Is your defective Chevrolet Trailblazer actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,505 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.

2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments

problem #19

Nov 202024

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

This vehicle has approximately 35,000 miles of driving time on the odometer. This car will not recognize that the shift lever has been place into the Park position. Doors will not lock when the car is turned off. If trying to seek refuge from an assailant, the car will only alarm but will not lock the doors for safety. Also, while storing items in the vehicle while at a metropolitan hospital (where I work) or a metropolitan grocery/fuel station, the vehicle will only alarm but will not lock under any circumstance. The car is responding as if the car is still in a movement gear position and will not recognize the shift position of Park. I have heard of many similar documented cases regarding this particular shift issue in relation to the 2021 Chevrolet Trail Blazer yet there has been no related recall related to this ever more prevalent repair need. some reports (not ours...) report the automobile transmission converting to park while in movement and while in a selected movement shift position. I do not want this to happen to me. My car (VIN # [XXX] ) is at the dealership for repair. The dealership informs us that the needed part(s) are currently under manufacture at a supplier and that there is no estimated date for the part(s) arrival or date to complete this repair. The car cannot be driven safely in a metropolitan area because in cannot be locked with the ignition off and the car just continues to alarm if walked away from. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #18

Nov 052024

Trailblazer

  • miles
Receiving "Shift to Park" alert when vehicle is already in Park.

- Crewe, VA, USA

problem #17

Nov 102024

Trailblazer

  • 16,600 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trail Blazer. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position the message "Shift to Park" was erroneously displayed and the vehicle would not shut off. The contact had to shift multiple times before the transmission switched to the park position and the engine was able to be shut off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the shifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and confirmed that the part was on backorder. The failure mileage was 16,600.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #16

Sep 012024

Trailblazer

  • 16,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while the gear shifter was in the park(P), the message -??Shift to Park-?? was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact to use the parking brake while parking the vehicle. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #15

Jul 011982

Trailblazer

  • miles
After putting vehicle into park and shutting off the engine, the warning appears -??shift to park-?? and will not allow the vehicle to completely shut off. For the past few months I have been able to maneuver the shifter and the car recognize it is in park, however this past weekend nothing would work and the vehicle stayed in accessory mode until the battery died. I have spoken to two local dealerships and they are aware of the problem. I am currently awaiting a local repair shop to research the issue and get back to me if they can repair it and what the cost will be. This began in September, I am unsure the exact date. Upon researching this, there are hundreds of vehicles that have had or are having this issue going back as far as 2018 at least. General Motors has been aware since then and only issued an inquiry to dealerships last November. This is clearly a defect in manufacturing that should have been recalled and remedied long before now. I am without a vehicle and out of pocket for a repair that should not have occurred.

- Gainesville, TX, USA

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problem #14

Oct 112024

Trailblazer

  • miles
On [XXX] I shifted my 2021 Chevy Trailblazer to park and and was unable to shut off the vehicle. When I shifted it to park it kept displaying an error "Shift to Park" on the dashboard, but the shifter knob was correctly in park. I attempted to press the power button to turn off the car and it wouldnt do anything but beep. I tried multiple times to shift to park to get the car to recognize it was actually in park and turn off the vehicle but I was unable to do so. I was frantic and panicked to find I could not turn off my vehicle as I park on a apartment complex lot. That day I took the car to Henna Chevrolet in Austin Tx for repair. They said the part was on backorder from GM with no ETA. It is now November 1st and there is still no ETA on when I will get the part for my car from GM. This has been going on for 3 weeks now with no end. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #13

Oct 172024

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

When attempting to park the car I am able to shift into park, however, I get a message on the dashboard to -??shift to park-??. Dashboard also shows a -??p-?? to reflect car is in park creating a contradiction on the dashboard of displayed items. When this occurs the car will not shut off. Dealer service has indicated this is not producing an error code, they have had many complaints, and the issue is not covered by power train warranty and part is back ordered. I am very concerned about the safety of my vehicle given the indicated failures of the shifting mechanism and Chevrolets inability to remedy the issue due to unavailable parts.

- North Canton, OH, USA

problem #12

Sep 192024

Trailblazer

  • miles
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" - The shift lever/gear control malfunctions when trying to put the vehicle in park. The vehicle once the lever is in park on the dashboard it will say !Place vehicle in park. When it is in park you can't open the doors or turn off the vehicle. You can try to jiggle the shift lever but it doesn't move out of park. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Unable to get out of the vehicle, the system locks the doors. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - It has occurred at the beginning of the year. No it hasn't been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" - Once you put the shift lever in park and try to turn off the car the warning lamp comes on and says Place in park. But the shift lever is in park. You are unable to move the shift lever. I don't know the exact date it first started happening but I believe it was at the beginning of the year.

- Yuma, AZ, USA

problem #11

Aug 262024

Trailblazer

  • miles
Odometer: 50,379 Purchased used on April, 1 2024 Odometer: 47,027 Brought to dealer on 8/28/2024 for service. About two weeks ago we had a "Shift to Park" message is displayed on the DIC after the vehicle was placed in Park and shut off. Started it again and then put it in drive then back to park. Message went away. Then over the course of the next week this happened many more times to the point where we were stuck in a shopping parking lot because we could not leave the car as it kept beeping to fix the issue. Made appointment with dealer. After Diagnose from dealer they said it needed to perform Service Bulletin #23-NA-119, recommend replacement of transmission control. They at first wanted us to pay for it and we advised dealer we had a Chevy warranty. After a few days they advised it would be covered under warranty except for our $50 deductible. Main problem is the part # 13545091 was not available locally and dealer had to research to find part. Advise it could take until 9/26/24 to find part. This should be a no charge RECALL by the Mfg. as this can be a safety issue and to ensure more parts are in stock by dealer.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #10

Aug 192024

Trailblazer

  • miles
My 2021 Chevy Trailblazer has an error reading -??shift to Park-?? that randomly appeared 2 weeks ago, now is doing it almost every time I stop my car, error has also cause my battery to die. When error is showing my car will not shut off. Took to a Chevy dealer and recommended changing the gear shift assembly, can-??t guarantee it will fix the problem. They have ordered the part but $450 plus parts and labor for not a guarantee is concerning. I also travel for work and have been left stranded because of this issue.

- Ferron, UT, USA

problem #9

Jul 152024

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

The pick up on the vehicle is losing power it seems not letting the RPM's Go up or drop down before taking off. This cause the vehicle to move slower than normal Code keeps popping up losing power engine while drive and engine light comes on this goes on for about a week or so than stops and engine light disappear and reappears again.

- Helmetta, NJ, USA

problem #8

May 012024

Trailblazer

  • miles
I-??m just adding confirmation to my solenoid/waste gate/ turbo system reduced engine power on the 2021 trailblazer around 23,000 miles. [XXX], Raleigh n.c INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #7

Jun 262024

Trailblazer

  • miles
Turbo failure resulted in loss of engine power. I was driving down the road and the engine light came on and I got a notification that the engine was in reduced power mode. The vehicle became very sluggish and lost speed. While I was fortunate that I was not on a busy road, had the incident happened on the highway it could have been dangerous given my loss of speed. What's of greater concern, this appears to be a common problem on the Trailblazer message boards. The dealer confirmed it was the turbo and stated that the part was on back order. This indicates the problem is occurring very frequently. The vehicle only has 33k miles on it.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #6

Mar 062024

Trailblazer

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated after parking the vehicle and pressing the Push to Start button to turn off the vehicle, an alarm sounded and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact shifted out of park(P) and slammed the gear shifter into park(P). The contact was then able to park and to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently while parking on a level surface. The contact stated that on several occasions the failure required turning off and restarting the vehicle to successfully park the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure occurred while attempting to park on an incline. The contact stated that the vehicle was unable to be parked on an incline after several attempts. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

- Port Charlotte, FL, USA

problem #5

May 212024

Trailblazer

  • miles
The Turbo is bad in the car at 90,000 miles. It is a common issue among these, lots of other people have the same issue with the -??engine power is reduced-?? message popping up, per the 2021 Chevrolet TrailBlazer facebook group. There needs to be a recall so they can be fixed. It has happened on mine for the past few months and the dealer said the turbo is bad. The purge pump has already been replaced.

- Pathfork, KY, USA

problem #4

Apr 122024

Trailblazer

  • miles
On 7/2023, my timing chain broke causing shards of metal to get in the engine. Engine replaced with new engine. When I received car back, started having issues with transmission. Now transmission needs replacing.

- St Paul , MN, USA

problem #3

Jun 062023

Trailblazer

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH the contact struck a deer on the front passenger side causing minor damages to the vehicle. No one was injured. The contact was able to stop on the side of the road. The contact smelled a burning odor and noticed that smoke was coming from the floor of the vehicle on the front passenger side near the seat belt assembly. The contact and the passenger were able to exit the vehicle, but after exiting the vehicle burst out in flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

problem #2

Jun 012022

Trailblazer

  • miles
When I shift the gear from PARK to DRIVE & step on the GAS, the vehicle hesitates to DRIVE. I have to turn off my vehicle, play with the gear shift, then shift again to get it to move. The other day I put my vehicle in DRIVE and it rolled back and REVERSED. Nobody can figure out what-??s wrong with my vehicle. The check engine light comes on then goes off. Nobody can get the problem to duplicate. A ticket to GMC was submitted and from them, my vehicle seems fine on paper. This is a safety hazard. I-??ve taken my vehicle to a Chevy dealer and also to a GMC dealer multiple times.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #1

Sep 052022

Trailblazer

  • miles
The vehicle began to give the error Shift to Park when the vehicle was in park and after the power was shut off. Because of this I cannot safely turn off the vehicle because it cannot recognize it's in park and will run the battery down whenever I use the vehicle. This problem has been previously presented in other models manufactured by GM. I am taking the vehicle in for inspection at a local Chevrolet dealership on 9/24/22 at 8 am. This issue first started around the second week of September this year with one or two errors here and there. Now, it happens every time I drive the vehicle.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

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