2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER Complaints

I OWN A 2003 CHEVY TRAILBLAZER LT @ 35,825 MILES I REPORTED MY VEHICLE BINDS UP ON TURNS & OF COURSE THE GARAGE FOUND NOTHING (DROVE IT 20 MILES FOR COMPARISON @ THE TIME). SO NOW THAT I AM UP TO 82,090 MILES NOW I MENTION SUSPENSION ISSUES STILL & OF COURSE THEY FIND BOTH LOWER BALL JOINTS NEED REPLACED @ $320.06 & LEFT OUTER TIE ROD END BROKEN @ $170.80. ALSO THEY INFORM ME I NEED TO REPLACE 3 OF MY 4 STABILIZER BAR LINKS ARE LOOSE & RATTLING @ AN ESTIMATE OF $320.00 (HAVEN'T DONE YET) ALSO, I HAVE LOOKED ON A WEBSITE CALLED MYCARSTATS.COM & FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THESE SAME ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE @ MUCH LOWER MILEAGE & WHERE TIE ROD ISSUE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT -- THEY WEREN'T AS LUCKY AS ME. ALSO PEOPLE I WORK WITH WHO HAVE THIS SAME YR & MODEL VEHICLE HAVE HAD TO HAVE BALL JOINTS, SWAY BARS REPLACED, AND OTHER SUSPENSION WORK @ LOWER MILEAGES. I ALSO HAD AN ISSUE WITH MY 4-WHEEL DRIVE BECOMING INOPERATIVE & THIS DID ALMOST CAUSE ME TO WRECK GOING UP HILL DURING WINTER WEATHER. THEY REPLACED FRONT DIFFERENTIAL ENGAGEMENT ACTUATOR. ALL THESE THINGS IN MY MIND SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AT THESE MILEAGES. THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE QUIT @ 80,000 MILES. ALL THESE ISSUES CAN CREATE SAFE DRIVING ISSUES FOR THE CONSUMER ESPECIALLY SOMEONE WHO PAYS OVER $30,000 FOR A VEHICLE WHEN IT'S NEW. LET ME ADD NOW THAT THE LATEST EXPENSIVE REPAIR TO ADD TO MY LIST IS THE FAN CLUTCH ASSEMBLY ON MY ENGINE COOLING FAN SYSTEM $573.00 -- ALSO FOUND MANY GM OWNERS OF BRAVADA, RAINERS, ENVOYS & TRAILBLAZERS EXPERIENCING THIS ITEMS FAILURE TOO. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT A SPEEDOMETER FAILURE. WHILE IDLING THE SPEEDOMETER READ 90 MPH. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS DAMAGED. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 30 DEGREES THE STEERING COLUMN FROZE AND ACTIVATED THE HORN. THE HORN WILL NOT DEACTIVATE UNLESS THE FUSE WASREMOVED. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE, BUT THE PEDAL DROPPED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. THE CONTACT MUST RELEASE AND DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 75,000, AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. *AK

I OWN A 2003 TRAILBLAZER AND RECENTLY I BEGAN SMELLING LARGE AMOUNTS OF FUMES AND FUEL SPILLING ONTO THE GROUND WHEN FILLIING THE GAS TANK. FROM MY RESEARCH, I'VE FOUND THAT BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS LISTED ABOVE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT ON THE GAS TANK WAS HONORED ON THE 2002 MODEL TRAILBLAZER BUT WAS NOT BEING ISSUED ON THE SAME DESIGN FLAW ON THE 2003 MODEL. IT WAS STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY HAZARD WHICH IS HARD FOR ME TO COME TO TERMS WITH. GM HAS STATED THAT IT WOULD COST $1200 TO BE REPAIRED AT THE CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE WHICH IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE SINCE THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM CARRIED OVER FROM THE 2002 MODEL. *TR

THE SMELL OF GAS COMING INTO VEHICLE, AND LEAKING ONTO GROUND UNDERNEATH. HAD FUEL PUMP MODULE (FUEL SENDING UNIT) CHANGED. *AK

