Problems with 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The speedometer on my 2003 chevy trailblazer went from 0 to 120 at a stop sign. now it is stuck past the 120 and just vibrating. sometimes it will go back to 120 but seemed to go right back to the dead space past 120. the trailblazer only has 45,000 miles. *tr

The cluster in my 2003 trailblazer is not working. a recall was issued for the 2004 tahoe with the same problem but not the trailblazer. *tr

The speedometer malfunctions on an intermittent basis. sometimes it drops to zero. other times jumps to a speed that far exceeds the vehicle's speed. it is not just the cable. was told the entire instrument panel would need to be replaced costing hundreds. do not know our speed 50% of the time. going on for over a year. began at 75,000 miles. began in january of 2008. *tr

I have a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer ltz. there are "stepper motors" that run each gauge inside the gauge cluster. my speedometer stepper motor has gone bad causing me to not know what my speed is. i have seen this same problem on numerous message boards as well. *tr

2003 chevrolet trailblazer. *tr

I purchased the used 2003 chevy trailblazer may 2006. last year the speedometer started jumping above my actual speed. approx. 4 days later it rectified itself. it has happened 4 - 6 times and each time the same thing happens and it takes about 4 days to fix itself again. i haven't kept a log but it seems to be happening more frequently. i've read other owners stating what they had done. i cannot afford $300 - $400 taking it to a dealer. how many complaints need to made before a recall it set in motion for chevrolet? thank you! *tr

2003 chevy trailblazer. the speedometer has gone wild. i.e: i am sitting still at a red light and the speedometer is pointing to 80 or 100 or even worse, pointing straight down in the six o clock position. *tr

2003 chevy trailblazer randomly stalling, very dangerous , losses brakes and power steering when it stalls. seems like a very common problem , many online complaints and conversation. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the instrument cluster was defective, causing all the gauges to read inaccurately. the dealer diagnosed that the vehicle would need a new instrument cluster. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 113,000.

I have a 2003 chevy trailblazer. my instrument cluster has stopped working. my speedometer, gas, oil, temp, and amps do not work. chevy currently has a recall on other models for this problem, but not the trailblazer. i feel chevy need to take responsibility for all of their vehicles. *tr

This truck has on three separate occasions shut down while driving and would not start back up. the truck had to be towed to a dealership and the ignition switch was replaced all three times. the last time it was driven off of the lot and made it 4 blocks before it stopped running again. it was towed back to the repair shop and is still not running.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving 60 mph, the instrument panel cluster failed. the speedometer and the tachometer worked sporadically. the vehicle was diagnosed and repaired by the dealer. the purchase date and transmission type were unknown. the current mileage was approximately 76,000 and failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

For approx. 4 months i would go to get into my trailblazer and the vehicle would be dead. would not start unless i had it jumped. it would go 2 weeks with no problem then out of the blue, not work. i had the battery changed 2 times, alternator, starter checked with no problem. finally after the last time, i had the alternator people come and get it and they checked it out for 2 days. the abs system is what came up. i had to have it taken to the dealer that i purchased it from (i have only had this vehicle purchased used for a year and couple of months-vehicle is only 4 years old now) and it is the abs module costing me $1150.00 to be fixed. dealer states that it stays on after vehicle is turned off and running my battery. *tr

2003 chevy trailblazer ls 4x4 - the gauges on the dash board do not work. this includes the speedometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, battery gauge and octameter. i've read many bulletin boards indicating the same issue. the dashboards for these vehicles should be recalled.*tr

2003 chevy trailblazer. fuel gauge was very erratic then quit. contacted dealer said they have had problems but no recall. chevy has recalled 2003 trucks for same problem. the trailblazer has the same gauge cluster, but they will not fix the problem for trailblazer owners. *tr

No warning. while driving down the road, the car just shuts down. the first time we had it towed to aaa automark, they replaced the battery but did not find anything else wrong. it has happened 3 times since. we have been able to coast off of the road without incidence so far, but this is dangerous. i went to the website below, several people have experienced and described the same conditions. i do not drive the car on the highway at this time. http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/chevrolet-trailblazer/t0l7p7ih6l5h33n4s/p3

My cluster on my 2003 chevy trailblazer has gone out causing all but one gauge to work that is the speedometer.. *tr

