Problems with 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

When my mechanic put my truck on the lift yesterday to change the water pump, he noticed that the frame is so rotted that he advised me not to drive it.and for who knows how long, my wife and myself, who are both disabled, have been driving this, putting ourselves and the public at risk. when i brought it to a chevrolet dealer, they just said, no recalls on it, sorry! so now i have to figure out a way to get my wife and myself to doctors appointments, shopping, and all the other things we need a dependable vehicle for. we can't drive this, or afford to fix it, and we have no money to buy another one. did i mention that we are filing for bankruptcy because my wife was mis-diagnosed by a doctor, lost her job, and now is in a wheelchair? or that our mortgage is going on 18 mos. overdue?or that we have a new handicap accessible home to move into, but we can't get our current house packed to be able to put it on the market? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that transmission fluid was leaking onto the catalytic converter from the transmission line. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the technician stated the transmission cooler lines would have to be replaced due to corrosion on the insulated heat shield. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 122,924. *tr

When i first purchased the vehicle a couple days later i noticed the steering columns ability to turn was very hard and making loud noises. i fought continuously with the dealership to fix the issue and finally after several attempts they agreed to fix it. then 2 months later were driving my son to the airport and the car stopped and began to smoke, come to find out the radiator had a hole in it and there was some type of temporary stop leak stuff put in it to allow a consumer to drive for a short amount of time before the problem would arise again. so now my family and i are out of transportation and im still paying a car note on this vehicle, i feel totally taken advantage of and wonder how any dealer can go to sleep at night knowing they've been deceptive in the selling of a vehicle to a family. the truck is my children and i only way of getting around and its hard enough on me as a single mother, this is just one more problem i didn't anticipate, that was why i use grant money that i received from school to purchase (what i though) was going to be reliable transportation. this situation has really been a burden and hardship for us, especially trying to figure out how were going to get from one place to another..im so frustrated and saddened by the dealerships neglect, non concern, and not properly fixing vehicles before marketing them.i would like to know what i can do about this matter because i brought the car without a warranty and it was used. please help!!!!!! *tr

I was driving home from work and started hearing the trucks undercarriage start to rattle and grind on the bumps of the road. i had a sudden loss of power on engine and it wouldnt respond to my pressing on the gas. i believed that i had gas in the truck because the gauge read half full and apparently i was out of gas. so i proceeded to pull into a gas station and as soon as we filled up, the truck would not start! i saw that my check engine light was on and had to ask for a jumpstart to get it started again. at another time and date again the truck went dead, i asked for a jumpstart and the vehicle would not respond. i now had to buy a new battery because the car damaged the original battery and now with the new battery installed my car starts but will not stay on without me pressing on the gas while in park gear. i believe something may be defective with the electrical gauges, fuel delivery system, and suspension. *tr

Trailblazer sounds like a jet engine with a lot of "wind" noise. took it to the dealer and found that the fan clutch went bad. not only is the fan clutch failing on multiple trailblazers but chevy made this part so dynamic that the cost is outrageous. also, due to the fan clutch going bad it also damages the serpentine belt. *tr

I have a problem with my fan clutch. transfer case and suspension problems. *tr

Car idle would go crazy at stop signs and rd lights. during take off idle would plunge and car would stall or come very close to stalling. took it to dealer and they could not fix it since no codes showed up on computer. i took it to another shop and the problem was the throttle body and cam position sensor. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the front end of the vehicle would exhibit an unusually loud hissing sound when driving any speed. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the fan clutch would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileage was 85,000.

2002 chevrolet trailblazer ltz - oil pressure low light comes on and pressure gauge goes from 40 to 0 when vehicle is idling. *tr

Exhaust manifold exhibits cracks and small holes. exhaust fumes enter the cabin. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. when driving she hears a humming sound in the front of the vehicle. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. the current and failure mileages were 56000.

