In the past 4 months I have had to replace the wheel bearings in both front wheels of my 2004 Ascender. The left one went bad first and then a few months later the right. This seems a bit unusual. I only have 71,000 miles on the vehicle. Any thoughts, help or suggestions???
Buy the vehicle brand new, as in 4 or 5 miles on it?
Flood vehicle, driving in deep rain water or severe dusty conditions, etc. could be behind this problem.
Every time the local news reports on heavy rain and flooded streets they always show camera shots of countless vehicles plowing through 6 to 12 inch deep, or deeper, water.
There’s a price to pay for this kind of thing because water and mud will seep into suspension components, driveline vents, wheel bearings, etc.
The problems may not start the next day but in 6 months, a year or two, who knows. Whether this applies in your case I have no idea; just pointing out a reason why.
(Keep in mind that wheel bearings get very hot and heat attracts moisture. Water can actually be pulled into the bearings by heat and this is usually the leading cause of boat trailer wheel bearing failure.)
I’m not super familiar with the Ascender, but I’m pretty sure these are non-sealed bearings and they need to be repacked quite frequently-- on the older Troopers and Rodeos it was every 30k miles. Isuzu’s front axle design went practically unchanged from the mid-80’s through the early-2000’s and I would not be suprised if this is still the case on your Ascender.
Check your owner’s manual and see what it says in the periodic maintenance section.
The Isuzu Ascender was that company’s last-gasp attempt to remain in the US passenger vehicle market. It is actually a Chevy Tahoe with a different grille. Everything on the vehicle is identical to the Tahoe, with the exception of the grill and the badging.
That’s right-- I was thinking of the Axiom. Never mind!
The Axiom was Isuzu’s next-to-last attempt to remain in the US passenger vehicle market.
The Axiom was essentially a rebodied Rodeo (old wine in a new keg), and thus did have the same axle design as the Rodeo.
The Ascender was built on the same GM assembly line as the Tahoe and is mechanically identical to the Tahoe.
The Ascender is not the same as the Tahoe , it was the Isuzu clone of the Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy , exact same vehicle with different front and rear fascias.
That’s right!
I was getting my GM 4x4s confused.
Sorry, But I’ve Never Heard Of A Car Called An Ascender ( Sounds Like "A _ _ Ender " ). Not A Good Name For The Safety Conscious. A Funnier Name I Can’t Think Of, But I Got A Good Laugh.
He, he, he . . . Sorry but I’m always looking to save mine.
Sorry, again !
CSA
I know nothing about the vehicle but I’m getting a kick out of this subthread. It’s sad that GM got so heavily into badging that it seems to have sacrificed its own identity.
It is a Chevy Trailblazer with a different front and rear clip , other than that it is identical to Trailblazer in all respects . I have one . I have done 1 front wheel bearing on mine so far at 122000 miles . It seems to be a fairly common problem on these cars at around 100-120K . The bearings are sealed , just replace them . I used Timken bearings on mine . So far its been a good vehicle and I love the inline 6 in this thing . Has a lot of _alls . !!!
With a name like that one it’ll certainly need 'em!
CSA 
