Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 08089-B | 11/01/2008 | 08089-C | 10027804 | General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09. *pe | 02/09/2009 |
| 040845010 | 09/01/2004 | 10011074 | Various interior electrical concerns, ip gauges/lighting inoperative, hvac controls inoperative, blower motor inoperative, radio inoperative, flasher inoperative. *tt | 12/28/2004 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||||
| 01900 | 01/01/2004 | 10006472 | Under hood fuse block - 125 amp mega fuse blown. also including buick rainier 2002, 2003. *mr | 05/04/2004 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| 08089-B | 11/01/2008 | 08089-C | 10027804 | General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09. *pe | 02/09/2009 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/09/2011 | |||
| After driving the vehicle like normal, stopped at a gas station and when it was restarted, the fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, battery gauge, tachometer, pretty much the entire instrument panel stopped working then came back on. also, instead of reading driver 2 like it normally does, the panel was reading unknown driver. then as we were driving down the interstate home, the speedometer went to 0 and would not come back up. after we got home, the next day the panel worked fine. this has occurred numerous time since the first incident in 2011. i have read multiple forums and posts online from others stating it is the instrument panel cluster that may be the problem and there was a recall on other chevy makes but not the trailblazer. this is a very scary problem and should be covered by chevy due to the numerous other trailblazer owners with the same issue. | |||
| 03/12/2012 | 141000 | ||
| I started my vehicle and the instrument cluster did not work. no precheck lights except check engine light came on and none of the instruments on the panel would work. tried shutting down the engine and restarting but to no avail. | |||
| 08/04/2010 | |||
| I, along with many others are experiencing major problems with the instrument panels on our chevrolet trailblazer. my mother traded hers in because her speedometer was going out. but my problem is much worse, my whole entire dashboard is out. my gas gauge doesn't work, my speedometer doesn't work, my oil pressure doesn't work, my thermostat doesn't work, nothing works. my cruise control acts up too. | |||
| 08/29/2008 | |||
| I am a senior citizen i brought this car new. after one year i had to replace linc plate. over the years everything has gone wrong with this car. speedometer has not worked since aug. '08, gas gauge stopped oct. '11. instrument cluster since 2010 and gm knows this is a defected part. yet gm paid for this same defected part at their cost for the tahoe, but has not paid for the trailblazer. why? windows and doors do not unlock on command. window wiper(rear) stopped working-i replaced that part. a/c comes on my itself. thermostat failure. i think gm should stand behind their product. the only reason they would not is that they already know that they are producing substandard products that are not fit to be driven on the road. | |||
| 07/20/2011 | 108000 | ||
| The gauges started failing one at a time. first the oil and battery needles moved to the far right and buried off the chart. now the speed is reading 90mph at a stop light and 10mph on the interstate. the cluster is gone and the whole driver dashboard is failing. the gas and oil gagues i fear are next. according to dealer they know there is a problem, but they have no problem charging up to $600 to fix the situation. this is mechanical and not caused by the owner. there are blogs all over the place on the same problem. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 5000 | ||
| All electronic gauges within the instrument cluster failed at random times and very frequently, leading to the clusters' current state, which is all gauges are non-operational (dead). hazardous condition caused due to speedometer failure. chevy replaced the instrument cluster two times while under 36/36 mfg warranty. chevy refuses to replace current instrument cluster since 36/36 has passed. | |||
| 05/01/2004 | |||
| 2003 trailblazer ext 4x4 loaded purchased new 5-2004 sticker $ 42,000 i have owned 14 vehicles and have never had one with the problems this truck has. gm has designed engineered and sold an unreliable unsafe automobile. 1. electrical issues: rear brake lamp boards replaced 3 times, radio replaced, headlamp sockets melted, brake lamp bulb base melted. 2. car loss all power while driving wife had to sit in middle of road until tow truck came. truck only 2yrs old at that time cause of problem ignition switch. 3. electronic fan clutch replaced twice 10-10 and 6-11 had to battle dealership to cover based on problem and get attorney involved cost to replace with diag. $700.00. 4. sway bar link pin kit replaced twice. 5. 4x4 transfer case will not go into 4-wheel drive 2-wheel drive only when you select 4-wheel drive truck will not move and makes internal noise.trailblazer has a total of 115,000 miles. just to make a comparision i purchased in 2001 a new toyota tacoma truck it has 176,000 miles on the odometer.other than standard maintenance no issuses at all. | |||
