Problems with 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the speedometer failed intermittently. while parked, the speedometer read 120 mph. the dealer stated that the instrument cluster failed. the failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 27,000. updated 02-14-08 *bf

Speedometer faulty and showing wildly inaccurate speeds. when driving on a highway, the speedometer will range from 10 mph to 120 mph! while conducting research online, this appears to be a major widespread problem with gm trucks and they have not taken any action to correct this dangerous situation. my vehicle is recently out of warranty and the repair will cost over $600. *jb

Since 2007 my instrument panel cluster of my 2004 chevrolet trailblazer (which i purchased brand new in 2004 from dealership) goes on and off some days it works and some days it does not. i could be driving down the road and all of the lights on the dash and gauges go out. i am unsure at times how much gas is in my car and just have to estimate and fill the tank. i attempted to have the dealership help me out because i purchased an extended warranty but they were bought out by another dealer. i wrote to chevrolet and they refused to help me out. i am unable to pay the $700 to $800 they have quoted me to pay to have it fixed. there are several other vehicles with this problem so it should be recalled by chevrolet. i feel this is a safety issue because all of the lights go out sometimes at night so i have refrained from driving at night very much. *tr

2004 chevy trailblazer tach, failed at 52,000 mi speedometer sticks does not return to zero, at 62,000 mi. *tr

I have owned my trailblazer for about 1 1/2 years. in the last year my gauges are not working. i don't know how fast i am going, i don't know if it over heats because it is stuck in the hot, i don't know if my oil pressure is to high and if my motor will blow up. it only has 66,800 miles on it. from what i heard gm says it is not their problem, but yet they issued recalls for dash clusters for other models for the same exact reason. i can not afford to have it fixed, it is a defect that gm should own up to. it is also a safety issue if the gauges don't work for me to know that something is wrong and leaves me and my family setting in the middle of nowhere. plus i can't even trade and get the value out of it because of this problem. all in all somebody needs to step up and force gm to fix this problem that they made. *tr

Odometer failure after 81,000 miles... odometer will lock on different speeds, from 10-40- 110 mph even though i am not traveling that speed. my mechanic says that this part needs to be recalled because he has had to replace so many chevrolet tahoe and trailblazers with the same problem. this part can run over $300.00 sometimes. *jb

Rear windshield wiper does not work. *js

Speedometer suddenly started reading randomly, usually 10-15 mph too high. intermittent. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. she stated that the speedometer and the gas gauge works intermittently. when making a right turn she hears a humming noise. the dealer stated that they were unable to duplicate the problems however; they suggested that the instrument panel be replaced. the dealer has not made the replacement. the failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 49,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. beginning in january of 2007, the gas gauge failed on the instrument panel, which prevented the contact from knowing the amount of fuel in the vehicle. soon afterwards, the speedometer began to malfunction and began displaying inaccurate readings. the vehicle has not been repaired, but arrangements are being made. the current mileage was 84,585 and failure mileage was 73,068.

Gauges stop working on chevrolet trailblazer 2004. tachometer,speedometer,water pressure gauge,fuel gauge,oil pressure gauge,voltage gauge. this is a safety hazard and should have a recall on it from general motors. *tr

Dash warning lights come on/stay on/go off randomly. additionally, on four separate occasions, decreased engine power has occurred. shutting vehicle down with a restart has always solved the "decreased power" issue. but dealership & an independent garage cannot fix due to "no codes stored". warning light involved are: service engine soon, oil change due and reduced power. this is an ongoing problem having started almost as soon as we took delivery of vehicle new with 250 miles .*jb

Instrument panel failure. *tr

Speedometer quit working. *tr

The speedometer in my 2004 chevy trailblazer began to show the wrong speed at about 45,000 miles. the needle would increase with speed as it should have but would not go back down again like it should. then it quit working altogether and the needle just hangs limp. we had the speedometer diagnosed at another facility since this occurred around the holidays and gm dealers could not get us in. my wife has been commuting 20-30 miles daily having no idea how fast she is going because gm refuses to correct the problem. i have found hundreds of similar stories after researching it on the internet. every person i know with a large gm vehicle has had to replace it between 40,000 and 50,000 miles. the facility that diagnosed the problem said that the speedometer head was stripped and the dealerships know the price of this part off the top of their heads, presumably because they replace many of them. *jb

My 2004 chevy trailblazers speedometer started malfunctioning. it will register speeds 25-35 miles per hour over actual. it also does not operate smoothly but jerks to the next number. very dangerous, and very expensive to fix. it appears that this is also happening on the envoy, tahoe and avalanche models. this should be qualified as a safety recall. *jb

Dash cluster: tachometer failed a 62,000, speedometer at 120,000, now the gas gauge is acting up. if 2005-2007 are bad need to add 2004.