3 year ago i bought a 2003 chevy trailblazer it had 75,000 miles on when i bought it the week after my tach stopped working no reading at all i went to every mechanic they toll me to take it to the dealer i took it to the dealer and they told me that it was a module problem and that and that is going to need a new one they wanted to charge me over 2,500 dollars to fix the problem i have search around auto parts to see if there is any sensor for the tach. since then it has not work. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact complained about a speedometer failure. while idling the speedometer read 90 mph. the dealer stated that the instrument cluster was damaged. when the temperature was below 30 degrees the steering column froze and activated the horn. the horn will not deactivate unless the fuse wasremoved. additionally, when applying the brake pedal the vehicle began to decelerate, but the pedal dropped all the way down to the floor. the contact must release and depress the brake pedal again in order to stop the vehicle. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. the current mileage is 75,000, and failure mileage was 70,000. *ak

Instrument cluster stopped working properly. speedometer would register various mph while vehicle stopped, can only guess how fast vehicle is actually traveling when moving. taken to dealership, diagnostics run, quoted $390 to replace, including a charge for programming new instrument cluster. temporarily reset. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving 25 mph, the contact noticed that the fuel gauge was not registering the correct amount of fuel. occasionally, the gauge would indicate that no fuel was present in the vehicle at all. the vehicle was not inspected and no repairs were made at that time. one year later, the temperature gauge, actuator on the air conditioning/heating system, and the speedometer failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they confirmed that the actuator failed. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $720. the manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because the failure was not under recall. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 44,000. updated 4/23/09 *cn updated 04/28/09. *jb

2003 chevrolet trailblazer ltz; 71, 000 miles. speedometer stopped and started at 70 mph while i was driving slowly on a residential street. later that day it dropped to 50 mph as the starting and stopping point even when the ignition was turned off. if an accident had occurred, what speed was being recorded in the vehicle's black box? the chevrolet dealer says i have to replace the instrument panel. this would cost about $500. vehicle is out of warranty and i have notified gm. *jb

When driving @ speeds over 60 mph, the speedometer would just keep going until the needle was pointing straight down. it would then stick at about 70 mph, and then each time you would turn the vehicle on, the speedometer would go down 5 mph, and eventually reset itself. *nm

First rear a/c stopped working and repaired but stopped working less than a year later. gas gauge stopped registering amount left so now we go by fill ups and reset mileage each time. rear brake lights have been replaced multiple times because of melting in sockets and now right turn signal won't work bc there is problem with socket again. passenger side rear door handle doesn't engage consistently either. repairs are frustrating. biggest issue was transmission died right after warranty expired and we had to cover entire cost of this. kind of sucks because i love my truck but the electrical system seems to have problems. *tr

The speedometer on my 2003 trailblazer quit working. it displays a speed that is anywhere from 10 - 70 mph over what the actual speed is. the problem is due to a bad cluster of gauges. *jb

Transmission failure. i own a 2003 trailblazer and have had numerous problems with it. they have replaced 4 fan clutches, 3 computers, transmission just had its 2nd overhaul and numerous other little items. this vehicle only has 66,400 miles on it and i bought it brand new. *jb

2003 chevrolet trailblazer lt (mileage: 52,200)- speedometer failure vehicle taken to dealer. told by dealer this is common failure. my vehicle is out of warranty (3yr/36,000 miles) [subsequent years warranties: 5yr/100,000 mile] cost to repair $560. *jb

Speedometer started fluctuating around 55k miles. finally quit totally at 77k which was beyond my extended warranty. don't have enough money to pay the 500 bucks to get it fixed with $4 a gallon gas. as smooth as the trailblazer rides it is hard to tell how fast you are going,,,,,,,,,,,certainly a safety hazard. gm should be covering this for life of car. *tr

I own a 2003 chevy trailblazer. it has just over 60,000 miles. the speedometer stopped working correctly a few days ago. the speedometer reads between 85-120 mph no matter how fast i am driving. i have been told by my local chevy dealer that it will cost around $400.00 to have the speedometer repaired. i believe chevrolet should be responsible for the replacement/repair costs since this is a safety issue that numerous other chevy truck/suv owners have also experienced. they should have recalled the speedometers on their suvs/trucks a long time ago.*jb

About a month ago, turned vehicle off for about 3 minutes, when returning to the car and restarting, noticed the radio did not come on, the clock did not illuminate. after arriving to destination, turned the vehicle off and the radio and clock began working again, but the clock had reset itself(like the battery had been disconnected). occasionally, when turning on the turn signal-it doesn't blink, just stays lit up. i have checked for blown bulbs-they all are working properly. the radio station id (on the screen) seems to work occasionally. last night, when the radio was on preset 6 (105.9) fm100 showed on the screen. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the instrument panel did not function properly. the speedometer indicated 30 mph while the vehicle was parked. also, the tachometer, the oil and fuel gauges, and the odometer did not give a reading at all. the fuses were removed and put back in, which only corrected the problem temporarily. the vehicle was taken to a private repair shop, where the mechanic was unable to determine the problem.