| 12/12/2010 | 88976 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 65 mph, the contact observed that the speedometer would fluctuate continuously providing inaccurate speeds traveled. in addition, the tac and oil pressure gauges completely failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. the technician was unable to locate the problem and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 88,976. | |||
| 12/12/2010 | 88976 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 65 mph, the contact observed that the speed odometer would fluctuate continuously, which caused difficulty in registering the accurate speed being driven. in addition, the tac and oil pressure gauge completely failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. the technician was unable to locate the problem.the failure mileage was approximately 88,976. js | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 75000 | ||
| Bad electrical problem. my side mirrors arent working at all. my rear brake lights are always inoperative. i always get a constant vibration comming from the engine. my gaerbox sometimes freezes or gets stuck. poor fuel efficiency. | |||
| 01/30/2011 | 105000 | ||
| My 2003 trailblazer ext. would not start today, all dash lights come on but gas and voltage gauge dont register. keys and key fobs are not recognized also only says unkown driver .it will not crank at all or even make noise, battery,alternator,starter and all fuses have been checked and are good. there is no security light that stays on and my key will remove from the ignition! front door windows and door locks will not work or radio.....all lights, a/c, back windows, sunroof, power seats work!.......have not been able to find problem | |||
| 01/02/2009 | 87000 | ||
| 2003 chevy trailblazer cluster panel quit working. no odometer, rpm, and occasionally the fuel gage. | |||
| 10/24/2010 | 150000 | ||
| Speedometer sticks at varying locations does not display accurate speed. | |||
| 08/14/2010 | 67000 | ||
| 2003 chevrolet trailblazer - instrument cluster malfunction. speedometer readings are irratic, fuel gauge is stuck above full level, water tempurature gauge also has irratic readings. gm recalled the suburban and tahoe for this issue but not the trailblazer. | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 50000 | ||
| Chronic problem/failure of instrument gages/cluster relating to speedometer, temperature and oil pressure for a 2003 chevy trailblazer ext. for example, the speedometer will unexpectedly raise to an alarming speed reading while the vehicle is not actually traveling more than a few miles per hour. dealer advises that this condition is not covered by any recall notice and gm is unwilling to provide any assistance to alleviate this serious and unsafe condition. other gm vehicles have been recalled for this exact condition. also, this vehicle has experienced a cracked exhaut manifold due to poor design/engineering. | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Headlamps keep going out and the connectors keep melting and burning the rear radio speakers go out the rear heat/air goes out the level 5 setting on the fan does not work these are not unusual complaints for this vehicle, there seems to be a standard being set with these issues. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 180000 | 1 | |
| We own a chevy trailblazer, 2003 ext! i swear the suv is possessed!speedometer sporadically acts up, stating higher mph, sometimes it goes over 100mph, when were only going 30mph! it wont go back to 0 unless you turn the vehicle on/off repeatedly! oil, battery and temp gauges all high, yet dealer cant find problem! problem doesn't always occur yet i rely on my navigation system to determine speed as i no longer trust the 2003 chevy trailblazer. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| I own a chevy trailblazer 2003, and all the gauges are have quit working, it is unsafe to drive without a speedometer and gas gauge along with all the other gauges. i have replaced fuses and relays nothing has yet to fix the problem. *tr | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 120000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 chevy trailblazer ls. bought it new off the dealer's lot. in 2007, approximately 100,000 miles later the tachometer began to function intermittently. at 120,000 miles, it quit all together. shortly thereafter, the speedometer began to malfunction intermittently. now in 2009 and 150,000 miles it does not work 90+% of the time. when it does, the speed indication is unreliable. i have taken the vehicle into the local chevy dealer for diagnostic and repair estimate; $800 to $1000 all day situation. have taken it to other repair shops, but they refer back to the dealer in order to obtain parts. so far, have been able to operate vehicle, but awaiting the next gauge to fail. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 85000 | 1 | |
