U.S. public vehicle records

Isuzu IMPULSE problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

37 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

98,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1983 to 1994 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Ignition:Module is the most frequently named component, appearing in 8 of 37 complaints (21.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	9	24.3%
Braking behavior	3	8.1%
Electrical and battery issues	2	5.4%
Fuel system concerns	2	5.4%
Steering behavior	1	2.7%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Ignition:Module

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Unknown Or Other

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control

Electrical System

Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Electrical System:Ignition:Module	8
Vehicle Speed Control	6
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	4
Unknown Or Other	4
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	2
Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control	2
Electrical System	1
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery	1

Electrical System:Ignition:Module: 8; Vehicle Speed Control: 6; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 4; Unknown Or Other: 4; Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly: 2; Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control: 2; Electrical System: 1; Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 36 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

1995: 3; 1996: 4; 1997: 1; 1998: 1; 1999: 10; 2000: 8; 2001: 4; 2002: 3; 2003: 2; 2004: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Ignition:Module leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 9 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 724196 · 2000-06-19 (June 19, 2000)

INSULATIVE SPRAY ON ECU BOARD CAUSES ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN HOT WEATHER. THIS LEADS TO IDLE SPEEDS FROM 400RPM TO 2000RPM. MAJOR CONCERN IS RANDOM STALLING. UNABLE TO START CAR AFTER STALLING. KNOWN TO HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, WHICH CAN BE QUITE A HAZARD AS THE CAR IS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. NOT SAFE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. - HTTP://WWW.ISUZUPERFORMANCE.COM/ISUZUWEB/RECALL.HTML. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 724196 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10030614 · 2003-08-01 (August 1, 2003)

CONSTANT STALLING AND/OR HIGH REVVING OF ENGINE. STALLING USUALLY OCCURS WHEN COMMING OUT OF GEAR AND IDLE GOES DOWN TO 500RPMS OR LOWER AND STALLS OUT. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE AN ACKNOWLEDGED ECU PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE REPLACED AND ISUZU NEVER DID.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10030614 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 804844 · 1996-11-12 (November 12, 1996)

POOR ABS PERFORMANCE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 804844 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 720403 · 2000-03-20 (March 20, 2000)

THE VEHICLE FAILS TO RUN AFTER IS WARMS UP. I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL MECHANICS AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THE MANUFACTURER USES AN INSULATING SPRAY ON THE ECU THAT CAUSES IT TO SHRINK AND BRAKE CONTACTS IN THE UNIT ITSELF. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN THAT IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ONCE ALREADY AND WITH LOOSE CONTACT IT MY CAUSE A FIRE. I DO NOT EXPECT THE MANUFACTURER TO REPLACE THE UNIT FOR FREE. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED SO THEY DID NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OFF OF ME BUT SOME HELP WOULD BE NICE. I FIND THEM RESPONSIBLE SO…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 720403 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 823096 · 1998-05-05 (May 5, 1998)

AFTER VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING ALL NIGHT, EARLY MORNING IT BURSTED INTO FLAMES, NEAR THE BATTERY. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE FIRE MARSHALL IT APPEARED TO BE A SHORT CIRCUIT NEAR THE BATTERY. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 823096 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 971574 · 1995-09-05 (September 5, 1995)

CAR WAS PARKED IN GARAGE THERE WAS BAD FUMES SMELL FROM THE GARAGE AND HOUSE TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAY THE FUEL TANK MAY BE CORRODING . TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 971574 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10039413 · 2003-09-23 (September 23, 2003)

CAR WILL NOT IDLE OR RUNS FOR VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HAVE REPLACED FUEL PUMP FUEL PUMP RELAY ETC ETC. ASC CERTIFIED MECH. SAYS NOTHING HE CAN DO. WHEN CAR IS COLD IT WORKS WELL.BUT A FEW MINUTES LATER IT STARTS ACTING UP. BASICALLY UNDRIVABLE

Owner-reported narrative. 98,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10039413 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 732129 · 2000-09-21 (September 21, 2000)

