2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer lights problems

104 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 85,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints: 104
of this car's complaints: 10%
typical mileage: 85,000
crashes: 1
recalls: 2

Which part fails

Headlights
18
Tail lights
4
Turn signal
2
Brake lights
2
Headlights: switch
1
Headlights: concealment devices
1
Brake lights: switch
1
Back up lights
1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k

25k-50k

50k-75k

75k-100k

100k-125k

125k-150k

150k-175k

175k-200k

200k+

Chevrolet Trailblazer lights problems in other years

Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer lights

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Headlights 100

Related recalls

Exterior lighting: turn signalReported May 5, 2005 · 286,478 vehicles affected

What is wrong: On certain trucks and sport utility vehicles, the driver wishing to signal a turn by moving the directional signal lever, (up or down) may cause the front marker/turn lights and rear turn lights to flash in a manner similar to hazard warning, rather than flashing on the desired side only.
Risk: The driver may not be able to clearly signal their intentions to turn, change travel lanes, or potentially warn others of an impaired vehicle operating condition increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2005. Isuzu began mailing owner letters on august 4, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, isuzu at 1‑800‑255‑6727, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, and oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537.

Recall number 05V198000 · Recall details

Exterior lighting: brake lightsReported November 1, 2004 · 871,473 vehicles affected

What is wrong: On certain sport utility vehicles, vibration and heat may cause the tail lamp/stop lamp bulb to loosen in its socket. If this occurs, the bulb may flicker and eventually become inoperative.
Risk: An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tail lamp/stop lamp assemblies, and if necessary, replace them. The recall began on november 22, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.

Recall number 04V527000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Loss of HeadlightsOpened April 24, 2017, closed March 29, 2021

The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy variants: 2002-2006 Envoy XL/Trailblazer EXT and 2004-2005 Envoy XUV. The original scope of this investigation was expanded to include all vehicles equipped with the subject Headlight Driver Module (HDM). The focus of the investigation was to determine whether actions performed by General Motors adequately addressed any unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in the subject vehicles concerning the headlights and the HDM that controls them.Under normal electrical load and environmental conditions, the HDM can overheat inside the Underhood Electrical Center (UEC). This can cause the module to fail and result in a simultaneous loss of both low beam headlights and both daytime running lights (DRLs), often with no warning or prior detectability to the driver. This failure can be intermittent or permanent. No other exterior lights are affected. High beams, turn signals, brake lights, and reverse lights are still operational.General Motors addressed this issue with 2 recalls (14V755 & 15V519) and a special coverage program (N172091910). In view of the recalls and special coverage program implemented by GM and the vehicle high beams continuing to operate, ODI has tentatively concluded that the actions taken by GM mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by HDM failure in the subject vehicles.Accordingly, the investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at under the identification numbers in the attached document.

RQ17002

Brake lamp failureOpened August 3, 2004, closed November 4, 2004

Gm states that some brake/tail lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to malfunctioning brake/tail lamp sockets.on march 2, 2004, gm initiated a 6-year/72,000 mile special policy for 989,487 subject vehicles to inspect and replace the rear brake/tail lamp bulb socket assemblies.on april 4, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-032) based on consumer complaints alleging brake lights not operating when the brake pedal is depressed.on august 3, 2004 odi upgraded pe04-032 to an engineering analysis (ea04-021).by letter dated october 27, 2004 gm notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 04v527) covering subject vehicles that were not already repaired under gm's special policy.my 2004 subject vehicles built after august 8, 2003 contain improved brake lamp assemblies and are not included in the recall.gm dealers will install the improved brake lamp assembly on subject vehicles built on august 8, 2003 and earlier.the action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.

EA04021

Brake lamp failureOpened April 6, 2004, closed August 3, 2004

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation on model year (my) 2002-04 chevrolet trailblazer vehicles.gm reports that other vehicles sharing this platform and brake lamp design are the my 2002-2004 chevrolet trailblazer ext; gmc envoy, xl, xuv; oldsmobile bravada and 2004 buick rainier.complaints allege that the rear brake lamp does not operate when the brake pedal is depressed.there is no indication to the driver from inside the vehicle that one or more brake lamps bulbs are not functioning.gm found that heat from the bulb could deform the lamp socket, produce electrical arcing and an inoperative bulb.to correct the condition, gm changed the bulb to a bulb that transmits less heat to the socket and changed the socket to a thermoplastic polymer to improve thermal stability.these changes were implemented into production vehicles on october 1, 2003.gm implemented a special policy by notifying consumers that if they should experience a brake lamp failure to go to their gm dealership to have the circuit board containing the brake lamp replaced along with new bulbs.this policy is good for the first 6 years or 72,000 miles of the life of the vehicle.odi will upgrade this investigation to ea 04-021 and include the above mentioned vehicles.