Instrument cluster started going bad in 2006 and every year another gauge is faulty - first it was the gas gauge, next the oil, etc and 4 years ago the speedometer started sticking. i talked to the dealer and they wanted $800 to fix it. i have researched at the time and this it is a very common complaint. this should have been recalled. i have complained about it for years and even called gm - no help and i don't have the money to repair this. i would appreciate help with this and feel that gm has known that this is an issue. i drive a lot of kids in my car and i am afraid that one day this is really going to be a problem. *js

I have owned this vehicle for 2 1/2 years. the first problem was noticeable only at night when the windshield glare was so bad on the freeway that i could not see very well. we had the windshield replaced. the second problem has been on-going for the past six to eight months. the speedometer sometimes works, but is usually not very correct, and most of the time it just picks a number and sits there for several days, whether the car is running or not. i usually use the rpms to figure out how fast i am going until my mechanic can fix it for more than a week at a time. *tr

The speedometer & tach do not work properly they read wrong or not at all. you can be driving at 50 mph you think, but it might be 60 or 70. when i called the dealer service the rep seamed to know right away what the problem was. cost $400.00+ to fix. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the abs light illuminated on the instrument panel with the chiming of a warning alarm, followed by the malfunction of all of the instrument panel gauges. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three times but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that they could do nothing to assist. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was approximately 49,400. the failure mileage was 19,460. updated 07/08/11*lj updated 11/28/11

This car has had problems before cutting off for no reason. the dealer where i bought it from said that "they could not find anything wrong with it". now the car gauges and dashboard lights do not work properly. they sometimes do not work at all and after a while turn on. *jb

Speedometer started acting erratically. either posts no speed, or shows a speed that is obviously not correct. turning off car, and restarting corrects the problem for the moment. *jb

Headlights blink while driving and speedometer and tachometer stopped working. *jb

I have a 2004 chevy trailblazer. early last month i discovered my speedometer meter not stopping at 0 mph when i approached a traffic light. it stopped at 20 mph. this meant the speedometer was indicating a speed faster than i was actually going. when i turned the vehicle off that evening and back on the next morning, it reset and returned to 0 mph. as the month progressed, the speedometer indicator continued exhibiting this problem. this problem has caused the indicator to exceed passed the 120 mph indicator. the only resolution has been to continuously turn the car off and back on. depending on where the indicator stops will dictate how many times i'll have to turn the car off and back on to get the indicator back to 0 mph. *nm

The problems started in 2006 and were very intermittent. there is an electrical issue with the instrument panel, lights, battery , and other unknown items. the dealer check the electrical system when it started, but could not find any problem. sometimes, while driving at night the lights went off, and i would have to pull off the road, check any fuses and relays, and then they would come back on. the next electrical issue was with the speedometer, which on a trip across to florida it would be erratic and indicate i was traveling over 120 miles an hour when my gps said i was driving at 65. after the warranty expired i have had issues with replacing multiple batteries which go dead every 4 or 5 days depending on usage. after the speedometer stopped working, each other instrument panel item worked on and off. this includes the gas tank gauge, the ammeter, the temperature gauge, tachometer, and the oil pressure gauge. they all worked on and off for the next 3 years, and now none of these very important instrument panel gauges have worked for over 2 years. i wonder if the electronics that effect the air bags would work if i ever have an accident. i have replaced many batteries, i still have to charge each one every 4 or 5 days or i cannot start the truck. i have checked online and there are thousands of trailblazer, and their related gm vehicles with the same problems. i hear that a recall was issued for the gmc-envoy which is the same related parts vehicle but there is not one for the trailblazer? i am dealing with these issues and hoping for the recall that we all have been waiting for. thank god i have a 97 toyota camry that runs well. i wish [xxx] would read this. i also have photos of the non-working instrument panel, and the 120mph speedometer. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The speedometer in my 2004 chevy trailblazer will get stuck at various positions (currently at over 120 mph). the only way to correct this is to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery or stop/restart the car numerous times. i have no idea how fast i am really going when this probably occurs because the baseline for the speed is no longer at zero. this is a dangerous issue. some research on the internet has shown that this is a common problem with 03 to 06 gm cars and trucks, and particuarly the 04 to 05 models, and it seems to occur after the warranty is out for most people. gm knows they have a problem and charges $500+ for the fix, but independent shops charge less than $200. not having an accurate speedometer in a car that is only 3 years old and has only 50,000 miles because of low quality components used is not acceptable and given the number of issues out there and the cost to fix i feel the the nhtsa should force gm to recall or offer the fix when the problem occurs to owners of 03 to 06 gm products for free. *tr

Speedometer does not work, so i do not know how fast i am going. the temperature gauge sometimes says my engine is too hot when it is not, so now i am not sure about the status of my engine's cooling system. this is an ongoing problem. i am extremely concerned and discovered on the internet that many people are having this problem.