THE CAR WILL FOR NO REASON STALL, EVEN AT HIGH SPEEDS RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THIS IS THE SECOND ONE THAT I HAVE OWNED, AND THE OTHER ONE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN, WHEN THE CALL STALLED, AND CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING. A PEDESTRIAN WAS WALKING ON THE STREET CORNER, WHEN MY CAR SMASHED AGAINST THE CURB, JUST BARELY MISSING HIM. IT'S REALLY SCARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ECU IS DEFECTIVE IN EVERY IMPULSE/STORM EVER MADE. WHY WASN'T THERE EVER A RECALL? ARE WE …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 732129 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1983

1984

1985

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1994

1983: 1; 1984: 0; 1985: 1; 1988: 0; 1989: 0; 1990: 1; 1991: 1; 1992: 1; 1994: 0

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Isuzu IMPULSE model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1983	0	1	Not available
1984	1	0	-1
1985	3	1	+1
1988	1	0	Not available
1989	1	0	0
1990	5	1	+1
1991	25	1	0
1992	0	1	0
1994	1	0	Not available

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

37 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

2.7%Usable mileage1 / 37 records

73.0%Valid incident date27 / 37 records

100.0%Valid filing date37 / 37 records

73.0%Ordered incident and filing dates27 / 37 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1983	1984	1985	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1994
Electrical System:Ignition:Module	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 724196 INSULATIVE SPRAY ON ECU BOARD CAUSES ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN HOT WEATHER. THIS LEADS TO IDLE SPEEDS FROM 400RPM TO 2000RPM. MAJOR CONCERN IS RANDOM STALLING. UNABLE TO START CAR AFTER STALLING. KNOWN TO HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, WHICH CAN BE QUITE A HAZARD AS THE CAR IS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. NOT SAFE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. - HTTP://WWW.ISUZUPERFORMANCE.COM/ISUZUWEB/RECALL.HTML. *AK Look up ODI 724196 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	728.0% ODI 564213 THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME IDLE CONTROL PROBLEMS AS STATED IN PREVIOUS RECALL REGARDING THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. *YH Look up ODI 564213 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Vehicle Speed Control	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	240.0% ODI 10030614 CONSTANT STALLING AND/OR HIGH REVVING OF ENGINE. STALLING USUALLY OCCURS WHEN COMMING OUT OF GEAR AND IDLE GOES DOWN TO 500RPMS OR LOWER AND STALLS OUT. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE AN ACKNOWLEDGED ECU PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE REPLACED AND ISUZU NEVER DID.*AK Look up ODI 10030614 at NHTSA ↗	416.0% ODI 708619 I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM ONE TOO MANY TIMES, AND IT IS STARTING TO GET ANNOYING. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY ANOTHER CAR RIGHT NOW AND I WOULD'NT WANT ANYONE ELSE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH A CAR. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS. MY CAR CAN TAKE OFF AT ANY TIME IT WANTS TO. IT ALMOST MADE ME GET IN AN ACCIDENT IN A TRAFFIC JAM. THE DEALER WON'T COVER THE DEFECT. *AK Look up ODI 708619 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	416.0% ODI 713307 ENGINE IDLES VERY HIGH, WILL SURGE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT ON THESE CARS. Look up ODI 713307 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Unknown Or Other	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	416.0% ODI 710305 FAILURES INDICATES NUMBER OF FAILURES PER WEEK, NOT REPLACEMENT PER SE. Look up ODI 710305 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	240.0% ODI 504433 SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED AFTER RECALL REPAIRS. *SD Look up ODI 504433 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	28.0% ODI 715941 MY ADDRESS IS IN ONTARIO,CANADA POSTAL CODE L5J-3N5. THE SYMPTOMS OF THIS FAULT ARE MOST NOTABLY ERRATIC IDLE, IDLE REVVING AND DROPPING, IDLE DIPPING OFTEN WITH ENGINE DYING, IDLE HANGING HIGH ABOVE 2,000 RPM, AND ENGINE DYING OR STALLING FOR NO REASON WITH NO TROUBLE CODES. THESE SYMPTOMS WILL OFTEN ONLY OCCUR IN WARMER WEATHER AS THE METAL CIRCUITS OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD SEEM MOST VULNERABLE TO SHORT CIRCUITS AT SOLDER CRACKS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE CAR IS ABOVE 80 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. IN TEMPERATE CLIMATES, THE SYMPTOMS MAY FIRST SHO… Look up ODI 715941 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	14.0% ODI 10066469 I HAVE A 1991 ISUZU IMPULSE AND IT'S HAVING ECU PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC SAYS IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I SEE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS, AND IT SHOULDN'T FALL ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE CONSUMERS. *AK Look up ODI 10066469 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	14.0% ODI 823096 AFTER VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING ALL NIGHT, EARLY MORNING IT BURSTED INTO FLAMES, NEAR THE BATTERY. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE FIRE MARSHALL IT APPEARED TO BE A SHORT CIRCUIT NEAR THE BATTERY. *AK Look up ODI 823096 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

