Problems with 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer POWER TRAIN

Transmission went out at 56,000 miles. dealer diagnosed problem as a faulty sunshell, which from what i am reading, is a problem on many gm vehicles. i called gm customer assistance since i can not afford the $1,300 bill for this problem, and they say they will not offer me any assistance since i purchased the vehicle used. regardless, the faulty part is an issue gm needs to address!!! *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while parked the driver side seat belt locked up and would not retract. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer for nhtsa recall, # 04v201000 regarding seat belts. after a year, the same issue recurred. updated 11/16/06. *jb the air bag light illuminated. the shifter would stick when trying to move it from park to drive. the moonroof would not close

2002 chevy trailblazer with perfect service history, has constant transmission issues and now has a blown transmission and gm had offered to pay for half, ok'd with my local dealer and later changed their mind after three weeks of trying to get it to be fixed. because they have strung me along i now have a $3000 bill to fix it and a $1200 rental bill because they told me to hold off getting it fixed because they could help me. *nm

My 2002 trailblazer transmission cooler line failed when we went to replace it we were told that both lines had to be replaced ( only 1 was bad) because gm redesigned this part if the part was redesigned then they must have realized a mistake and this should have been recalled. we were lucky we noticed ours leaking when we did. we saw smoke and stopped before a fire. now waiting on parts to fix, dealer item only and not in stock. trailblazer not old enough for this to be happening. *jb

2002 trailblazer was running bad around 34000 miles. took it to dealership and they had to fix the rear differential and reprogram the 4 wheel drive transfer case. all repairs were under warranty. i am now having the same problems at 70000 miles. dealership wants to charge about $2000 to fix the problems. have talked to several other trail blazer owners and mechanics and it seems that gm has a lot of problems like this, but won't do anything about it. *jb

No warning, our transmission went out at 45,000 miles on our 2002 chevrolet trailblaizer. only have second gear. it will be towed to the dealer, doesn't sound like gm will cover anything as it is out of warranty. *jb

My chevrolet trailblazer blew its transmission for the 1st time on 6/1/06 at 47000 miles. the repair quote was $2700 but chevy ended up covering all but $200 as a warranty repair. on 2/24/12, it blew its transmission for the 2nd time at 94000 miles. the car still has its original brakes, but is now on transmission #3. the repair quote this time is $3038. obviously there is a design defect in this transmission, as the car is just driven under average conditions (no towing, no heavy loads, etc.) *tr

Transmission does not shift smoothly and the vehicles seems to "skip" when driving, had checked and was told the transmission needs servicing. also, several times the car has jumped from 2wd to 4wd on its own, while being driven. thankfully only when going approximately 10 - 15 mph. now the service 4wd light is on. fuel filter needs replacing. oxygen sensor needs replacing. this car is a 2002 with 71,000 miles. *nm

I am writing in a complaint on my trailblazer transmission. my fiance decided to go shopping in st. louis about 200 miles from home on her return home she was about 10 miles from home and she feels this instant jerk that made her go off the side of the road and then the vehicle had a constant humming noise. after she got control of vehicle and came to a stop. she had no gears or reverse. i am complaining because if she would have been in st. louis she probably would have hit someone or killed someone when the transmission went out if she would have been in the high traffic area. i am writing this letter because i have wrote gm headquarters and the said they can't do anything about it. well the vehicle isn't very old and our friends had the same thing happen to them but the went on vacation to florida when theirs happened the only difference theirs was under recall is what the dealer told our friends. so they got there transmission changed for free and i have had to pay for a new transmission. gm headquarters told me for me to get my money back that you would have to recall the transmission on my certain model before i would get my money refunded to me. please look into this matter. i know other people are having the same trouble. thanks. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the range shift collar fractured resulting in failure of the transmission. the vehicle would not go into drive or reverse and would not stay in the park position. there is an nhtsa recall, # 01v283000, regarding the power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive). the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the vin. the vehicle was repaired prior to the recall.

