The Edmund’s long-term Rodeo was circulated around most of the editorial staff this month, allowing us to get feedback from drivers of all shapes and sizes. One resounding complaint from all drivers centered on the Rodeo’s awful front seats. Short or tall, skinny or not-too-skinny, nobody was able to get comfortable in those things. Christian Wardlaw compared the experience of sitting in the Rodeo to sitting in folding beach chairs. Edmund’s lanky online editor, Greg Anderson, said that riding in the Rodeo made him feel like he was sitting on the floor.

More complaints poured in about the Rodeo’s dismal fuel economy, as the truck posted a month’s best of 14.8 mpg, including lots of freeway travel. Steering wheel shimmy has also reared its head, possibly caused by uneven wear on the front tires. Other problems include a center console that no longer latches properly, a remote keyless entry system that has a very limited range, a sunroof that takes only one touch to open, but two touches to close; and bumpers that do little to absorb the impact of a bump.

That’s right folks, the Rodeo has been involved in a minor fender bender, or shall we say bumper buster. During a low-speed accident the Rodeo nudged the rear end of a GMC Safari minivan. The Rodeo’s airbags didn’t deploy and nobody was injured. The GMC Safari was undamaged in the accident. The Rodeo, however, needs to have its front bumper, right fog lamp and right fender replaced. All for a rolling collision that didn’t even wake up the 10-month-old baby sleeping in a car seat in the rear of the Rodeo. Unlike cars, trucks don’t have a minimum impact absorption requirement for their bumpers. As a result, a minor impact that probably wouldn’t have affected our Camry is sending our Rodeo to the repair shop. This must be why trucks have such high insurance ratings.

In addition to having the collision damage fixed, the Rodeo is nearing the 15,000-mile mark, which calls for another trip to the service center for oil, filters and chassis lube. We’ll have the dealer look at the center console, tire wear and remote keyless entry system at the same time, and see if we can’t get some of these minor annoyances figured out.

Best Fuel Economy: 14.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 11.4 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: There is a shimmy in the steering wheel, the center console latch is broken, the remote keyless entry system still isn't working properly and the front bumper, right fog lamp and right fender need to be replaced due to the accident.