My heat gauge would show fast rising temp. of the engine. the dealer did not believe me when i told them it must be the temp. sending unit. they said they never go bad....called later to say it was the heat sensor, replaced it, tore the thermostat out of my trail blazer, said it was bad [i don't think so], replaced it and then said i needed to have my seven computers reprogrammed so the car would run right.[i didn't believe that either]. since everything depends on computers to diagnose everything, i had to have them do whatever the dealer said. so, i feel that i was ripped off for unneeded parts and service...to the tune of $750. what a rip off ! ! ! ! *tr

Have owned a 2002 chevy trailblazer for three years when i purchased it made a load fan noise but it went away after a few feet now it makes the sound all the time chevy needs to call them back before someone gets hurt or killed when the fan explodes it will happen the fan is plastic and can only take so much rpms chevy you should do this before you have a law suit. *tr

The fan clutch on my 2002 trailblazer have been acting up and not working properly for quite a while. from the initial startup of the vehicle , up to traveling speed of 55 mph the load jet noise, fan clutch revving can be heard. the revving up, jet noise, and lack of power from the engine and no acceleration when needed. service engine light has come on several time p0495. seems as though the problem has slowly got worse over the past year. finally had to purchase a new fan clutch from automotive business and replace the part. a simple 5 minutes search of the problem on the internet showed a very eye opening response from several hundred other owners of similar trailblazers with same exact problem. the fan clutch was replaced with a new one and the old fan clutch is still available if anyone needs to see it. the loud engine revving fan noise/like jet engine, used to happen every few days, but then it became a daily problem , hence the concern to replace the part. bought the vehicle two years ago with 36000 miles on it and it has 56000 miles on it now. for your information of the other hundreds of owners with similar problem, here is the link. http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/chevrolet/trailblazer/r64655/comments/. *tr

The cooling fan clutch in my 2002 chevy trailblazer has gone bad. there have been many other reports about this part failing on these vehicles. causes decreased power, increased rpm's, and may cause engine destruction. *tr

1. transfer case seized - 4wd failure while driving 2. fan clutch failure - vehicle does not operate properly in a number of ways. *tr

My "service engine soon" light came on today and i brought it in to be put on the diagnostic machine. it is reading error code po495 cooling fan circuit error. after researching online i found that it is generally a problem with a faulty fan clutch. and that this is a very common problem for my vehicle (2002 chevy trailblazer). the site i visited had 279 pages of comments on this problem! statements made were that if the fan clutch malfunctions it can "explode" causing more damage. *tr

Ses light on. brought to local repair shop and dealer, which both verified a p0304 code indicating a misfire on cyl 4. i decided to change spark plugs and found water in the upper cylinder around the spark plug and the spark plug coil from cyl 4 was corroded. replaced plugs and cleaned coil as best i could. i found a tsb indicating that this is known problem and dealers are told to install a seal to stop water from draining on to the engine. i called chevy customer service but the refused to cover the install or the repair. *tr

I own a 2002 chevy trailblazer. there have been numerous problems dealing with bulbs. the main issue i'm having now is the fan clutch. my engine revs really high when i'm driving. the cost of the repair is well over $900. i believe this should qualify as a recall. i've researched various message boards & find this to be a common problem with trailblazer owners. *tr

The fan clutch on this particular model has a long history of failure, repair mechanic has replaced many of these units. this failure causes a loud noise to emanate from the engine and renders the vehicle unsafe to drive due to potential engine overhearting and fan clutch lock-up. *tr

Fan clutch replaced on my 2002 chevy trailblazer this year and also a water pump second time. *tr

I own a 2002 trailblazer ls. the vehicle has acquired approximately 82,800 miles. on a least five separate occasions, while covered under factory warranty, the vehicle was taken to midway chevrolet located at 5915 montana ave. el paso, tx., due to recalls and various other mechanical problems. on at least two occasions, the vehicle was taken to midway chevrolet of el paso due to an unexplained high engine noise and a light engine warning light. on each occasion, i was told by the midway reps. that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. they simply reset an electronic component which turned off the engine light warning indicator and eliminated the high pitch noise. the vehicle worked fine for a short period, then the high engine noise returned, and so did the engine warning light. i simply grew tired of going to the dealership, therefore continued to run the vehicle with the high engine noise and the engine warning light. today, i received news from said dealership that the high pitch engine noise and the engine warning light is, and has been, due to a cooling fan clutch assembly. this non-stop mechanical problem now keeps me from a texas state inspection sticker. to repair this problem, they tell me, will cost over seven hundred dollars. this should have been repaired while under warranty. they had several opportunities to remedy this problem. they failed to honor their responsibility. now, i am unable to, legally, drive this vehicle anywhere in the state of texas. from recent information gathered, this problem is all to well known to chevy and gmc, yet they have done nothing to correct this problem. i wish to register a complaint against chevy and midway chevrolet of el paso for their failure to repair the cooling fan assembly problems when they surfaced and while under factory warranty. joseph e. gaines *tr