I have about 36k miles on my 2002 chevrolet trail blazer lt 2wd. i am now experiencing problems when i step on the gas, the tb does not move, just the rpm's increase, then the tb jolts into gear. same problem when shifting into reverse. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle slipped out of gear. the engine revved up to 4,000 rpm's; however, this did not cause the vehicle to accelerate. the vehicle was pulled over and it went back into gear. the transmission slipped again, but the vehicle was taken to the contact's residence. this happened 2 more times. the vehicle was then towed to the dealership. the dealership stated there is a broken gear in the transfer case and the transfer case must be replaced.

Transmission failed - dealer said probably due to the sun shell. when given the option to rebuild or replace i took replacement due to cost and warranty. cost me $3,000 for replacement.*ak

2002 chevrolet trailblazer - at 60,000 miles the transmission failed, i.e. no reverse, and only first and second gear. dealer diagnosed as a broken reaction shell. they replace the reaction shell and overhauled the transmission. at 69,000 miles had exactly the same symptoms. dealer diagnosed as broken reaction internal gear caused by owner rocking car to get unstuck. therefore the warranty from the first failure was no good. g.m. told owner that they would replace trans as a courtesy if owner paid $500 deductible . *jb

The transmission on my 2002 chevy trailblazer has failed with only 43,000 miles. the cost of replacement is $3,200. we purchased the vehicle used in february of 2005 from a very reputable dealership in the harrisburg pa area. it is very disappointing that you take special care of your vehicle then it has this major problem. after doing some research on the internet i see i am not the only one with this problem it seems to happen quite often on low mileage trailblazer. *jb

1) no special events. normal operation, backed out of parking place, heard metal noise, now tranny has no reverse, and won't shift out of 1st gear. vehicle was left there at that point for tow. 2) vehicle is now being towed and serviced by aamco transmission. after reading numerous online discussion boards, it's very apparent to me that gm knows there is a problem with the 4l65e transmissions failing, but refuse to do anything about it, in the form of a recall. my wife was driving, since this is her vehicle, but i'm thankful that hers failed in a parking lot. i read some discussions that should definitely be a true safety hazard. as in, when some of these transmissions fail, the wheels lock up, which makes you skid. this could be very dangerous, especially for those of us that live in snow country! *jb

My 2002 trailblazer with 32,716 miles on it, started to make a thud noise when slowing down and increasing speed on 12/09/05. i called chapman chevrolet in tempe, az and made an appointment for 12/12/05 to have it looked at. on 12/11/05 while out christmas shopping my tb started to whine while in motion, then lost reverse. the service center called the afternoon of 12/12/05 to let me know that the sun shell gear had gone out in the transmission, and that the following day someone associated with the extended warrenty program would come out to verify the repairs, which all the repairs were covered, for which i only had to pay the $100.00 deductable. however, if i had not had the extended warrenty the repairs would have cost appx. $2700.00. yes, my tb was past the 3year date of purchase, however i wouldn't excpect for a transmission to have problems or go out under 100,000 miles, unless the vehicle is being used commercially. i'm very disappointed with the quality of my tb, and plan to get rid of it before my extended warrenty runs out, my next vehicle will not be a gm product. *nm

I have a 2002 trailblazer. the transmission was reprogrammed twice in 2002. last month the transmission failed as i exited the off ramp of a highway. the vehicle was towed to the closest chevrolet dealership. they called me a day later and said the sun shield had fallen apart and there were fragments of the transmission all over the place. this vehicle is out of warranty as it has 77,000 miles on it. the dealership said it cost 3,000 to fix the transmission and is willing to submit 1,500 for reimbursement to gm. this stinks as a transmission should last a lot longer than this and it certainly does not make anyone want to go buy a car from chevrolet. *jb

