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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.

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

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2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 20 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #49

Jul 112009

Trailblazer

  • 59,000 miles

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

Please look into the fuel gauge problem with the O5 and up Chevy Trailblazers. The dealers and GM will not repair and the part is on national back order because everyone is having the same problem with this. The gas gauge starts out erratic then will completely stop working and you never know how much gas is in your tank. The cost of this part when it is available is around 800 dollars. I would understand if it was every few vehicles but its all the trail Blazer and like I said there are so many problems with this that the part is on back order the people who have received replacements have said it is already broke again. This is ridiculous. American tax payers bailed them out please help all of us with this concern my truck has died 2 times in the middle of traffic because the gauge is not working and can not get the part to repair. There are many more like me. What a waste of money I earned fighting in iraq for my country!!!!!!!!! here are a few other complaints at the following links www.topix.com/forum/autos/Chevrolet-Trailblazer/th8ji6tepo3vrji3D.

- Kendallville , IN, USA

problem #48

Nov 092009

Trailblazer

  • miles
I purchased a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer in March 2005, since than the following items has been replaced, just to name a few: Fuel tank level sensor (33,104 miles), ho@ sensor shorted (20,205 miles), bearing in idler pulley (25,233 miles), idler pulley bearing failure (47,500 miles), internal clutch circuit (33,896 miles), fuel cap replaced three times, replaced water pump (63,911 miles), air pump relay (77,000 miles). The 'light unit' has been replaced, I was driving and the lights on the radio, doors and other items went out. The vehicle currently has 80,000 miles and I have to replace the fuel tank level sensor again. I have been attempting to get GMC to recall the vehicles, because of the danger involved with the sensor unit sending the wrong signal, meaning the tank could be within a half of a gallon from being empty, but the fuel gauge is reading full. It appears that GM is waiting for multiple deaths to occur before they consider this as being an item that could cause the death of several motorists.

- Old Hickory, TN, USA

problem #47

Oct 062009

Trailblazer

  • 52,000 miles
Intermittent false readings of fuel level may cause driver to run out of fuel in traffic. Internet search indicates this is S chronic problem with this vehicle caused by a defective fuel level sensor. Dealer has confirmed the problem but stated there is no recall.

- Buffalo Grove, IL, USA

problem #46

Jul 282009

Trailblazer

  • 44,000 miles

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

Fuel gauge/sensor defective. Gauge show empty most of the time even when full. Light smell of gasoline.

- Ferndale, NY, USA

problem #45

Jun 012009

Trailblazer

  • 74,000 miles
When filling the fuel tank the fuel sensor went out and has stayed out. When I look on the internet I found that it is a very common problem.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

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problem #44

Jun 152009

Trailblazer

  • 100,000 miles
Fuel gauge has stopped working on my 2005 Trailblazer - can only guess how much fuel I have left by using the trip odometer or checking my mileage. This is a complete (not to mention risky) pain in the butt. Hundreds of us have complained to GM.. they take no action except to say "we are sorry." What the heck" why should a known and reported defect in a vehicle not warrant attention by the manufacturer? what if one of the hundreds of us miscalculated our mileage use, running out of gas on a busy highway, and we cause an accident because GM wouldn't help the consumers fix the problem!?!"

- Westville, IL, USA

problem #43

Mar 012009

Trailblazer

  • 78,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge sensor was not working. The gauge displayed empty when the fuel tank was full and full when the fuel tank was empty. The vehicle also stalled due to the sensor in the tank indicating that the gauge was empty. The contact is concerned about the safety risk since the vehicle could be out of fuel but indicate that it was full. The current mileage was 107,000 and the failure mileage was 78,000.

- Newark, NJ, USA

problem #42

Jun 012009

Trailblazer

  • 50,000 miles
The fuel gauge went to empty about 3 months ago when I came out of the gas station after paying for the gas and filling up the tank. It was all of a sudden with that tank of gas, there were no signs of this previously. It always goes to empty when I fill the tank and the low level light comes on and stays on for about 50 miles then it goes to full and after another 100 miles or so goes back to empty when I know that it's not close to being empty. I find this being a safety concern if I were to run out of fuel with my family in the car on the freeway with no where to go. I have not replaced the fuel level sensor yet but I am planning on fixing GM's faulty product in the next couple weeks. I have also read a few consumer reports and this is a very common problem with these Trailblazers. It would be nice for GM to recall this.

