General Isuzu Information
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Contents |
Parts Availability
Replacement parts for U.S. Isuzu trucks and SUVs are becoming harder to find, but there are still a few good sources for them.
Jerry Lemond is one great source for genuine Isuzu parts. He can be contacted by sending a PM to JLEMOND on the PLANETISUZOO forum [1]. He is a retired technician trainer for Isuzu. He has bought out several lots of new and used Isuzu parts and sells parts out of his well-stocked warehouse. He is also a great source of information on how to repair Isuzu vehicles.
Another great source is All Hyundai and Isuzu. This company sells used Isuzu parts. Consider this as a junkyard where they pull and inspect the parts before mailing them to you. [2]
Need to locate a nearby parts yard for used parts? Try car-part.com [3].
The Isuzu dealer parts website, myisuzuparts.com [4] is a great resource for looking up part numbers and identifying parts.
Parts for off-road modification can be found at INDEPENDENT4X [5] or Darlington Off-Road. To contact Darlington Off-Road, send a PM to Joe Darlington on the PLANETISUZOO forum [6].
General Repair and Tech
Shop Manuals
A good source for the official Isuzu factory service manuals is Helm Inc. [[7]]
From 98 and up, the Isuzu factory service manuals were available in pdf format. Kirill, a PLANETISUZOO forum member, has made those available to download at this link [8].
Isuzu Trouble Codes
See Isuzu Trouble Codes for a list of Isuzu OBD-I and OBD-II trouble codes.
Repair and Tech Articles
See General Repair and Tech for links to non vehicle-specific Isuzu repair and tech articles.
General Drivetrain
Engine Specs
See Engine Specs for a listing of Isuzu engine specifications.
Transmissions
See Transmissions for information about transmissions found in US spec Isuzu trucks and SUVs.
Available Drivetrains
See Available Drivetrains for a list of available drivetrains found in US spec Isuzu trucks and SUVs.
Passenger Vehicle History
1963–1973 - Bellett sedan (PR20) and 2 door GT (PR90 & PR91)
1967-1983 - Isuzu Florian
1968-1981 - 117 Coupe
1974–2000 - Gemini/I-Mark/Stylus sedan
1983–1992 - Piazza/Impulse/Storm hatchback
1983–2002 - Aska sedan
1983–2002 - Trooper midsize SUV
1983–1995 - Isuzu P'up and TF models Japan built from 1987–1991, US built 1991-1995
1989-1994 - Amigo compact SUV (First generation)
1991–2004 - Rodeo small SUV
1991–present - Panther, a van sold in Indonesia, sold as the Isuzu Hi-Lander / Crosswind in the Philippines, also sold throughout the ASEAN, and in India as the Chevrolet Tavera
1996-1999 - Isuzu Oasis minivan, a rebadged Honda Odyssey
1996–2000 - Isuzu Hombre pickup truck, a rebadged Chevrolet S10
1998-2003 - Amigo/Rodeo Sport compact SUV (Second generation)
1999–2001 - VehiCROSS halo SUV
2001–2004 - Axiom midsize SUV
2002–2008 - Ascender large SUV
2002–present - D-Max Pickup Truck, a top selling diesel sold in the majority of Isuzu markets (excluding North America)
2006–2008 - i-280/i-350 pickup truck (a product of the co-developed D-Max platform Isuzu sells overseas) now sold as the I-290/I-370
Company History
1916 - Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Co. cooperatively plan to build automobiles.
1918 - A technical cooperation with Wolseley Motor Company is initiated. In 1922 the first Wolseley model A-9 car is domestically produced. The CP truck follows two years later.
1933 - Ishikawajima Automotive Works merges with Dot Automobile Manufacturing Inc. and changes its name to Automobile Industries Co., Ltd.
1934 - A meeting with the Ministry of Trade and Industry results in the renaming of the truck to Isuzu, after the Isuzu River. The word translated into English means "fifty bells".
1937 - A new company, Tokyo Automobile Industries Co., Ltd. is established, basing on Automobile Industries, with capital of one milion yen.
1949 - Isuzu is adopted as the company name.
1953 - With technical assistance of Rootes Group the Hillman Minx passenger car is produced.
1971 - A capital agreement with General Motors is signed.
1972 - The Chevrolet LUV becomes the first Isuzu-built vehicle to be sold in the United States. A decade later, it is replaced by a domestic vehicle, the Chevrolet S-10.
1973 - Isuzu introduces the Gemini, which is co-produced with General Motors. It is sold in the United States as Buick's Opel by Isuzu, and in Australia as the Holden Gemini.
1981 - Isuzu-branded consumer and commercial vehicles are successfully exported to the United States. The Isuzu P'Up is the first model sold to consumers as an Isuzu, instead of a Chevrolet or Buick.
1987 - SIA (Subaru-Isuzu Automotive) is established as a joint venture with Fuji Heavy Industries (parent company of Subaru). Shortly thereafter, the Lafayette, Indiana plant becomes operational.
1993 - Isuzu ceases to export the Stylus (Geo Spectrum), its last cars in America, after ending the Impulse (Geo Storm) the year before.
1994 - Isuzu announces new vehicle exchange program with Honda, providing Honda with the Isuzu Rodeo (to be sold as the Honda Passport) and Isuzu Trooper (to be sold as the Acura SLX) and providing Isuzu with the Honda Odyssey (to be sold as the Isuzu Oasis). This has the effect of adding two SUVs to Honda's lineup and a minivan to Isuzu's lineup.
