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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 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 6
Average Mileage:
51,450 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 body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Comments

problem #15

Jan 042022

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

I was sold this vehicle with a corroded frame and was untold of this issue

- Columbus , OH, USA

problem #14

Apr 132017

Trailblazer

  • 63,000 miles
My son was in an accident in his 2006 Trailblazer. He was crossing a city street intersection when another vehicle struck his truck on the drivers side at an estimated 40+mph, the truck flipped and slid about 15-20 feet. None of the airbags deployed.

- Radcliff, KY, USA

problem #13

Sep 302015

Trailblazer

  • 145,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving at approximately 55 mph, smoke entered the vehicle through the vents without warning. The contact also stated that flames were coming through the passenger side instrument panel. A fire report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

- Ironton, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 012015

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

On August 2014, general motor decided that a defect which relates driver's door was not working properly it was to be replaced a safety related defect corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board causing the power door lock's and window switches to function intermittently or stop working in November of 2014 at the rochester, mn dealer was to install a new door module at no charge to me the Chevrolet dealer rochester, said they performed the service that November 2014 but as of today the power door 's lock and window switches are doing just what the recall said after the service was performed should not do so on July 2015 I retune to the dealer and told them about the lock and window switches not working and was told by the dealer I need to pay $130 dollars or more to have them fix the problem I told the rochester, dealer it was on a recall to be fix at a no charge to myself and was told they did fix the problem back in 2014 now the $130 is to see why the problem is back !!

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #11

Jul 012009

Trailblazer

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving at 65 mph, the brake light cover assembly above the rear hatch fractured from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake light cover assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

- Burns, KS, USA

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problem #10

Jun 302006

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
Door paint start to bubble this fist was notice after I hit the 1,000 mile marker. The paint was repaired by the dealer. Then 3 years later the paint bubble again on all my doors and the back hatch and front hood. It was then repaired by the dealer. 3 years went by and the issue is back the dealer states they do not know why it keep doing that and is unable to fix it again. I feel this is a paint issue with GM. My 2005 Trailblazer was having the same problem with the paint around the doors. I am now stuck with a large cost to get this repaired again due to an issue with the paint that I been dealing with since I first bought the truck.

- Richmond Heights, OH, USA

problem #9

Jun 192014

Trailblazer

  • 111,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the driver side control module melted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed the module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 111,000.

- Groton, CT, USA

problem #8

May 162013

Trailblazer

  • 98,000 miles
My car got on fire yesterday from the covler comparment inside the passenger side! I want to know if my car is on recall please help me thank you.

- Reading, PA, USA

problem #7

Oct 152011

Trailblazer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the lift gate did not close properly. Upon further investigation, he noticed that the latch had rusted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the latch would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mileage was unknown.

- Fulton, NY, USA

problem #6

Mar 112009

Trailblazer

  • 50,000 miles
The rear center brake light cover assembly located above the rear hatch fails. I need to have it replaced. I have already had it replaced once. This will be the 3rd one that will be on this vehicle. Currently it is off. I can not take a chance on causing an injury accident to someone because it can blow off the back of the vehicle. My sister has a 2005 model and has also had hers replaced. Hers did blow off and shattered in the roadway.

- Brandenburg , KY, USA

problem #5

Aug 092012

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 91,000 miles

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

While attempting to get my son from the vehicle, the left rear passenger handle assembly pulled away from the door housing and into my hand. The linkage remained intact, so I pushed the handle back into place and luckily was able to open the door from the outside. Upon borescope review, the mounting bracket to which the handle fastened was so badly corroded that it disintegrated when I closed the door and dropped to the bottom of it. Mind you now that this corrosion took place inside the door housing as the door handle assembly is not sealed whatsoever from the exterior elements (and GM wonders why the recent door.window switch recall occurred). Upon review of the right side rear passenger door, I noticed the same rust staining below that handle (vehicle is white, so contrast is good) so it is likley only a matter of time before that fails as well. I contacted Chevy, was assigned a case number & took the vehicle to the dealers for required assessment. Was called the next day by Chevy and told they are aware of the problem, however they could not offer any assistance "due to the nature of the climate where I live" (northeast). I questioned their rationale and asked them if they sold specific vehicles to ne customers - their reply was "no". I again reiterated that the corrosion took place on the inside of the door, not the exterior - however the scripted response from csr was the same. I strongly urge NHTSA to investigate this problem further as it is a definitive safety issue in event of an accident in which my children would have to be rapidly extracted from the vehicle and the first responder is sitting there with a faulty handle in his hand. Yes, they could break the window, but try telling a 1 & 3 year old to close their eyes and turn their head and see if compliance is attained!

- Windsor, NY, USA

problem #4

Jan 282011

Trailblazer

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph when the rear spoiler brake light separated from the vehicle and flew into oncoming traffic. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised her that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and they could not assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Lebanon, IN, USA

problem #3

Oct 172009

Trailblazer

  • 34,000 miles
At 33,000 miles the Chevy bowtie emblem on the rear of the car was replaced under warranty, at 35,000 miles the front one was replaced. Both had deteriorated on their own. Now at 49,000 miles they are deteriorating again. These should still be replaced at dealers/GM cost.

- Benson, MN, USA

problem #2

May 222009

Trailblazer

  • 53,745 miles
On Friday, May 22, 2009, I had my 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer serviced at the classic Chevrolet dealership in grapevine for replacement of the fuel tank sensor (which appears to be a manufacturer defect as well). At approximately 6:00 P.M., I picked up my vehicle at the dealership. When my daughter and I got into the vehicle, the air conditioning was set to the highest fan setting with the temperature set to 60 degrees. I reduced the fan setting to 'auto' and raised the temperature setting to approximately 70 degrees. Less than five minutes and approximately one (1) mile from the dealership, the rear glass window of the vehicle spontaneously exploded. At the time of the incident, I was traveling approximately 15 ' 20 miles per hour and there was not a vehicle in front or behind me. The noise and mess scared my daughter in the back seat and luckily, the glass did land on her. I immediately pulled over the vehicle to examine the damage and check the street for any objects that may have caused the damage. Upon finding none, I returned to the dealership prior to there closing at 6:30 P.M. upon return to the dealership, the service technician offered to provide a quote the next morning for replacement of the glass, and could not provide any possible reason for the incident. Upon leaving the dealership, I returned to the scene of the incident in order to examine the area more closely for a possible clue to the reason for this occurrence. After examining the street, the shoulder of the street and surrounding area closely, there was no evidence of the glass shattering from an external object. Pieces of glass were on the street and surrounding areas up to twenty feet from the location of the incident. The next morning, I removed items stored in the rear of the vehicle and removed the broken glass, piece by piece. There was not a single object in the vehicle that could have caused the window explosion. This has occurred in other GM vehicles over the years.

- Grapevine, TX, USA

problem #1

May 052008

Trailblazer

  • miles
I have seen the news when the 5 high school seniors in New York, May 2008 I believe, were killed and then just 3-4 weeks ago, Oct 2008, the news reported a young mother was killed out West. Both accidents involved a front end collision and both where mid-size GM SUVS (Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick rainer). Both accidents resulted in fires and deaths. The news reported the fire was to intense to attempt a rescue in the New York case. In the case out West, the young mother's two children were rescued, but to the intense fire she was unable to be rescued. I would like to know if there have been any other complaints or comments on this or if it was ever reported to this Agency. I have a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer as my main vehicle and would not want it to have some unknown defect that may cause my or any member of my family a loss of life. Thank you for any information you can provide.

- Kathleen, GA, USA

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