I parked and turned off my car and it burst into flames. i had absolutely no warning, no warning light came on and i had no problems with the car at all until the fire. *nm

On 8/1/06 i was awaken by a neighbor at 1 am saying my car was on fire. the fire department was called but the entire interior was destroyed. the fire department said it had to have been an electrical malfunction. the vehicle had been parked since 8 pm that night and it was locked. there was no sign of forced entry and no sign of any other reason for the fire. the car was purchased new in 10/04 and had less than 30,000 miles on it. i used the roadside warranty to have it towed to a dealer but the dealer refused to have anything to do with it. it took two weeks for gm to send a fire investigator out and their investigator said he couldn't determine the cause of the fire. i filed a complaint with the vermont state attorney's office but gm did not respond to the complaint. i had electrical repairs done just a few months after purchasing the vehicle too and the stereo system had stopped working just a month before the fire. the car is still sitting at the dealership. i did not have collision insurance because the car was paid in full and my current finances did not allow me to maintain anything more than liability insurance. so now i have no vehicle and this is tough with 3 young children. gm refuses to honor their warranty and insists that this model vehicle doesn't have electrical issues. it's time someone made gm honor the warranty they charge for when you purchase a new vehicle. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that when the vehicle stops, it shuts off and all of the electrical components stop working. in addition, it takes 4 to 5 attempts to restart the vehicle. the dealer stated that they would not repair the vehicle. the contact took the manufacturer to court for not making the repairs. the failure and current mileages were 60,000.

Gm is having an electrical issue on many 2004 vehicles resulting in gradual deterioration of instrument cluster performance. it starts with the speedometer failing, reading 120 mph while sitting at a red light. then the fuel gauge, low fuel light will come on, then while driving to a fuel station it will slowly climb to 1/2 tank reading or more. next is the tachometer, it will bounce from 2000 rpm to over 6000 rpm (red line) also while sitting at stop sign or parked in a parking space. finally the oil and coolant temperature gauges read hot (past red line) at initial start up from sitting 12 hours in -3 degree weather. an online search has found numerous complaints of the same problem around the united states extending beyond the trailblazer to other vehicles. this same issue was recalled on gm trucks but the other vehicles. the vehicle operator has no accurate idea of mph, rpm, oil or water temperature and battery charge. the average repair cost to replace the bad computer board is $500 to $1000. *tr

I own a 2004 chevy trailblazer, my instrument cluster stopped working a couple of months after i bought is used. while looking at other web site and doing a search i have noticed that i am not the only one. i have not had a repair done do to the cost of the part. exact problems are, the gas gauge does "floats" the oil pressure gauge does not read the speedometer is non-functional. *tr

Back hatch and window will only open occasionally if i'm lucky. tail lights went out once and i was able to get the hatch open to fix it. they are out again and i can't get the hatch to open now. i have been replacing head lamps about every 8 to 10 months. head lights are now going off for no apparent reason while i'm driving at night. i can flip on the brights and then wait a few minutes and flip back to low beams, sometimes this works sometimes it doesn't. the dome lights will not come on and stay on after i turn it off. half of the dash lights for the radio are out, sometimes they will come on if i tap them. the feature that lets you turn the vehicle off and the radio will continue to play and the windows will still roll down as long as you don't open the door, is not working. both o2 sensors are out and have been for a long time. i purchased this suv brand new from a chevy dealer. i have paid it off and kept up all of the general maintenance on it. when i took it in to get these issues fixed i was told it would be over $2500.00 to fix and that did not include labor. this suv is a lemon, if i was in a position to trade it in or buy a new one i would, and i would not be getting another chevy. i have never been notified of any recalls. i only found out about the electrical recalls on the turn signals and tail lights because a friend had heard about them and suggested a website to check. i'm calling the dealer today to see if i can get these issues taken care of. another reason i will not be buying chevy again. *tr

The speedometer and tachometer gauges on the dash don't work. the get stuck at say 50 mph and 7000 rpms. so you don't know how fast you are going or what the true rpm's are. than it takes about a week and your dash will start working again. my mechanic had 4 other trailblazers at his shop with the same issue. it cost 400.00 to fix and you are with out a car for two days. *jb

