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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:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 1
Average Mileage:
71,499 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.

2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #76

May 102022

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

Driving vehicle turn it off turn back on drive somewhere and turn it off and go swimming for an hour came back go to go start it and would not start I believe it's the anti-theft system as we replaced the ignition switch and the ignition cylinder but my illumination selector for my gear selector nor my tachometer works nor do my front two windows or locks

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #75

Apr 112019

Trailblazer

  • miles
Fuel gauge consistently showed "empty" and external lights were always very dim. Lack of awareness of fuel status led to breakdown on heavily trafficked road and dim hazard lights contributed to poor visibility and a fatal accident.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #74

Aug 062019

Trailblazer

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. After fuel was added to the vehicle, the fuel gauge failed to display the correct fuel level and the low fuel warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #73

Jan 152011

Trailblazer

  • 72,335 miles

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

The fuel gauge doesn't work. Can't tell if the car is full or empty.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #72

Aug 052017

Trailblazer

  • 94,797 miles
The gas sensor in my gas tank is faulty. Chevrolet admitted to this by offering a partial coverage on the repair but now that program has ended. I️ am forced to pay for this repair in its entirety to the tune of $1,000. Chevy has acknowledged the problem and expired the program to help cover the cost to replace their defective part.?

- Middle Village, NY, USA

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problem #71

Feb 162017

Trailblazer

  • 167,200 miles
Vehicle was serviced for a faulty fuel level float sensor, which was registering that there was no fuel in the gas tank when the tank was full. 7 days later, while driving on a busy freeway, all of the gauges on the gauge cluster started spinning out of control and the vehicle lost complete power while driving 65 mph. I had to merege across 4 lanes on the freeway in heavy traffic and nearly got run over. No power to the engine at all - it just died while I was driving. Of course, onstar and the Chevrolet dealer that performed all of the service on the vehicle were no help. While waiting for onstar, my vehicle was towed off the freeway.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #70

Dec 292014

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

Gas gauge not working, fuel sensor recall was issued a few years back, vehicle was not fixed but now recall does not show up at the dealers.

- Port Charlotte, FL, USA

problem #69

Aug 252016

Trailblazer

  • 126,000 miles
Fuel gauge is erratic, moving around from full to no fuel back to full. It may stay on empty for 5-10 minutes then move to full and then drop again. All in one short trip.

- Plainwell, MI, USA

problem #68

Jun 012016

Trailblazer

  • 130,000 miles
Fuel gauge is going crazy. When I fill it with fuel it will sometimes register empty and yellowlight indicator comes on. It goes up and down all the time.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #67

May 102016

Trailblazer

  • 116,014 miles
The gas gauge senor quit working it is stuck on empty. The mileage is 116,014 there have been other's that has reported this problem. There should be a recall and fixed free of charge by the dealer.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #66

Dec 022015

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

Window switch recall taillight short melted wires harness engine light indicator stays on road grip tires light comes on will stay on for days power steering is using fluid and now fuel tank will not take more than 5 gallons at a time and sprays gas back if tank is full fuel level indicator want register stay below empty and windshield leaks down into dash

- Rutledge, AL, USA

problem #65

Sep 182015

Trailblazer

  • 112,000 miles
Fuel gauge sensor is defective, cannot determine how much fuel is in the tank, vehicle stalled and ran out of gas when the gauge showed gas in the tank.

- Golden Valley, MN, USA

problem #64

Sep 232015

Trailblazer

  • 75,000 miles
I filled up my tank yesterday. One hour later, started the car and the fuel guage read zero, with low fuel indicator on. Now it's intermittent, never going above 3/4 full. I have printed out the NHTSA's investigations number dp 10-001and PE 11-014. I have heard that GM is willing to fix the problem for 1/2 price. What is 1/2 price" 1/2 of what? what do I need to do next"

- Orange, CA, USA

problem #63

Aug 052015

Trailblazer

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning chime activated as the fuel gauge indicated an incorrect reading. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the fuel sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Western Springs , IL, USA

problem #62

Jul 222015

Trailblazer

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While powering up the vehicle, the fuel gauge lights illuminated and a beeping noise activated indicating low fuel. The contact had just refueled and the tank was filled to capacity. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.

