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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

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2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 6 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Jun 272010

Trailblazer

  • 75,000 miles

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

Speedometer and fuel gauge quit working.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #69

Sep 062009

Trailblazer

  • 80,000 miles
Driving along and speedometer showed almost 100mph. After turning off the engine the speed read about 30mph. Call the Chevrolet dealer and they stated this is a very common problem with GM, and well known with the Trailblazers. They stated that it was the cluster panel and GM was repairing almost all the vehicles but the Trailblazer. My daughter drives the Trailblazer to college and this happens all the time which is a danger not knowing what speed you are going. The dealer said GM is refusing to pay for the repairs due to so many Trailblazers with this problem and it would cost up to $1500 to repair. I've made several calls to GM this past year and just get a runaround.

- Millstadt, IL, USA

problem #68

Nov 132009

Trailblazer

  • 79,600 miles
My 2003 Chevy Trailblazer seems to have a cluster motor problem. It started late last year, the speedometer was erratic, fails, starts working again. The fuel gauge has stopped working altogether. I brought the car to a dealership to have it diagnosed and they said they was nothing wrong with the cluster. I understand that the Chevy Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and others have been recalled on this, why not the Trailblazer...same engine, different model. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. Chevy will not do anything about it and they know that there is a problem, they just refuse to admit it. Why should consumers have to pay for the $800-$900 repair when obviously its faulty?

- Chelsea, ME, USA

problem #67

Sep 072009

Trailblazer

  • 60,000 miles

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

My 2003 Chevy Trailblazer's speedometer does not work. Thought I was going 65mph on the highway and other cars were zipping past me turned out I was only going 51 mph. I pulled over and stopped and the speedometer was just stuck on 51. I looked on-line to see if anybody had, similar problems and to my surprise there were 100's if not 1000's of complaints for the same problems. Contacted Chevy and they said it was not a "safety hazard", how can not knowing your exact speed all the time not be a safety hazard"?? granted there were no incidents but eventually something will happen, not to mention the fact that not knowing your speed could cause you to get pulled over by the police. It will cost consumers between 400-600 dollars to fix, when it is a manufactures defect, to whom we the taxpayers just bailed out. Chevy should rectify this problem as they have with the same problem for other models. They know the problem but since there are so many complaints they do not want to cover the costs. What happens if you think you are going 55 mph and actually going 70" could be alot of problems.

- Northlake, IL, USA

problem #66

May 182010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • miles
The speedometer on my 2003 Trailblazer ls is malfunctioning. It won't go down past 30 mph - thus when I'm going 45 mph, it reads 75 mph. First time was in 2009, and then yesterday (5/18/2010) it started doing the same thing again. The first time the shop I took it to was able to repair it, but today they told me I need a new cluster. Went online and found I am not the only person to have this happen to me, and that there are many people with the same issue.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #65

Jan 012010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 94,000 miles
Speedometer and oil pressure gauge not working. Was told by my mechanic that I need a new control panel cluster.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #64

Mar 012010

Trailblazer

  • 52,000 miles

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

The speedometer gives false readings sometimes displaying over 120 mph when sitting still. The gauge is usually off by 10 or more miles per hour. Also, the tach gauge is off as well. Similar failures on other Chevrolet models have been subject to recall.

- Simpsonville, SC, USA

problem #63

Feb 242010

Trailblazer

  • 133,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the entire insturment panel malfunctioned. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the failure and was informed that there were no recalls and he would have to pay all repair expenses. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

- Fellsmere, FL, USA

problem #62

Mar 012010

Trailblazer

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was not functioning properly; the speedometer did not register the correct speed. At times when the vehicle was shut off, the speedometer would indicate that the vehicle was moving 70 mph, or register a speed of 120 mph when the vehicle was moving 40 mph. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. The VIN was not available. The contact also called the manufacturer who referred him to NHTSA. The current and failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

- Nashville , TN, USA

problem #61

Dec 262009

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
Last Dec I was driving and my tachometer began reading higher than expected. When I turned off the vehicle to refuel, the tachometer continued to read ~3000 RPM. My vehicle had approx. 38K miles on it at the time. I researched this symptom and found this is a common problem that was addressed by a recall on other GM vehicles using the same instrument clusters. One solution is to remove a fuse and then turn on the ignition switch. This resets the cluster. However, this is temporary and the problem soon returns. According to numerous internet forums, it is only a matter of time until more critical instruments (speedometer, fuel gauge, etc.) exhibit the same erratic symptoms.

