The Isuzu Ascender is a

mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...

built by

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

for Isuzu. The 7-passenger Ascender was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the

Isuzu Trooper The Isuzu Trooper is a full-size SUV that was produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu between 1981 and 2007. In the domestic Japanese market it was sold as the Isuzu Bighorn, the car was exported internationally mainly as a Trooper but it also ...

. The 5-passenger Ascender was introduced for the 2004 model year as a replacement for the

Isuzu Rodeo The Isuzu Rodeo is an automotive nameplate that was used by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu between 1988 and 2004. Isuzu has utilized the "Rodeo" name on two different vehicles—a compact pickup truck sold in Japan—and a midsize S ...

and the

Isuzu Axiom The Isuzu Axiom is a mid-size SUV introduced by Isuzu in 2001 for the 2002 model year. The Axiom is derived from the Isuzu Rodeo and was intended to be Isuzu's response to the popularity of car-based SUVs such as the Toyota Highlander, replacin ...

Overview

The Ascender is the only one of GM's GMT360-based mid-size SUVs that was not GM-branded. The Ascender LWB was dropped after the 2006 model year. Reviews warned of a thin dealer network for warranty repairs, and the Kelley Blue Book projected a relatively low resale value similar to the TrailBlazer. However, Isuzu offered a seven-year/75,000-mile powertrain warranty as well as substantial factory incentives. The Ascender ended production on June 6, 2008, as part of Isuzu's withdrawal from the United States market. Engines: * 2003–2008 4200 4.2 L (256 in³) LL8 I6 * 2003–2004 5300 5.3 L (323 in³) LM4 V8 * 2005–2007 5300 5.3 L (323 in³) LH6 V8 with

Displacement on Demand Active Fuel Management (formerly known as displacement on demand (DoD)) is a trademarked name for the automobile variable displacement technology from General Motors. It allows a V6 or V8 engine to "turn off" half of the cylinders under light-l ...

File:2005 Isuzu Ascender.jpg, Rear view of five passenger Ascender File:Isuzu-Ascender-5Pass.jpg, Five-passenger Ascender

Recall

In 2012,

and Isuzu recalled more than 258,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix short-circuits in power window and door-lock switches that could cause fires. The recall covered

Chevrolet TrailBlazer The Chevrolet Trailblazer is an automobile nameplate used by General Motors for its Chevrolet brand since 1999 for several SUV models: * TrailBlazer, a name of appearance package for the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer used between 1999 and 2002 * Chevro ...

GMC Envoy The GMC Envoy is a mid-size SUV, manufactured and marketed by General Motors for model years 1998-2009 over two generations. Adopting a nameplate used by GM Canada, the Envoy was a rebadged variant of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Oldsmobile Brava ...

Buick Rainier The Buick Rainier is a mid-size luxury SUV that was manufactured by General Motors and marketed by Buick for model years 2004–2007. It was named after Mount Rainier, and — along with the Saab 9-7X — was the replacement for the Oldsmobile ...

, Isuzu Ascender and

Saab 9-7X The Saab 9-7X is a mid-size luxury SUV that was built by General Motors for the American market and sold under the Saab marque. The 9-7X was first revealed at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, and was available starting in the model yea ...

SUVs from the 2006 and 2007 model years. The SUVs were sold or registered in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, and Canada. General Motors announced the recall of 316,357 vehicles in late 2014, primarily in North America, to fix malfunctioning headlights. According to the company, a problem in the headlamp driver module could have led to temporary or permanent malfunctioning of the low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps. This increased the possibility of an accident. However, the high-beam headlamps, marker lamps, turn signals and fog lamps are not affected by the issue. The vehicles that were covered under the recall are the 2006–2009

Buick LaCrosse The Buick LaCrosse is a mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed by Buick since 2004. The LaCrosse is now in its third generation, slotted above the Buick Regal as the brand's flagship vehicle. The first-generation LaCrosse replaced the Century ...

sedans; 2006–2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy and Buick Rainier SUVs; and 2006–2008 Saab 9-7X and Isuzu Ascender SUVs.

References

* {{Isuzu United States Ascender Mid-size sport utility vehicles Cars introduced in 2003