Print this page

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:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,143 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 14 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #169

Sep 302010

Trailblazer

  • 75,000 miles

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

At approximately 60,000 miles my fuel gage started malfunctioning, it would remain on "E" immediately after filling up. At approximately 70,000 miles my speedometer stopped working. I took it to the dealer for a diagnostic check and was told that the instrument panel cluster would need to be replaced at a cost of $600. I contacted GM and inquired about a recall and was told there had not been one and there was none planned in the near future.

- Sierra Vista, AZ, USA

problem #168

Jun 012009

Trailblazer

  • 45,000 miles
Fuel level sensor has failed resulted in inaccurate fuel level readings. Fuel tank sensor is currently inoperative. Potential for engine stalling and rear-end collisions.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #167

Sep 152010

Trailblazer

  • 62,000 miles
Own a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer and speedo stops working at times and this has been on going since 6 months ago and now oil gauge and fuel gauge are not reading right. And they read wrong all the time now. Haven't paid anyone to repair problem yet except paying someone to manual check oil pressure and engine has good oil pressure but gauge reads 0.

- Reidsville, NC, USA

problem #166

Jan 162011

Trailblazer

  • 93,000 miles

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

Driving home from out of state and filled up the tank and the gas guage still read empty and was all over the place. It is not accurate and jumps around. During the drive I was on a road going 50mph and slowed down in a town to 30mph and the speedometer got stuck at 35mph and would not go up or down. I had a 3 hour commute and did not know how fast I was going to 80% of it. Upon researching these issues, it appears to be a frequent issue in this vehicle and is rather expensive to fix, just to have it happen again a year later. This vehicle was previously owned by a family member and was well taken care of.

- Washingrton, DC, USA

problem #165

Nov 012010

Trailblazer

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving approximately 30 mph the fuel gauge would fluctuate constantly. The contact was unable to determine how much fuel was in the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and quoted an estimated repair cost for the repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #164

Jan 242010

Trailblazer

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer ls (na). The contact stated the cruise control as well as the fuel gauge no longer functioned. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told they do not know how to remedy the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

- Big Stone Gap, VA, USA

problem #163

Jul 012010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles

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

I went to fill up my gas tank and the gauge read empty. I took my vehicle into the dealership for diagnostic and was told it was because of faulty equipment. I can not tell how much gas I have in my truck and I'm afraid that my truck will give out of gas, stall, and I get rear ended. This is dangerous. Also, at about 85,000 the speedometer has failed. It reads 0 when I'm driving.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #162

Jan 162011

Trailblazer

  • miles
Own a 2005 Chevy trail Blazer all of a sudden the gas guage stopped working then I was driving home from out of state and went from 50 mph then into a town which was 30 mph and the speedometer got stuck at 36 mph and would not go up or down the rest of the trip. I did not know how fast I was going and got pulled over for speeding. This is an issue. Both of these issues with the 2005 trail Blazer seem to be happening to a lot of people among other issues within the dash. Chevy really needs to make a recall because after paying $700 to fix the gas guage, it went out again less than a year later. I was also quoted over $500 to fix the speedometer. Why hasn't there been a recall on this issue!?

- St. Albans, VT, USA

problem #161

Jun 012010

Trailblazer

  • 42,627 miles
Since June 2010, the fuel level gauge on my 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer has not functioned properly. Regardless of the actual fuel level, it reads at 1/4 tank or below, which causes me to rely on my trip odometer to estimate my current fuel levels. I have checked with the Chevrolet dealerships, and they are charging between $500 - $800 to correct this problem! as the previous owner of two GM vehicles and the daughter and granddaughter of General Motors retirees', I am sorely disappointed in General Motors refusal to admit the failure of the fuel gauge system that has affected thousands of vehicles.

- Lower Burrell, PA, USA

problem #160

Jan 182011

Trailblazer

  • 93,000 miles
Our 2005 Trailblazer is having the same issue as every complaint I have read on this site. The fuel gauge is not working and the speedometer sticks after driving for about 20 minutes. I read that there has been a petition involving this particular problem. I will be getting more involved with this. I will be also calling.

