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1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
85,571 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.

2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT Owner Comments

problem #7

Jan 022014

Trailblazer EXT

  • 156,000 miles

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

While driving down highway started to hear a banging noise turns out it was my plastic that's above my hatch where my 3 red brake light is it hasn't fallen off yet just loose and flopping around I have read this happens to a lot of trailblazer this should be a safety recall on this and even you guys are aware of the problem the molding which is double sided tape is not a proper use for this the company should have to fix it is it gonna take one flying off and causing a death and major accident before anyone does something?

- Quincy, IL, USA

problem #6

Oct 232011

Trailblazer EXT 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
Chevrolet Trailblazer ext was towed from highway due to a ruptured transmission line. Tow truck driver towed vehicle from the rear wheels. Upon delivering vehicle to repair shop, the entire upper hatch trim molding (high mount brake light cover) piece and the high mount brake light assembly was missing with only the two wires dangling. Upon inspection, the piece is only held on the vehicle by 2 bolts and double sided tape. The double sided tape on the rear glass was dry and crumbling (completely ineffective). Since the vehicle was traveling backwards behind the tow truck, the piece was not able to withstand the force of wind which pushed the piece upward until it ultimately cracked and broke off the vehicle. There have been many reports of this piece falling off from trailblazer models going forward and GM has done nothing to redesign or fix the problem. A large plastic piece such as that should not use 2 bolts and double sided tape as a primary means of attachment. At a minimum, a safety notice should be sent that towing a trailblazer from the rear at high speeds may result in this piece breaking off, posing a real safety concern (flying highway debris) to the following vehicle(s). Parts are falling off vehicles and no one but the disgruntled owners seem to care.

- Burlington, NJ, USA

problem #5

Sep 042012

Trailblazer EXT

  • 139,000 miles
Driving approx 70mph on the highway, suddenly heard a "whap whap whap" noise coming from the back of the vehicle. I slowed down, and the sound diminished. Arriving home, I found that the center brake light assembly had come loose at both ends. The two center connections luckily held, or else the piece would have come off the car and possibly caused an accident. I have read that other trailblazers have had the same issue.

- Chambersburg, PA, USA

problem #4

Sep 052009

Trailblazer EXT

  • miles

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

The rear windshield came unhinged from the rear door.

- Georgetown, MA, USA

problem #3

Jan 152009

Trailblazer EXT

  • miles
Design flaw of the center high mounted stop lamp applique (aka - rear upper liftgate molding) during the winter months, ice and snow builds up behind the molding, and when the user attempts to open the liftgate, the molding is separated from the vehicle, sometimes results in permanent breakage of the molding, or even shattering of the rear window. This is a problem that the company is already aware of, as evidenced by a released tsb. As evidenced by numerous reports on "trailvoy.com", many group members have reported having this exact problem. I have read reports of this piece mysteriously coming off, to the surprise of the driver, while driving on the road. It seems that when this vehicle was designed, too much of the liftgate's structure was left to rely on the stability of plastic and glass. For instance, on my vehicle, after breakage of the molding, the force exerted by the glass lift arms caused the adhesive to separate from the windows hinge, leaving it "dangling by a thread". I feel that this a problem that has occurred in too many cases; a problem that could potentially cause safety issues while driving on the road. It is an expensive part to replace ($700-$1000, with labor). Chevrolet has since redesigned the trailblazer vehicles to take care of this problem. I feel that Chevrolet should be held responsible to correct their design error on the older vehicles, instead of leaving it up to the consumer to pay for it out of their own pocket.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

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problem #2

May 112009

Trailblazer EXT

  • 52,000 miles
High mount rear stop tail lamp assembly is loose. Opened the tailgate on 5/11/09 heard metal crunching. Ever since my back glass vibrates violently when going down the highway, increasing the possibility of it blowing out. On 5/17/09 after further investigation noticed that the top assembly has broken away from the truck on both sides (still being held on by the center) should this come off it puts me and drivers behind me at risk of an accident. This problem puts my children at risk of glass shattering on them or being involved in an accident. This is my only vehicle and I have no choice but to drive it until it goes to the shop this week. I have read several complaints about this online.

- Suffolk, VA, USA

problem #1

May 302008

Trailblazer EXT

  • 112,000 miles
The rear window in the gate on my 2003 trailblazer has become disconnected on one side at the hinge. It appears to be a defect with the way it is adhered (via some sort of glue) as there is no damage to the area itself. As my vehicle is an ext model, it has a section across the very top that is also simply glued to the body which holds the centrally mounted brake light. I've noticed since purchasing the vehicle last year that this section with the brake light comes in contact with the roof when you open the main gate & seems really loose hot weather. Today, when I opened the rear latch/gate I heard an unusual sound and when I closed the gate & inspected it I noted that the window portion appeared skewed. Upon further examination of the window area I discovered that the passenger-side window hinge had separated from the gate & was no longer forming a seal. As there was no physical damage to the area (the hinge simply lifted right away from the area it was glued to), one would assume that this must a defect in assembly & may affect similar vehicles. If the other hinge were to also separate the entire glass assembly would no longer be attached to the vehicle which could result in causing a collision or other incident to vehicles following the affected vehicle. Obviously, other damage caused by rain/elements would also be a concern with the lack of proper seal between the window & the rear gate.

- Auburn Hills, MI, USA

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