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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 32
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 1
Average Mileage:
74,595 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 summer of 2013 I had it brought to my attention that my driver side brake light would fail to light up as the brake was applied. I tried changing the bulb but that proved to not be the problem as it still failed to light up. The following summer the same thing happened with the passenger side brake light. I am unsure if it is an electrical problem or a sensor that has gone bad. I can only assume that it is an electrical problem due to the fact that the back windshield wiper stopped working due to electrical issues.
My wife was coming home from work. She started her car and backed up, went to shift to drive and something broke stranding he in a empty parking lot on a Saturday. She was in a traffic lane and blocking the handicap parking space. I have owned cars for many years and never had such a thing happen. Why did you make an all steel cable and mountings and then put a tiny plastic end on it that brakes all the time. The parts house and the service shops all said it happens all the time and you must buy a replacement from the dealer. They know it is a problem as they must stock the cable assemblies that cost a lot to change. Please redesign them and change the plastic end to a stainless steel end and retrofit all cars, SUV's and trucks that use this part.
My wife, daughter and myself were driving on Idaho state highway 70, a narrow, winding, two-lane road with little to no shoulder, when the motor stopped and ilost all power-brakes, steering etc. I was fortunately able to steer the car over to a wide spot on the shoulder and stop. I was unable to re-start the Blazer and called aaa to have it hauled to knudtsen Chevrolet in coeur D'alene, Idaho. In another half hour we would have been driving 70 mph on interstate and the outcome could have been disasterous if the car had failed then in high volume traffic. The next day I was advised by knudtsen that the ignition switch was the problem. I wrote a follow-up letter to the owner and the service manager called a few days later indicating that since my warranty had expired neither GM nor knudtsen could help me with the $268 charge for replacing the switch. Since then I have been told GM and knudtsen would split the cost three ways since I was a long-time customer (three Blazer). I have not yet received any reimbursement as of this date. Is this possibly another car which should be on the recall list?
I have had to have the ignition switch changed 3X in a year due to it failing. My vehicle has stalled out, will not start, and my dashboard lights, head lights also start acting up right before the ignition switch starts acting up. If I wiggle the key, sometimes that will get it to start, sometimes not. I have seen tons of complaints about this same issue with other Trailblazers in the same year when I went online to forums to see if anyone else is having the same issues with their Trailblazers. Someone needs to look into these vehicles also as part of the GM recall. I will get it fixed and it will be ok for a bit, then the same thing starts all over again. I saw on the tv lastnight the special about GM and the ignition switches, and this is exactly the same thing my Trailblazer does. Please, I hope someone will look into this. I'm sure that if you put something out there about the "06 Chevrolet Trailblazers you would get numerous complaints like mine. Thank you.
Wiper engages with washer fluid spraying at any time. When first start wipers come on with fluid spraying no intermitent settings wiper stops and starts at all times. Fuel gauge stop working with full tank. Now it does not work. Door lock on driver side not functioning. Locks would start when vehicle sitting in driveway not running. Removed fuse, as it caused battery failure.
- Mineola, TX, USA
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The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The ignition switch was replaced on four separate occasions. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,000 and the current mileage was 49,500.
While driving, my headlights will intermittently turn off on their own. This does not happen frequently but has occurred several times per month for about 3 months duration. I had experienced this same event about 6 times before contacting GM directly. I contacted GM directly due to the fact that I consider this problem to be a safety issue. This vehicle is equipped with automatic headlights which turn on when darkness is detected. This automatic activation cannot be overridden with manual controls when the headlights turn off unexpectedly. I attempted to pull over and manually turn the headlights back on without resolution. I attempted to turn off the vehicle's ignition and restart the engine without resolution. Nothing I could do would make the headlights turn back on. The headlights seem to have a mind of their own and will eventually turn back on but this is completely random, sometimes taking a few minutes or maybe up to 20 minutes. A certified GM service center claimed the issue to be with the body control module and provided an estimate for replacement. I elected to not have the dealer replace the body control module for a significant amount of money. I instead started searching for another solution. I turned to the internet and found that this same issue has been reported on this make of vehicle since at least 2002 continuing until the late 2000's. GM informed me over the phone that they had not heard of this issue before. The certified GM service center claimed that they have not heard of this issue before. A simple google search will tell you a different story. I ultimately followed the direction of a youtube video which directed me to replace a relay located on the vehicle's fuse plate. The cost of the part was approximately $30. My headlights are working again. In my opinion GM should issue a recall for this part and not the body control module.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet trail Blazer. The contact stated that the engine stalled without warning. The failure was experienced several times. The dealer replaced the ignition switch with an newly designed ignition switch and the failure was permanently corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1500 and the current mileage was 90,400.
Every time that I stop at a stoplight and start to go, the oil pressure drops to zero, the check gauges light comes on and message says oil pressure low and it cause the vehicle to act up and drive extremely slow, sometimes causing it to shut off or go into shut down mode. I googled this issue to try to figure out the problem that causes this and seen that several people have this issue with the Trailblazers. I spoke with a GM certified mechanic and he told me that this is a very common issue with the Trailblazer and said its either faulty wiring or oil sending unit. This issue is very dangerous to have happen and could (and probably has) cause an accident or someone to be stranded. With so many people having this issue, there is no way its just a coincidence. Whatever the problem is there should be a recall for GM. I hope this issue is thoroughly investigated and something is done to fix the problem. Thanks
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the headlights and the heating system failed intermittently. The dealer replaced the battery and alternator however, the headlight and heating system continued to fail intermittently and without warning. The failure mileage was 700 and the approximate current mileage was 57,000.