Dt: the contact heard a loud clinging noise in transmission. she could then only get the vehicle to go in first gear. the vehicle was then towed to a certified dealer. the dealer confirmed that the vehicle would need a new transmission. the manufacturer was contacted. they offered no free remedy.*ak updated 1/11/2006 - *nm

My 4wd gave in and broke the front axle and seized the front diff. this happened in april and was repaired by gm. gm payed 40% of the cost to repair. the truck had 68000 miles on it at the time. the truck now has 72000 miles on it and the trasmittion needs to be replaced. i guess the sunshell is at fault, but regardless, pretty much the whole trucks drive train has needed to be replaced before 75000 miles. this shouldn't be the case and makes me wonder if this vehicle is a lemon. *nm

Tie rods, multiple transmission module problems, airbag, taillights, stop, turn signal rear problem, electrical/ wiring,radio, hvac, pressure control,2 batteries, 2 fan clutches, among other problems. *jb

Driving to work, engine seemed to rev up and didn't shift correctly. after going to work (interstate drive @20 mi). my return home, check engine light came on. went to have fluid changed the next day and was told, "tranny's fried", had to take it to transmission shop for rebuild, still waiting to pick up. *nm

Engine fan noisy... runs too fast/high. a couple mechanics have said fan clutch is the problem and needs to be replaced. transmission doesn't seem to shift smoothly... and seems to be related to this engine fan speed. *nm

2002 chevy trailblazer has sudden loss of power on highway. slows from 65 to 30 with no response to throttle. no check eng light on. all gauges correct. wait for 10 min on roadside with vehicle running try it again and it's ok - back up to 65 with no problem. happens maybe every 2-3 weeks intermittantly. could be very dangerous on nys thuway!. had dealer and 2 other mechs check it and they found nothing wrong. fluid was good and level correct. no codes stored. had flush and new filter - same thing. *nm

(1) no events leading up to failure (2) transmission failed at 44,000 miles, first time; failed at 99,000 miles, second time (3) had transmission rebuilt, first time; not repaired yet, second time. *jb

2002 trailblazer with 37,100 miles on it, when the transmission when out. no reverse or 2nd or 4th gear. *nm

I noticed oil on my driveway. i took my trailblazer to the dealership. they told me that the front axle shaft was leaking fluid and that it was going to cost $800 to replace a couple of seals in the pinion and the gear box. *jb

This complaint is for a 2002 chevy trailblazer with 44000 miles. my wife pulled out to pass a slow moving car and when she pulled along side the car she was passing, the motor just reved up and made a screeming loud sort of noise. there was a car coming ahead of her and the line of cars behind her had taken up the empty spot she had just pulled out to pass from, not to mention she was scared by the loud noise coming from the car. she almost hit the on-coming car head on. my wife and two children were in the car that almost cost them their lives. after researching the problem and talking to the dealership that is repairing the problem, it seems many people are having this transmission problem. my dealership's service manager said this shoud not happen again because the new parts are hardened steel, and the gear that was put in at the factory was not. i feel that this is a widespread problem and someone is not going to be as lucky as my family ended up being. i assume that the company is not recalling this transmission part because of the cost of replaceing this defective part. i feel that the saftey of my family and any other family is well worth the cost of replacing this defective part.

Car starting making a whinnying noise. i then turned around and took to car to the dealership for repair, approximately 10 miles. their investigation found it was the transmission , only 84,500 miles). at this point, i will have to authorize them to make the repairs , approximately $2500. after reading several message boards, it appears that this is a common problem that gm addressed on the 2003 model. apparently, part of the transmission on the 2002 could not stand the heat. gm needs to fix this problem and issue a recall, and behind their product). *ak

Right front outer shaft seal failure. this is a light truck/suv that seldom sees use off of a paved road. the "right front outer shaft seal" should not be failing at 57,326 miles. "goodwill warranty" covered portion of replacement cost.*jb

