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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:
3 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 11
Average Mileage:
53,851 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 6 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #334

Sep 072011

Trailblazer

  • 99,000 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 after refueling, the fuel gauge displayed a reading of empty and the no fuel indicator light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 99,000.

- Windsor Locks, CT, USA

problem #333

Aug 232011

Trailblazer

  • 82,000 miles
After filling up the gas tank, the gas gauge either stays at empty and the fuel level warning light comes on or the gauge starts jumping erratically from empty to full to anywhere in between.

- Loveland, OH, USA

problem #332

Aug 042010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 85,825 miles
Fuel gauge began to show incorrect and erratic levels. It now shows that the tank is alway empty and puts on the service engine soon light every time I fill the tank all the way up. I have been told by the dealer that is needs a new fuel level sending unit at a cost of nearly $600.

- Belleville, WI, USA

problem #331

Sep 012011

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

Chevrolet Trailblazer 2006- gas gage- I filled up my car with gasoline two nights ago (8/30/11) and found as I went to leave for work this morning that my gas gage read I was on empty. After refilling 3 more gallons (until it was full) I found to my surprise that the gage still read empty. I have read all over this website and others that this is a huge problem. The New York times released an article stating that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had revealed General Motors was under investigation on April 29th 2011 with the following statement "the Agency said it had received 668 complaints, including 58 in which the consumer said the vehicle stalled when it ran out of gas, even though the gauge indicated that fuel remained." This investigation started months ago and I would like an answer as to why all of us have been paying for these repairs out of our pockets, when there is clearly an issue with the vehicle.

- Edina, MN, USA

problem #330

Nov 172008

Trailblazer

  • 70,000 miles
The fuel sending unit of my 06 Trailblazer ls has joined the 668+ that do not work. I have striped my car down to the frame. When I pulled out my gas pump... wow this thing is made to fail. The arm is so flimsy gas moving could pull the electrodes away from the circuit board. Your investigation was launched months ago. What is taking so long?

- Windsor, CT, USA

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problem #329

Aug 272011

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Everytime I fill up with fuel my fuel gauge reads empty, my gas light and check engine light come on. Once I drive about 50 miles and restart a time or two everything goes back to normal. It has been happening for a few months. From reading on trailvoy.com it appears to be very common problem.

- Leland, NC, USA

problem #328

Jul 012011

Trailblazer

  • miles

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

The fuel gauge on my 2006 Trailblazer has a fuel gauge problem. It will not read the right amount of fuel and is starting to cause problems to start. And when it gets really bad engine performance also slows down.

- Woodside, NY, USA

problem #327

Nov 202006

Trailblazer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles
Same thing you have read before im sure. 2006 Chevy Trailblazer w/ the sending unit problem (gas guage not working).happened @ about 42000 miles just out of warranty.in 2007 the new warr. Went to 100000mi.seeing many complaints here and everywhere re: This problem and got the "special coverage adj.#10054A after doing my own research. Dealer knew nothing about it.also wants me to spend money to prove what has already been verified over and over and they are obviously taking some responsabilty @ a 50%..what"?? it's your default, you fix it. Oh yeah not even a mention of what that 50% might be parts and labor. Can someone answer even that??nothing was done to correct, consequences" how bout running out of gas on a major highway and getting ran over by a truck.total failure of gas guage.

- Pleasant Hill, TN, USA

problem #326

Jan 012011

Trailblazer

  • 100,000 miles
2006 Chevy Trailblazer fuel gauge malfunction. Need recall on this problem. Several people online have same problem. Very unsafe form daughter and granddaughter should they run out of gas. Would like to see this fixed by the company.

- Ar, AR, USA

problem #325

Dec 192010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 41,233 miles
Fuel sending unit is not accurate and is failing to register correctly.

- Rockford, IL, USA

problem #324

Dec 242009

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 52,000 miles

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

I was running low on gas so I pulled over to a gas station. Filled up, started to pull away, saw that my fuel gauge was still reading empty. Gauge slowly started to read full as I was driving. Problem persisted next time I filled up. The problem eventually got worse and the fuel gauge stopped working till I had to have the dealer fix it.