My car was in garage warming up on a cold day. After about 1 min. It stopped idling. I went out to restart the car and the key was in off position. I restarted the car and let it idle for approximately 3 min. I then backed out of garage and proceeded down a hill to make a left turn. My speed at the turn was 15 mph. After I made the turn, the engine quit. I was able to bring it to a safe stop. The key again was in the off position. I retried to start the car, but there was no sound. I called my mechanic and he said to have it towed. I tried one more time and it started. I drove approximately 5 miles to his shop and when I pulled up in front of the garage doors, the engine quit. We could not get it restarted. He placed the hand held computer analyzer and determined it was ignition switch which he replaced. Cost with labor was $147.
TL- the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warning. The contact was able restart the vehicle which resumed normal function. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The technician stated that the exhaust cam shaft solenoid, cam shaft sensor, ignition switch needed to be replaced and the computer needed to be reprogrammed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000. The current mileage was 95,000. Rk updated 04/15/14
I just want to get some information out there on my experience: Battery replacement seem ways too often 8/2008, 10/2010, 9/2013 - and there is no notice until you cannot start it one day. First thing to go was the idle pulley. I have had the water pump/thermostat/belts replaced multiple times 50K, 60K, 87K. Headlights and tail lights replaced at least 3 times each. I have had to clean the throttle block plate multiple times or the TB will stall when the brake is applied or heat/ac on. I have come to find out that there are many non-oem parts which I never replaced (I purchased used w/17K miles) and nothing showed up on car fax or other reports about accidents or repairs. I had the gas guage/tank/float repaired while it was under warranty still and then a year later it broke again, and I am still riding with it broken (at least the last 5 years), which of course keeps my check engine light on nearly all the time. I just located the notice that GM is now doing 100% of the repair and I will be making an appointment to get it fixed as I will not pass inspection and I never know how much gas I have. I fill every 200 miles. There are other minor issues such as interior lights going out, both of the front seats have detached from the side molding (only 1 little screw holds them in), the rear washer has not worked in about 6 years. I also have loud noises coming out of the tires/wheels and no one can determine an exact cause, but it's not the brakes or rotors or anything like that. I currently have under 89K miles. I am waiting for the door electrical system to go next as that seems like what is next on the list of TB issues.
Within a week's several items in my instrument cluster failed - including the O2 sensor & my oil sending sensor... looking at the complaints listed on this sight, I see it is a huge issue for many Trailblazer owners. Very frustrating that nothing has been done to make GM fix these problems!
To whom it concerns, needed to report this since I believe this is a great safety problem that needs to be addressed by GM. The issue is with the low beam headlights. On my vehicle its only the passenger headlight. If you search online you can find others that have same issue but with both low beams go out whenever without notice. Very dangerous on dark roads. I've had my headlight fixed many times myself and than gave up and took to where I bought vehicle. What is happening is the bulb is making connector hot enough to melt to bulb so connector and bulb both need replace it may last a year most times not. There is definitely going to cause a fire before long. This could cause loss of life. I really need this important matter looked into and GM should have to correct this problem since it's a problem for lots of people.
While driving down the road I smelled plastic burning then I saw some smoke.. I had to pull over and pulled the master window controls out of door to find it had caught fire and is now inoperable. I see there is a recall but I recently purchased the vehicle and would like to know how to have this situation taken care of.
For months I have been having issues with my vehicle. It was taken in to Chevrolet for a recall repair and now it seems to have all sorts of problems! my fuel gauge in the tank is no longer working, my A/C was working one day but not the next, the check engine light turns on and off, it's dumping fuel, the thermostat had to be replaced...when do the problems end? now come to find out after having my blower motor replaced the connector for the electrical has had a little bit of melting issue which potentially could have caught fire!!! of course General Motors wants and arm and a leg to replace it!!!! I don't think I will ever buy another Chevy again, this is ridiculous! if it had caught fire which I am sure if people can't afford or don't get their vehicles properly checked there will be one that happens to, it could kill someone! seems like a liability waiting to happen!
Engine light on indicated vapor collection box under car not working properly, and/or needing tune up. Performed tune-up, engine light still on., this, according to my licensed mechanic is a defective design construction problem. That having the box fogged for leaks and subsequent repair or replacement results in multiple situations of the light always coming back on. 2. the master switch on the drivers door went out, during the rainy season and needed to be replaced. I later found out that this was a recall item, but GM, chev, and/their dealerships refuse to reimburse me for the part and even though I took it to a dealership, they did not spray the one I had installed, was not interested in replacing the orig defective unit with the new engineered part, were rude, obnoxious and non professional to my husband, which now has me livid. We received a phone call from a local dealership, never any mail prior to repairing, when asked about the check engine light (under another recall too, for fuel level sensor, the dealership is charging $60 to check it out. Is GM and or Chevrolet finding it necessary to drum up repair costs from the consumer to themselves. This is just a little more or less like scamming.
While driving down the road in my 2006 trail Blazer I had a door switch/latch malfunction. In my vehicle when you pass 15 mph the doors automatically lock. At that moment the doors switched to locked and at the same exact time the door lock/latch failed and the door opened while the car was moving. I made arrangements with my local Chevy dealer via Chevy customer care to correct a recall with the door switch. When I received my vehicle back the door latch/lock was not fixed. That part wasn't under recall. The part that failed was the door lock actuator which is an electronic device that is part of the door switching/locking system. The fact that the door switch was recalled due to shortages is quite possibly for the failure of this latch/lock. I am an avid seat belt wearer, luckily. I am great concerned with the potential for serious injury or death with this failure in other vehicles. I have reached out to the dealer and GM but was told too bad for the dealer and have bad no response when I mentioned their lack of concern for safety. Thank you
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 12V406000 (electrical system, visibility ) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. The contact stated that after the repairs, the door locks and window switch became inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for further inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Waite Park , MN, USA