Print this page

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.

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 5 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #90

Nov 022010

Trailblazer

  • 72,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated the fuel gauge was defective as it gave inaccurate readings. The dealer was contacted who stated the failure was not a safety issue. The manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,000 and current mileage was 74,000.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #89

Feb 052011

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • miles
Safety issue!!!! I own a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer. My speedometer started acting up a couple of months ago and got worse this month. Sometimes the needle starts at 50 or 70 mph instead of 0 and moves up from there. It will say that I am doing over 120 mph when I am only going about 45. Other times it will stay on one number at not move at all. Two weeks ago I turned on my car and the needle was pointing straight down to the odometer. I bought a new battery and that did not help. We unplugged the battery for 30 min and it rest everything. Two days later I was having problems again. We researched the problem on line only to find out that a very large number of Trailblazers were having this problem and that we needed to call GM. I did. The part has not been recalled even though the person I talked to knew exactly what the problem was 5 min into our conversation. She told me I had to take my Trailblazer tot he dealership to confirm. I called the dealership and the service guy I talked to also knew what the problem was in less than 5 min. I took the car in and continued to be in contact with Chevy to seek financial assistance. I was transferred up to the next step where a very rude man denied my claim because of the mileage on my car. I had to pay for the entire thing and they would not provide me with the parts that they took off my car. The service guy a the dealership said their was a core charge on my part so he had to send it into Chevy so they could rebuild it. Not knowing how fast I was going and knowing that my other gauges were going to fail as well (since they are all connected to the cluster) is a major safety concern for me. It does not take match research on the internet to determine this is a major issue that Chevy is not taking care of.

- Webster, TX, USA

problem #88

Nov 192010

Trailblazer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact noticed that the speedometer indicated that the vehicle was traveling 80 mph. A few days later, the speedometer functioned properly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Kileen, TX, USA

problem #87

Oct 252010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Tachometer quit working then 3 months later the speedometer quit working.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #86

Jan 012011

Trailblazer

  • 111,000 miles
Instrument cluster on 2003 Chevy Trailblazer. RPM gauge started doesn't register correctly now the speedometer is not funtioning either.

- Cheyenne, WY, USA

problem #85

Dec 262010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 142,682 miles
The speedometer on my 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer is inaccurate. It will read various speeds at all times. From a stand still, it will read anywhere between 10 to 80 mph.

- Terryville, CT, USA

problem #84

Dec 202010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Stepper motor in my 2003 Chevy Trailblazer with approximately 146000 miles went bad. Does not read correct fuel level. Dealer stated that fuel sender unit was working that the whole instrument cluster needed to be replaced. Have seen online that many Trailblazer owners are reporting similar issues. Was told many other GM vehicles with same instrument clusters have failed and were replaced via recall.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

problem #83

Jul 102009

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
I have a Chevrolet Trailblazer 2003. I was driving the vehicle as usual. The speedometer quit working and other various lights on my dash board lit up, I.e. change oil light, check engine light. A Chevrolet dealer checked the vehicle and told me it was the instrument panel cluster and that it would be about $420,00. It works periodically for a few days and then goes back out again. I have checked the web site and Chevrolet knows about this and had a recall for a short time and did not notify its customers. I only found about this when a friend also had the same problems with her Tahoe and she had talked to a mechanic who said he fixed the same problem for one of his customers and found our that there had been a recall that Chevrolet did not notify it's customers. My husband and I have doctors appt. That are at least 75 miles one way and I worry about getting a ticket or having further vehicle damage related to this concern.

- Maysville, WV, USA

problem #82

Jan 102009

Trailblazer

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the instrument cluster malfunctioned. The contact was unable to read the fuel gauge, speedometer, temperature gauge, and oil pressure gauge because they were no longer working. The contact called the dealer regarding the instrument cluster. The dealer stated that since the warranty had expired there was nothing they could do. The contact had not called the manufacturer. The contact stated that this was a safety issue and a manufacturers defect that needed to be addressed. The failure mileage was 94,000.

- San Gabriel , CA, USA

problem #81

Dec 012010

Trailblazer

  • miles
The problem is this. I went to go somewhere at 5 am it was 44 degrees and raining. A light came on that said "ice on the roadway" another light came on that said "engine power reduced" so here I am going under 5 miles per hour on the freeway. Its 44 degrees and no ice. It has been doing this every since I bought it new in 2003. I have told them every time I take it in for a lube and oil change but they ignore me because they do not know how to fix it.

