Problems with 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving at night or day the interior lights would come on and off intermittently. the driver was able to drive it to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic can not duplicate the problem. please fill in additional information.

Vehicle type: 2002 chevy trailblazer. brake lights, tail lights, and turn signals at the rear of the vehicle fail without warning. light bulbs burn out in hours or days, rather than weeks or months. no signs of moisture in the tail light assemblies that would shorten bulb-life. the total light failure has happened 6 times in the past 3 months. no accidents, but several near misses. have spent more than $150 in new bulbs for tail lights and brake lights over this time frame. old bulbs do not always appear to have burned or broken elements, but have replaced them anyway for safety sake. windshield wipers don't work when turned on, or come on when switch is in the off position. dash lights all light up for no reason. heater/air conditioner blower won't work, and power windows won't work when dash lights are lit. took this problem to the dealer for repair. said they couldn't find anything, but reset the computer just in case it was malfunctioning. this happened again on the way home from the dealer. called them back the next morning, they said there wasn't anything else they knew to look at. this happens about once every other week and is intermittent. this part of the problem does not occur at the same time the brake and tail lights fail. problems have been on-going since i purchased this vehicle in february 2004. *jb

Re defective 2002 chevrolet trailblazer 4x4, problem with 4 wheel drive, a/c, batteries, taillights and electrical problems. *bf while driving 55 mph the vehicle's 4-wheel drive went into four wheel high or low intermittently. the vehicle's battery loses it's charge. the taillights went out and the blower in the air conditioner had to be replaced. fuel splashed out of the filler while the consumer was filling the tank. the vehicle stalled intermittently. *nm

The consumer went to the dealer for a recall on the tail light and once the consumer left the dealership, it was discovered that the tail light was not repaired. the dealer was contacted and they stated that the problem was now the consumer's and refused to repair vehicle, per the service manager. *la *sc *jb

While driving check engine light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to a garage for inspection, and mechanic determined that the computer sensor needed to be replaced, and replaced it however, the problem recurred. *ak

Right low beam headlight shorted and brief fire within headlamp.*ak

Tail lights failed. tail lights repaired four times. however the problem recurred. dealer stated the circuit box mafunctioned. *ak

For 2 years now i have had problems with both of my tail lights not operating dealer replaced circuit boards 2x and that still has not solved problem. *ak

While driving 40 mph, the engine light illuminated, then the vehicle stalled. this caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle, hitting a wall. the consumer had the vehicle towed. the dealership tried to repair the vehicle 7 times, but did not resolve the problem. the air bag also failed to deploy during the accident. *ak the pcm failed due to a circuit inside, fluid leaked from the power steering hose, the engine revved high and was loud when the vehicle was started, the consumer saw sparks under the hood fuse block at the same time the gauges fluctuated and shorted, the right rear tail lights were inoperative, and the fuel gauge made a whirring sound when the vehicle was started. *sc *jb *cb

Feb. 04 46,000 miles repaired transmission, 2nd gear and reverse broken, was told by a gm transmission repairman that this is very common problem, sometimes it takes just one fix, some trailblazers have required many repairs (also problem on envoy), being a straight 6, the transmission cannot handle the torque causing the gears in the transmission to break; vehicle cut off on me at a red light for unknown reason; dash gauges and radio would not come on when car started, drove for a few miles, cut car off, restarted and all came back on;radio facing becomes extremely hot to touch at times and flickers on and off; obnoxious squeak in the front end of car, taken to mechanics with no reason why; ticking noise while running; other than the transmission, no action has been taken due to reading the filed complaints of others with no real successful results or answers from dealers. i hate this car!! *jb

We have been having problems with the brake lights not working on our 2002 chevy trail blazer. we have been told from the dealership that we bought our vehicle from that there is no recall on this issue and that they are aware of problems with other trailblazers with the same problem. we have been told that we have to buy new plates that hold the tail lights that put out lower power to the bulbs. the current plates that hold the brake lights constantly burn the cotacts in the bulbs. i have been told by the dealership that the new bulb holder plates are $70.00 each plus the labor. to me having no brake lights is a major safety hazard and you usually do not know when they are out unless you are notified by someone or you are pulled over by the police. we have also had similiar problems with the headlights but they last about a year before they need replaced. so much for quality in our craftsman ship for our american made vehicles.