My gauge cluster will intermittently stop working both while driving and while vehicle is parked and running. usually after a few moments it would go back to normal but now the issue is getting worse and i have to tap on the gauge cluster for the gauges to resume working.this has been an ongoing problem since approximately 2006 but chevy refuses to issue a recall on this issue which is in my opinion a safety issue

Dt*: the contact stated after driving the vehicle for an hour to an hour and a half, the controls on the door and steering wheel became hot enough to cause a minor burn to the contact. the control panel on the radio also blacked out and the clock reset itself. when the vehicle was taken to the dealership, the computer stored no codes and the problem could not be determined.

2004 chevy trailblazer - intermittent flickering of exterior lights. headlights sporadically flicker during normal night time driving. flickering may occur multiple times during trip and then not occur again for several weeks. problem began at approximately 50,000 miles. it is very frightening and is probably very distracting to other drivers. *tr

Bought vehicle used in 2005, had 56,000 miles on it at the time. at 76,000 miles the speedometer went out completely had to be replaced. replaced the speedometer $500.00 cost. in 2007, the dashboard and all the gauges started going crazy, had it checked at a chevy dealer they confirmed it was an electrical problem that was not covered under my warranty and was gonna cost way to much to fix. later in 2009 the alarm system decided it wouldn't work anymore, or it would set itself. (got locked in the car for at least 20 minutes or more, wouldn't start either to reset the process), the remote key wouldn't work as well. had it inspected again, full diagnostic done by the chevy dealer & also by firestone, every issue that the car has is related to the electrical system failing constantly. headlights go off and on when they feel like it, hit them they come back on sometimes, tail lights have gone out, no need to replace bulbs that is not the issue. full diagnostic cost money, i have called the better business bureau to see what i could do to make chevy pay for this disfunctioning vehicle but, of course it is a bunch of red tape and political bull crap. i do not recommend this vehicle to anyone too much money will be lost and still no results. currently my vehicle has over 100,000 miles on it and the gauges still go out every now and then, the headlights still go out and the alarm still sets itself when it feels like it. i pray over this vehicle everytime i get in it. *tr

i own a 2004 trailbrazer that have the same problem as the gm recall on lose brake-lamp function or have brake lamps that are always on. on vehicles with cruise control, that function also becomes inoperative. . the national highway traffic safety administration contacted gm to inquire about the issue after receiving three complaints, and the company issued the recall in response, adler said. *nm

Car died on exit ramp of 290 and thorndale. pushed car to side of road where we noticed smoke coming from under hood. upon opening hood saw fire coming from filter under air cleaner compartment. flagged down police officer who helped put out fire with fire extinguisher. had car towed to advantage chevrolet who said they had never seen anything like this and perhaps a cigerette got sucked in and started the fire. contacted gm who sent out a rep and could not explain fire so he concluded gm was not responsible under warranty because the car must have sucked in some foreign object and it was not a mechanical failure. car was repaired under my insurance, who is fighting the claim. parts replaced were air cleaner compartment, ducts, clamps, sensors, snorkel, element etc. was told old parts were in back of car, but when we looked parts were missing. dealer still looking for parts. no one has yet to address why car died in the first place. *nm

We have a problem with our vehicle 2004 chevy trailblazer, purchased new. it has a problem where it will shut down while driving. it may or may not stall, but it goes into reduced engine power with all service engine lights on. it did stall one particular time while my wife was driving it. she was on a steep hill and the vehicle stalled and rolled backward down the hill. it was vary difficult to steer and brake for her without the power steering and braking on. luckly no one was behind her. this vehicle has been to our dealership for the 5th time now and twice to another dealership for the same problem.

I bought a 2004 trailblazer with a factory installed tow package, including electric hookup. when i hooked it to a travel trailer, the tblazer sent to charge to the trailer for battery charge, interior lights, etc. the dealer, gold motors in newport, oregon, said there was no problem. however, it still refused to work. i took the car to a local mechanic. he discovered several wires in the box housing the wiring manifold at the front driver side of the engine were cross-wired. he straightened it out at the cost of two hours labor. if this is the standard quality of gm quality, they should be allowed to go bankrupt. *tr

While driving at night, i noticed the dash lights dim and headlights dim at the same time. the lights then immediately flicker back to normal nighttime lights. it appears they are flickering between daytime and nighttime settings. when i took the car to the dealer, they could find nothing wrong.*jb