PE04032

What 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Sep 8, 2022 · Lights · 189,000 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the headlights became inoperable. After a while, the headlights became operational. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 189,000.

Filed Jan 5, 2021 · Electrical, Lights · IL

My clusterboard is completely non functioning the readings are not working

Filed Aug 8, 2019 · Lights · 146,577 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the low beam headlights went out without warning. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure; however, they replaced the front panel switch and connector. The failure recurred. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 146,577.

Filed May 31, 2019 · Brakes, Lights · 90,000 miles · TX

Brake lights flicker off and on. When the vehicle is in motion and brakes are pressed, the brake lights do not light up. This continues to happen with a new light bulb placed in.

Filed Mar 30, 2019 · Lights · 130,000 miles · NY

All lights stopped working, except when switching to high beams. Front lights and brake lights do not work. When using the high beams, the front lights operate on high only. The car cannot be safely driven at night.

Filed Aug 12, 2018 · Lights · 170,000 miles · NY

Driving conditions dark, 11pm, unlit, stars visible paved country road with hills, curves and 2-5 foot ditches. Weather wet but drying. Visibility good. Vehicle in motion near legal speed limit 80 km/hr. Occasional oncoming traffic, so occasionally switching between low and high beams. Noticed low beam headlights flickered occasionally. Effect was only visible after oncoming traffic had passed, before switching back to high beam headlights. I had attributed the effect to my eyes adjusting after the oncoming headlights. On one occasion, after the oncoming vehicle had passed, I switched back to low beam setting, but the low beam headlights were not illuminating the road at all. All I could see was a small amount of yellowish light off to the sides of the vehicle from the other running lights, including yellow lights on the side-view mirrors. There was insufficient light to see any distance down the road, so I ceased to depress the accelerator pedal, and covered the brake applying gentle braking. I still had my fingers on the lever and was able to switch back to high beams after several seconds. Fortunately the high beams still worked. I brought the vehicle to a stop at the next available safe opportunity, to assess what had happened. All other lights, including the fog lights were working. I drove at reduced speed alternately using the fog lights and high beams. The low beams occasionally started working again. By the time I was home, they had ceased to work. I replaced the gm hdm module, and the low beams worked for a year or so until that module failed. There is a recall to replace gm hdm 15016745 with gm hdm 13506836 but the recall apparently does not apply to my 2004 model year. The federal safety agency recall no. : 15v‑519 manufacturer recall no. : 14291 I consider this to have been a severe life threatening event.

Filed Aug 8, 2018 · Lights · 160,000 miles · MO · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. While operating the vehicle, the low beam headlights and the brake lights randomly stopped illuminating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the light bulbs, circuit boards, and fuses; however, the failures continued. When replacing the brake lights, the bulbs melted into the circuit board. The local dealer was not notified of the failures. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed May 6, 2018 · Electrical, Lights · 104,060 miles · MA

The low beam headlights burn out while driving the vehicle. This has happened 3 times in the last 6 months. All 3 times both low beam bulbs burn out at the same exact time while traveling on a rural road in nh..

Filed Nov 1, 2017 · Electrical, Lights · 140,000 miles · TX

My driving lights turn off and on while im driving I took it to check and they said is a factory problem with electric system but my lights turn off while im driving

Filed May 12, 2017 · Lights · 162,500 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. While driving 30 MPH, the headlights failed and independently turned off without warning. The contact was able to turn the headlights back on, but the failure recurred several more times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 162,500.

Questions about the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer lights

Does the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer have lights problems?

Owners have filed 104 complaints about the lights of the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 10% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer lights problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 85,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer lights?

Yes, 2 recalls: 05V198000, 04V527000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Chevrolet Trailblazer have the most lights problems?

The Chevrolet Trailblazer model years with the most lights complaints are 2007 (151 complaints), 2002 (144 complaints) and 2005 (143 complaints).