2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT Complaints

SMELL OF GAS DEVELOPED AROUND VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES. HAD IT LOOKED AT AND NOTHING WAS FOUND. BROUGHT IT TO ANOTHER SHOP AND THEY DROPPED OUT THE FUEL TANK, FINDING THE TOP OF THE TANK WET WITH FUEL AND THE CONNECTION RUSTED. THE SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP AND PARTS. *TR

I OWN A 2003 CHEVY TRAILBLAZER LS. BOUGHT IT NEW OFF THE DEALER'S LOT. IN 2007, APPROXIMATELY 100,000 MILES LATER THE TACHOMETER BEGAN TO FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY. AT 120,000 MILES, IT QUIT ALL TOGETHER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY. NOW IN 2009 AND 150,000 MILES IT DOES NOT WORK 90+% OF THE TIME. WHEN IT DOES, THE SPEED INDICATION IS UNRELIABLE. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE INTO THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR ESTIMATE; $800 TO $1000 ALL DAY SITUATION. HAVE TAKEN IT TO OTHER REPAIR SHOPS, BUT THEY REFER BACK TO THE DEALER IN ORDER TO OBTAIN PARTS. SO FAR, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OPERATE VEHICLE, BUT AWAITING THE NEXT GAUGE TO FAIL. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT, I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW FROM GM. IN THE LAST YEAR MY SES LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE AND THEY ANALYZED MY VEHICLE TO READ THE CODE CAUSING THE SES LIGHT TO COME ON. I HAD A LEAK IN MY FUEL TANK EMISSIONS SYSTEM. THEY RECOMMENDED I REPLACE MY FUEL CAP TO FIX THE PROBLEM. OVER THE PAST YEAR AND AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL CAP, THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY FOR A MONTH OR SO AND THEY REOCCUR. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR A SYSTEM CHECK OF THE FUEL SYSTEM. MY MECHANIC PERFORMED A SMOKE TEST ON THE FUEL SYSTEM, THEY TOLD ME THEY FOUND A FRACTURE ON A WELD WITH THE FUEL TANK, FURTHERMORE THEY SAID THERE WAS PROBLEMS WITH THE CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZERS WITH FAULTY WELDS ON THE FUEL TANK. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND AUTO FORUM BOARD STATING GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR A WHILE. TALKING WITH A CO-WORKER ABOUT MY PROBLEM, HE STATED HE OWNED A 2003 TRAILBLAZER AND RECALLED RECEIVING A NOTICE FROM GM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, HE GAVE ME A COPY OF HIS NOTICE WHERE THE NOTICE TALKS ABOUT FRACTURE OF A WELD ON THE FUEL TANK AND CHEVROLET PROVIDING OWNERS WITH AN EXTENSION OF REPAIRS FOR 10 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP OR 150,000 MILES. I NEVER RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM CHEVROLET ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER, WHERE I TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED WITH MY VEHICLE; I ALSO TOLD THEM I HAD 167,000 MILE ON MY VEHICLE. THEY TOLD ME THEY FIRST NEEDED TO VERIFY THE CRACK BY A GM DEALERSHIP MECHANIC. THEY ALSO TOLD ME I HAD TO PAY FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM TO BE CHECK AND THERE MIGHT BE SOME CONSIDERATION FOR THEM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR IF IT WAS INDEED A CRACK IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE CRACK WAS CONFIRMED BY THE CHEVROLET DEALER, BUT THEY TOLD ME SINCE MY VEHICLE HAD OVER 150,000 MILES THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIR OF MY VEHICLE. THE FUEL TANK IS A STATIC SYSTEM, IT SHOULD NOT WEAR OUT, I FEEL GM DESIGNED A FAULTY PRODUCT AND SHOULD REPAIR THIS CRACK AT THEIR COST. PLEASE HELP ME. *TR

I HAVE TWO PROBLEMS: WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, HEADLIGHTS GO OFF, NOT WAY TO SEE, OTHER THAN PUT ON BRIGHTS. RIM, BROKE TO SMALL PIECES, HAD JUST GOTTEN OFF I 95, WAS ON OFF RAMP WHEN THE CAR STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD AND SCARY NOISE, WE HAD TWO SMALL CHILDREN ONBOARD . HAD THIS HAPPEN WHILE ON I 95 WE COULD HAVE ALL BEEN DEAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT. RECALL# 05V494000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/ LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH).) WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR UN-LATCHED. HE WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE DOOR WITH A BUNGEE CORD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL LATCH SYSTEM AT AN EXPENSE OF $800.00. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 11/04/09.*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED BOTH DOORS FLEW OPEN. THE CONSUMER STATED THE LATCH SYSTEM WAS NOT REPLACED AND BOTH DOORS HAD TO BE TIED SHUT. GM WANTED THE CONSUMER TO PAY $100 SO THE DEALER COULD TELL THEM WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, AND THEN THEY WOULD CONSIDER PAYING FOR THE PART. UPDATED 11/05/09

