Isuzu D-Max Review, For Sale, Colours, Models, Interior & Specs

Isuzu D-Max Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Isuzu D-Max here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Is a failed transmission in a 2018 Isuzu D-Max covered by warranty?

  Isuzu lifted the warranty on its vehicles to six years/150,000km for all utes sold after May 1, 2019. Unfortunately, it sounds like your car was on the road in 2018, which means it was covered by a five-year/130,000km warranty. Although you haven’t yet covered 130,000km, the vehicle is more than those five years old so, technically, the problem is not covered by warranty.

  However, I think it would be worthwhile contacting Isuzu Australia’s customer service division and pointing out the car’s service history and its mileage. Isuzu may then decide to help with the cost of repairs on a pro-rata basis given the circumstances. It is not obliged to, of course, but it’s definitely worth asking.

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• 2019 Isuzu D-Max would not rev to cross a small rise

  Sandy conditions are incredibly hard on every aspect of a four-wheel-drive. The sand itself constantly shifts under the tyres and clings to them as well, dragging them down and making the engine and transmission work very hard to maintain progress. You may have already noticed that you use a lot more fuel in sandy country and it’s all because you need to be constantly making more power to maintain speed than in normal conditions. Turbocharged engines and automatic transmissions, in particular, can get very hot very quickly in sand.

  With that in mind, it’s very possible that something in the driveline got hot enough for the car’s computer to go into limp home mode to protect what ever was hot from damage. Limp home mode often involves limiting engine revs and turbo boost, both of which contribute to heat production. This would explain why the car would not climb a crest but came good after a break.

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• My 2023 Isuzu D-Max SX is 'sweating oil'

  A bit of sweating around the various parts of an engine where one component joins another is definitely not uncommon and not really a problem provided it's not actually dropping oil on the ground (at which point it's a leak, not a sweat-mark). But really, an almost-new vehicle like yours shouldn't be doing this at all.

  The rear-main seal on the crankshaft is a likely culprit and a common source of leaks from this area, but since it's a big job (gearbox removal) to do it, I can understand why a mechanic would declare it okay and not to worry. The problem with that is that the sweating is likely to become a leak sometime down the track, at which point you'll have to act.

  The good news is that because you've flagged this problem with Isuzu while the vehicle is still under warranty, it's called a pre-existing condition and is covered by the factory warranty, even if that warranty has since expired. However, one would hope that Isuzu does the right thing in the meantime and changes the offending gasket or seal to fix the problem.

  Be very wary, however, about Isuzu (or more likely the dealer) claiming the problem is being caused by the catch-can you have had fitted. A good quality catch-can, with a relief valve and correct installation should not cause a rear main seal to leak. As for changing the grade of oil you're using, I doubt that it would do much, but since the alternative is a slightly thicker oil, it might just make the difference you're chasing.

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• I am having gearbox problems in my 2019 Isuzu D-Max

  Problems like these are hard to diagnose remotely, as there's a lot going on in a modern gearbox. But, conventional wisdom suggests that a noise followed by a series of failures of the same component (the oil seal) means something inside is bent or damaged.

  The noise is potentially being caused by something misaligned and rubbing or a damaged bearing, and the blown oil seal is the eventual result of the damage/swarf/heat/friction that results. The other possibility is that the rear gearbox seal is being destroyed from the other end of things, as in the tailshaft. A bent tailshaft could set up harmonics, friction or vibrations that could kill the seal, but you'd imagine there'd be a vibration through the whole vehicle at speed if this was the case.

  Your vehicle is under warranty (six years of it from new) so make sure the dealer is aware of the problem and their obligation to fix it.

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