Problems with 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXTERIOR LIGHTING

1. other than several recalls for a faulty tail light, which still does not work properly on 2002 trailblazer did not have any major problems prior to the incident on september 10, 2005.*ak 1. while driving home on about the evening of september 10, 2005 my 2002 chevrolet trailblazer with 47,427 miles suddenly groaned loudly and rapidly decelerated approximately 1/4 mile from my house. i was able to get home at a speed of about five mph. when i arrived home i contacted my mechanic who said it sounded like a transmission problem. my mechanic looked at the vehicle and told me it was the transmission which he was unable to repair. he suggested i contact my dealer as he felt the vehicle did not have high enough mileage to warrant tranmission failure. i contacted tillery chevrolet in moriarty, nm where i purchased the vehicle and spoke with mr. glen tillery. he asked if i had purchased the extended warranty package. upon hearing i did not purchase the extended warranty package mr. tillery gave me the approximate price for his dealership to repair my vehicle. i felt his price was high and the dealership is located approximately 50 miles from my house which was too far to drive my vehicle in its condition. i received recommendations from other people and took my trailblazer to budget transmission in albuquerque, nm. budget looked at the transmission and stated it needed to be replaced which i authorized. when i picked up my vehicle the technician informed me my transmission failure was due to a faulty sunshell. the price to repair the vehicle was $1,813.68 3. the repairs included a rebuilt transmission and torque converter. the original parts are not available.

Who do i contact about recalls not being performed on my vehicle? *nm

Have had many of the problems i read on posted complaints: new engine required within nine months-one year of owning new vehicle, inside driver door panel replaced three times, change oil and service engine lights staying on, hood not closing properly, back glass needing replacement, fabric problems in back seat, etc., etc. and this morning it is a $200 problem with the headlight switch. too many things to even remember or name, but chevy has a pretty thick file on me and my vehicle. *nm

Have replaced the head light in the trailblazer 3 times due to the connector for the lamp melting then burning out the headlights. *tr

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.

Dealer refused to complete repairs for stoplight assembly recall on the 2002 chevrolet trailblazer.*mr consumer received numerous safety recall notices regarding air bags, defective stop light assemblies, etc. serviceman performed the seat belt tests, informed that both of the tail light assemblies required replacement under the recall notice at no charge to consumer. no delivery date was available for parts. *bf

Noises coming from underneath the suv ,check engine light constantly came on and one night i was going around 55 mph my 15 yr old daughter,we heard a loud pop it sound like we had hit something in the road so i stop to see what it was, we saw nothing but the squeaking sound from under the suv got louder some day later jumped in the car started the car and there was that loud sound again only this time the suv would not move in reverse i could hear some spinning like noise so i took it to a shop and i was told that the transmission was striped out in reverse, and that some shaft had broken or something, the mechanic also told me that he had several people come in with the same problem the same model trailblazer 2002 what hurt me so bad is this was my first brand new car, i only had it for two years, and if i every buy another car it want be from gm, i also had problems with my tailgate lamps ,windshield wipers,steering column. *nm

Stop lights keep going out. *ak

I have had the right front headlight replaced on my 2002 chevrolet trailblazer on 2 separate occasions because the bulb burned out. it recently burned out again and i went to have the bulb replaced again only to be told that the entire socket had burned out and had to be replaced . i questioned the technician about this but he had no concrete answer as to why the socket would burn out. he speculated that perhaps the bulb (which they had replaced twice) had not been put in securely or it had been loosened during normal driving. i am upset because this burned out socket ending up costing $65.00 to replace. had they done this during one of the other instances, my warranty would have covered this. i think this problem is a defect because i have encountered many trailblazers on the street with one of the headlights not operating. *ak

The headlights do not operate, making it difficult to see the road at night. took vehicle dealer for repairs twice, but the problem recurred. *ak

Failure to addquetaly repair recall stop light system for the tail lights

Nhtsa recall campaign 04v527000 concerning brake lamp failure. no parts were available.*ak......*ak

Dt: contact bought a 2002 trail blazer in 2004. contact complained about electrical problems. brake lights/headlights/ 4-wheel switch , and blower switch went out. on 12-720-04 she started having transmission problems. it started grinding when she put in fourth gear. when she took vehicle to the dealer ,they told her that gears were faulty. when she put vehicle in 4-wheel drive, it broke. she had it repaired, and then the headlights went off because the headlight switch burned out. then she had a new actuator put on it and a month later, she had to have another actuator put in. on 7-20-05 while driving, the 4-wheel drive switch came on, and was switching between 2-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive. vehicle stopped, and she put it in 4-wheel drive. went back to the dealer, who told consumer differential failed. before she could drive home the transfer case module went out. the name of the dealer where she has been taking the car was gillelands at 3019 division street, st. cloud, mn 56301.*ak in addition to all the vehicle's problems, the sunroof was broken and the sway bar links were loose. *tt