On 5/25/08 engine quit. towed to garage. ran diagnostics,compression tests # 3 cylinder bad -no compression. garage gave me a copy of chevrolet bulletin no. 03019 says engine bad on 01 and 02, 4.2l engines. mike's garage ( ase certified- master mechanics, jeff-813-988-5689) said take to chevrolet - had it towed autoway chevrolet, tampa, fl. gave them the bulletin - got a call from jacin hogeland (service) a piece (the end) of the spark plug broke off and went into the cylinder- engine is shot. not under warranty. jeff, mikes garage says they pulled the plugs, did compression check and no plugs were broken. the plugs are the original ones from chevrolet and are guaranteed 100,000 miles. the trailblazer looks new, garage kept, driven weekends, has 42,000 miles. chevrolet wants $6,500.00 for new engine, $5,000.00 for used one. have called chevrolet, complained, they say well, not same problem listed in bulletin. it's the spark plug. i say spark plug supposed to last 100,000 miles-fix it. they said they would get back to me on 6/4 or 6/5. today 6/3/08 received a telephone call jacin @ autoway, want me to authorize them- pull the head to find out exactly what happened to engine. said thought you told me what happened. he said , chevrolet is going to need to know before they talk to me. i said i thought you made a determination. his answer is they need to know what happened, before they can make any settlements. i asked what happens, if they still say spark plug and no warranty. his answer was would cost me $1,400.00 to have head pulled. i would still have to buy engine for $6500 or $5000 used. i said if not covered i would have mike's garage do the work. he said that i would be liable for $1,400.00 to pull the head. what is going on here. i look on the internet and there complaints all over about the engine, yet no recalls. just a bulletin that this what chevrolet will do. *tr

2002 trailblazer suddenly started making loud noise as if a jet airplane and delayed transmission shifting, along with loss of power. took it to mechanic and they replaced fan clutch to the tune of 730.00. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving at any speed, the contact heard a loud roaring sound coming from the engine. afterwards, the rpm's will increase to 3 or 4 and remain there for a while before decreasing. a mechanic stated that the fan clutch needed to be replaced. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 89,000 and failure mileage was 87,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that her engine has been ticking and making whining noises during acceleration, and performing very poorly. the service engine soon light illuminated intermittently. the contact took her vehicle to her local mechanic and they stated that the engine needed to be repaired. she was able to locate a dealer's special policy related to service bulletin number 060603. the dealer and the manufacturer informed her that a diagnostic would be needed to determine the cause of the failure, which would cost approximately $2,800. the contact stated that she takes her vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance as specified by the manufacturer. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 72,000 and current mileage was 75,000.

Just as many other 2002 chevy trailblazer owners have found, one day there was a loud fan noise when accelerating, reduced gas mileage, and a lack of ability to accelerate that lasts for about a mile. after a few minutes of searching on the internet it is apparent that my problem is the fan clutch, tsb 060602003, nhtsa 10019510. it appears that thousands of owners are having the same problems and have been for years but there is still no recall. although this problem is intermittent at this time it almost caused a serious accident the first time it happened. i was merging onto a highway and couldn't get the engine over 30 miles per hour. we were nearly rear-ended. i have copies of at least a thousand internet complaints with the first one posted around november 2001 --- just about the time we purchased the vehicle new. (if you don't know it already there are websites just for the purpose of complaining about the chevy trailblazer!!!) i can't believe that gm would turn away from it's customers like this! i certainly doesn't make me want to purchase american made again! *tr

Loud roaring noise that sounds like a jet plane. was intermittent, but now constantly. the noise is even louder when you accelerate. the fan is turning at an astronomical rate of speed and gas mileage now is only about 9 mpg. right before this constant jet plane sound started, the battery blew up. yes, blew up! and the truck would die if the a/c was turned on. the dealer told me it was the water pump and the pulley and belt also need to be replaced. i have no idea what a water pump has to do with any of this, but $711 later i still have the problem. *tr

