606 of the
9,343 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Trailblazer
are about the engine —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2002.
I was driving down the highway when the 3 bolts holding the exhaust under the car broke off. My exhaust was dragging down the highway until I could safely get pulled over. The bolts are welded in of course so you can’t just put new bolts in you have to replace the whole catalytic converter, which is a pain to do unless you take it to the dealer and pay $2000.
NHTSA complaint #11754629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My trailblazer will not shift properly into drive from park or reverse. GM calls this a "loss of forward motion" or "delayed forward engagement" in their service bulletin TSB-24-NA-009. It is a safety issue because you never know when or how long the vehicle will take to engage and allow forward movement. This causes issues when leaving a parking spot or a driveway, especially on busy roads. If the car will not move forward, my family is stuck in the road until it finally engages into gear and allows forward movement. When this occurs, the vehicle engine will shutter and not allow any forward movement. I usually have to move the drive selector back to park and back to drive again. This creates an immediate and unreasonable safety risk because the vehicle will not move for several seconds while I am sitting in traffic. This generates a P2714 code. I had the car looked at by a GM dealer as well as an independent transmission repair shop and both indicate it will likely need a new transmission. GM is fully aware of the defect and has issued a service bulletin, TSB-24-NA-009 to instruct dealers how to diagnose and repair the problem. The bulletin proves a widespread engineering or manufacturing flaw exists. However, GM is treating this as a maintenance issue rather than the severe safety hazard that it is. It is my understanding, GM has since abandoned this transmission on the newer models, further indicating that GM knew these transmissions were not designed well. I am requesting the NHTSA office cross-reference my complaint with GM TSB-24-NA-009 and upgrade the component defect to a mandatory, manufacturer-funded safety recall before it causes a collision or fatal injury. Thank You
NHTSA complaint #11752367 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
car was driving fine, went up a hill then check engine light came on with warning that stated "reduced engine power." drove it approx 8 min to home. parked in garage. Next morning, took to Firestone Complete Autocare as that was the first place available. Just got a call that the whole turbo assembly needs to be replace costing almost $2000 and will be without a car for about a week. 5 year warranty expired 3 months ago and there is less than 47,000 miles on it. It is currently at the shop so I don't have a bill yet, but they told us how much when they told us what was wrong with it. This is unacceptable! Reading about and hearing about this complaint all over the internet!!!
NHTSA complaint #11749711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on three occasions, the vehicle was stopped and restarted, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the wastegate actuator needed to be replaced, and DTC: P0299 was retrieved. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where DTC: P0299 was retrieved, and the contact was informed that the turbo or the wastegate actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, where it was determined that the turbo and waste gate actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with Manufacturer Recall Number: A222379711. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
NHTSA complaint #11749624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All 3 bolts that connect my tailpipe underneath my car failed. This caused the tailpipe to disconnect from the car, meaning I was pushing the pipe as I drove. Luckily it failed when I was at an intersection, and I heard the noise. I was able to drive slowly into a parking lot and disconnect the exhaust for a repair. However, if I had been traveling down a highway when it occurred the pipe surely would've hit a bump and then jammed the rest of the exhaust back up into the under carriage of the vehicle and perhaps causing an accident. I did email the dealership I purchased the vehicle from, but they were unaware of an issues on the vehicle. However, from searching online, there are other 2022 Trailblazer owners experiencing the same issue. There were no warning lights before during or after.