I bought my trailblazer on april, 2002. since then, i have had only electrical problems. the indicator light above the four-wheel drive knob has failed twice. the dome light has failed twice. the driver's side reverse light has failed once. finally, the passenger-side brake light just recently failed. all but the brake light has been serviced by the dealership which sold me the trailblazer. from the repair description, the problem did not lie from a burned-out bulb. rather, the problem stemmed from a fuse or another internal, electrical problem. *ak

Constant electrical problems with vehicle. after purchasing the vehicle in august 2002 the brake lights on the passenger side has been replaced numerous times. now neither of the brake lights work, from what i have read due to electrical problems. how can so many people complain but, chevrolet/gmac is not held responsible?

2002 chevrolet trailblazer was involved in an accident as a result of the rear tail light being inoperative. *mr the consumer's vehicle was rear ended while he was slowing down in traffic. this suv had other failures to include the windshield wipers, engine(6 times) , battery (2 times) , dash board, head light and various electrical problems. *nm

Numerous problems. car stall 3x , battery went out, windshield wiper worn and tail light out, considered not safe. *bf the vehicle was hit in the rear. the dash system went out and the vehicle idled rough. *sc

While driving another driver signaled consumer that tail and brake lights were out. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the vehicle's left and right circuit board had an open circuit which resulted in no brakes and tail lights. *ak *nlm

My wife was travelling on i 80 when the vehicle lost all its electrical power, she was able to pull over. she was stranded for approx. 3 hours until the vehicle was towed to the dealer.

While driving at 65 mph vehicle stalled without warning. when this occurred vehicle lost power, which almost resulted in loss of control. upon inspection of the vehicle dealership determined that an electrical short caused vehicle to stall. (ak

The brake light circuit board melted which caused the brake lights to go out. the brake light bulb has been replaced twice. *ak the consumer stated the wiper motor failed. the battery was replaced because the vehicle would not start. *jb

Electronic exterior rearview mirrors and power seat engage and operate by themselves. dealership cannot fix the problem. *ak the memory for the mirrors and seat would not keep their position. when the consumer entered or exited the vehicle the systems would reset to a new position. occasionally they moved while the vehicle was in motion. the dealer has replaced many components but the problem still exist. the check engine light illuminated. the dealer replaced the oxygen sensor. the a/c control mode button became stuck and was noisy. the dealer replaced the a/c module head. the left windshield wiper chattered and skipped. the dealer replaced the wiper insert. the 4wd switch fluctuated between 4wh and a4wh. the dealer inspected the vehicle and replaced the transfer case select switch. *ts *nlm

Brake light failed intermittently. dealer stated computer board failed. *ak

Consumer stated battery leaking acid. consumer had notified the dealership.*ak

Since i purchased the car there have been a number of safety issues. the first was the transmission. i brought the car into the dealership 3 times with complaints of the car having spells where it was difficult to drive and on two of those occasions it nearly caused an accident. the third time i had to stop the car on a busy highway and have the car towed in for repair. the have since repaired the transmission. the second issue was the car was stalling intermittentaly. the final time i had it towed in and there was some electrical issue they have resolved. i am currently trying to resolve the third issue with the car. the car engine is reving very loudly and if i accelerate beyond 40 miles/hour the car lunges forward. i have not heard back from the dealership yet but this is the second time it has been in on this issue. i would also like to note i bought the car from classic chevrolet and they lied about the safety features of the car. i was told that it had the latch system and when my son was born in may i found out that in fact it did not have the latch system. gmc has stated that they have no way to repromand the dealership for lying about safety features on cars. i purchased this car because i wanted a new safe car to start a family and i ended up with a lemon of a car that is the most mechanically unstable that i have ever experienced. i ended up on the side of the road stranded when i was pregnant nearly an dozen times.*ak

