2002 Isuzu Axiom Transmission Cooler Line Blew. Normal?

JERRYP49

MEMBER
2002 ISUZU AXIOM
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
90,000 MILES

Hello all,
I have a 2002 Isuzu Axiom 2w drive. I've owned it since new and have babied it with good maintenance, oil changes etc.

I had the transmission serviced at 45k miles and had just about reach 90k miles for my next service of the tranny. Unfortunately the week before I was going to take it to the dealer for service, the oil cooler line to the radiator blew without warning. No leaks or other signs were evident before the failure.

Since it was the pressure hose from the tranny that split open, all of the fluid was dumped immediately had the car coasted to a stop. We had it towed to the dealership here in West Palm Beach and they replaced both hoses, the filter, gasket and flushed the tranny all of which came to $507. With the towing charge, I'm out about $600.

My question to the group is this: Should I have expected this line to let go this soon? How many others have blown with less than 90k miles?

I'm still covered under the 120k mile / 10-year power-train warranty by Isuzu but the dealership said that this pressure line is not part of that warranty. Should I appeal to Isuzu for my out of pocket expenses?

Thanks in advance for your replies,
Jerry
SE Florida

5 Replies

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

If it's a section of rubber hose that split, at 90,000 miles, you won't win! Not real unusal for a part made from rubber to fail at this mileage. Perhaps you should look in your waranty book and see what the hoses and belt are supposed to be changed at, and attack them with this info, they may not have changed them then!

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 AT 9:17 AM

JERRYP49

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hi Merlin,
Thanks for your reply. I went all the way through the owner's recommended maintenance booklet to see if I could find a time for those lines to be replaced. There is no mention of them being replaced before the 120k-mile mark. Otherwise I would have had them changed before now.

I didn't even know they were there, to be honest. I'm not a mechanic but some cars/SUVs I've seen had metal lines for those connections from the tranny to the radiator/cooler.

Jerry

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 AT 9:41 AM

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

I mean check for recommended cooling system hoses, and use this to hit them over the head with! Rubber is used so new flush machines can be hooked up! You paid 600.00 for maybe 30.00 in parts and fluids.

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 AT 10:21 AM

JERRYP49

MEMBER
3 POSTS

One other thing that came to mind about this failure was from an accident we had with it at 39k-miles. It was a front-end wreck from a car that pull in front of my wife.

During the repair, the approved body shop my insurance company sent me to had to replace everything from the engine forward. This included the radiator/cooler, fan, battery, condenser etc. They did not, however, replace the lines that failed.

Should those parts have been replaced during the repair of the vehicle? My insurance has a repair warranty that guarantees all workmanship and parts made during the repair. Isn't this a lack of workmanship?

Thanks for your replies,
Jerry

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 AT 10:35 AM

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

Normally if a part that should have been replaced during a repair like that, it would fail almost immediatly. Your lasted quite a few miles! These hoses become brittle over time, and thats when they fail. You can try that route, no harm in asking.