The brake light would go off on its own. the light bulbs needed replacement. mechanic informed the driver that the problem could not be duplicated. *ak

I have a 2002 chevy trailblazer on which i has replaced the right brake light 6 times, and left brake light 3 times in 44,000 miles. i have a relative who also owns the same make/model and is about even with that count. chevy has offered to extend the warranty and replace these lights and sockets for free but this does not fix the problem as i have had 3 light failures since my socket was last replaced as has my relative. it is apparent that chevy is not willing to fix this problem, only patch it up. with tail lights, you only discover it is out if a cop hands you a ticket, or someone else is kind enough to tell you when you stop. given the frequency with which this occurs, it is very likely that you would end up driving around with no brake lights at all and not realize it.

2002 chevrolet trailblazer -- i have experience a reoccurring problem (about 6 times over the last couple of weeks) where the low beam headlights go off during operation of the vehicle. nothing i have found can force them to come back on; however, usually after 5 or 10 minutes they seem to return to the normal on condition by themselves. the high beams work ok, tail lights, dash lights, turn signals, etc. are not effected while the low beams are in this condition. additonally one day i noticed the day time running lights in this same state. i had the vehicle in the dealer, bill heard chevrolet (sanford, fl), and they were unable to reproduce the condition. i contacted gm/chevrolet, and they agreed that unless the condition could be reproduced, there would not authorize or make any attempt to replace any parts to attempt to correct the problem. this seems to be a rigid stance to take, especially since i never know when this can happen again, and it is obviously an extreme safety issue for not only myself and family, but others on the road with me at the time. i don't know how to proceed at this point, and don't know if this has been reported by any other owner.*ak

2002 trailblazer acted like transmission going out, took to dealer they upgraded computer. front right low beam wired burned and melted, took to dealer they wanted to charge 250.00 plus labor for light assembly when all it needed was a piggy plug, bought plug at napa and fixed myself. never have had two back lights working at same time... cant take to dealer to get the recall work because it seems that these vehicles are using a "weak" oil pump and my trailblazer has been in shop for last month or more waiting to be fixed. the weak oil pump caused damage to rod bearings, main bearings, and crankshaft. gm says out of warranty and my customer service specialist said "i'm sorry" about 10 times but she was still closing my folder and marking dissatisfied. she can't help me because i'm out of warranty. i hate this vehicle. i have found quite a few recalls but can't do most because its in the shop. i never got any recall notices.*ak

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

Left brale light failure due to socket not holding bulb tight dealer would not fix because about 600 miles over warranty. *ak

Consumer stated brake lights failed. *ak

Front right low beam headlight has burned out four times ... i only have 20k miles and the dealer can't find the problem. *ak

Brake light failure, left rear (drivers side)brake light bulb burns out on a regular basis. i have noticed this same condition on many other trailblazers. many trailblazers that i see on the road, i notice their same brake light out and the driver is unaware! i need to replace this bulb every few months.*ak

My 2002 trail blazer brake lights go out all the time. i changed the bulbs several times, but the problem seems to be the board that holds the light bulbs. the bulbs fit lose in the board, and it does not make a great connection.

Both rear brake lamps not working when pedal is pressed. both bulbs and all fuses seem to be fine. *jb

The right passenger low beam socket burned/melted twice since 5/2003 and three bulbs have been replaced. reported to chevrolet 7/04. this is a t.s.b. listed on alldata.com, but chevrolet refuses to use t.s.b.'s listed anywhere but the gm site and the nhtsa site. *ak

While driving 40 mph steering pulley failed. vehicle lost power. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak the vehicle switches itself into 4-wheel drive while the manual switch is in 2-wheel drive. the taillights failed. at new computer had to be installed. the rack and pinion needs to be replaced.

Headlight failed for the 4th time...i looked at the connector and it has burned area indicating a short...no fire this time but may cause one in future...if the light fails this often, can both fail and cause injusry or death due to no headlights while driving at night??? too many failures for a car that is only 2 1/2 yrs. old...*ak

During four consecutive oil changes, it was noted that a brake light was out. *nm

Left brake light does not work, even after replacing the bulb with a new bulb.*ak

2002 trailblazer - rear brake lights burning out - had left side replaced under warrenty by gm dealership (circuit board where lights plug in burnt out) back in feb. 2004 -- dropping truck off again at dealership for same problem with the the right side brake lights -- went through 12 bulbs since jan. 2004 - got stopped by police for brake lights out. also experiencing problem with front end making noise when going over bumps and passager side seat belt locks up for no reason - dealership ordered new one back in feb. 2004 and still waiting for it - see what happens tomorrow when i bring it back to dealership for these above problems. *ak

Brake lights went to working occasionally to not working at all now.*ak

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

The driver-side brake light bulb repeatedly burns out (3 times in as many weeks). appears that the bulb doesn't make a snug fit in the socket. i found a tsb from gm regarding this. the dealership refused to correct the problem under warranty (48k miles). i purchased the replacement parts listed in the tsb, replacing the board, which resulted in a snug fit between bulb and socket. no issues since. this is probably related to defect investigation pe04032. this is on a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer lt with 2wd and i6 engine.

