2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THERE WAS A BOOM UNDER THE HOOD. TWO MINUTES LATER THE CAR STARTED DECREASING POWER AND I HAD TO PULL OVER. BEFORE I COULD GET OUT TO LIFT THE HOOD, FIRE WAS SHOOTING FROM UNDER NEATH. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT. THE CONTACT STATED HE BEGAN TO SMELL FUEL INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT WITH 161,000 MILES ON IT. A FEW WEEKS AGO I GOT TO NOTICING A REAL STRONG GAS ODOR IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLE. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH AND HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT IS THE COMMON PROBLEM THAT IS AFFECTING MANY OTHER TRAILBLAZER EXT OWNERS. IT IS THE FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE AT THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK. IN DOING MY RESEARCH I HAVE NOTICED THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE FIXED BY SOME RECALLS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT ONLY TO BE INFORMED THAT MINE IS 41,000 MILES PAST THE RECALL MILEAGE AND WILL COST UPWARDS OF $1,000 TO FIX. I AM WORRIED ABOUT A POSSIBLE FIRE OR EXPLOSION WITH THIS ISSUE. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT TO WORK EVERY DAY AND TO USE IT TO TAKE MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. I JUST WISH THAT CHEVROLET WOULD FIX THIS SO I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY EVERY DAY ABOUT DRIVING IT. I DON'T FEEL THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MILEAGE RESTRICTION ON A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR GREAT INJURY. *TR

SPEEDOMETER FAILS TO REGISTER CORRECT SPEED. INOPERABLE SPEEDOMETER STUCK AT ZERO WHEN MOVING OR SOMETIMES AT OTHER DISPLAYED SPEEDS WHILE STOPPED. *TR

HIT A DEER AT 70 MPH ON I-70 IN KANSAS. I HIT IT FULL FORCE WITH THE FRONT END. HALF OF THE DEER WENT OVER, HALF THE DEER WENT UNDER. NOTHING LEFT BUT GUTS. FRONT END ON DRIVER SIDE DEPRESSED ABOUT A FOOT. WIFE AND I RECEIVED WHIP LASH, WIFE IS WORSE. BABY WAS OKAY. THE TRAILBLAZERS FRONT END WAS TOTALED. AIRBAGS DID NOT COME OUT. GM STATED THAT IN ORDER FOR THE AIR BAGS TO WORK IN THIS MODEL IS THE BRAKES HAVE TO BE DEPRESSED 1/20TH OF A SECOND PRIOR TO IMPACT. THIS IS HOG WASH. BRAKES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AIRBAGS. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE VEHICLE, MY CONCERNS ARE THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

SEVERAL MONTHS THE SMELL OF GASOLINE WAS VERY STRONG IN THE INTERIOR OF MY SUV. I DROVE IT ABOUT FIVE MILES FROM MY HOME WITH A FULL TANK, AS I DROVE IT THE SMELL BECAME MUCH STRONG, WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION A PERSON POINTED OUT TO ME THAT GASOLINE WAS POURING FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY TRUCK LIKE A WATER HOSE. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED HOME TO PARK THE VEHICLE. AS I TRIED TO RECALL WHAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED, I REMEMBERED THAT TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT I GOT AN OIL CHANGE; I ASSUMED THAT MAYBE THEY HAD DONE SOMETHING TO AGGRAVATE AN ALREADY EXISTING PROBLEM. AFTER THEY REVIEWED THEIR WORK, I WAS TOLD IT WAS A MANUFACTURES PROBLEM. I LATER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO WOLF CHEVROLET (NOW DEFUNCT DEALER). A DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE GAS TANK MUST BE REPLACED WITH A COST OF $1192. AND THE SUV IS CONSIDERED "TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE". I THEN WENT TO ANOTHER AUTOMOTIVE ESTABLISHMENT AND WAS GIVEN THE SAME DIAGNOSIS. AFTER TAKING IN CONSIDERATION BOTH ESTIMATES AND MY NEED FOR TRANSPORTATION, I CONTACTED GM AND SPOKE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO INFORMED ME THAT I NEEDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED GM DEALER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LOU BACHRODT IN CHERRY VALLEY, ILLINOIS AND WAS GIVEN THE SAME DIAGNOSIS. AFTERI RELAYED THE IINFORMATION TO THE GM REP, HE SAID THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE MILEAGE, GM WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OFFER ME ANY COMPENSATION. HE SUGGESTED I PHONE LOU BACHRODT AND SEE IF THEY COULD ASSIST ME IN THE COST, THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN GAVE ME THE SAME STATEMENT; AGE AND MILEAGE. I AM WRITING BECAUSE FROM ALL INDICATIONS THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ONLY PREVALENT IN MY SUV BUT AFTER DOING RESEARCH, SEVERAL 2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT CHEVROLET GM SHOULD TAKE OWNERSHIP FOR ALL OR SOME OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I BEGAN SMELLING GAS FROM THE VEHICLE AND NOTED THAT THERE IS GAS DRIPPING FROM AROUND THE GAS TANK. I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS THE THIRD TRAILBLAZER HE HAS SEEN IN 2 WEEKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. CHEVROLET ADVISES THAT THERE WAS A FIX WHICH WAS GOOD ONLY UNTIL 120,000 MILES. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW TO TAKE IT AND HAVE IT FIXED BEFORE 120,000 MILES IF I AM NOT NOTIFIED BY GM? THIS OBVIOUSLY IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVING THE TRAILBLAZER WHICH GM IS AWARE OF BUT HAS THUS FAR RESISTED RECALLING. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