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #80

Aug 152009

Trailblazer

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While the vehicle was parked the rpms stopped working and in a year the speedometer stopped working. While the vehicle was parked the speedometer displayed 80 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and who advised her that the step motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. She contacted the manufacturer and was advised that there was no recall for the failure. The failure and current mileage were approximately 120,000.

- Manhattan, IL, USA

problem #79

Nov 202008

Trailblazer

  • 95,000 miles
Starting in November 2008 while living in Minnesota, the instrument cluster on my 2003 Chevy Trailblazer started showing incorrect readings. First, the speedometer, then at one time or another, most of the gauges like fuel, temp, and oil pressure. The speedometer would read 100 mph with the car stopped. After winter, the gauges and speedometer returned to normal with only an occasional bad reading. I moved to Florida in 2009, and went about six months with no issues, but starting summer of 2010, the erratic speedometer readings started again. I contacted Chevy and was told a similar problem had been the subject of a recall for Tahoe and other vehicles, but that the Trailblazer was not included in the recall, and I would have to pay the +/- $700 repair bill myself.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #78

Dec 062010

Trailblazer

  • 131,240 miles
Fuel guage reads past full when not, fuel gauge reads empty when full speedometer reads 114 when at stop, needle points down when at highway speed nothing done to correct failure at this time.

- Liberty, MO, USA

problem #77

May 162008

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Speedometer on our 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer started acting erratically--never going down to zero, going up to 80 or above for no reason, etc.--about 2 years ago. In a matter of weeks, after the first onset of the problem, it stopped working altogether and has not moved above zero since. We were told that the whole instrument cluster would have to be replaced to fix the issue with the speedometer. Luckily, all of the other gauges are still functioning properly as of right now but from what I have found in my research of this issue it seems to be only a matter of time before they all will cease to function properly as well. I have seen and read many reports about this problem but I am sure it would be safe to say that there are many more instances that have gone unreported. Please look into this very serious safety issue as soon as possible. It does not seem likely or merely coincidental that so many Trailblazers are experiencing the very same instrument cluster failure.

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #76

Jul 022010

Trailblazer

  • 70,000 miles
In July 2010 my Trailblazers clutch fan and thermostat went out. I was able to diagnose the problem by the number of complaints filed on this model that were on the internet. Then in October my tachometer started acting up, it broke November 24, 2010. The speedometer broke on December 3, 2010. I have found many complaints on the clutch fan going out and the cluster going out on the internet. Someone at work had a problem with their Envoy and it was the thermostat and their clutch fan going out. All at fairly low mileage. I am very disappointed in GM for not wanting to repair these issues so the consumer bears the costs of repair which is about 500 for the clutch fan and thermostat and 400 for the cluster.

- Lockport, KY, USA

problem #75

Oct 282010

Trailblazer

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph the speedometer displayed that he was traveling 100 mph. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

- Harrisburgh, PA, USA

problem #74

Nov 012010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
2003 Chevy Trailblazer 2wd, ltz - instrument panel is failing. Began with the speedometer, which does not accurately reflect the correct speed 100% of the time. Now, the oil gauge is not working properly and the fuel gauge is off as well. I checked with Chevrolet directly (800 222 1020) and was told that there is not a recall for this issue. However, for the same years, the Silverado, Avalanche were recalled! if it's an issue across Chevy trucks, then the Trailblazer should be recalled as well.

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #73

Oct 292010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 84,200 miles
Speedometer on my 2003 Chevy Trailblazer does not calibrate to zero when starting vehicle. This is causing erroneous speedometer display when operating the vehicle causing serious safety issues. I have read several other complaints of the exact issue. A recall should be issued to correct the problem while the number of deaths reported for this issue is still 0. does someone need to die before the problem is addressed?

- Wetumpka, AL, USA

problem #72

Oct 262010

Trailblazer

  • 82,000 miles
TL * the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the instrument cluster malfunctioned while driving 25 mph. The speedometer would not read accurate speeds traveled and the fuele lvel indicator would not read accurate fuel levels. The contact stated that there were numerous complaints found online regarding the instrument cluster failure and stated that the manufacturer should issue a recall. The contact stated the failure was a major safety issue. The failure mileage was 82,000.

- New Carlisle, OH, USA

problem #71

Sep 062010

Trailblazer

  • 102,000 miles
My tachometer went out on my 2003 Chevy Trailblazer on 9-6-10. I have around 100,000 miles on the vehicle, but this is not the first of many complaints on this vehicle.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?