| My rpm gauge and fuel gauges both stopped working. *tr | |||
| 07/08/2009 | 98500 | 1 | |
| Beginning 2 weeks ago the speedometer on my 2003 chevy trailblazer has not been working properly. the needle will go past 120 mph and when your stopped it will be at 30-40 mph. this is extremely dangerous since my son has his learners permit and was driving the first time the speedometer malfunctioned. we were on the highway. i looked on-line and found several people with the same problem. one suggested disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes. i did this and it worked for 1 week. i disconnected it 2 more times so far. today i called gm at 800-630-2438 to report the problem & see if there was a recall. i was told there was no recall but that i should take it to the dealer for diagnostic testing. i asked if i would be charged and she said yes. i told her that i can't afford to pay them just for diagnostics and that they already know what the problem is since it is all over the internet about so many of their vehicles doing this. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 63000 | 1 | |
| I purchased the vehicle with approximately 63,000 miles already on it. within a month i noticed the speedometer was doing funny things like reading 100mph when i was only driving about 25mph. i contacted a dealer and was told it would cost $500 to repair. we do not have that kind of money so i left it. the problem continued until the speedometer stopped working altogether. i had learned how to gauge my speed by using the takometer but that started to go shortly after the speedometer. now my battery gauge is starting to show signs of fritzing. i have read online that this is a very common problem with these vehicles and that gm has not issued a recall. i now have a gps which can tell me my speed but the battery gauge is a definate safety issue. thank you! *tr | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 110000 | 1 | |
| My check engine light came on but the vehicle ran o.k. took it to mechanic and was told that the oil pressure gauge was not working and he believed there was a recall on this. it wasn't a recall so we were told we would have to pay for the repairs ourselves and since we regularly change/check our oil i wasn't too worried. now we have noticed the temperature gauge has shot all the way around and has stayed but when it is really cold outside it drops back to normal. the speedometer and the rpm gauge also sticks. spent many days for a few years trying to solve problem with the radio and dvd player not working properly and switching stations on its own and after several replacements finally gave up because it was never corrected. this is a real concern as i do travel by myself and rely on the instrument panel and this seems to be a real problem with the trailblazer and should be recalled by chevorlet. *tr | |||
| 12/30/2008 | 55000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ext gauge clusters malfunction. one by one the instrument panel gauges have been failing. first the rpm gauge stuck at zero in march '08. about two months ago (oct '08), the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero and now fluctuates erratically . often times, restarting the car will temporarily reset the oil pressure gauge until it fails again. this month (dec. '08), the temperature gauge pegged high and the speedometer will temporarily hesitate. the only gauge that appears to work properly is the fuel gauge, and i'm guessing that will eventually fail too. during my last oil change at a chevy dealer, they indicated that most likely the instrument cluster/gauge drivers are bad and can be replaced for about $800. i've done a lot of searching on the internet and found that many people are experiencing this same problem with chevy vehicles, yet chevrolet has done nothing to correct or remedy the situation. *tr | |||
| 06/15/2006 | 68000 | 1 | |
| While driving, the speedometer got stuck at 40mph. it never came back down, but eventually went all the way to the right side. after $900 for a new instrument cluster it was fixed, but the following year a friend of mine with an 05 trailblazer had the same thing happen to her. she won't get it fixed because it seems just a tad bit suspicious that so many speedometers have gone out in these things. *tr | |||
| 12/22/2008 | 62228 | 1 | |
| I noticed when the weather got colder/snow in december, my speedometer was reading around 60 mpg high speed when i was going about 20 mph. after turning my truck on and off a couple of times, it would reset to 0 mph. another heavy snow day came and it happened again, and after i was exiting my car yesterday, the needle pointed south and when i started the truck it went backward to 120 mph. i called gm to find out if there were any recalls on this problem or any others and they said there were no recall for my vehicle at this time, which i know is untrue due to the gas leak recall. i called the gm service center and was told the same thing and this item is not covered. i searched the web and found a class action suit against gm for the same reason as mine http://www.lawcash.com/attorney/4913/general-motors-lawsuit.asp *tr | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 121000 | 1 | |
