APPEARED TO BE UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK WITH GAS OR SOME OTHER LIQUID POURING OUT. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE MELTED AND EXPLODED, THEN THERE WAS A SECOND EXPLOSION. ALL THE PARTS OF THE ENGINE, BATTERY ETC. WERE IN FLAMES. TWO FIRE TRUCKS AND POLICE CARS WERE DIPATCHED. IT WAS A VERY BIG BLAZE. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS. OUR INSURANCE COMPNAY CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE SINCE THE DAMAGE IS SO EXTENSIVE. PLEASE HELP. I AM NOT SURE HOW TO PROCEED. I'D LIKE TO WARN OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE AND CONTACT ISUZU. SO FAR, THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED MY PHONE CALLS.

CONSUMER DROVE VEHICLE INTO DRIVEWAY. THEN MOVED TRANSMISSION INTO WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS PARK, LOCKED IGNITION AND TOOK KEY OUT. WHEN HE WALKED AWAY VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS, RESULTING IN A CRASH. PHONED ISUZU AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT INSTALL AN IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICE. OWNER BELIEVES THIS IS A NECESSARY SAFETY DEVICE. *AK