I own a chevy trailblazer ls 2003 and recently my dim headlights have been going out. i have replaced numerous bulb in the last 2 months and recently i have noticed that the headlight harness wiring has been shorted out and fried. the odd thing is that both dim headlight harness are fried. i maintain my vehicle fairly well and try to keep things in working order. i called the chevy dealer and they said they have not had any complaints or recall of the harness. two years ago i had a similar problem with the brake light system and finally after replacing a huge number of bulbs, the chevy company recalled the mother boards on the tail lights. with the dim lights going out when ever they want, puts the driver and other drivers at risk. an example of this is on saturday night on my way home at 8:30pm, i noticed that i did not have any dim lights. i was not in a position to get them fixed so i had to drive to my house (which-thank god was close) with my bright lights. this puts the oncoming drivers at risk of blinding and the driver is put in a awkward position for lights. *nm

Power window switches fail from water dripping on them when the windows are left open are expensive to repair. the vacuum heater/ air conditioning controls fail to operate correctly- the vacuum lines are hard to find and repair. i was told it might cost $1000.00 to repair. the vehicle is a 2003 chevy blazer, i am a mechanic and i can not find where the vacuum lines are routed. *jb

I realized the problems when pulling out of a parking lot into the street, the truck came to a sudden stop and i couldn't get the engine to turn. at the same time i noticed all gauges on the dashboard started blinking and going back and forth. luckily i was not around a lot of cars and i was able to get the car started after 10 minutes. however, what if i was driving in a heavily traveled highway? would i still be alive to make this complaint? a very much concerned chevrolet owner. *nm

2003 trailblazer - reduced engine power light present when started. would accelerate to 15mph. rattle or grinding noise when braking or driving over bumps. drove to beaty chevrolet knoxville tn tues, 2/7/06. replaced throttle assembly & advised noise was from misaligned hood. trailblazer picked up on fri, 2/10/06. paid $200. ext warranty ded. gas empty stopped to fill up. while driving noticed fuel gauge past full mark, appeared to be pointing straight down. noticed tachometer registered 6500 rpms. called beaty chevrolet. service department closed. next day fuel gauge appears correct. after a week refueled and noticed fuel gauge was incorrect again. noticed strong gas odor when vehicle is started & vehicle smoking. called to schedule repairs on 2/28/06. was unable to make appointment rescheduled for tues 3/9/06. beaty informed that it must be guage sensor and not related to previous repair work so another $200. deductible would be due. they were unable to detect fuel odor nor smoking. i disagreed with the $200 charge due to vehicle being defective when i picked it up from the service department on the first visit. beaty chev. said they did not look at the tachometer nor fuel gauge when they service vehicles so they would not have known about the problem. lol .. i called gm warranty and they would not waive the $200 and said the dealership would be responsible. i contacted the dealership again and they thought gm would waived because of the numerous problems with the guage sensors. however they would not admit that they did not check the vehicle when it was being repaired the first visit. i have read numerous complaints regarding reduced power throttle assembly, guage malfunctions, and grinding noise when braking and feel that gm should recall and reimburse the consumer for the repairs they have paid. vehicle is still making grinding noise and now seems to lunge forward when brake is released. i need help and any advice you have to offer. *nm

Speed odometer, temperature and oil gauges failed. *tr

The 4 wheel drive switch spends most of it's time in default so you don't know what drive you are in. going over mountain passes every day this is a safety issue. i've been told not to use the auto 4 wheel drive-so why have it? it's been in the shop twice and they say everything is working right-bull. i feel this is very unsafe. i even had it once where it just went to neutral and i had nothing. come on gm fix this it's real bad. *nm

2003 chevy trailblazer. instrument cluster started making a noise when you turn off the vehicle. this was about 30,000? miles. dealer said was normal. now for the past 5 years battery just goes dead overnight. traced to a continual battery draw from the instrument panel. dealer only wants to charge for a diagnostic test and said would not be covered by any warranty even though it started prior to warranty expiration. *tr

Shortly after the warranty expired on our trail blazer, the speedometer started giving false readings or would quit working. we talked to the selling dealer and was told that the repair would cost about 500.00 dollars. to me this is a safety issue and should be repaired by general motors at no cost to us. we have been told that gm is replacing speedometers on other models with the same problem.*cn

During normal operation my vehicle's check engine light came on. the acceleration became sluggish. after stopping the vehicle "putted" and then stalled. after putting the car in park it restarted fine, however this has happened 3 times in the last month. the vehicle is currently out of warrant due to mileage so i have not yet taken it to the dealership but will if it happens again.