2004 chevy trailblazer electrical system has serious problems. in the rather short time i have owned it, it has been in the dealer repair 7 times for the same group of problems. the outside mirrors keep pointing to the sky randomly causing brief confusion when they are needed for safety. the pre-set memory keeps clearing itself. the headlights and dash lights often go very dim and flicker causing distraction to the other drivers and fear in the driver operating this vehicle. the driver's side heated seat stopped working. the passenger side door window controls randomly stop working. turning off the vehicle and restarting it is the only way to correct it. all of these items have been looked at by the dealer but no solution has been found. several computer reprogramming and parts have been replaced but the problems still remain. the dealer does not acknowledge that information posted on the internet by other owners of this vehicle is valid. that is bull~h@t !they seem reluctant to continue troubleshooting it. my greatest fear is that it ends up burning to the ground like many other owners have reported. something has to be a common problem for all of these electrical issues with these vehicles. *nm

I bought vehicle in october 2003. it is a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. in the months following i began having electrical problems . check engine light would flash on and then went off again. the first time it happened car stalled as well. i would bring it in to the dealership and they would say that they could not duplicate the problem, and they hooked up to the computer and didn't find any problems. i also had my headlights flicker when accelerating and decelerating. i have had numerous problems with my blinkers. i have had the tail light assemblies replaced twice. i recently took it again because my left blinker would flash much faster when i touched the brake. also, if i just touched the brake the right blinker light on my console would illuminate. also, it looked as if i had my lights on for reversing while i was driving, which was extremely unsafe as other drivers thought i was reversing when i was going forward. i have had 4wd light come on and then turn off again later. i have had my main computer replaced twice and my flasher computer replaced once. i had to have my keys reprogrammed twice and they finally found out today i had faulty electrical wiring which was supposedly causing the trouble with the brakes and flashers. i have brought it in for this problem 3 times in the last couple weeks. i also have a problem with the gas tank overflowing everything i fill up no matter what i do and i am not trying to "top off". also, i have had several problems with my seat belts and have them replaced as well. they would lock and i would be unable to get it one to drive the car safely. i had to drive my car to the dealership with no seat belt. overall, these problems amount to a poorly made very expensive car that leaves me feeling unsafe in my car. please make chevrolet listen to its consumers and pay restitution. we were all lied to by the car manufacturer, who had to have known it was producing an inferior product.*ak

My wife owns a 2004 chevy trailblazer and the instrument cluster is going haywire. we have already spent hundreds of dollars taking it to the dealership to have it fixed with no success. i am a pretty good mechanic, but not when it comes to all the electronics on cars these days. i refuse to take it back and get screwed out of more money. i guess this is how chevrolet is making up for their loss. i still can't believe that there is not a recall on this as of yet. the internet is loaded with complaints with this issue. i have always been a chevy man, but it looks like i may end up changing my loyalty to another company. with as much as we have to pay for vehicles these days we should be receiving better service on them. i will be buying a used cluster off the internet and installing it myself. the dealership even wants a fortune to replace a part they should have a recall on anyway. *tr

About 10,000 before the factory warranty ran out, the speedometer got stuck at about 60mp so it read that much higher than actual speed. after a few times of starting the vehicle the speedometer reset itself, so when we took it in to the chevrolet dealership they couldn't duplicate the problem and they wouldn't cover the problem. it eventually kept getting higher and higher until it was stuck and didn't read the speed at all. now the dealer says it is a faulty instrument cluster and want to charge me $500+ to fix. i believe this is a serious safety issue and chevy should issue a recall on the 2004 trailblazers. *tr

I bought this vehicle brand new and since purchase it is in and out of the show with numerous electrical and gas problems. everytime you put gas in the vehicle it spills out from the underside. the dealership has replace parts pertaining to the fuel system and it has not solved the problem. my radio has been replaced and still does not work properly. my headlights dim up and down, the air blows low and high the interior lights flash off and on the engine runs rough and all these symptoms happen sporadically. it has been in the dealership numerous times and everytime i take it they state they cannot duplicate the problem. this vehicle i feel is a safety issue and i do not feel comfortable putting my family in it. i am currently filing a lemon law complaint with the better business bureau. *jb

I own a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer lt. on december 5, 2005, my wife backed the vehicle out of our basement. she noticed smoke coming from the dashboard. immediately,she saw flames. the vehicle burned completely, also burning the end of my home. i contacted g.m. about this problem and was told i was way down the list of problems. my concern is that this could be a serious problem that could result in death the next time this happens. i sincerely hope this is not the case. i would hope that g.m. would look into this matter before this happens again. considering this vehicle was purchased new and had only 27,000 miles on the vehicle. *nm *tr