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.
Speedometer quits working intermittently. It will work fine for awhile, and then all of a sudden it says we are traveling 0 miles per hour or the speedometer says we are going slower than our actual speed. Today I filled my gas tank and now my fuel gage says it is on E and the low fuel light is on.
Gas gauge fails. After completely filling gas tank, gauge still shows below empty and light stays on. This has been going on for several months. I have run out of gas twice - once at a busy intersection and was fortunate to coast thru the intersection and make it to the side. I now track my gas usage via mileage but this is not accurate and causes me to have to stop and put gas in every other day for fear of breaking down again with my four year old son in the car. I have a couple of friends that also own 2005 Trailblazers and they are also having the same problem. I have found numerous online forums discussing this an I am surprised Chevrolet has not issued a recall. If they have, I have never been notified. This is a serious issue and Chevrolet should be responsible and resolve this before someone is seriously hurt because of this problem.
- Mchenry, IL, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
1) fuel gauge indicator shows an empty reading despite just being filled. After driving for 40-50 miles gauge will show about a quarter of a tank for a short time and then go back to empty. When problem first started the gauge was all over the dial. 2) speedometer erratically will show a speed at a greater speed than actually traveling. Recently showed going 110mph despite traveling along with traffic flow of approximately 65 mph on major interstate highway.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge indicated a level of empty although the fuel tank was full. The low fuel warning light was also illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the fuel tank sending unit was fractured and would have to be replaced. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: DP10001 (fuel tank fuel system, other:storage:fuel gauge system) that could possibly have been related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
Fuel gauge does not work. Shows that there is fuel when it is empty and appears to show empty at random times as it's showing me empty when I just filled up.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge would erroneously provide an empty reading when the fuel tank was filled to capacity. The contact stated that the check engine light would sporadically illuminate when the failure occurred as well as the vehicle exhibiting sporadic stalling. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 73,000.
I filled up my gas tank completely and the gas gauge registered "empty." The truck has also stalled a few times in both drive and reverse. This is extremely dangerous as I was backing into traffic when it stalled. I had to quickly re-start it to avoid being hit by oncoming traffic. Since my fuel gage sensor broke I have been watching the needle go from "full" to "empty" all within a minute. I've done some research on this matter and have found that Chevrolet used a cheaper fuel sensor manufacturer (delco) in order to save money. The customer should not be responsible for any of the cost to repair the fuel sensor. Please advise Chevrolet to recall this faulty part at their expense. Thank you.
My Trailblazer's gas gauge has read empty for over 2 years now, the light is constantly on. It has caused breakdowns while driving. After reading other posts, this should be recalled no matter how many miles are on the truck.
I have a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer the gas gauge has stopped working. It is always on empty even when I fill it up. I received a letter that GM would pay for half only if it had less than 100,000 miles on it. I have seen this is a constant problem but still no recall.
My speedometer does not work at all. The heater and A/C don't work. My fuel gauge does not work. The interior lights inside my car do not work, the right front passenger window does not work. Basically my entire dashboard does not work. What did Chevy do about it?? sent me a letter stating they are willing to pay half of the cost to repair the fuel gage but it would have to be fixed at a Chevy dealership. I could get the same thing fixed at my mechanic and pay the full amount and it would still cost me less than having the dealership fix it and Chevy paying half the costs. Don't think I will be buying another Chevy anytime soon.
My gas gauge always reads empty even when the car is full. Engine light always goes on and off between a matter of days. Recently my heat went out in my car we changed the resistor and found out one of the prongs were burnt out. A week later the heat went out again. Looked at the resistor and the same prong was burnt out!! I'm getting really fed up with this vehicle!
After filling up my tank prior to a long distance trip to Florida I noticed that my fuel gauge read empty. I was forced to estimate the gas mileage and hoped I wouldn't run out of gas. Several weeks ago I ran out of gas on a major street in the atlanta area after I calculated that I had still approximately 30 miles before empty. I was able to pull over into a parking lot not without causing a major back up and potentially being involved in an accident due to speeding drivers in the area. I had contacted GM in the past regarding this problem and they apparently feel that this issue is normal wear and tear on the vehicle. It seems a bit far fetched that this is normal wear and tear when on every Chevy blog and message board all you see is frustrated Chevy owners complaining about the same issue. Several months ago I received a notification from GM recognizing the problem and offering to pay half of the repair costs. Now, how insulting is that"?? you obviously now that there is a problem with the quality of your product and you have the audacity to make it seem like you're helping us out by paying for half of the repair" they should issue a recall on this problem and stand behind their supposed quality product. I hope that someone in the federal government can entice these scam artists to resolve this issue and stop putting people's lives on the line in an effort to save a buck!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Le Center, MN, USA