- Bloomington, MN, USA

problem #41

Jul 202009

Trailblazer

  • 49,000 miles
My 2005 Chevy Trailblazer has a problem with the fuel gauge sensor not working. It started about a month ago with the vehicle having 49,000 miles on it. The gas needle started acting crazy, bouncing all over, now it just shows empty. I think there should be a recall on this problem, it shouldn't cost me $600 to fix this problem for a sensor.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #40

Jan 132009

Trailblazer

  • 35,000 miles
Fuel gauge fluctuates between empty and full. When tank filled plummets to empty and will fluctuate between one quarter and empty after 20 miles are placed on vehicle.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #39

Jan 052009

Trailblazer

  • 48,000 miles

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

My gas gauge no longer works properly. It reads empty even when the tank is full. The car is 4 years old and has about 50K miles.

- Helotes, TX, USA

problem #38

Jan 132009

Trailblazer

  • 46,000 miles
Chevy Trailblazer 2005 fuel gauge reads empty, even after a fill-up. Only have 46K miles on SUV.

- Chesterton, IN, USA

problem #37

Mar 162009

Trailblazer

  • 82,789 miles
2005 Chevy Trailblazer gas gauge does not work anymore. I have seen many complaints about this online.

- Powder Springs, GA, USA

problem #36

Jul 252009

Trailblazer

  • 55,000 miles
Have a 2005 Trailblazer with 60,000, gas gauge quit working, now the fuel sensor shuts the car down randomly thinking it is out of gas, my girlfriend and our 2 year old were stranded on 3 separate occasions, have no choice but to repair it at a cost of 6-700$, worried that it is going to happen again as they have not fixed the part that was bad.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

problem #35

Jul 152009

Trailblazer 4WD

  • 61,000 miles
I have a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer ls 4WD and just recently have been having problems with the gas gauge not registering correctly. Come to find out that this is not a new problem with GM vehicles and it is the fuel level sensor in the gas tank that is bad. GM does not seem to want to do a recall so I would like to make a complaint and see what can to done to get this fixed without having to spend alot of out of pocket cost.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #34

Apr 102009

Trailblazer

  • 51,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge sensor failed. When filling up the vehicle with gasoline, the "fuel gauge empty" warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, the fuel gauge would fluctuate and display incorrect fuel levels. The dealer stated that the vehicle could not be repaired under warranty. The contact could not determine how much fuel was in the vehicle. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were less than 51,000. Updated 8/18/09 updated 08/21/09.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #33

Feb 092009

Trailblazer

  • 50,000 miles
I am having problems with false readings with my fuel gauge. Like everyone else, I fill up my tank and the gas gauge reads empty, but after about 20 minutes it would read full. Now it reads full for 20 minutes and then starts to go down. I was told that is was a possible short in the wiring around the fuel pump. Great, a good way to start a fire!!.. I am a GM employee of 14 yrs and think this problem should be fixed and fixed now. Way too many people are having problems with this issue.....

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #32

Jul 182009

Trailblazer

  • 47,524 miles
On 7/18/09 I fueled up my truck with gas and the fuel gauge, which was working at the time quit working. I believe this could be a safety issue due to people depending on their vehicles for day to day live, plus the way the price of gas is people can't always afford to stop and put gas in the vehicle. After searching the internet I have found numerous complaints on this very issue. Please check into this matter because the price of vehicles nowadays is way out of range for the working class people.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #31

Jul 052009

Trailblazer

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Since July 5, 2009, the fuel gauge dial fails to display the correct amount of gasoline in the tank. The contact feels that this is a safety issue because fuel began to leak out. In addition, the tank could be empty, but the fuel gauge would display a full tank. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Bellingham, MA, USA

problem #30

Jun 212007

Trailblazer

  • 60,000 miles
The gas gauge in my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer is always reading empty. I have to gauge my gas tank by resetting my trip odometer. All the time. I have heard that it bad part - the fuel sensor on all Chevy cars 2003 - 2006. There should be a recall by GM on this fuel sensor.

- Alexandria, LA, USA

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