To gm service assistance, our 2002 chevy trailblazer is at connell chevrolet in costa mesa, ca having a new engine installed at a cost to us of approximately $7,000. the vehicle has 82,000 miles. we have been without the use of the vehicle since december 19 when it became inoperable going down our street. the only sign of trouble was a massive amount of steam coming out of the exhaust pipe. the heat sensor malfunctioned ($7000 malfunction). there were no warning lights, no bells, no alarms, no indications of any trouble...and then...nothing. my husband had the car towed that night to connell chevrolet. on december 27th we visited connell to get the full story. apparently the head gasket blew again (see attachment 1), and since the heat sensor wasn't working properly, the engine overheated and blew (again, no sign of any trouble before this incident). now we are without a car and have a $7,000 repair bill. no one i know has ever heard of two head gaskets going on a vehicle of this age and mileage. the first gasket went at 39,000 and the second at 82,000 miles....hmmmm. to us that indicates that there is a defect in this vehicle, and we want to know how you are going to assist us. *tr

The electrical gauges on our 2002 chevy trailblazer did not function properly when the fan clutch failed, leading to engine overheating. the overheated engine blew the head gasket before the engine itself blew up. my husband was had just backed out of the driveway and had driven about 200 yards when this happened. it is important to note that warning systems malfunctioned: there were no lights, bells or any indication that complete engine failure was imminent. there wasn't even the odor of an overheated engine. if this had happened on our local freeway i could be suing gm over my husband's injury or death. *tr

Engine skipping, 4.3 litter, number 4 cylinder spark plug coded with oil, no compression. 60,000 miles upon dealer taking apart said 11 out of 12 head bolts were cracked and broken. said if he cannot get out the bolts we need to buy a new engine at our cost. no warranty assistance. either head bolts were over torqued at the manufacture or bolts were made out of defective material.*cn

Engine revs with no power, fan clutch stuck on . started when vehicle was new. progressively worse and had to be replaced at 50,000 miles. six months later problem back. *tr

At about 40,000 miles it started making a loud roaring noise at start up until you get about a mile down the road. i changed the plugs and air filter at 60,000 and the noise seemed to go away. it was soon replaced with a squeaking noise from the belt area. i took it in to have the belt replaced and $90 later that didn't fix the squeaking noise. after a little research on the web i found out about the fan clutch problem and the water pump bearings were going bad. so i replaced the fan clutch and the water pump myself for $300. the roar is not as bad now but still there, shifts abnormally, and now at 60 mph it jerks forward and rpms go from 1500 to 2000. i researched more on web and found that after changing the fan assembly you must get the pcm updated. i called the local dealer (maroone) and they want $104 to do that. any information would be greatly appreciated. *tr

- 2002 chevrolet trailblazer - trailblazer ascender cooling fan clutch & speed sensor assembly. - loud noise coming from cooling fan. while under warranty was told by dealer that the noise was normal and that there were no problems. after warranty exp

When turning on my chevy trailblazer..sounds like a jet airplane taking off. had it replaced last year (2007) and it's starting to do the same thing. i was told that the original fan clutch had some sort of upgrade or was it just defective? *tr

I own a 2002 trailblazer that stalled for no apparent reason. i did not understand it because one day it will stall at every single red light or stop sign and then the next day it will be fine. when i start to slow down at a stop sign or such the needle in the rpm gauge goes nuts and the vehicle starts to kind of buck a little and then idles really low or it will rev itself up to about 3000 rpm. so when i get to the stop it just shuts off, no lights come on in the instrument panel or nothing. most times i just put it in park , turn the key to the off position and then start it back up. runs normal then, well maybe until the next stop. only one other time did i go to start it back up and it wouldn't start but only for a second and then it did start. also, it revved while i wa s just driving normally. it has had numerous other problems so when i took it to the chevrolet dealer i purchased it from for another problem as well as me telling them about this, they had overnight, said they took it for a drive and nothing happened, which i told them that it doesn't happen every time you stop or every day. they also said since no service engine lights or anything came on they couldn't tell what the problem is when they put it on the diagnostic machine. so i have no clue what to do but to keep driving it and maybe someone will rearend me because it stalls in the middle of the highway. i feel half afraid to drive it anymore. *ak

