CarComplaints.com Notes: Carrying the not-so-proud traditions of its 2002 predecessor, the 2003 has a handful of instrument panel malfunctions that can leave you guessing your speed, engine temperature or how much gas is left in the tank.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
85,551 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the front and rear drivers side power window failed. Additionally, the contact stated that the parking brake failed to activate when engaged. The contact mentioned that she replaced the rear drivers side tail light and brake light on more than two occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.
While driving down the road, my car shut off and I almost drove off the road because all of the lights shut off and I lost control of my power steering and brakes.
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated that the ignition failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the warning indicators illuminated and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 08/11/14 the ignition switch failed three times. Updated 08/19/14
I have a 2003 Trailblazer that has a speedometer that does not work correctly, on the highway the speeds vary and sometimes show that it is going 0 miles for hours other times it will show different speeds such as 35 or 45 while driving at the same speed of traffic which is 70 mph. The oil pressure gauge is stuck beyond the highest lever and at intermittent times the tachometer does not work. There is also an issue with the heating and cooling fan where the fan will not blow at all and you have to shut the car down and restart it to get the fan to blow at all. The ac and heat are also not changing in temperature at all. I have read many complaints about the speedometer and instrument cluster and find it ridiculous that there has not been a recall put forth on this, especially to ensure motorists are traveling at the correct speeds ensuring the safety for all and that GM has not offered any type of recall for the Trailblazer but has on different models with the same problem in the same model years.
Stopped along interstate for gas last night. Started the vehicle after filling up and the instrument panel would not illuminate, the radio was dead, the A/C was blowing hot air on high fan (which I could not turn down or off), the interior lights were out and the brake lights / tail lights failed to illuminate. Restarted the vehicle 3 times with no change. Placed the vehicle in gear to move to a parking spot and everything started working again. Drove remaining 70 miles down the interstate w/O further issue. Drove vehicle to work and home today. Pulled into driveway, put vehicle in park and got out to open garage door. Got back in vehicle, put it in gear and ran into the same problem from last night. This vehicle's electrical system has been wacky from the day I purchased it brand new. A/C or heat goes out intermittently, instruments quit working, battery suddenly drains, windshield wipers come on by themselves (even after the recall work), cruise control disengages for no reason, headlights/taillights fail, etc. Service tech's willingly admit there is an issue with the electrical system, but GM will not acknowledge it nor issue a recall. I should have gotten rid of the [xxx] thing along time ago, but my wife loves it because of the room. I hope it doesn't wind up killing her one day. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
First rear A/C stopped working and repaired but stopped working less than a year later. Gas gauge stopped registering amount left so now we go by fill ups and reset mileage each time. Rear brake lights have been replaced multiple times because of melting in sockets and now right turn signal won't work bc there is problem with socket again. Passenger side rear door handle doesn't engage consistently either. Repairs are frustrating. Biggest issue was transmission died right after warranty expired and we had to cover entire cost of this. Kind of sucks because I love my truck but the electrical system seems to have problems.
Was driving on the highway to lansing when my check engine light came on and I lost all power and guage function.I began to hear a loud howling noise, pulled off at the exit went to the repair shop in portland, mi where my wheel hub exploded in their hand on the passenger side. The fan clutch has completely stopped working witch caused the vehicle to overheat, and loose all power and my 4 wheel drive locked right up and stopped working. This was extremely dangerous at a rate of 70 mph because the vehicle slowed all the way down to 25 and had no power. I have had so many issues with this vehicle that I am now checking for recalls to have the vehicle serviced completely.
We own a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer and the gauges constantly mess up. Some my speed, oil gauge and RPM seem to act normal, then all of a sudden the gauges start misreading or the speedometer will go down to zero. This is a major safety issue. I can't tell how fast I'm going and I don't understand why there is no recall on this problem. I have read numerous post with people having the same issues. Its not safe for anybody not to know how fast their going. GM needs to initiate a recall and cover the cost for this problem. What has to happen to someone for a recall to take place, why not be smart and prevent a safety hazard before someone is hurt. This is a manufacturer fault, not an operator fault. Numerous dealerships have told us this is a manufacturer fault.