Speedometer failure, 2003 chevrolet trailblazer, 75,000 miles. *tr

While driving obout 25 miles my vehicle stopped without any warning.i put it back in park and tried to started nothing happen. called the dealer they sent a towed truck and said it was the ignition switch and replaced it. i dont feel safe in this car any more.a car that stops suddenly while driving is very dangerous.

Chevrolet trailblazer 2003 automatic, having problem shifting. *bf the consumer stated the vehicle hesitated for 5 seconds, then slowly accelerated to the speed the consumer needed. the battery died due to a module problem. *jb

These are all of the problems fixed at the dealer with this truck so far: rear sway bar links replaced, rear wiper blade came out of alignment 2 times, right rear door is warped, driver side rear molding is loose, back plate rubber seal out of alignment, windshield wiper tank replaced since it was leaking, a/c low pressure switch inop then replaced, windshield wiper module replaced because wipers would not turn off, sway bar links replaced for a second time. all of these have broken over the past 2 years and nine months and driver's side passenger window for that door is loose. still is a noise in the front suspension that makes a hard knock onto the steering column but dealer denies hearing it. *nm

Since january of 2005 my 2003 trail blazer has been blowing the ignition fuse every time i start my truck. it will try until i turn it off and than no power. when this happens my turn signals go out, and my gauge goes hay wire. i thought it had to do with my remote start, and i had that completely removed. now it does it more often. i took it to the dealership, and they charged me $20 to put a fuse back in which i told the dealership that is what i have to do to get it started, but it will blow again. before i left the dealership the fuse blow the service manager just came out and replaced the fuse again and did not care that it was going to blow again. he basically just wanted me to leave the dealership. guess what before i even turned out the fuse was blown again. when i dropped it off they were suppose to figure out what was causing this to happen, but they said they replaced the fuse, and it was fine. if i wanted them to look into it further it would cost $300. just to look at more. i am pretty much at a loss because my vehicle is over the miles, but is only a 1 and a half years old. i don't know what to do. i think it was really bad that before i left the dealership i had the same problem , and they were fine with letting me leave. *ak

There has been an intermittent problem with the instrument panel not working. when vehilce is on the panel guages have no reading - show there is no fuel, battery is dead, seat belt is not fastened (when it is hooked up) parking brake is on (when it is not engaged) oil needs replaced light stays on for prolonged period, gear shift indicated bar does not show up to tell driver what gear vehicle is in. my vehicle has been to the service department three times. it is there right now. first service call - the remote start was disconnected to see if that was the problem - problem did not occur for again for approximately a week and half. remove start was hooked back up and new starter put in that was on 11/ 23 problem with panel going out occured again on 11/25 . taken back to service on 11/29 still have not located the problem. original service call was on 11/3. *ak

This vehicle has had multiple failures in the last 12 months. left side brake light replaced two times before brake light circuit board was replaced. right side headlight failure, bulb replaced. ac quit working. two trips to the dealer to a find compressor failure. the compressor was replaced. latest and worst failure was a total electrical failure. only the items controlled by the rap were functional. the vehicle quit running in the middle of the road. could not be restarted and the transmission could not be moved from the park position. vehicle had to be left in the middle of the road and abandon for safety of the passengers. this was also a hazard to other vehicles. if there is an override to get the vehicle out of gear it should be in the owners manual. the vehicle had to be dragged up on the two truck. vehicle is at the dealer and no resolution to the problem has been found. *ak

The consumer stated the vehicle intermittently did not start. the dealer replaced the ignition twice. *jb

The vehicle shuts down while the vehicle is being driven. vehicle has been serviced and duplicated twice. computer chip was replaced twice, the harness replaced twice, and throttle body was replaced twice. currently, vehicle is at the dealer. *ak...*ak

1st incident (july 2004): while driving about 20 mph, vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. could not get it to start and key locked in ignition while truck was still in gear. other times previous, vehicle took a few times to start. ignition switch was intermittent. while in for repair first time, found that when vehicle stalled, it lost ignition input. codes that came up with scan check were u1000, u1016, u1152, b1372 and u1088. ignition switch was replaced with new, fp#12450251-switch 2.188 r. all other fuses and wiring to ignition were found to be "ok". 2nd-current incident (october 2006): vehicle took several times to start (same as original problem). vehicle would turnover but would not start engine. tried several times before battery died. current evaluation from service tech is that the ignition switch is bad. key is locking in ignition and can't move gears. tow driver had to "jump" battery to get vehicle in and out of neutral for tow and to remove key from ignition. still waiting on extended warranty provider to approve this replacement (although the original warranty provider is now bankrupt). we may have to pay for this repair out of pocket if warranty issue is not resolved. *nm