- Centreville, VA, USA

problem #60

Jan 252008

Trailblazer

  • 68,000 miles

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

My 2003 Chevy Trailblazers speedometer doesn't work anymore. The lights on the dash and tail lights on the drivers side won't work anymore. GM says they don't have enough complaints to do anything about the problem. There are recalls on other models around the same year with the same problem but no recall on the Trailblazer yet.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #59

Mar 012003

Trailblazer

  • 150,000 miles
Speedometer on my 2003 Chevy Trailblazer not working. Tachometer not working. Speed not being measured right. I ran off the road turning on a curve because I was going too fast and was not aware of the incorrect speed.

- Palacios, TX, USA

problem #58

Feb 222010

Trailblazer

  • 100,000 miles
Lights dim during acceleration. Rumor has it that the car is doing diagnostic tests with extra loads, or the secondary air pump is kicking on.

- Washington, MI, USA

problem #57

Jun 132009

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
Fuel gauge unreliable/erratic. Fuse gauge will read past full occasionally after filling the tank. After some amount of fuel is consumed the gauge will slowly begin reading within range and eventually as the tank empties it will typically, but not always, begin to read what I assume is a correct amount. It is hit/miss at each ignition turn whether the gauge will read what appears to be correct fuel level. When the issue is occurring, the gauge does not do the "zero" reset calibration. I have been advised this could be the stepper motor in the gauge cluster (known manufacturer defect that GM refuses to acknowledge for this model vehicle) or the sending unit. This condition is a safety concern because when it does happen, I never know how much fuel I have remaining and I or whoever is driving the vehicle could be left stranded along a desolate highway with no fuel.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #56

Feb 012010

Trailblazer

  • 77,890 miles
Speedometer works sporadically along with the tachometer and is an on going problem....

- Tionesta, PA, USA

problem #55

Oct 152009

Trailblazer

  • 95,000 miles
2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer. All gauges on the instrument cluster have stopped working. This is a known problem with numerous makes and models, many of which have been recalled - the Trailblazer has not. GM will not take the initiative to make this right on their own. I think they need a little encouragement. A recall is the right thing to do. A non-functioning speedometer is an easy way to cause an accident.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #54

Jun 202009

Trailblazer

  • miles
Instrument panel gauges have been not working properly. Oil gauge is pegged way past the highest number. Battery voltage shows minus volts, RPM shows minus numbers when stopped or even zero rpms when moving. Temp gauge now starts showing less than normal. This is completely unsafe and needs to be fixed by Chevy. If other models in this class are fixed why not the Trailblazer.

- Lancaster, CA, USA

problem #53

Jun 162008

Trailblazer

  • 47,000 miles
Speedometer stop working on Chevy Trailblazer with only 45,000 miles on it.

- Kilgore, TX, USA

problem #52

Jan 152010

Trailblazer

  • 139,000 miles
Gauges and speedometer on 2003 Trailblazer quit working. Problem eventually caused problems to the whole electrical system.. headlights went out, all dash lights quit working and electric power to engine eventually shutdown while driving. Had to have it towed to dealer. If you look on the internet this is a very common and dangerous problem for Trailblazers, but no recall?

- Destrehan, LA, USA

problem #51

Jan 052010

Trailblazer

  • 121,000 miles
One or more of the gauges on the instrument panel intermittently malfunctions. The first indication was the gas gauge, which when the gas tank was filled, the needle pointed straight down, then would change to random areas on the gauge. I thought this was a result of the float in the gas tank sticking, until the needle pointed to different areas of the gauge at different times; no rhyme or reason, and was not consistent with a "sticking float". then the tachometer would read 5,000 RPM when the vehicle was in park, and 7,000 RPM when going 35 mph, and would point straight down at other times. Then the speedometer would read very random speeds, never consistent, and sometimes will read over 120 mph. The temperature gauge reads different temperatures, and the needle sometimes points straight down. Though these malfunctions are random among the gauges, they are constant as a whole; on a daily basis. All of these malfunctions could be a safety concern. I never know how much gas I have, which could be dangerous if I ran out while on the highway traveling at 70 mph, the speedometer is inaccurate, which could cause an accident in heavy traffic, whether traveling too fast or too slow, the temperature gauge is inaccurate, which could cause severe burns if the vehicle overheated, but failed to reflect that on the gauge, and similar safety concerns with the tachometer, which could also result in severe engine damage. I have also researched this complaint, and realized that there have been many of the same complaint submitted here, and to the manufacturer. I am very surprised that there was a recall for this problem on the 2002 model, but not on the 2003 model, since it is the same problem, and because so many complaints have been filed about it.

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

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