1992: 0 complaints · 1994: 1 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1992	0	0	0
1994	0	1	1

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
1992	0	0	0
1994	1	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Electrical System:Ignition:Module	Vehicle Speed Control	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	Unknown Or Other	Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control	Electrical System	Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery
Electrical System:Ignition:Module	—	1 ODI 747780 AS THE WEATHER IS GETTING WARMER THE ENGINE REVS AND DROPS UNCONTROLLABLY. THE CAR ALSO STALLS AT ANY SPEED. I HAVE HAD IT EVEN STALL ON THE HIGHWAY. I HEAR THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF ECM UNIT, PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS FOR ME. IF I HADN'T TAKEN A DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE I COULD BE DEAD RIGHT NOW. *AK Look up ODI 747780 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vehicle Speed Control	1 ODI 747780 AS THE WEATHER IS GETTING WARMER THE ENGINE REVS AND DROPS UNCONTROLLABLY. THE CAR ALSO STALLS AT ANY SPEED. I HAVE HAD IT EVEN STALL ON THE HIGHWAY. I HEAR THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF ECM UNIT, PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS FOR ME. IF I HADN'T TAKEN A DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE I COULD BE DEAD RIGHT NOW. *AK Look up ODI 747780 at NHTSA ↗	—	0	0	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Unknown Or Other	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0
Vehicle Speed Control:Cruise Control	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0
Electrical System	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

3 patterns with matching reports.

Stalling or loss of power

9 mentions · 24.3% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 724196

Look up ODI 724196 at NHTSA ↗

ODI 10030614

Look up ODI 10030614 at NHTSA ↗

ODI 715941

MY ADDRESS IS IN ONTARIO,CANADA POSTAL CODE L5J-3N5. THE SYMPTOMS OF THIS FAULT ARE MOST NOTABLY ERRATIC IDLE, IDLE REVVING AND DROPPING, IDLE DIPPING OFTEN WITH ENGINE DYING, IDLE HANGING HIGH ABOVE 2,000 RPM, AND ENGINE DYING OR STALLING FOR NO REASON WITH NO TROUBLE CODES. THESE SYMPTOMS WILL OFTEN ONLY OCCUR IN WARMER WEATHER AS THE METAL CIRCUITS OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD SEEM MOST VULNERABLE TO SHORT CIRCUITS AT SOLDER CRACKS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE CAR IS ABOVE 80 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. IN TEMPERATE CLIMATES, THE SYMPTOMS MAY FIRST SHO…

Look up ODI 715941 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b

Brake response concerns

1 mentions · 2.7% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 804844

POOR ABS PERFORMANCE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT.

Look up ODI 804844 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

Steering assistance concerns

1 mentions · 2.7% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 732129

Look up ODI 732129 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(power steer\w*|steering assist\w*|steering lock\w*|steering wheel lock\w*)\b