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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer is known for many things, but perhaps it is most famous for its faulty fuel gauge.

This gauge flip-flops more than a politician during election season. Some report that the gauge says "empty" after a fill-up, while others report the gauge says "full" when they're running on fumes. Either way, there's one thing everyone seems to agree on: the darn thing is just wrong.

Following hundreds of complaints and a few accidents allegedly caused by the malfunction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the issue in May 2011. Unfortunately for frustrated owners, no recall has been announced.

2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,898 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.

2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer electrical problems

electrical problem

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2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 8 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #31

Jan 192009

Trailblazer

  • 69,450 miles

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

Speedometer does not read correctly. Reads at 120 mph regardless what speed you are driving. Have read about too many complaints regarding this same problem. Why no recall?

- Canal Winchester, OH, USA

problem #30

Jan 122009

Trailblazer

  • 59,170 miles
My speedometer isn't working properly and I can be going approximately 60 miles per hour on the highway and the gauge shows that I am going 25/30 miles an hour and I researched this on the internet and it shows other complaints relating to the same problem...why hasn't GM recalled this problem on the 2005 models?

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #29

Sep 302008

Trailblazer

  • 65,000 miles
After I have been driving for 20-30 minutes my speedometer stops functioning. In city driving situations, the speedometer needle drops to zero and stays there for the entire trip. In highway driving situations when the cruise control is in use, the speedometer "sticks." When I touch the breaks or the gas to speed up/slow down the speedometer needle stays at whatever speed I was previously driving and stays there for the rest of the trip. Once the car has been parked and turned off for approximately an hour, the speedometer can be reset by starting the car and turning it off until the needle returns to zero. This problem started when my Trailblazer had approximately 55,000 miles and has persisted since. The dealership told me that this problem isn't covered under the warranty and I would be responsible for the $450-550 cost to replace the instrument cluster. They also said that this is a prevalent problem with 2005 Trailblazers but it won't be covered under a silent warranty unless more complaints are filed. This is a serious and potentially dangerous problem that can cause serious accidents and deaths, and I believe Chevy should be responsible for ensuring their vehicles are safe for their customers to drive.

- Gem, KS, USA

problem #28

Jan 102008

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 57,348 miles

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

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer ls V6, and I was going down the interstate when I notice my speedometer read 30 mph. I knew I was going faster than this so I pulled over to the side of the road and cut the engine off and restarted it. It began to work fine until the following Monday evening when it did it again, this time only registering 0 mph when I was driving approximately 30 mph. Finally on 01/13/08, I got in it to go to work and it was registering 120 mph but the vehicle was at a standstill.

- El Dorado, AR, USA

problem #27

Nov 152008

Trailblazer

  • miles
I have a 2005 Trailblazer and the speedometer is not working correctly sometimes is stays on zero and then there are times it reads 120miles when im guessing I'm going around 30 miles and there are times when in park it reads any where from 40 to 60 mph. Has of now I do not have the means to fix the problem and not that I feel I should have to pay out of pocket seeing how I believe this is a GM problem and not mine are the other hundreds of GM owners with the same problem! this is a safety issue that should be resolved as soon as possible....oh and it is a everytime I drive this GM product occurrence, ,,I never know what speed I am truly going!!!

- Montgomery, TX, USA

problem #26

Jan 082009

Trailblazer

  • 80,000 miles
05 chev. Trailblazer speedometer not working. Common problem in all models of the Trailblazer. GM needs to recall all models and fix accordingly.

- Faribault, MN, USA

problem #25

Dec 312008

Trailblazer

  • 29,540 miles

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

2005 Chevy Trailblazer speedometer broken only has 29,540 miles. All of a sudden it stop working only 3 years of ownership, brought brand new. This is an expensive part to purchase and very unfair, ....

- Union City, CA, USA

problem #24

Dec 062008

Trailblazer

  • miles
Speedometer would be reading a speed when I was sitting still and would just keep increasing until now it sits way past 120mph and move at all.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #23

Nov 152008

Trailblazer

  • 57,540 miles
Sudden speedometer failure.

- Elgin, TX, USA

problem #22

Dec 232008

Trailblazer

  • 67,200 miles
Speedometer shows wrong speed while driving. It corrects itself after 2-3 days. Usually occurs while driving on the highway.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #21

Dec 222008

Trailblazer

  • 69,296 miles

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

My speedometer is not reading to correct speed on the Chevy Trailblazer from 2005. It is up and down and when parked could be at zero or 15 mph...it is always changing. This could be very dangerous if you are on the highway or trying watch your speed in a neighborhood. I have seen lots of complaints about this problem. It should be fixed by GM since it is a common problem. I am taking this back to the dealer to see what they can do, but I probably cannot afford to fix it any time soon.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #20

Nov 242008

Trailblazer

  • 33,258 miles
I recently bought a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer and suddenly the speedometer began sticking, and not working, then working again. Unfortunately when it does work, it does not tell you the correct speed that you are traveling at. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed to General Motors. It continuously works then stop, and displays inaccurate speeds. Looking at the complaints on this website there are numerous people having the same problem.