Stop light and rear turn signal light sockets are defective in that these lights cease working. when i go to change the bulb, the bulb is ok. after cleaning contacts, bending contacts and "fiddling" with the light bulb and socket, the light will work again, only to fail in 2-3 months. this has occurred 5-6 times since purchase of a 2002 chevrolet traiblazer in the fall of 2001. *ak

Brake lights on chevrolet trailblazers are continuously going out. every single trailblazer i see on the road that is not brand new has either one brake light missing or both. went to dealership to question if there was a recall on this incident and said no, but has to replace circuit boards on models of trailblazers. this is not fair if the vehicle is no longer brand new and without a warranty. this defect should not be at the cost of the owner for a defect of this caliber. this is dangerous to other drivers if they are not able to see the vehicle braking in front of them. *la

Found both main brake lights inoperable at the same time. both bulbs needed replacement after just 2 years. bulbs also loose in sockets leading to intermittent operation and probable shortened bulb life. also noteworthy: 9 out of 10 suv/pickup trucks that i see with inoperable tail/driving lights are recent model gm products.

Tail lights burning out. *ak

Trailblazer service engine light on, engine reving, seems to be fan clutch stuck in high speed, causes poor acceleration, poor gas mileage, and costs over 500 dollars to repair. dealer in small town states they have replaced several in the same year model truck. due to the high cost of this repair, i am forced to drive my vehicle until i can come up with the money to repair it. hopefully it will not damage any other parts in the mean time. there seem to be several complaints that deal with this same thing. also, the rear brake lights keep going out .

Ongoing brake light failure on '02 chev trailblazer. in the last year or more, i replaced the driver-side brake light bulb four times and once for the back-up bulb. most times the bulb looks fine but i replace anyway. sometimes the brake light works intermittently. according to chev parts dealer, the sockets on the circuit board gets corroded and causes a short, so i replaced the "circuit" board (out of pocket costs) on 2/14/04 but the brake light still doesn't light up. i loved driving the vehicle but this could be a deal- killer for gm in the future. they had better recall and fix this issue, or there will be several others like me who will go to another manufacturer.*ak

Our 2002 chevrolet trailblazer has problems with its lights. we have had multiple problems with headlights and brake lights. we know others with the same problems and see many on the roads with brake lights out.*ak

Vehicle brake lights keep on failing, bulbs burn out very often. *ak

Brake lights have gone out 5 times in as many months. vehicle idols extremely high, shifts hard into second gear and bad vibration when braking.

Brake light failure....repeated burnt out bulbs on drivers side brake lamp switch control module for 4x4 replaced under warranty at 34,000 miles. module has acted "quirky" since replacement. i have experienced temporary failure which corrected itself by next day. possible loose wire??? *jb

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

The brake lights in my 2002 chevrolet trailblazer have gone out 4 times in 9 months. each time the dealer has replaced the circuit board and bulb. i consider this a serious safety defect with my trailblazer. no one seems to know why this problem keeps happening, and i am worried about future problems. *la

Brake and tail light on 2002 chevy trailblazer ext have failed on four occasions since leasing this new car on 5/24/02. service people have been great in fixing the problems. this first incident on 11/6/2002 involved only one tail and brake light but the fourth incident on 11/21/2003 involved both tail and brake light. the failure comes without warning and only is noticed when a good citizen driver informs me. the latest incident was noticed when a driver almost rear ended me because both lights were out. fortunately, the top (dole) light worked. the dates of the repairs are: 11/6/02, 8/7/03; 12/23/03; 11/21/03. in a related problem the windshield wipers and/or washers have faied on three occasions: 7/2/02; 11/6/02 and 12/23/02. *la

This is the second time that my brake lights have failed. luckily someone behind me has been nice enough to let me know before i am rear ended. i have two small children and hope that gm fixes this problem before someone is seriously hurt. the socket has been replaced once and appears to be the problem again. if you pull the bulb slightly out of the socket the brake lights will work, the only problem is that the first bump or two you go over shorts the lights out again. i only hope i continue to have nice people, who are paying attention, behind me when i am traveling, otherwise i may be writing back to report serious damage. let's get this fixed-it is obviously a problem-just read the complaint list. *ak

Brake lights keep burning out...3 times so far.. also i see the same situation on may other trail blazers on the road.*ak

I own a 2002 chevy trailblazer with approximately 40,000 miles. i have had to replace the brake lights 3 times. they are out again. both of them. a lady stopped me this morning to tell me. that explains why someone almost rear-ended me last evening. *la