I own a 2002 trailblazer and bought it new in may 2002 and purchased the extended warranty 5 years or 50,000 miles. the other morning on my way to work my car would not shift to the next gear automatically. this happened with no warning. it did this the whole way to work. i was concerned at that point that there was a problem with the transmission. when i came out of work to leave for the day i needed to get into reverse to get out of my parking space and my vehicle would not shift into reverse. at that point i knew there was a real problem. i checked my transmission fluid and it appeared to have been a little low so i added some fluid and that did not make difference. at this time the person who was parked in front of me left so i was able to get into drive and i drove carefully home. when i called the dealer and asked if my vehicle was still under warranty they checked and it was not. i have 58,000 miles on my car and my warranty was for 5 years or 50,000 miles. so at this point i had no other choice then to take it to the dealer or another shop to have it looked at. i chose to take it to aamco transmissions since my family has used them previously for other transmission problems. the mechanic there told me that they would do diagnostic tests, a test drive and then check to make sure all connections are good. within a couple of hours he called me to let me know that my problem with my transmission was definitely internal and they would have to rebuild it. he told me that i had no 1 2 3 shift and no reverse. once they had taken it apart he called me to give me the damage. the cost of the rebuild with several parts needing replaced this is costing me $2500. these are the parts that needed to be replaced, torque converter, drive shaft, transfer case fluid, steel plates, drive shell, update pumps, reactor shaft, thrust washer and epc solenoid. *jb

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. *jb

Vehicle was not shifting properly transmission failure ( sun shell spleen the works). had an inspection and had to have new sun shell spleen, reconditioning of transmission. $ 3000.00 to fix, i see many complaints on the 2002 trailblazer. this should be looked into, i called the manufacturer to tell them about the failure and they e-mailed me and thank me for the e-mail. my vehicle only had 49,665 mileage. i should have saved the parts they were in very bad shape. this failure was without any notice. *jb

My wife was driving her 2002 chevrolet trailblazer when the transmission catastrophically failed. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, and the diagnosis was "sun shell spline failure" in the transmission

4 w/dr light goes to 4hi/ all wheel dr/4 low without warning at anytime. the computer mode was replaced once under warranty at the moment it doesn't seem to be actually shifting. also had a loud jet sound coming from the engine as if it was laboring and had to have the fan clutch assembly replaced @ a cost of over $800.00 . *jb

My trailblazer has 56,000 miles and the transmission has went out with no sign that it was going out not even a warning light inside the truck or a noise when driving or starting the vehicle.

My vehicle is a 2002 chevrolet trail blazer of which i purchased new. since day one the vehicle has been plagued with a multitude of problems. it has had an engine replacement, clutch fan ($620.00), tail lights, hvac controls $(200), exhaust manifold, recall items and now finally a transmission failure where the sun shell/gear let go costing me ($1858.03). fast forward to today just 3 months after the transmission was "completely overhauled), the valve body id failing where the dealer has told me that "is not part of the 12 month, 12,000 warranty on the transmission."

2002 chevy trailblazer ls 2wd 4.2l has 79,200 miles on it driving in town, parked in a parking spot to drop wife off. put truck in reverse to back out of parking spot. hear a loud "pop" and now i have no reverse, no overdrive. car goes to 6000 rpm before shifting intot he next gear. take truck to dealer, cost is 1800 to fix the transmission, i call gm customer assistance, tell me there is nothing they can do for me. sun shell gear is one of the parts that need to be replaced

Transmisson failure / no early warning signs

Dt: consumer has 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. consumer took vehicle to dealer because vehicle was shifting into 4 wheel drive high and low at random. consumer was exiting the freeway when vehicle shifted down to 4 wheel drive low. this happened again when consumer was pulling into driveway. when consumer was existing freeway and the vehicle dropped into 4 wheel low consumer noticed that the light said 4 wheel low. consumer had this happen about six times. this happened while turning into driveway a few times, consumer started turning left into driveway when it shifted down into low. consumer stopped vehicle , and the light flashed and cycled through different settings until it went back to 2 wheel high. consumer could feel vehicle shifting in and out of 4 wheel and high and low when light changed position. consumer contacted manufacturer, and manufacturer stated that there was nothing they could do. vehicle was taken to dealer, who dealer said that they done a software update to the computer and this may fix problem. dealer could not guarantee that problem was fixed. consumer did not want to pick up vehicle because she was scared for her family to ride in vehicle.*ak

I own a 2002 cheverolet trailblazer with 66 thousand miles and have had the transmission go out.