| For the past several months, the speedometer has been acting up. it is now buried past the top registered speed. it will vary from time to time, but is, for the most part, non-working. it will show that i am at a high rate of speed even when the vehicle is sitting idle or in park. this is an ongoing problem and from what i can see, i am not alone with this issue. this is a big safety concern and i feel that gm needs to address the issue. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Intermittently the speedometer reads from a few mph high to 70 mph high. this problem is well documented across the gm product line and is covered in one way or another by gm. but not the trailblazer. why not? *tr | |||
| 04/29/2005 | 39650 | 3 | 01/03/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ext. the contact stated that the engine failed to start, the instrument panel produced a hissing noise, and the instrument gauges fluctuated erratically. the vehicle would start after several attempts were made. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure has occurred three times at 39,650, 40,210 and 40,227 miles. the current mileage is 40,227 and failure mileage was 39,650. | |||
| 03/09/2006 | 47500 | 3 | 07/20/2005 |
| While driving about 70 mph my speed hand jumped to 110 rpm, when i got home and turned off the vehicle the hand was reading 60 mph. this has happened three times. i called the dealer and they said they have had this problem several times in trailblazers. *jb | |||
| 05/11/2006 | 20 | 11/01/2002 | |
| 2003 chevy trailblazer blew a few fuses so i could not start the vehicle (several times already), per dealer. tachometer jumps around, radio gets hot, electrical lights turn off along with heater/cooler, rear lights replaced three times, hole in gas tank, drive line replaced, constant chirping/ticking noise (of course dealer does not hear). purchased brand new and have way too many problems for a new vehicle. you asked for incident date....there are several. will stick to toyota's from now on....*jb | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 3 | ||
| 5 months after i purchased my 2003 chevy trailblazer i went out to start the car and it would not start. i took the car to the dealer the first time for this problem and various others and was told they could not replicate the problem. i replaced the battery and the car worked for approximately another 5 months and the same occurred. on both occasions the key was locked in the ignition and attempts at jump starting the vehicle failed multiple times. since the second time happened this morning i have yet to take it to the dealer. this car also has various other electrical problems sometimes the radio goes blank and gets stuck on one station as well as getting extremely hot (was told they could not replicate all of the problems but reprogrammed the radio so it would not get as hot). the dvd player just stops working (was told they could not replicate the problem). the blower motor for the rear air works sometimes and other times it doesn't (this was apparently fixed once already). the reverse lights stay on when the car is in drive (just happened last weekend). shall i go on? *jb | |||
| 11/05/2005 | 31000 | 1 | |
| Double failure of 4-wheel drive indicators. 4-wheel drive failed but the service light did not appear on the dash and the led light on the 2wd/awd/4-hi/4-lo switch did not display correctly. because we were unaware that both indicators were not working and the 4-wheel drive was not working we attempted to go over a mountain pass during snow conditions under the assumption that the 4-wheel drive was working correctly. i was bringing my mother home from the hospital after a heart procedure. luckily i was driving carefully, because the vehicle did begin to lose control, but i was able to make the necessary corrections. we were forced to turn around and take another route, which doubled the length of our drive. this normally would not be a problem except for my mother's condition. *nm | |||
| 01/29/2005 | 17526 | 4 | 08/07/2003 |
| As i am going down the road the tachometer starts to jump around and then i lose the directionals and my lights. if i turn off the ignition it will not start again. this has happened four times in the past year. the dealership tells me that fuse #22 is blowing. as of today, my truck is still at the dealership and they do not know what is causing it. they have replaced the fuse each time. they also replaced the instument cluster and the ignition lock. i am seeking legal advise. | |||
| 01/04/2005 | 8 | ||