- Hansen, ID, USA

problem #19

Dec 052008

Trailblazer

  • 70,200 miles
While driving at approximately 30 mph, my speedometer suddenly went to 90 mph. I stopped and turned the ignition off. Afterwards, the speedometer has steadily increased to the point where it begins at 100 mph. I have no idea how fast I am really going! I have not replaced any parts as this happened last night. Moreover, I understand the cost of repair to be rather excessive at ~$500.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #18

Nov 252008

Trailblazer

  • 57,000 miles
The speedometer on my 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer went haywire last weekend. On Tuesday with my wife driving our 3 month old infant to daycare, and herself to school, the gauge on the speedometer quit completely and currently is pointing straight down and will not move regardless of the speed that I am traveling.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #17

Oct 262008

Trailblazer

  • 85,000 miles
Speedometer worked fine then started going in and out, now completely stopped working, spoke with several other Trailblazer owners same problem, spoke with a worker at GM stated several vehicles have been repaired for problem.

- Winston, GA, USA

problem #16

Jan 042006

Trailblazer

  • 60,000 miles
2005 Chevy Trailblazer V6 ls speedometer has failed. This is extremely dangerous. Chevy has refused to issue a recall although there are hundreds, if not thousands of complaints. My speedometer often reads 0-40 mph on the highway. I have a 3 and 1 year old who are with me every day in this vehicle. The fuel gauge has also failed. I have to rely on my tripometer to know when to refuel. I cannot afford to run out of gas with 2 young children, especially with the new england winter around the corner. Please, please, please investigate this issue and require Chevy to take immediate action. With the ecomony so bad, struggling to make ends meet, and the $400+ monthly payment for this vehicle there's no way I could afford to have a dealership fix these issues. Thank you!!!

- Merrimac, MA, USA

problem #15

Aug 212007

Trailblazer

  • 53,000 miles
Had to have transmission replaced (a whole other sick story:( ). when I got my truck back, second day on the freeway, the speedometer started to climb even though I was staying with the flow of traffic. I twent around to the 100S. When I got home it spun straight down not stopping at the zero like it normally did. Took it back to mechanic at least twice maybe 3 times, he did something that fixed it for a few days, but then it would mess up again. As it is right now, it is parked but saying it's at 100+ mph. Reading other peoples same problem, it will cost too much for me to pay the dealer to fix. I have even gotten a speeding ticket because of this (my first in 20 years!)!!!

- Barstow, CA, USA

problem #14

Aug 292008

Trailblazer

  • 33,450 miles
Speedometer on my Trailblazer showed a wildly inaccurate speed reading. This reading was very low and could have resulted in a speeding/ safety situation. The speedometer could give a false reading allowing the driver to enter a curve or city at an unsafe speed. At a stoplight the needle pointed straight down instead of zero. I contacted GM who informed me that there are not enough complaints on this specific model to warrant a recall. As I understand it the components causing the failure in the models being recalled are the same as those in Trailblazers. My vehicle also has the dimming/flickering lights at night. GM has a technical bulletin out that says this is normal. There has to be a reason for these issues. I don't call losing lights at night normal. Nor do I have confidence that the lights will not fail completely.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #13

Jul 102008

Trailblazer

  • miles
My speedometer on my 2005 Trailblazer only works sporadically. This has been happening for about a year now. Sometimes it sticks at 0 even when the vehicle is in motion, sometimes it shows that I am going faster than what I am (I.e. showing 110 when my gps unit showed 70), and most of the time it shows I am going slower than I am, by at least 5-10 mph. I was researching the problem when I discovered that a large number of GM vehicles have this problem, but that GM has only issued recalls on a couple of specific vehicles. I contacted GM and they told me to go get a diagnostic run at my local Chevy dealership, and that they could probably fix it for me even though my vehicle was no longer under warranty. I went and had the diagnostic done, and GM called me back and told me that the problem was indeed the instrument cluster, but due to the age and mileage of my vehicle, they would not fix it. They did admit that several of their vehicles had service bulletins on this exact problem, but that the 2005 Trailblazer was not one of them.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #12

May 162008

Trailblazer

  • 65,000 miles
The speedometer on my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer is bouncing all over the place. It has not registered the correct speed in a month. I do not know what caused this to happen. It costs over $420 to repair. GMC will not offer any help. This is more than just cosmetic this is a safety issue.

- Lutz, FL, USA

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