NHTSA complaint #11749337 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The two components that failed were the water pump and the coolant control valve which caused the engine to overheat, resulting in me having to pull over along the side of a busy highway putting me at risk for injury while the vehicle cooled down. It would be available for inspection upon request. This was dangerous mostly to myself due to having to pull over on the side of a busy highway and wait until the vehicle could be somewhat ok to be driven the rest of the way home. I had to drive very slowly home with my hazards on at a very low speed. Vehicle was brought to a nearby Chevy dealership the following morning. They had the vehicle for two days and claimed they could not get the problem to present itself, however, within five minutes of me driving it off the lot it overheated resulting in having to pull over again on a busy highway. An independent service center had the vehicle and diagnosed it initially as an intermittently failing water pump. This repair did not resolve the issue 100% as the vehicle began to slowly overheat again within 18 minutes of highway speed driving. Car was towed back to repair shop from my place of employment. They were able to get it to present the issue and diagnosed it as the coolant control valve. This has so far appeared to resolve the overheating issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance rep/others. The only warning that came up was on the info screen above the steering column advising me the engine was overheating and was in idle. Immediately upon seeing this I pulled over to prevent any damage. Temp gauge was all the way in the red. Fan was blowing hard. This has never happened previously and there were no other warning lights of any kind on the dash to indicate an issue. This incident happened on 6/2. Please be advised, this vehicle has since been repaired and has ran me $2300 as it is out of warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11744109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that, while driving on several occasions with the auto start-stop feature activated, the vehicle appeared to shut down at a complete stop as the infotainment screen and dashboard lights turned off. The vehicle restarted automatically but shuddered during startup. The dashboard lights and the infotainment screen became operable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the thermostat needle went to Hot, and the Check Engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off for approximately 15 minutes. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coolant flow control valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,251.
NHTSA complaint #11743152 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the interstate , the vehicle independently went into engine power reduce mode. The contact mention she pulled off the interstate, turned the vehicle off for five to ten minutes then turned the vehicle back on and the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnsonesd the turbo booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure, and they informed her there were no recalls at this time. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
NHTSA complaint #11737558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly shift into gear while the gear shift lever was in use. The check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where several undisclosed fault codes were cleared. The vehicle was towed back to the same local dealer, where it remained for further investigation. The contact was informed that the transmission might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
NHTSA complaint #11733036 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer RS (123,000) - Coolant control Valve failure Cooling issues after 20-25 mins of driving. No Check engine lights initially just temperature gauge climbing. After 3 day of trying to drive to and from work. "Engine reduced" and P3075 code. Had it towed to dealership, in which they replaced the water pump. This DID NOT fix the issue. The next two drives (from work, and to work), I had to pull off the road several times to get the car cooled down, and run heater on full blast to drop temperature. Pulling off the road in heavy interstate traffic consistently because of the Coolant Control Valve (25207464 GM). Not to mention me, looking at the temp gauge most of the way to work, versus eyes on the road. The old thermostats would at least give you a temperature code, and not an Engine Coolant Flow Too Low error which leads to water pump being replaced erroneously. Going to plastic control valve next to a hot engine, sounds as good as plastic car jacks for this car. Oh, wait, that happened to me as well, and they recalled it after it broke on me at 2 am in the morning.
NHTSA complaint #11731922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving down the interstate my 2021 Chevy Trailblazer suddenly flashed "Battery Saver Mode" on the dash and shut off completely. I was able to coast to the side of the road and call for help. This was a MAJOR safety issue as my 4 year old son was riding with me and we could've caused or gotten into a serious accident. There were no previous warnings and no Check Engine Light came on prior to it shutting off--I had been having no issues. The car will not turn on and when attempting to, it makes a screeching noise. I had to get it towed to a local service center who stated my car has "catastrophic engine failure". They advised the issue could be either "timing chain or a dropped valve"--unable to confirm until they take the engine apart completely. They denied issues with the battery or starter and said the engine was completely blown. There was less than 120k miles on it and i kept up with maintenance.
NHTSA complaint #11731702 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle started overheating out of no where towed it to the shop, it’s been there for 2 weeks they’re actively waiting for a manufacturer engineer to tell them what to do because they can’t figure out how to fix it. On top of that there have been a lot of overheating issues cause by different parts on the vehicle. There was another trailblazer in the at the same time as mine that was also overheating! A 2025 vehicle should not be having issues at this point gmc should just take all the trailblazers off the market! Also they need to change their manufacturing warranty on rentals because not one person should not have to pay out of pocket for a rental when it’s the manufacturers fault!