WHILE DRIVING ON A INTERSTATE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. MY VEHICLE HAD A SUDDEN DECREASE IN FORWARD MOMENTUM. THE ENGINE RPM'S INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AND THE VEHICLE HAD UNPREDICTABLE SURGES AND LOSS OF ABILITY TO MAINTAIN SPEED. AFTER DRIVING DOWN THE BERM TO THE INTERSTATE EXIT, I NOTED A BURNING SMELL. THE SMELL WAS THAT OF TRANSMISSION FLUID THAT HAD LEAKED OUT FROM A CORRODED TRANSMISSION COOLING LINE. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROXIMATELY 56,000 MILES, DIAGNOSTIC CHECK WAS PERFORMED BY THE DEALER. FINDINGS: GAS VAPOR POURING FROM THE SEAL, CORROSION AND MOISTURE. NEED TO REPLACE THE GAS TANK. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT AND THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE QUIT WORKING ON ME. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS AND FIND THAT MANY TRAILBLAZER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. APPARENTLY, CHEVROLET HAD A RECALL PROGRAM FOR DASHBOARD GAUGE ISSUES WITH OTHER MODELS BUT DID NOT INCLUDE THE TRAILBLAZER AS A COVERED MODELED UNDER THIS RECALL. OTHER TRAILBLAZER OWNERS WHO HAVE POSTED COMPLAINTS OR PROBLEMS ONLINE HAVE ADVISED FILING A COMPLAINT THROUGH THE NHTSA TO SEE IF ENOUGH COMPLAINTS CAN BE LODGED AGAINST CHEVROLET TO FORCE A RECALL. IT OBVIOUSLY IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO HAVE A DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER. SOMETIMES MINE WORKS FINE, OTHER TIMES IT REGISTERS THE WRONG SPEED, AND STILL OTHER TIMES IT DOESN'T REGISTER A SPEED AT ALL. IF THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AMONG TRAILBLAZER OWNERS, THEN I WOULD THINK THAT CHEVROLET SHOULD COVER IT UNDER THEIR RECALL PROGRAM ALONG WITH THE OTHER MODELS OF CHEVROLET TRUCKS & CARS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THANK YOU. *TR

2003 TRAILBLAZER TRANSMISSION LINES. COOLANT LINES RUSTED AT THE FACTORY CONNECTION. MAJOR FLUID LOSS, HAD TO REPAIR IMMEDIATELY. *TR

DESIGN FLAW OF THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LAMP APPLIQUE (AKA - REAR UPPER LIFTGATE MOLDING) DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, ICE AND SNOW BUILDS UP BEHIND THE MOLDING, AND WHEN THE USER ATTEMPTS TO OPEN THE LIFTGATE, THE MOLDING IS SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE, SOMETIMES RESULTS IN PERMANENT BREAKAGE OF THE MOLDING, OR EVEN SHATTERING OF THE REAR WINDOW. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT THE COMPANY IS ALREADY AWARE OF, AS EVIDENCED BY A RELEASED TSB. AS EVIDENCED BY NUMEROUS REPORTS ON "TRAILVOY.COM", MANY GROUP MEMBERS HAVE REPORTED HAVING THIS EXACT PROBLEM. I HAVE READ REPORTS OF THIS PIECE MYSTERIOUSLY COMING OFF, TO THE SURPRISE OF THE DRIVER, WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD. IT SEEMS THAT WHEN THIS VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED, TOO MUCH OF THE LIFTGATE'S STRUCTURE WAS LEFT TO RELY ON THE STABILITY OF PLASTIC AND GLASS. FOR INSTANCE, ON MY VEHICLE, AFTER BREAKAGE OF THE MOLDING, THE FORCE EXERTED BY THE GLASS LIFT ARMS CAUSED THE ADHESIVE TO SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOWS HINGE, LEAVING IT "DANGLING BY A THREAD". I FEEL THAT THIS A PROBLEM THAT HAS OCCURRED IN TOO MANY CASES; A PROBLEM THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD. IT IS AN EXPENSIVE PART TO REPLACE ($700-$1000, WITH LABOR). CHEVROLET HAS SINCE REDESIGNED THE TRAILBLAZER VEHICLES TO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT CHEVROLET SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO CORRECT THEIR DESIGN ERROR ON THE OLDER VEHICLES, INSTEAD OF LEAVING IT UP TO THE CONSUMER TO PAY FOR IT OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET.*TR