2003 Trailblazer ltz. I've been having problems with the gauges on the dashboard. Oil gauge went out about a year ago, then the fuel gauge went out about 6 months ago, and now the RPM just went out a few weeks ago. Are there a recall to fix the electrical problem on the dashboard? I was able to look at the odometer and see how many miles I have left until I need to fill up.
This is a third time the ABS warning light has come on malfunctioning saying we need service once in Montana and then another incident in 2008. "service brakes, air antilock ABS warning lights come on in the drivers information center. However, it happens every time it gets 5 to 10 degrees or more below zero. The first time I took it into garage and they cleaned up the ABS ground connection on the frame. This is a safety issue because a person doesn't know if it is accurate or another false alert. I would hope that other persons report these issues, and that the manufacturers would be forced to repair the issue.
When driving my vehicle that speedometer on the RPM does not work, and now I was told that the computer was messed up. I have replaced the battery, and then the fuse under the seat gets really hot, and something needs to be done about it. I have even got a ticket for speeding and my speed O meter was set at 65 and I was told by the highway patrol that I was going 75.
The speedometer worked great for about 20 minutes then it just slowly stopped working. Sometimes it comes on sometimes it doesn't, I have no idea how fast I'm driving.
Vehicle: 2003 Chevy Trailblazer ext lt V6 rear wheel drive issue: Speedometer and tachometer failed. Driver unable to determine speed at any time while driving. Needles for console cluster stuck in position and do not change while accelerating or de-accelerating.
The problem that I have with my truck is an electric problem involving the light relays, which I ad to replace several times due to them being damaged, leaving me without lights. My main concern is that I drive at night often and I am in danger when I have the lights on and off. I did research on several forums where same-vehicle-owners have experienced the same issues.
Bought used from a dealer. Had for 2 days when had first prob that was fixed got back after a week. Ran great. Drove for 1 day and ran good, stopped at a stop sign and went to pull onto main highway and wouldn't move forward. Backed up fine but no forward. I finally got it to crawl forward. After a lil while it kicked back in and ran fine til I stopped again. Finally I made it home and parked it. After they finally came and towed it and "fixed" it I had it and drove it for 1 day and had same problem. After it sat for a while it did go again. Pulled into driveway and parked it. Still waiting for it to be towed and "fixed" again and hopefully right this time. I have researched this problem and found it happens a lot. Sounds like it might be the fan clutch or sun shell spline. Not sure yet though. Called mechanic that dealer had fix it and they only changed a valve in tranny they thought was bad. Said they have about 3 more of them to check before they replace whole tranny. I hope more people research these vehicles and don't buy them.
This is just the most recent of electrical problems I have had with the 2003 Trailblazer lt. Since the vehicle reached about 47000 miles I have had repetitive electrical problem: Ac went out, radio went out, replace alternators three times batteries 4, refusal to start, some power vampire sucking out the power, and now I am driving along and the entire instrument cluster stops working. I get to the grocery store and shop then come out and it is working again. Then the next day, none of the gauges are working from the time I started it. I called Chevy at 1-800-222-1020 and was informed there is no recall, but I see this is a common problem according to on-line complaints. [xxx], at Chevrolet said they can't do anything until it is seen by a dealer. I have evaluation appointment set for 3/4/2013. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
After putting the drivers window down at a fast food drive thru it would not go back up. This was in January, very cold in Michigan. Dealer said moisture must have gotten into switch and the whole module had to be replaced. I asked if that means the doors can't be opened when it was raining, he said yes they can but for some reason GM has a lot of drivers door window switches going bad on the Trailblazers. The cost to have it replaced was $430 which we paid seeing how only the dealer can program the new switch. It's now one year later and the same switch has gone bad again, I called the dealer but were over the 12,000 mile warranty. It will cost another $430 to replace again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rossville, GA, USA