I got in the car to go to work the other day and as soon as i put the car in drive and stepped on the gas it made a loud fan noise that made the car sound like an airplane taking off. this was the first time the car had ever made that noise. i drove the car around that day before getting it to a mechanic. the mechanic said it was the fan clutch that needed to be replaced. i believe they said it was an electronic relay, which was why it cost $600 to replace. the suv was a 2002 model and had 57,500 miles on it.*ak

I had the fan clutch replaced on my 02 trailblazer at 75,000 miles. the clutch fan sticking, making a very loud roaring noise that the dealership calls normal. the fan had been doing this virtually since new purchase, but only occasionally and always went away quickly. nothing i could demonstrate to the service department. until it failed. *ak

I own a 2002 chevy trailblazer and recently experienced loud, roaring noise from engine coupled with reduced power and very poor gas mileage. took the vehicle to a dealer and confirmed the fan clutch had failed. dealer quote was $637.50 to repair. i ultimately purchased the part online and had it installed by a local mechanic and saved myself around $260. vehicle runs fine now. i cannot believe gm has not issued a recall for this issue. a simple internet search will return hundreds of posts related to the fan clutch failure. very disappointing. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while pulling out of the driveway at 5 mph, a loud noise was heard. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined the cooling fan needed to be replaced.

Doors rattle and shift while driving down the road. the windows also rattle, particularly on the drivers side, front and back. also, the air/heat blower is stuck on #4. it won't blow on any other settings

Our motor came to part. we've only had a few visits to the dealership which was not recorded. when we notified the dealership he gave us papers of a special warranty put on our vehicle. one that last until 100,000. problem being we've never received one page of this. we have a 2002 chevy trailblazer. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated after starting the vehicle, the fan clutch would not disengage. the dealer determined the fan clutch needed to be replaced. *ak

When i first bought my 2002 trailblazer, the fan clutch would occasionally be fully engaged when i started the truck in the morning. it usually resumed normal function within a mile or so. as of yesterday, it will not disengage and the check engine light came on. it sounds like the labor to replace this clutch is very high. i'm not sure if i dare tackle this myself, but the thought of paying $700 to replace something that shouldn't fail at 47,000 miles is disgusting. *nm

There is a loud roaring sound from under the hood. (sounds like a jet engine.) vehicle dealer says that vehicle has a bad cooling fan clutch and that the related computer software needs reprogramming. this loud noise problem used to only happen when the vehicle was cold and would go away after about a half mile. vehicle appears not to shift properly (automatic transmission) and the vehicle does not accelerate well while this loud sound is present. sometimes now the problem occurs when the vehicle is warmed-up. the loud noise goes away after a short while. *nm

Fan clutch has/is failing. hangs and doesn't always release even if vehicle has been sitting for days. no 'logic' as to when it chooses to disengage. no engine fault light. is as likely to be fully engaged on a cold morning as a hot day. affects mileage and by inference emissions. this is a chronic trailblazer problem per my mechanic and web complaint evidence. *nm

My 2002 trailblazer sounds like a jet engine when preparing to start out in the drive position at all times no matter when speed you start out in. the auto mechanic i took it to several times said it would cost hundreds to replace the clutch fan to see if this would fix the problem possibly more and it is using way too much gas now. *jb

Own 2002 chevy trailblazer which i purchased used in may 2004 with approx. 35-37,000 miles on it. driven on highway 5 days a week 61 miles round trip to work. vehicle developed loud roaring noise, poor acceleration, increased gas usage within the last year which initially was occasional but as of yesterday became non-stop. service engine light came on. nearly hit from behind due to inability to accelerate when merging into traffic. diagnostic code po495 which ended up being fan clutch. part at parts store was 217.99 w/tax. afraid to take to dealership as multiple other owners with same problems paid $600+ for repairs with majority being labor. frequency of fan clutch problems by other owners makes it apparent it should have been a recall by gm. *nm

2002 chevy trailblazer has a serious fan clutch problem. vehicle has 52,000 miles. the clutch fan stays engaged at any speed, vehicle will suddenly loose acceleration and also gets poor gas mileage. check engine light eventually came on about 2 weeks after the vehicle stated to sound like a tank. will take this to a local mechanic as based off of the amount of complaints on the web with other people having the same problem, and the dealer charging $700.00 to repair when the part can actually be purchased locally for $229.00. there are definite problems with this and based off of all the other complaints gm is well aware that there is a problem, and will do nothing about it. *jb

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