I was driving about 20mph after a turn and I heard a loud clunk then followed a loud winding noise. I could not go more than 25mph so I slowly made it to my home. Once I was in park I tried to go in reverse and found that I had lost it. I also lost 2nd and 4th. I got an estimate of $1485.00 so I had to park it until I could save the money up in these hard times. I took it in to my local transmission place and they told me this was a common problem with 02 gm transmissions. If this is so common and I'm reading all these complaints why do I not see any recall.... Someone can get seriously hurt especially when there are no warning signs. I would hope to get some sort of monetary compensation for what I had to pay out, especially with gm knowing this is a common problem. This really concerns me with gm, they need to be on the ball for their consumers safety.
2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer: harsh or hard shifting
12 of the 1,149 complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 58,420
- recalls
- 3
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
- 20241
- 20222
- 20081
- 20071
- 20061
- 20051
- 20042
- 20034
- 200212
What owners say
There were no signs or symptoms of the transmission sunshell breaking. I never towed anything, no off road driving, no hard shifting, nothing. I just woke up went out to go to the store started my trailblazer and no reverse gear just a whinning noise.
Have a 2002 chevy trailblazer- son was driving vehicle in wyoming 20 below zero loud clunk and then grinding noise and he stopped there was no 2nd or 4th gears and no reverse. Luckily someone stopped to help him and he was ok. My car only had 51,000 miles on it. I called dealership they took it in warranty was gone repairs cost 3,420.00. I started researching complaints about the transmissions and realized there are over 82 complaints and that gm has known about this faulty part called a sunshell that's weak metal and the tork in the engine of the v6 cant handle the pressure so it eventually cracks and breaks then you dead in the water. This could have been a real safety hazard and for many I have read about their problems with children in the car its amazing no one have been killed yet. Gm refused to have a recall on this problem due to the expense and is passing this down to its consumers to bear the burden. Will I purchase another gm car? Not on your life! To anyone who has this vehicle check out the transmission problems on line and contact gm if yours goes out maybe they will step to the plate and help people who paid 32,000 for one of their vehicles!
I was driving down the road (fortunately in a 25 MPH zone) when the transmission made a loud clunk then whine, after which the engine revved and I lost any ability to change gears. After stopping the car, I found only the reverse was not working - the other gears will shift over 3000 RPM. I have been told it is a faulty sunshell gear in the transmission.
I had several instances of the engine revving up before the vehicle would shift. These were usually when the engine was cold so I assumed that was the problem. However 5 days ago the transmission went out. The engine revved really loud, the tach number went way up, suddenly the vehicle clunked & jerked into gear it then made a whining noise & when I got home (drove it real slow & not far from home) there was no reverse. Chevrolet says there is not a problem with these transmissions & they have not received very many complaints on this problem. My transmission repair shop told me this is the third one in 3 weeks with the exact same problem. Chevrolet is refusing to do anything about this. There are numerous web sites full of postings of people with the same problem.
My wife heard a clunk when driving. She asked me to drive the vehicle the next day and the transmission failed.
Went to get gas for my 2002 chevy trailblazer and we I finished and I started my car I put it in reverse and heard a loud clunk noise and then the truck would not go into reverse. Then I put it in drive and heard a lot of grinding. I called gmc and they know the trailblazer has a defective transmission and now that I call them with my problem they tell me that I just need to get a gm diagnostics test. Done and it just another way for them to get money out of people.
2002 trailblazer with approx. 34,000 miles; purchased new. As I was driving. There was a loud, violent clunk from under the car. I was able to coast around a corner and into the right lane of another street. After waiting for over an hour for a tow truck, I was forced to drive the car (slowly) about 1/4 mile into a large parking lot. The entire time I was driving, there was a loud whining noise. When I tried to back up the car, there was no reverse gear. The tow truck driver took me and the car to a chevrolet dealer. The service person called me a short time later to say the sun shield was broken, and repairs would be a minimum of $1800, possibly more if additional problems were found once the transmission was pulled. Even though there are only 34,000 miles on the car, he advised that it was 1-1/2 years past the time portion of the warranty. My car is still at the dealership until I can do more research into the apparently widespread problem with this car.
My 2002 chevrolet trailblazer blew its transmission at 47,000 miles. The car started making a clunking sound in the rear end when accelerating out of turns. Eventually it quit going in reverse. The dealer says the transmission needs to be replaced at a minimum cost of $2700. It has only been used for city and highway driving-- no heavy towing. It is apparent from all the similar problems I have found posted on the internet that this is an inherent defect in the car and should be a recall.
We own a 2002 chevy trailblazer 4wd with 57,000 miles. On the date of the incident, a clunk was heard from the transmission and the transmission would not shift properly and there was no reverse gear. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer. After inspection and road test, it was determined that the "sun shell spleen" had stripped and the sun gear and sun shell drum had to be replaced along with a reconditioning of the transmission. This repair came to the tune of 2022 dollars. Our service manager was able to have the factory cove half of the repair as a "goodwill gesture." I am also an employee at the dealer and had access to repair information provided by chevrolet. Apparently, the material the original sun shell was made of was not able to withstand prolonged high temperatures that are found in the trans. For the 2003 model year and later, general motors made the sun shell out of a "more heat resistant material" which will "hopefully" prevent the problem from recurring. In my opinion, this is equivalent to general motors admitting that the original trans in our vehicle was of substandard quality right from the manufacturer. This problem has eroded away any confidence we have in gm and do not feel safe driving this vehicle for fear of the problem recurring in a much more dangerous situation that could lead to a loss of control and possible a major accident.
While driving under even throttle at about 40 MPH, heard a very loud clunk and the engine immediately revved to high rpms. The gear the transmission had been in was clearly gone. After easing up on the throttle, the transmission seemed to re-engage. It was possible to proceed, though there were new noises I'd never heard before. (I'm very glad this did not occur at 70mph in heavy traffic.) later learned that at least the gear that the vehicle had been in was gone (4th) and also that reverse was gone. Immediately drove to the shop. Problem was fixed as a warranty repair and I got it back in two days. Repair invoice indicates that the problem was 'reaction gear set and/or reaction sun shell' and that this was fournd to be stripped. While in the shop it was replaced. That is all the information I received about the problem, but I fear a design defect of some sort and that the problem will recur.
Loose driver's seat back. Driver's seat back has over 2 inches of back and forth movement and makes a "clunking noise" upon acceleration / deceleration. When decelerating, the seat back moves forward causing the driver's torso to also move forward. This causes the driver to put excessive pressure on the brake pedal which causes exceptionally hard, fast, and uncontrolled stops. Since the seat belt retractor is part of the seat back, this may also cause the driver not to be properly retained to the seat in the event of a collision. Dealer was notified on 12/7/02. Ts
Service bulletins that may apply
- GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities
- The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle...
- This diagnostic tip advises the tech not to separate the flexplate from the torque convertor or damage my...
- Power train
- Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- Power train: axle assembly
- Gmc: fluid leak from transmission oil cooler lines due to corrosion
- Eaton locking differential chatter shudder noise on turns, equipped with a locking rear differential rpo G80
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles are equipped with a mechanical override that could allow the ignition key to be removed with the shift lever in a position other than park. In addition, these vehicles have an override that can allow the transmission to be shifted out of park with the ignition in the off position.
- Risk
- These overrides are not permitted unless the vehicle has a locking steering column.
- Remedy
- Dealers will eliminate these conditions by disabling the overrides. Owner notification began on may 29, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782, oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537, or hummer at 1‑866‑486‑6376.
Recall number 03V075000 · Recall details
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive. The calibration of the transfer case control module could cause insufficient high speed gear engagement.
- Risk
- If the gear is not engaged, the vehicle can roll when the transmission is in "park" and a crash could result without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the transfer case control module calibration to increase gear engagement. Owner notification began november 6, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782.
Recall number 01V334000 · Recall details
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles (4 wheel-drive). Some of these vehicles were built with a range shift collar in the transmission transfer case that contains cracks.
- Risk
- This condition could result in a complete fracture of the range shift collar and subsequent loss of vehicle forward and reverse gears, and the inability to maintain "park" position. This increases the risk of a vehicle crash resulting from unintended movement of a parked vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transfer cases and update the control module calibration. Owner notification began september 6, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782.
Recall number 01V283000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
12 of 1,149 owner complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer (1%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
There are 3 recalls and 63 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Wipers 64Headlights 60Transmission failure 56No deployment 55Stalling 53Fuel smell 52Fuel leak 40Check engine light 36Loss of power 29Won't shift 29Seat belt 28Grinding brakes 27Fire or smoke 24Fuel gauge 23Fuel pump 23Airbag light 21Jerking 20Ball joint 19Engine failure 18Won't start 16Whining noise 15Brake failure 12Knocking 12Slipping 11Tire blowout 11ABS 9Door locks 9Power steering loss 8Adaptive cruise 7Overheating 6Steering lock-up 6Sudden acceleration 6Hesitation 5
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