- New Haven, CT, USA

problem #323

Jul 012011

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 52,000 miles
When driving, noticed that the fuel gauge would be moving toward the empty position. When I stop to refuel( gauge read 1/2 tank) ended up putting 20 gallons in it. Went to dealership, they said fuel gauge sensor was bad. I had it replaced.the vehicle had 52,000 miles on it.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

problem #322

Apr 112011

Trailblazer

  • 61,000 miles
At 61000 miles, vehicle's fuel level gauge began behaving erratically. Upon filling tank the gauge would read "empty". after a few days indicator would go up to 3/4 full then would drop to "empty" the next day. Vehicle ran out of gas unexpectedly on interstate during rush hour where I had to coast across 3 busy lanes to the shoulder. Had vehicle taken to dealer for diagnosis which returned "fuel sender" faulty. Replacement estimate over $400! I declined as I am a retired senior citizen on a fixed income. Will attempt to use odometer to guess fuel level.

- New Castle, DE, USA

problem #321

Oct 102010

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
For the past several months, my gas gauge has registered "empty" regardless of how much gas was in the tank. Also, the "check engine" light periodically comes on in the dashboard message center. I cannot tell if this is related to the fuel gauge malfunction or if there is another problem that needs attention. This has resulted in a great deal of inconvenience, anxiety, and big safety concerns. My daughter was driving my car one week while hers was being repaired. She ran out of gas and was stranded until another family member could leave work to come help her. When I contacted the dealer from whom I purchased the vehicle, I was told the gas tank would need to be removed to repair the dysfunctional sensor (at a cost of $500 to $600). I can see that this has been a recurring problem in several model years of this same vehicle and General Motors has not corrected the problem. The failure of the manufacturer to correct the defect despite multiple complaints and safety concerns is unacceptable. I trust the U.S. dept. Of transportation will act to order GM to recall affected vehicles for appropriate repairs.

- Douglasville, GA, USA

problem #320

Aug 122011

Trailblazer

  • miles
Fuel gauge stopped reading accurately. I started monitoring my fuel by mileage because I could not afford the $1000 replacement cost. I stopped at a stop sign, tried to accelerate again, and the car died in the middle of the intersection. I was almost hit by multiple cars and I blocked traffic in all directions.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #319

Jan 072011

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • 64,500 miles
2006 Chevy Trailblazer fuel gauge does not accurately show correct level. When fuel tank is filled it shows empty, then constantly shows different levels or empty. The only way to know about how much fuel is in the tank is by tracking mileage and that is not always accurate. This can be dangerous because you never know how much fuel you have and could potentially run out of fuel in remote or dangerous areas.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #318

May 112011

Trailblazer 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge did not display an accurate reading. As a result, the contact never knew how much fuel was in the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. Neither the dealer, nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. Updated 09/21/11 updated 10/03/11

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #317

Aug 112011

Trailblazer

  • 75,000 miles
Fuel gauge registers empty even after filling the tank full. Have ran out of gas on the highway in the dead of winter. Very dangerous. The gas gauge goes all over the place and you never know how much gas you have in. Very frustrating. This should be a recall considering the number of Chevy Trailblazers that it has happened to.

- Galion, OH, USA

problem #316

Jul 022011

Trailblazer

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the fuel gauge was not reading properly. Whenever the fuel tank was full, the fuel gauge would display an empty reading. After waiting a few days, the fuel gauge would adjust to a proper reading, but the failure would recur once the vehicle was refueled. The contact also stated that the failure began after the dealer flushed the fuel injection system. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #315

Apr 182011

Trailblazer

  • 59,500 miles
Fuel level sensor has failed. Fuel guage showing empty all the time. Also causing "check engine light" to be illuminated all of the time. Had check engine light fault read, and was told that code indicates it is because of the faulty fuel level reading, and that when inspection is due in March of 2012, if the fuel level sensor is not replaced eliminating check engine fault, the vehicle will fail nys emission test and therefore nys safety inspection.

- Baldwinsville, NY, USA

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