SPEEDOMETER GETS STUCK AT RANDOM PLACES. IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. GM RECALLED FOR THIS BUT NOT ON TRAILBLAZERS. *TR

WE WERE DOING OUR NORMAL FILL-UP (TRUCK WAS OFF) AND AFTER WE FILLED IT UP & TURNED IT OVER, THE FUEL GAUGE SHOT WAY OVER THE 'FULL' MARK. EVERY TIME WE TURNED THE VEHICLE ON, THE FUEL GAUGE WAS READING DIFFERENTLY, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY TIMES IT WAS RIGHT. THE OIL PRESSURE AND BATTERY CHARGE GAUGE HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVING FALSE/SPORADIC READINGS AS WELL. AFTER MUCH SEARCHING, I FOUND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM NOT ONLY IN THE TRAILBLAZERS BUT THE TAHOES AND SEVERAL OTHER OF THEIR VEHICLES (THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS ARE FAULTY). GIVEN THE EXPANSIVE NATURE OF THIS ISSUE, AND THE POTENTIAL DANGERS OF NOT KNOWING YOUR SPEED, FUEL LEVEL, OIL PRESSURE OR RPMS, I'M HAVING PROBLEMS SEEING WHY THIS ISN'T A RECALL ALREADY. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE IN THE 2003-2006 MODELS MORE THAN OTHERS FROM WHAT I'VE FOUND AS WELL. *TR

DUE TO A SERVICE ENGINE SOON WARNING LIGHT AND SMELLING GAS INSIDE MY VEHICLE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC. HE STATED THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE NECK OF MY FUEL TANK. THE TANK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HE ALSO STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH TRAILBLAZERS. I LOOKED UP ANY RECALLS. FOUND SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT - FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE FRACTURE#07099A. I CALLED A LOCAL DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT WAS RIGHT. HOWEVER MY VIN # DOES NOT FALL UNDER VIN #'S LISTED. THE DEALER CALLED A LOCAL GM REP. AND I WAS OFFERED 40% COVERED BY GM MEANING I WOULD HAVE TO COVER THE OTHER 60%. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY ONLY SOME VIN#'S ARE IN THIS AND NOT ALL OF THEM. IT SEEMS THAT THIS A PROBLEM THAT IS VERY COMMON IN THESE TRAILBLAZERS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY FAMILY OF 5 AROUND IN THIS TRAILBLAZER WITH A FRACTURE FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE AND THE STRONG SMELL OF GAS IN THE TRUCK AND RISK OF FIRE FROM GAS LEAKING OUT. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM SO THAT THOSE OF US THAT HAVE TRAILBLAZERS NOT WITH IN THE VIN #'S COVERED CAN GET THIS FIXED AND BE SAFE. CHEVROLET/GM SHOULD STEP UP AND MAKE THIS A RECALL THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR