Driving from out of town and all of the sudden rps ran high and trans would not shift. It would catch finally and then slip out had to drive it in 1st gear. Had it rebuilt lasted 1 yr and now back in shop! Having it rebuilt again. Very frustrated with this vehicle. I have had to replace just about everything on it at least once some things twice. Very poor made vehicle. Please look into the transmission problems. Mechanic states it is a known fact that the transmissions in trailblazers overheat which causes these issues. How can gm sleep at night knowing they are charging 36,000.00 for a piece of junk! I have to work hard for my money and don't appreciate the way gm turns a deaf ear to their poor workmanship and design. I feel I should be compensated for the frustration!
2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 80, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2003 chevy trailblazer check engine light comes on accompanied by the low engine power light. The vehicle goes into limp mode. This is a safety feature that allows the computer to protect the engine from any damage should something go wrong. The only problem is that there is nothing wrong. This happens multiple times a day (6-8). Changing sensors doesn't fix it. I believe it to be a problem with the 2003 chevy trailblazer computer. I have read many forums with hundreds of people that have this same problem. Please look into it before it causes an accident or makes an emergency situation a fatal one.
The car takes off as if it doesn't want to allow shift change. It automatically changes on it's on. Transmission starting to slip.
The engine just dies while driving. There was an accident.
Bought used from a dealer. Had for 2 days when had first prob that was fixed got back after a week. Ran great. Drove for 1 day and ran good, stopped at a stop sign and went to pull onto main highway and wouldn't move forward. Backed up fine but no forward. I finally got it to crawl forward. After a lil while it kicked back in and ran fine til I stopped again. Finally I made it home and parked it. After they finally came and towed it and "fixed" it I had it and drove it for 1 day and had same problem. After it sat for a while it did go again. Pulled into driveway and parked it. Still waiting for it to be towed and "fixed" again and hopefully right this time. I have researched this problem and found it happens a lot. Sounds like it might be the fan clutch or sun shell spline. Not sure yet though. Called mechanic that dealer had fix it and they only changed a valve in tranny they thought was bad. Said they have about 3 more of them to check before they replace whole tranny. I hope more people research these vehicles and don't buy them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that while traveling 45 MPH, both low beam headlights failed. The vehicle was restarted after 20 minutes and then began to function normally. The contact also stated that he attempted to start the vehicle with no success. The vehicle had to be jumped started in order to get the engine started. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's residence and was not taken to a mechanic or a dealer for repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about either issue. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
This vehicle was purchased new in jun 2003. While still under warranty, various recalls were issued for steering, brake lights and rear hatch locking/handle assembly. Since then, the vehicle has been a lemon. Power steering pump replaced twice (first one I paid for, second independent and very reliable mechanic shop paid). Next the engine cooling fan bearing had to be replaced. Later, the transmission had to be rebuilt. I also had to get the computer checked and reset to avoid surging engine RPM and resultant speed deviations. Reaching a point of frustration as never before, I wrote gm asking for consideration repairing the transmission and received no response. I know they received the email since I had a "receipt requested" feature activated in my office computer. I sent a second email stating I was aware of the email receipt and that I expected a response. No such luck. All these problems manifested themselves well before the 100,000 miles were reached. Now at approximately 132,000 miles, I had to replace the exhaust manifold due to a crack, the vehicle has lost power on two occasions, the entire dashboard has gone to zero and back to normal several times and the latest is an engine noise that my very reliable, 6 year auto service provider has told be is related to the timing belt assembly/mount points and as it gets louder, the engine will be getting ready to fail. So, I read all these complaints today and felt like I could have summarized everyone's complaints and concerns. I am an accident investigator and have no doubt that this vehicle will go down in history as one of the most unreliable and dangerous cars ever built. Shame the feds have not taken the extra steps to remedy the issues after so many complaints yet, they went after top selling toyota at a time when the american made cars were barely able to stay afloat. Wonder?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that the vehicle would fail to start in colder temperatures. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that there were no recalls. The dealer performed a diagnostic test and was unable to diagnose or duplicate a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I am filing a complaint .and will continue to file complaints until all of the consumers issues have been addressed. I understand that gm is not willing to hold theirselfs liable for these issues ,but people spend pretty pennies out of pocket to purchase vehicles from these manufacturers to spend more money to pay for repairs after just a short while of owning these . I have researched issues I am having with my vehicle , and I am having all the above listed issues , and do not wish to spend large amounts of money to pay for these cost considering I am still paying for this vehicle . I just spoke with a representive about these complaints ,and have set up an appoinment to pay a dealership for diagnostics , but am hoping that I can get closure on these issues without paying big expenses. I hope everyone else will follow suit and keep inputting your complaints until they are resolved. My vehicle issues are the fan clutch needs replaced, my gas tank has been replaced already,just replaced my serpintine belt this morning, my exterior lights (brake/turn signal) have been replaced 3 times over two months, and engine light keeps coming on , something doesnt seem right underneath this vehicle either. I just feel like I am paying for a peice of junk on top of paying to keep the vehicle running. Oh yea this vehicle has had to have thousands of dollars of body work done as well thanks to mother nature. I just hope they will be responsible enough to take on this responsibilty of theirs ,not ours.
In july 2010 my trailblazers clutch fan and thermostat went out. I was able to diagnose the problem by the number of complaints filed on this model that were on the internet. Then in october my tachometer started acting up, it broke november 24, 2010. The speedometer broke on december 3, 2010. I have found many complaints on the clutch fan going out and the cluster going out on the internet. Someone at work had a problem with their envoy and it was the thermostat and their clutch fan going out. All at fairly low mileage. I am very disappointed in gm for not wanting to repair these issues so the consumer bears the costs of repair which is about 500 for the clutch fan and thermostat and 400 for the cluster.
2003 chevy trailblazer. Consumer states problems with fan clutch *tgw the consumer stated once the RPM went up, the fan clutch would disengage and then sound normal. The fan clutch has been replaced twice.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer . The contact stated while driving less then 10 MPH the vehicle stalled . The contact would have to put the vehicle in park and then restart it. The contact consulted a private mechanic about the failure and he stated that no codes will appear if the check engine light did not illuminate . The manufacturer had not been contacted and the vehicle has not been diagnosed. The failure mileage was 38000 and the current mileage was 51236.
Fan clutch- sounds like an airplane taking off until RPM is up then clutch disengages and sounds normal again. I've seen alot of complaints regarding this problem, but still no recall! Why not?????
2003 chevrolet trailblazer speedometer failed *gr the speedometer would register as high as 120 MPH. The vehicle was inspected and it was determined there was an internal malfunction on the instrument cluster. The consumer was informed it would cost $550 for a replacement cluster. The rear passenger taillight and passenger side head light burned out and was replaced. The water pump and serpentine belt were replaced. The mechanic noted a broken bolt in the water pump that held down the housing and the ball joints were replaced.
2003 chevy trailblazer - fan clutch - having to replace fan clutch after replacing less than 2 yrs ago.
2nd time replacing clutch fan "68,000 miles" check engine light comes on. Loud noise from engine. Eventually goes into reduced power mode "max 10mph". My check engine light is on again and it is making that loud whirring noise again. I am expecting a third failure soon. This should be recalled.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. While driving approximately 10 to 15 MPH, the driver traveled over a railroad track and the engine stalled unexpectedly. There were no warning light indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact made several unsuccessful attempts to restart the engine and observed that the "empty fuel" indicator was displayed on the fuel gauge. When the engine restarted, the fuel gauge displayed the accurate reading. The vehicle was able to resume normal operation. The contact has concerns of the significant safety risk. The VIN was rejected from the system. The failure mileage was 71,200. The current mileage was 71,220.
The fan clutch on my 2003 chevrolet trailblazer has failed for a second time. First failure at 81000 miles and failure of dealer installed replacement at 115000. The failure results in a loss of acceleration ability, the noise level is a considerable distraction to myself and other drivers, and the pending failure of the cooling system could lead to unsafe roadside conditions.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that the fan clutch was failing and sounded like a plane taking off when pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal. She first noticed the failure in july of 2008. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who stated that this was a common complaint for this type of vehicle. The mechanic repaired the vehicle for $710.68 at the contact's expense. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls and could only make a note of the failures. The failure mileage was 78903 and current mileage is 94,000. Updated 09/18/09. *lj the consumer stated even though the fan clutch was repaired, it continues to make sounds. Updated 09/21/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that the vehicle loses power, but does not stall. The failure has been occurring for a couple of weeks. The failure has nearly caused a crash on two occasions. The dealer stated that all the coils and plugs were defective due to the gasket leaking water and causing them to crack. The only work performed on the vehicle was for the brakes and spark plugs in 2008. The current and failure mileages were 92,000.