| Have had my 2003 trailblazer lt 2wd v8 in the shop under warranty many times. first was a recall on the drive shaft which was replaced 3 times. still have a noise the dealed says they don't hear! next came the taillight recall. now i have a recurring problem with a dead battery. this doesn't happen all the time and nothing has been left on to cause it. i can go into a store and come out to find it dead. when you charge the battery, then either the heated seats work improperly, the blower won't come on, something different every time. *jb | |||
| 06/14/2004 | 6000 | 10 | 10/20/2003 |
| Front end loose, ball joints needed replacement. driver side seatbelt defective/twisted. rotors warped needed repalcement. outside door handle does not open door. dirver side mirror moves around (programed) without notice. transmission engages rough, feels like it slipping. tailgate out of allignment, rear seatbelt defective needed replacement, 4wd locked up in parking lot, front end has scraping noises when turning, heated seats not working, irratic, tailgate panel falls off, driver seat frame broken needed replacement,electrical system irratic. *ak | |||
| 12/22/2003 | 21130 | 3 | |
| Complete power failure while driving vehicle in traffic on interstate. cruising up the interstate at 65-70 mph and vehicle dash went black, steering locked, coasted to roadside and tried to restart vehicle. it took 5 attempts before vehicle would restart. this happened twice more the same day. dealership had vehicle for 5 days and stated they were unable to duplicate customers concern, but reprogrammed the pcm anyway. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 04/23/2006 | 31700 | 1 | |
| Ac delco factory installed battery leaks battery acid on the positive side terminal causing my 2003 chevy trailblazer ext to lose all power including loss of being able to open rear door. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/18/2004 | 34000 | 3 | 11/18/2002 |
| Went out to start vehicle on september 18, 2004 - tuned key and nothing happened, no starter motor, no dashboard lights, nothing. key remianed locked in steering column, could not be removed. tried again the next morning (9/19) - same thing. tried again the next morning (monday, 9/20). the same thing - at that point called dealer to tow vehicle. about 3 hours later the tow truck came - tow truck operator got in vehicle turned key - and vehicle started right up just as if nothing was ever wrong! . still had vehicle towed to dealership - dealer checked behicle over and found nothing wrong. on saturday, october 23rd, came out of bank after running errnad, turned key in vehicle - nothing happened again. kept turning key off and on for about 10 minutes until vehicle started out of the blue. drove straight to dealer. dealer replaced ignition switch. vehicle worked fine until sunday, january 23rd. went to start vehicle and one again, nothing happened, no lights, no starter - nothing. key also locked in steering column. dealer towed vehicle the next day. dealer could find nothing wrong, theorized an interior light was left on (but i know it wasn't). dealer replaced some engine fan they theorize was turning on after engine turned off and draining battery - i told them that's fine but doesn't explain why truck will start days after an initial failure. this intermittent failure is frightening as it seems to be a possible part of a larger system failure - as noted on this website by other owners - when the trailblazer will fail at high speeds on the highway. (reference odi id numbers 10101741 & 10060860). *ak | |||
| 11/26/2004 | 26000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle shut down while driving on the freeway, ignition locked. consumer shook the steering column and it started. there was a multiple vehicle collision since the vehicle shut down at 65 mph. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 10/20/2007 | 83450 | 1 | 06/01/2007 |
| Failure of throttle body sensor and ignition switch on 2003 chevy trailblazer ext. failure left vehicle unable to start and unable to shift vehicle out of park. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/24/2007 | 49000 | 6 | 07/03/2007 |
| We purchased our 2003 trailblazer ext used this summer. it had about 50,000 miles on it. we've noticed that when we're on the road for over 2 hours at a time, the speedometer becomes dangerously unreliable. most recently, my husband was pulled over for an unsafe low speed -- until the state policeman saw that the speedometer was registering 20 miles an hour with the car in park and the engine turned off. we have had multiple failures. resetting is sometimes possible by continually restarting the car, but not always, and not with any reliability. by continually restarting i'm talking 30-50 restarts. the wear and tear on the starter therefore is unacceptable. this vehicle should be covered by the recall, but we've not been notified and when we've taken it to dealerships, we haven't even been notified of the recall. the problem has no other discernible pattern and has happened approximately 6 times in the 8 months we've had the car. *tr | |||