Consumer lost steering and hit a tree head on. in addition, the seat belt failed to lock causing injuries to the consumer (driver). (lawyer on behalf of client rebecca doyle). *la the airbag also burned/injured the passenger. the vehicle experienced electrical problems with the brake lights, tail lights, fuel gauge, left seat belt, dash (computer readout) and the brakes pulled. *sc *jb

The vehicle repeatedly switches into a 4 wheel drive (4wd) and 4wd modes on its own during normal 2wd operation. the dealer claims that the onboard computer recorded no such occurrences, and therefore is ignoring the problem. numerous similar complaints filed on this nhtsa web site indicate that this is a widespread problem with the trailblazer which mere replacement of the 2wd/4wd switcher module will not remedy. this fact--taken along with frequently burning out bulbs (running lights as well as brake lights)--suggest that a possible larger yet more fundamental electrical wiring problem is what's plaguing an otherwise excellent vehicle. this is truly a shame. *la

While driving the brake lights failed intermittently. the dealer has been notified. *nlm four circuit boards have been replaced and the brake light melted. chevrolet stated that this was a major problem. *scc *jb

Consumer stated that while driving, they lost steering control causing an accident. dealer notified. *ph consumer was cut off by a truck losing control. regained control then brakes felt like a lack of pressure. steering loosened then locked up causing the consumer to spin out of control. gm stated there were no recalls. consumer and the insurance company feels there is. insurance co. stated it could've been the vacuum to the engine shutting down or the lower control panel snapping which causes these symptoms. *ph

Vehicle constantly displays "service engine lamp", air bag module had a problem, rear brake lamps blew out, 4 wheel drive mechanism on dash was replaced, ignition never turned off all the way, killed battery because it drained battery. *nm

Electrical system located near dash. lights are constantly going out and may have a short in the electrical unit. *la

Abs/brake light illuminates in the dash and stays on, air conditioner/heating unit blower does not work. contacted dealership 4 times within a 2 month time frame. issue still not resolved. dealership thought replacing body control module would correct the problem, no such luck. *jb

For a vehicle that is only 18 months old, i had to replace the passenger side headlamp 4 times already. yet no one agrees that there could possibly be a short in the electrical system causing the problem. i can't see 4 different sets of bulb being bad. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that his horn works intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a dealer twice, but the failure remains. the current mileage was 77,690 and failure mileage was 9,000. updated 02-14-08. *kb

On start up, heard a racheting sound as tachometer engaged. increased the rpm's and heard the gear mechanism rachet up and down as rpm's increased/ decreased. *tt

When attempted to start vehicle all gauges and lights on instrument panel failed to come on vehicle shut off and restarted still no instrument panel. vehicle was drove approx. 5 miles shut off and restarted and the gauges and lights then came on. there has been 3 times that this has occured in the last 4 months.

The light on the 4 wheel drive knob is always jumping back and forth from 2 wd to 4 wd . the service 4 wheel drive light came on several times. the vehicle was taken to my chevrolet dealership and it took them 5 days to figure out the service 4 wheel drive light was due to the ignition? my ignition does not start properly anymore. the lights on the 4 wd knob still blink. i do not know if the vehicle is safe. the dealership claims it is safe? *jb

Consumer states, while driving vehicle cut off without warning dealer notified. please provide additional information. ts

Gm ignition switch recall needs to be expanded. my mother purchased a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer new. approximately 5,000 miles into ownership, the car would "drop" various electrical components while driving down the road. for instance, while driving, the engine would continue to run, but the wipers would stop working, hvac would turn off, air bag and abs warning lights would illuminate, etc. dealer had no idea how to fix. eventually they replaced the ignition switch and the problem was solved. to my knowledge, gm never issued a recall, but i'm sure the issue is not isolated. these switches were unreliable across several vehicle lines, please investigate gmt 360 platform well. *tr

Brake light bulbs i have replaced the brake light bulbs 2 times since i have owned the vehicle in the last 6 months i recently blew another making it the third buld on the drivers side. vehicle was taken to be serviced and it was said that there was a seal that was letting moisture in the assembly, new assembly was put on and just recently blew another bulb. there are three bulbs in the same assembly why is it only the brake light buld that is affected if it were caused by a leaking seal.