- St. Albans, VT, USA

problem #159

Aug 172010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • miles

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

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer and in the summer of 2010 I filled my car up with gas and the gas gauge needle went over to empty. The needle would fluctuate back and forth from empty to full so I didn't know how much gas I really had. I called the dealership service department and they knew exactly what I was talking about. They said the fuel sensor is defective and it would cost about $1000 to repair. I did some research online and this is a very common problem with most Trailblazers. I believe there needs to be a recall because you can't tell if you are about to run out of gas or not.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #158

Jan 162011

Trailblazer

  • 90,000 miles
Faulty fuel gauge sending unit. Very common problem in many Chevrolet Trailblazers and GMC Envoy. There needs to be a recall as this is a very common problem and the dealer wants $600 to repair this problem.

- Port Hadlock, WA, USA

problem #157

Sep 212010

Trailblazer

  • 80,000 miles
Over the past year I have a variety electrical problems with my Blazer. The gas gauge has stopped working, indicating that it is low on fuel or empty and my speedometer is no longer functioning. I have had to push all the way on the gas pedal at times to get the car to go. Very dangerous especially when merging onto highways/freeways. I will never buy another Chevy again!

- Waipahu, HI, USA

problem #156

Nov 152010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
2005 Chevy Trailblazer fuel sensor. Does not read correctly, and after fill up, the gauge goes to empty.

- Chester, VA, USA

problem #155

Sep 152009

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
I have a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. About a year ago the gas gauge quit working. My understanding was that it would cost almost as much to replace the sensor as it would to replace the fuel pump. I continued driving the car using the trip mileage. I have run out of gas several times. The last couple of times I realized there was no way I could be out of gas yet. What is now happening is I cannot get more than a couple of gallons of gas in my car at any time. The mechanic says it is because the sensor is stuck and thinks it is fuller than it is. So now I cannot drive more than 20 miles or so before stopping for gas again. Please do something about this!!!!!

- Lee's Summit, MO, USA

problem #154

Nov 162010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
I filled up my gas tank while it still had 1/4 tank of fuel. Once I started the engine the gas gauge went to E with the light coming on while sitting at the gas station. The gauge then pinged from full to empty for the next few days then settling at full when I went up a steep bridge. Since then the fuel gauge has continued to do this every time I fill the tank up. This is a safety issue due to not knowing the fuel level in the tank. This should be fixed as I can see a lot of people all over the us have had the same issues. GM needs to recall this and fix the issue. My truck is out of warranty due to the years as well as the mileage of just 65,000 miles. This needs to be fixed.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #153

Dec 012010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
I purchased a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer from a General Motors dealer in 2009. Shortly after the purchase our gas gauge started bouncing back and forth from full to empty. When I called the dealership repair center after a few words came out of my mouth the service manager says "oh that's a common problem and we can repair it for about $700 or sometimes it starts working again. I asked why it was not recalled if it's so common and he replied "it's not up to us". I was so irritated that I never tried again. A couple of months later it started working fine, in fact I made a 3600 mile journey with no problem. Tonight I was driving in rush hour traffic and the gauge went from 3/4 tank to zero and my vehicle shut down in the middle of traffic. Aside from almost being rear ended my wife, daughter and I were almost ran over trying to push our vehicle out of the road to safety. I have not repaired or replaced any parts because I am looking for a good automotive attorney.

- Miami Beach, FM, USA

problem #152

Nov 302010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,800 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While the gas tank was full, the gas gauge displayed zero. The contact experienced the failure in 2007, and the dealership replaced the fuel sensor. The dealership was contacted and stated that since the fuel sensor was replaced it should not have failed again. The contact will be responsible for the repairs since the warranty expired. The vehicle wasn't repaired. The failure mileage was 35,800 and the current mileages were 88,200. Updated 1/19/2010 updated 03/24/11

- Grove City , OH, USA

problem #151

Nov 152010

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
2005 Chevy Trailblazer gas gauge does not work properly after 85,000 miles. When the tank is filled it reads empty and only goes to a quarter of a tank after running it.

- Monroe, CT, USA

problem #150

Nov 252010

Trailblazer

  • 39,000 miles
2005 Chevy Trailblazer gas guage does not work. It's on empty all the time, even when you fill up. While driving today on the freeway I set the crusie control and the speedometer goes haywire. It goes all the way over and stays stuck. I don't know how fast I'm driving or how much gas I have. Dealership does not have recall. Gas guage was fixed once while vehicle was under warranty. Gas gauge will cost 600 to repair. I don't know about speedometer. As a consumer I feel cheated. After all I am the one payin the note each month.

- Brookhaven, MS, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?