CHEVROLET 2003 TRAILBLAZER: NOTICED A LARGE PUDDLE IN DRIVEWAY, WHICH WAS GASOLINE. STARTED SUV UP AND THE GAS JUST POURED OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT, BUT KNEW I HAD TO DO SOMETHING. I DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST REPAIR STATION, WHEREIN, AFTER INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND TO BE ROTTED SUPPLY AND RETURN LINES ON FUEL PUMP MODULE. THE REPAIR STATION REMOVED THE REMAINING FUEL FROM THE FUEL TANK; REPLACED FUEL PUMP MODULE; REINSTALLED FUEL TANK; REINSTALLED FUEL. AT A TOTAL COST OF $778.14 USED. I AM A GM RETIREE AFTER 33 YEARS OF SERVICE, AND WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR SAID AMOUNT OF MONEY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN THIS EXPENSIVE MATTER. *AK

I NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GAS WHEN CHECKING THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES. AFTER LOOKING UNDER THE SUV I NOTICED THE TANK WAS DRIPPING GAS AND WAS VERY WET. I WAS IN A SMALL TOWN ON A TRIP WITH NO ACCESS TO PARTS SO A LOCAL SHOP HAD TO REMOVE THE TANK, TAKE THE SENDING UNIT APART, AND REPAIR THE RUSTED AND LEAKING SENDING UNIT IN ORDER TO SAFELY GET ME HOME.*AK

I SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE, AND HAD FUEL LEAKING FROM THE GAS TANK. I WAS AFRAID TO KEEP DRIVING IT LIKE THAT, I TOOK IT TO GET REPAIRED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN HAD TO REPLACE THE SENDING UNIT MODULE, PART # MU1377. HE SAID IT WAS CORRODED.*AK

I OWN A 2003 TRAILBLAZER SWB MODEL. I STARTED TO SMELL GAS. SEEING THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, I WAITED UNTIL IT GOT WARM TO CHECK IT OUT. WHEN I TOOK OUT THE GAS TANK THERE WAS A PIN HOLE IN THE RETURN ON THE BASE OF THE SENDING UNIT. SO I CLEANED IT OFF WITH A WIRE BRUSH AND FOUND MORE PIN HOLES. I BELONG TO A TRAILBLAZER FORUM, AND THIS SEEMED TO BE A MORE PREVALENT PROBLEM THEN IT SHOULD BE.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT. THE CONTACT OPENED THE REAR HATCH AND HEARD A CRACKING NOISE COMING FROM THE TOP. APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR DAYS LATER THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LAMP BRACKET FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER SIMMONS-ROCKWELL CHEVROLET. THE DEALER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS TYPICAL FOR THAT TYPE OF VEHICLE AND WAS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENTIRE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LAMP COULD BECOME DETACHED WHILE DRIVING AND STRIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT FOUND ANOTHER COMPLAINT ONLINE WITH ODI # 10061979. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER, AND WAS GIVEN CASE # 71-500170558. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THE FUEL SYSTEM FAILED. IN JANUARY OF 2007, THE CONTACT DETECTED AN AROMA OF GAS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE ODOR BECAME INCREASINGLY POTENT, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP MODULE WAS CORRODED AND LEAKED. AND THE DEALER QUOTED A REPAIR PRICE OF $800. THE FUEL PUMP FILTER WAS REPAIRED, AND AFTER SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS, THE CONTACT WAS ONLY REQUIRED TO PAY $196.00. THE CONTACT SEARCHED ONLINE ,AND FOUND AN OPEN INVESTIGATION , PE07013 FROM NHTSA DATED MARCH 12, 2007 FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,229. *AK

I AM BEING TOLD THAT MY 2003 CHEVY TRAILBLAZER HAS A CRACKED GAS TANK AND HAS BEEN LEAKING FUEL. WE HAVE NOTICED A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW WEEKS. APPARENTLY, CHEVY CREATED A 'SPECIAL POLICY' WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURRED FOR ITS 2002 TRAILBLAZERS, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT NO ATTENTION IS BEING GIVEN TO THE 2003 MODELS. MY DEALERSHIP IS REPLACING THE GAS TANK WHICH NORMALLY WOULD HAVE COST APPROX $1300, HOWEVER, TO GET THIS DEAL, THEY ARE REQUIRING ME TO PAY FOR THE 50K SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE AT A COST OF $475. THERE HAS BEEN NO INJURY OR ACCIDENT TO MYSELF AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT, BUT I FEEL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO WARRANT INVESTIGATION SINCE THIS HAS ALSO OCCURRED IN PREVIOUS MODELS. ALSO, IN PREVIOUS MODELS CHEVY PAID FOR ALL OF THE REPAIRS WITHOUT REQUIRING THE OWNERS TO SPEND MONEY ON 'SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE'. THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER FROM CHEVY FOR THE 2002 MODELS IS TSB 05012. *JB