1996 - Isuzu's sales peak in the United States. The Isuzu Hombre pickup was introduced.
1998 - General Motors and Isuzu form DMAX, a joint venture to produce diesel engines. Isuzu resurrects the beloved Amigo. The uniquely styled VehiCROSS concept is unveiled.
1999 - GM raises its stake in Isuzu to 49%, effectively gaining control of the company. GM quickly follows this up with the appointment of an American GM executive to head Isuzu's North American Operations. This is the first time a non-Japanese executive has ever held such a high position at Isuzu. The U.S. introduction of the production version of the heralded VehiCROSS is met with mixed reviews, as its high price tag, unique styling and two-door configuration don't seem to meet with market demands.
2000 - Concept convertible version of the VehiCROSS appears in the movie Mission to Mars.
2001 - Joe Isuzu, the immensely popular pitchman with implausible claims, is hired once again to promote the new Axiom. Isuzu sales begin to slide due to the aging of the Rodeo and Trooper, and poor management & lack of assistance from GM. Isuzu changes the name of the 2-door Amigo convertible to Rodeo Sport in an attempt to associate it with the better selling 4-door Rodeo. Movie Spy kids features Isuzu Axiom and Trooper.
Early 2002 - Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru's parent company) buys Isuzu's share of Lafayette, Indiana plant. Subaru Isuzu Automotive (SIA) becomes Subaru of Indiana Automotive. After 8 years of heavy Honda Passport sales and light Isuzu Oasis sales, Honda and Isuzu cooperatively end their vehicle exchange agreement. The Oasis is dropped, and Honda replaces the Passport with the Pilot. Also, it was Isuzu's last year for passenger vehicles in Canada, as Isuzus in Canada were mostly sold at Saturn-Saab dealerships.
Late 2002 - Isuzu begins the re-purchase of its stock from shareholders, primarily General Motors. Isuzu reduces GM's 49% share to 12% as part of this comprehensive recapitalization plan. As part of this reorganization, GM gains full control of DMAX and Isuzu Motors Polska, as well as ownership of all diesel engine designs from Isuzu. Isuzu drops the venerable Trooper from the North American lineup.
2003 - The Rodeo Sport is discontinued.
July 2004 - Production of the Rodeo and Axiom cease. Sales in North America slow to just 27,188, with the discontinued Rodeo and Axiom making up 71% of that total. The number of Isuzu dealerships in the U.S. begins a rapid decline.
2005 - Isuzu dealers in the United States have only 2 models: the Ascender and the i-series pickup truck. The i-series is a rebadged Chevrolet Colorado, the Ascender is a re-badged GMC Envoy. At this point, Isuzu in the United States is primarily a distributor of medium duty trucks such as the NPR series. These vehicles are sourced both from Japan and U.S. plants in Janesville, Wisconsin and Flint, Michigan. Isuzu has 290 light-vehicle dealers in the U.S. as of August 2006, and sells an average of just two Ascenders per dealer per month. Plans to introduce a new Thai-built SUV, expected to be added for 2007, are shelved; Isuzu Motors Limited believes that a new SUV would be too risky and proceeds with the launch of the i-series trucks. Rumors of Isuzu's withdrawal from the U.S. market are rampant. Despite extremely low sales figures of 12,177 passenger vehicles for 2005 (with leftover Axiom and Rodeos making up 30% of this), Isuzu Motors America announces its first profit in years, mainly due to restructuring cuts.
2006 - Production of the 7-passenger Ascender ends in February with the closure of GM's Oklahoma City Assembly plant, leaving Isuzu with the 5-passenger Ascender, built in Moraine, Ohio and the low-selling i-Series as its only retail products. The company sold just 1,504 vehicles in North America in the first two months of 2006. Isuzu finally purchases its remaining shares from GM, but claims the companies will continue their current relationship. There is no word as of April 12, 2006 on the effect this will have on DMAX operations.
June 2006 - Isuzu and GM Agree to establish Joint Venture called "LCV Platform Engineering Corporation (LPEC)" to develop a new pickup. Isuzu says it will use its engineering expertise to develop the pickup and GM will develop derivatives based on the integrated platform.
November 2006 - Toyota purchases 5.9% of Isuzu and the two companies agree to study possible business collaboration focusing on the areas of R&D and production of diesel engines, related emissions-control, and other environmental technologies.
January 2007 - Isuzu, along with General Motors Companies, release an update to the LCV range, with a 3.0 litre common rail diesel motor, with far more torque and power to its predecessor
August 2007 - Isuzu and Toyota agree to develop a 1.6-liter diesel engine for use in Toyota vehicles sold in European markets. Details of development, production and supply of the diesel engine, are still under discussion, but in principle, Isuzu will play the leading role. Production is scheduled to begin around 2012.
January 30, 2008 - Isuzu announces complete withdrawal from the US market, effective January 31, 2009. It will continue to provide support and parts. The decision was due to lack of sales. They will continue to sell commercial vehicles in the U.S.
December 17, 2008 - Isuzu, Toyota Shelve Development of Clean Diesel Engine.
January 29, 2009 - Isuzu and General Motors announce that they are in talks to transfer the operation of the medium-duty truck production line in Flint, Michigan to Isuzu for a five-year period. In June, however, GM announced that these talks failed to reach an agreement, and GM ceased production of the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick vehicles on July 31, 2009.