While driving from work I stopped at a red light and the trailblazers RPM dropped down and the truck shut off in traffic. But all the lights were on. I had to restart the truck and it crank up. Three weeks later I was pulling up to a gas station and pressed on the brakes to stop and the truck cut off (same experience). Yesterday I was driving in 5 o'clock traffic and pressed on the brakes and it shut off again.
Started hearing a ticking noise coming from under the hood. Took it in to get checked out. Had to replace fan clutch motor at a cost of nearly 500 dollars. 2 weeks later started having crazy speedometer readings.
Since I purchased my 2003 chevy trailblazer in jan 2004, I had it returned twice complaining of a ticking sound from the engine. Local dealer would not address the issue as the noise would come a go..I issued a complaint to the dealer and they got upset but never volunterred to fix the noise.. Last month a loud noise came from my engine, like a vacuum sound.. I lost power and was forced to leave the truck at a gm dealership.. They fixed made repairs by replacing the clutch pump. Cots me 900.00 for repairs. Now 3 weeks later I noticed that the ticking sound from the engine has disappeared.... If the chevy dealer only addressed this problem a few years ago when I originally complained , I may not had to dish out 900 for repairs.. Thank you chevy! And you wonder why your going out of business.! Good riddins!
My chevy trailblazer has a loud sound when driving or idling. Its sounds like a dump truck. Have taken it to a mechanic and they have said that it is the fan clutch. I then had the fan clutch replaced and the sound continues.
Water has been seen several times dripping from underneath the truck in the center area. It appears to be from the emissions system. No wet weather at the time. It appears to be some sort of condensation. Also fan clutch failure, sway bar linkages failure, tie-rod failure, rack and pinion failure/leak, control arm failures 2 times, windshield wiper would not turn off failure, windshield wiper reservoir tank leak replaced, AC cold air failure. All needed to be replaced on a vehicle less than 5 years old with only 38,000 miles on it.
For approx. 2 years there had been a constant ticking when my 2003 chevrolet trailblazer was running. Questions about the noise was dismissed by the service technicians as normal. Finally on 3/22/08 my fan clutch failed causing an overheat problem and a constant loud noise, along with a service engine light. Upon investigating this issue I found literally thousands of complaints on the internet regarding the chevrolet trailblazer and its premature fan clutch failures. To correct the failure I had to incur the $724.00 repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. While driving at an unknown speed, the engine warning light would sporadically illuminate on the instrument control panel. After injecting fuel into the vehicle, he would smell a strong odor of gasoline. He took the vehicle to a local mechanic and they stated that there was a leak. The fuel cap was replaced. Two weeks later, the engine light illuminated on the instrument control panel. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that there was a fuel tank inject valve fracture, and that the manufacturer voluntarily recalled that component in august of 2007. The contact's VIN was not included; therefore, he would have to pay $1,200 for the repair. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000 and current mileage was 120,867.
Bad clutch fan again!!!
2003 chevrolet trailblazer.
I bought my 2003 trailblazer 4x4 in july 06 and had to replace the airbag module 1 month later (54,000mi on odometer) for $350.00. That was at half price because I had a 50/50 warranty luckily. Now late in september my fan is on every time I start my engine, hot or cold. Like everyone else with my vehicle make and year states that it sounds like a jet plane and turns off a couple off miles down the road and then eventually fails later. Gm needs to pay my out-of-pocket expense for my airbag module and fix my fan clutch issue before it fails completely, leaving me stranded somewhere in an unsafe environment. I always keep up to date on my vehicles to make sure I get the most out of them and do not expect random parts to fail prematurely. I'll be ?!@#$% if I am going to pay $600-$1000 to have this fixed after it fully fails to work.
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