NHTSA complaint #11731715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle has experienced ongoing and unresolved issues despite multiple service visits. The primary concern is excessive engine vibration. It shakes concerningly when backed into a driveway at an incline and placed in park. This occurs while the vehicle is stationary and idling. The issue has been reproduced and acknowledged by a dealership service advisor during a test drive, who stated the vibration was excessive and concerning. However, no repair was completed, and no clear diagnosis has been provided. The vehicle has also displayed repeated error messages with no confirmed cause, ongoing Bluetooth connectivity issues even after system updates and resets, and a malfunctioning forward collision warning system. Prior repair attempts include replacement of the backup camera, center console, and exterior windshield trim. The windshield trim repair was incomplete, as only the middle section was replaced while the remaining components were not, resulting in a mismatched and unresolved condition. No service documentation was provided for the most recent visit despite being advised that updated findings would be sent. These issues have persisted across multiple service attempts and remain unresolved. The engine vibration and malfunctioning safety systems raise safety and reliability concerns, including the potential for reduced driver awareness and increased risk of a collision.
NHTSA complaint #11730997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My brand new two week old 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer LS Issue: Auto Start/Stop system failure, the engine shuts off and does not restart Description: While stopped at traffic lights with the auto start/stop feature engaged, the engine shuts off as designed. However, when I release the brake pedal, the engine does not restart as it should. Instead, the vehicle displays a message stating “press brake to start,” and the vehicle behaves as if it has been completely turned off. This leaves the vehicle temporarily disabled in traffic and unable to move immediately when the light changes. I must press the brake and manually restart the vehicle, causing a delay and creating a safety concern, especially in intersections. This issue has occurred multiple times and appears to be related to a malfunction in the auto start/stop system. The failure to automatically restart the engine creates a risk of being stranded in active traffic and increases the likelihood of a collision. No warning lights or prior indications are given before the failure occurs. Concern: This is a safety issue for me and my family because the vehicle does not respond as expected when attempting to accelerate from a stop and leaves me stuck in traffic unexpectedly. It is now in the shop for the second time, as I was able to record this continuous malfunction of my brand new 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer. I get anxiety everytime I drive it. I feel I’m going to be rear ending or be involved in some type of crash. The vehicle is currently not safe to drive currently at the dealership for a second time. I had it towed each time, as I feared for my life and safety. Dealership could not duplicate issue. They asked me to record it and I was able to.
NHTSA complaint #11730351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Coolant control valve replacement after 5 years of purchasing the vehicle. Put at risk of over heating while driving, fan stays on after vehicle is turned off. Problem confirmed by 2 dealerships. Check engine light on for a long time, fan over working, staying on after the vehicle is off. The only warnings were the engine light coming on to get inspected and fan over running. 1st came up in December 2025 and it is now almost April 2026 costing me $1600 in repairs!! There are other Chevy models that this looks like it is being covered for but my vehicle is having this issue now and is not being covered?!?? Ever since i bought this vehicle brand new in 2021 it was labeled a lemon and have had nothing but issue after issue after issue!!
NHTSA complaint #11727889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FEB 2026 FOR TURBO/WASTEGATE REPAIR (P0299). MARCH 22, 2026, VEHICLE STALLED AND SCREEN SAID TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AND PUSH TO START AGAIN. CAR WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START (SOUNDS LIKE THERE IS NO COMPRESSION). HAD VEHICHLE TOWED TWO MILES TO RESIDENCE AND CONNECTED TO OBDII SCANNER, WHICH SHOWED 6 NEW CODES (P0006, P228C, P0089, P0340, P0365, P0299).
NHTSA complaint #11727149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When stopped at a red light & the light turns green & I accelerate, the vehicle does not move. It makes a loud noise and jumps. This happens way too many times. There’s also an issue with the brakes, when you press on them, you can hear something grinding, which should not be happening because I bought the car brand new. Also the brakes have always been super squeaky, which is very frustrating because they should not be with a brand new car once again. The engine light goes on and off randomly and doesn’t say anything.
NHTSA complaint #11726811 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The studs that connect the front exhaust to the rear exhaust and muffler rusted and the exhaust fell down and crumpled up. Basically tore the exhaust off of the car when this happened.
NHTSA complaint #11724532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.