Problems · NHTSA complaints
2004 Isuzu Ascender problems
Owners filed 64 complaints about the 2004 Isuzu Ascender with NHTSA between Feb 2004 and Jan 2018. The most-cited component is electrical system (34).
Complaints
64
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system34
- Fuel system, gasoline8
- Fuel/propulsion system7
- Exterior lighting6
- Engine4
- Visibility4
- Tires3
- Seat belts3
- Power train2
- Structure2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
- Engine and engine cooling2
- Service brakes1
- Steering1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
5
4
4
4
6
4
3
5
4
7
3
8
5
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 7 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
34 reports1 fire
“WHILE DRIVING MY CARS BRAKELIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE FASTER AND FASTER. PULLLED OVER AS SOON AS I COULD AND STOPPED THE CAR AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. THE CHECK GAUGES WARNING LIGHT COMES ON EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS SITTING IDLE OR WHEN I PULL UP AND STOP AT A RED LIGHT IT COMES ON.”
Fuel system, gasoline
8 reports
“I HAVE A 2004 ISUZU ASCENDER. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I TOOK IT TO A DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR HAD A FUEL THANK INLET FRACTURE. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS RELEASED BUT NO RECALL. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW, IT WILL COST ME $2178.33 +TAX TO HAVE IT REPAIRED.AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I THINK THAT SOMETHING SHOULD B DONE ABOUT THIS. I CONTACTED AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND MY CAR IS NOT IN THE RECALL MODELS. I THINK THAT THIS A MANUFACTURE' PROBLEM AND IT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BEOFRE SOMETHING SERIOUS HAPPENS”
Fuel/propulsion system
7 reports
“RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON FAULTY GAS TANK. HAD CAR INSPECTED BY ISUZU FACILITY 2/4/16 AND NEW PART(S) ORDERED. CANNOT GET ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHEN PART WILL BE IN AND MY CAR REPAIRED. IN THE MEANTIME, DRIVING WITH FAULTY, GAS-LEAKING, PROBABLY DANGEROUS CAR. GM APPARENTLY NOT COMMUNICATING WITH ISUZU AND PARTS NOT GETTING PRODUCED.”
Exterior lighting
6 reports1 related recall
“THE LOW BEAMS ON MY HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. MY DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ALSO WILL TURN OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND TURN BACK ON BUT THIS IS NOT AS MUCH OF A SAFETY ISSUE AS WHEN IT HAPPENS DURING NIGHTTIME DRIVING. SOMETIMES MY HEADLIGHTS WILL NOT WORK FROM THE MOMENT I START MY CAR BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEY SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING. I CAN SWITCH THE HEADLIGHTS TO HIGH BEAMS AND THEY TYPICALLY WORK FINE. ONLY ONCE HAVE I HAD BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAMS OUT AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THAT HAPPENED I PARKED MY CAR AND LET IT SIT. WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AFTER ABOUT 30 MIN TO AN HOUR BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAMS WERE WORKING AGAIN. MY HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WHILE I'M DRIVING IN THE CITY, IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS, AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE OR EVEN WHEN I FIRST START MY VEHICLE AFTER IT HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE REASON FOR MY HEADLIGHTS SPONTANEOUSLY GOING OUT IS UNKNOWN. THE PART THAT CAUSING THE PROBLEM IS UNKNOWN. IT DOES, HOWEVER, SEEM TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO ISSUES THAT HAS CAUSED GM TO DO A RECALL ON OTHER GM VEHICLES WHICH INCLUDES 2006-2009 (?) ISUZU ASCENDERS BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY 2004 ISUZU…”
Engine
4 reports
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ISUZU ASCENDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BANK ONE SENSOR WAS RUNNING RICH AND THE BANK TWO SENSOR WAS RUNNING LEAN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.”
Visibility
4 reports2 fires
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 ISUZU ASCENDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GAUGES AND LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE CONTROL PANEL OF THE ARM REST ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V035000 (VISIBILITY) EVEN THOUGH THE WINDSHIELD OF THE VEHICLE HAD SHIFTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.