Transmission went out on 2002 chevrolet trailblazer.

While driving to lax airport after rounding curve to get off on airport ramp, tranmission failed. vehicle would not move. local airport police assisted to get me towed ($45) to police lot. notified onstar and was towed to closest chevrolet dealer, albertson oldsmobile chevrolet in culver city, california. after three days the dealer had not even looked at the vehicle. i then ha car towed to aamco transmission in orange california where after less than 24 hours i was informed transmission was completely burned up. a pump had failed and the inside of the transmisson assembly was filled with metal shavings. in october of 2003 the transmission had failed and the car had to be towed to gateway chevrolet in la mirada, california. car was repaired. i have also had many other problems with this vehicle including brake lights, windshield wipers, heating & air conditioning system.

Transmission failture

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. *jb

1. my car broke down on my way to work, approximately 27 miles into the trip. i turned onto a side street, and when i started accelerating, a loud screeching sound started as i entered 2nd gear. i immediately pulled over. 2. my husband gently drove it to the dealer and they assumed it was the sun shell spline. however, in order to find out, they wanted to charge me $455 to pull the transmission. we decided against it, fearing the high cost of repair and took it to a local mechanic. 3. mechanic replaced the sun shell spline, pressure control solenoid and manifold pressure switch. cost = $1,222.66 + $84.00 diagnostic at dealer. we have the sun shell spline. repairs were completed on june 2nd. then, on june 5, the condensor on the a/c went out. took it to the dealer because chevy stated that was the only way they could help me (no help on the transmission). cost to repair = $261.34.

1. we have always had problems with our 2002 trailblazer. at times, mostly when cold, the gas pedal would be unresponsive. we continually took it to the dealer who told us there was nothing wrong. in december of 2003 we could not get the vehicle to go into 4wd, took it to the dealer and they changed the transfer case control module. 2. in may of 2005 with approx. 80000 miles on our tb, the transmission failed. it would not shift beyond second gear. at the time we were driving somewhat slowly so it didn't create a dangerous circumstance. 3. we took it to the gm dealer who rebuilt the transmission for approx. $2200. ever since the transmission was rebuilt, it has shifted hard in 1st and 2nd gear. *nm

Vehicle jumps into 4lo and 4hi at random. dealership reprogrammed something, and problem continued. dealer now guessing at problem. when the 4lo engages vehicle acts like brakes lock up.

I had a problem with the engine slipping on my 2002 chevy trailblazer. i took it to the dealer and they said it was the 4 wheel drive button and replaced it. i am now having another problem with the transmission. when i start it up the brake light and abs light stays on. when i put it into gear the engine keeps winding up and will not shift. i then have to pull over and turn the vehicle off then start it back up. this problem occurs on a daily basis. *nm

I brought this suv from the dealership and i started having problems with it a month after i brought it. the car air conditioner stop working and the transmission was making a horrible sound. i took the car to the dealer to get fixed three times. all the times i took the car it came back the same way that i took at first. i also took it to a different dealer to get fixed and they also didn't fixed it. i want to cancel this suv purchase. mainly because even before t brought the suv the salesperson at the dealer added $5,000 to my income so i could qualify to get the suv, but that was completely a lie. right now i'm having many problems at work; that's the main reason i want to cancel the purchase of this suv, which is just giving me many problems. *jb