The first time i had problems was about a month ago when the check engine light came on. i brought the vehicle in to lynch service department and it was taken cared of that same day. on 10/25/2002 my car completely shut down and it would not start for me at all. i had my vehicle towed to gillespie chevy dealer service department and as of today 10/29/2002 my vehicle is still there . i was told that it is an electrical problem but that was all i was told. now i'm just sitting and waiting. dt

My vehicle has been serviced numerous times (october 2002-october2003) by michael chevrolet (5737 n. blackstone ave.) in fresno, ca. for various electrical problems that are hazardous and has failed to correct these problems. *ak

The consumer was able to take the key out of the ignition although the vehicle was in gear. *mr *nlm

Ever since i bought my 2002 trailblazer i have had nothing but problems. i have a stack of paperwork of everytime i brought this into the dealership to fix and have had about 5 rental cars due to this. now after searching this site i find there have been alot of recalls on these and i havent been informed about any of them besides the one for security. please help me. im a single mom with 2 children that ride in this truck. *ak windshield wiper module replaced under warranty at 48,594 miles. *kmb

2002 chevrolet trailblazer. numerous problems associated with car. windows don't come down, doors don't unlock, and other issues. *ta the consumer stated when he turned the key in the ignition, the windows would not roll down, unless it was done manually. there was a locking and unlocking sound coming from the doors. the consumer was informed there was an issue with the wiring inside the doors. also, the check engine light illuminated due to a small evap leak and after market fuel cap.*jb the windshield wipers were inoperative, the instrument panel lights were flicking on and off, the inside dome light would not come on. updated 04/13/15. *jb updated 07/20/15. *j *js *js *js *js *js *js *js *js *js

Wiring harness burned up. caused damage to control panel, dash, computer system. entire vehicle gutted to replace wiring. a door panel was broken in process. several rattles now exist. we were told there was no way of knowing if electrical problem would occur again. gm agreed for repurchase. however, they delayed procedure so that 0% financing can not apply. also wanted us to pay out of pocket, buy back amount said we would be reimburced, but would not put it in writing. dt

Dont know where to start. squeaking noise when going over bumps (sounds like it is coming from suspension). metal grinding noise in brakes, ticking noise from engine, seat belt and airbag lights have come on for no reason, rear latch has come open while driving, tail lights and brake lights burning out freqently, transmission was slipping on take off, no cause found in the several times it has been taken in for this. now my transmission is out. just happened yesturday. don't feel like i can blame the dealership after reading all the complaints. i think the fault lies on the shoulders of gm. *ak

I have had numerous of problems with my 2002 trailblazer. i have had to replace my rear tail light housing 3 times in the last year. i have also had to replace the clutch fan 3 times within 3 months. my hood keeps squeaking and has to be readjusted every other month. my instrument panel has gone out twice. the alarm also works when it wants to and the passenger side seat belt always locks up. on 6/13/03 it left finally left me stranded on the side of the road on the way to california. i live in arizona and was traveling with my wife, mother-in-law and our 3 year old daughter. i had to pay for a rental car and had to submit to gm to reimburse me for the rental car. by reading all the complaints on these 2002 trailblazers i think we should all get together and do a class act law suit towards gm. e-mail me with your thoughts. [email protected]. *nlm

Engine stalls ; engine hesitates; engine trembles. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

There is a knock in the engine of my vehicle. the new engine with the new design of the pistons straight layout is making my engine have a continuous knock. my four wheel drive does not work due to a electrical short in the dash harness. wire harness is located behind dash. tail lights constantly burning out. *la

Engine stall - truck stalled and all lighting and components went dead while slow to stop at an intersection. the truck could not be re-started. after 10 minutes, the truck started again and was able to drive on. subsequent attempts to start the truck failed resulting in it being towed to the dealer. the dealer had to replace one of the computers in the truck and it has been fine ever since. i heard about the investigation for the envoy and bravada but not the trailblazer. my truck is a trailblazer and did experience the same problems as the two sister trucks that share the same mechanicals.