- Westernspring , IL, USA

problem #61

Mar 022015

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 133,000 miles
I've been having issues with the fuel gauge indicating empty after a fill up although its not... I had this problem happen about two years ago, I spent $900 (at the time) on an acdelco fuel sending unit and replaced the part... it worked for sometime, however, here we are two years later and its happening again...I don't have $900 to replace the part again. This time I was driving to work on the highway (luckily it wasn't to busy, but busy enough at the time of 9:30am in the morning on a Monday) doing about 55mph, give or take, and the engine just shut off, the lights came on and it would not start. Luckily for me, I was able to get the cooperation of a state trooper to sit with me until someone could bring me gas. Sure enough it was a gas issue due to the sensor not working properly and the truck started right up once I put a few gallons in the truck..

- Waterbury, CT, USA

problem #60

Apr 102015

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 136,800 miles
We were traveling from spokane, wa to portland, or, when we got to richland, wa the check engine light came on. We stopped and scanned the computer and gave us a code for a faulty pedal sensor. We erased the code and turned the Trailblazer on and it came back on in about 10 minutes. We read online that other people that have Trailblazer ss are having this issues and there was a recall on the sensor and they are getting theirs replaced. I talked to autonation Chevrolet and camp Chevrolet here in spokane, wa and they both have heard of the recall and the issue but since it won't show up under my VIN number they will not honor the recall. They won't 100 to 150 to diagnose when it took me 5 seconds and they want us to pay about 600+ dollars for an repair that should be free. I read about the sensor and our truck is doing everything it says it will do. When you are at a light and go to push the gas pedal it boggs down like about to die then lunges forward and shifting hard between gear 1 or 2. can someone please help us with this and help us get the dealership to work with us. If we continue to drive it an accident could happen any moment. This is a huge hazard!!!

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #59

Apr 062015

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 52,863 miles
After fueling the vehicle with 12 gallons of gas, (filling it up from half a tank) the fuel gauge read empty and the out of fuel / low fuel indicator light was on. The vehicle stalled twice while in traffic driving it home, but did not result in an accident as traffic was light at the time. After calling the dealership they told me this is a common problem that happens every 50K miles "give or take" and that I need to have my fuel level sensor and fuel pump replaced. In looking online, I find that this is indeed a very common problem that has resulted in crashes and other safety issues and has been ignored by GM and the NHTSA for several years now despite the constantly growing number of claims. The dealer stated it would cost "somewhere around $900" to have this fixed. I told them what I thought of that, bought the delphi replacement unit myself for $200 and made the repairs on my own. However GM is going to be getting a bill for this from my lawyers.

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #58

Dec 172014

Trailblazer

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge failed to operate without warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the fuel sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #57

Jan 212015

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 109,465 miles
The problem started on Wednesday January 21, 2015; I started my car up to let it warm up while I dusted off the snow. I notice my heated seats were not working. I turned the car off and restarted it. As soon as I restarted it the car began to backfire and stale. It would start but then stale out. I had to get the trucked towed to the local mechanic. I pick up my truck that evening and it ran fine. The next morning Thursday January 22, I got in my truck and it started right up. However, every stop I came to the truck just shut off. I restarted it and then would just shut off at the next stop. The engine light did not come on until I was drive to the mechanic. Again that evening I picked up my truck and everything was fine. Friday January 23, I was driving my 7 year old to school and the car just shut off while I was driving down a steep hill. I had no brakes or steering. This happened 3 times. I again took my car to the mechanic. He kept my car for 4 day. I finally picked it up yesterday January 24 and it is still not fixed. My mechanic said he is stumped. It drove great after picking it up. Then this morning January 25, as I was taking my daughter to school, my car shut off 3 time while I was driving down two hills. Then it staled 2 more times while I was a red lights. I nearly missed two accidents. By doing research online I found hundreds upon hundreds of complaints from people having the same issue. I call the local Chevy mechanic and he said this is an known problem. I called Chevy directly and they too are aware of the problem and number of complaints. I even found complaints on this very site. I'm just curious if someone has to die before this problem gets fixed. I have a recall on my drivers door for a part that catches fire, but no recall for the truck just shutting off when in motion. Doesn't make sense to me.

- Pittsburgh , PA, USA

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