Problems with 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact was driving 50 miles per hour when the instrument panel started to register faulty readings to the following mileage, rpms, oil check light, and battery. the failure was not related to the instrument panel lighting, but the vehicle registered false readings. while driving 50 miles per hour the instrument panel indicated the speed was 110 mph. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer, and the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 117,000. the current mileage was 120,868.

On june 23, 2011, i cranked my 2004 chevrolet trailblazer lt and the gauges (speedometer, tachometer, etc.) began to fluctuate at a rapid speed. the suv cut off and i attempted to crank it again. the same thing happened again while i was driving the car. the speedometer went to zero as i was driving 70 miles per hour on the highway. i slowed down, but i had no idea how fast nor slow i was going. i pulled off of the highway, turned the suv off and restarted it. the speedometer went to 70 miles per hour while it was parked. the speedometer stayed at 70 mph as i made my way back to the highway. i have read several, literally hundreds, of similar situations online about chevy trailblazers. i researched and found there are no recalls regarding this malfunction. the first time my gauges fluctuated was about 3 years after i purchased the suv. i turned the vehicle off, restarted it and had no more problems, so i thought it may have been a glitch and thought nothing else about it. after reading other consumers' concerns about the problem, i discovered most of them had problems with their speedometers during the second year after the suv was purchased. it's a very dangerous situation when one cannot gauge his or her speed while driving because the speedometer stops working all of a sudden. it's dangerous at crosswalks, schools zones, and every road and highway we travel on. consumers have complained to their chevrolet service mechanics and customer service, but many are told the part has to be replaced or the entire console has to be replaced and reprogrammed. i am persuaded that there is a problem with the electrical system which has an adverse effect on the speedometer. hopefully this matter can be resolved without any tragic endings. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailer blazer. the contact stated that the instrumental panel failed as the vehicle was started. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to have the dealer diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 55,200. updated 07/20/11*lj updated 08/26/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed and none of the gauges were operable. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that all of the stepper motors on the back of the gauges need to be replaced. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 45,978. the current mileage was 94,000. updated 2/12/2013 *js

Speedometer and tachometer stopped working. *tr

Speedometer goes erratic. when idling at stop speedometer is sitting at approx 90 to 110 mph and when moving from a stop continues to the 6:00 position. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact noticed the speed odometer registered over 120 mph. the failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in motion. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the contact stated the instrument cluster needed to be replaced which was a common issue with this model year vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 69,258. updated 07/18/11

Driving home on the interstate the speedometer on our 2004 chevy trailblazer suddenly started to climb and then decend done to well below -0 mph and stayed there even though we were traveling at 75 mph. the speedometer is currently frozen at about 20 mhp making it impossible to determine how fast we're traveling. dealer quoted repairs at appx $800. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. while traveling at various speeds, the contact noticed that all of the gauges on the instrument panel failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 101,000 and the failure mileage was 98,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the digital instrument panel failed. the contact was unable to read the speed traveled, mileage or fuel levels. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that the instrument panel was not under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 73,000.

04 trailblazer instrument cluster (speedometer) works intermittently multiple times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the speedometer failed without warning. the contact performed a diagnostic and the failure was located at the stepper motor. the contact replaced the stepper motor. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 46,550. updated 06/01/11*lj updated 06/02/11

The speedometer/odometer in my 2004 chevy trailblazer is malfunctioning. at some points it seems to work correctly, then it will stick, or drop to zero. sometimes i can be traveling approximately 30-35 mph and the reading will be at 110+. i am reading that others are having this same problem, that it is widespread, but as far as i can tell there is no recall. the first time it occurred was on the freeway - going 55mph - i looked at the speedometer and it said i was going 110! no other cars around - very hard to judge speed. *tr

The 2004 trailblazer has a malfunction in the rpm and speedometer gauge. this is apparently a defect that gm should acknowledge and be held accountable for. *tr

My instrument panel on my 2004 trailblazer is slowly not functioning. it started off with my tachometer and now my gas gauge is not working. my vehicle has not been neglected and is serviced when needed. the gauges are not working now on a daily basis. i have yet to replace the part due to cost and also because many people are having the same issue that i am having. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact stated that the instrument cluster was defective. the speedometer did not indicate the speed in which the vehicle was traveling and the tacometer was also defective. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with the repair of the vehicle. the contact also stated that the front drivers side headlight would constantly burn out, causing the headlight to melt and emit smoke. the failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage was 72,000. updated 09/19/11 *bf

General motors vehicle is showing an incorrect speed, the speedometer stops working, the tachometer needle sticks or stops working, the fuel gauge flutters or the entire instrument panel fails. *tr

The problem started in january, 2011, with the voltage gauge taking a few seconds to come up to full voltage, accompanied by dim vehicle lights, at start-up. on february 6, 2011, the temperature, and one other gauge, started moving erratically. the next day, february 7, all of the gauges pointed straight down (6 o'clock position). research showed this is a common problem, across several model lines, but gm is selectively refusing to fix trailblazers, under a recall. i verified this with the dealer. the battery was removed for three hours and a loaner battery installed. gauges worked properly. a brand new battery was installed (again, after three hours with no battery installed) on february 10. as of february 28, the problem has not re-occurred, but research shows many instances of the problem re-occurring after the installation of a new battery. *tr

My head lights don't come on randomly. randomly they do. obviously, this is a serious safety issue especially at night. no, it's not light bulb replacemet issues.....other blog sites have complained about the same issues. very dangerous!!!! the gas gauge also is not working properly. when the gas gets low it blinks on for a second then adds more gas to the panel. people could run out of gas unknowingly. also very dangerous! *tt

Instrument panel malfunctions. speedometer and tachometer display inaccurate information. speedometer will register 60 mph while at a red light. tachometer does not go to zero even when engine is off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trial blazer. the contact stated that the instrument panel gauges would fail sporadically. the dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the gauge cluster would need to be replaced. in addition, the dealer stated that because the failure was common in his year, make and model, they would replace the cluster with an updated gauge cluster. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 125,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.

On 1/23/2011 i was on a trip, 77 miles from home, when my 2004 chevy trailblazer's instrument panel went crazy. i thought my engine would blow because the rpm gauge went off the charts, then wouldn't read anything. then my speedometer did the same. i had no idea how fast i was going, on the interstate. i was worried, so i moved to the left lane, and stayed behind the slower traffic to be safe. when i got home, i stopped at my local chevy dealership where i was told that almost every trailblazer over 80,000 miles is having the same issues. the problem could be my instrument panel computer, or one of several bad modules. the can does not show any error code, so the cost to repair ranges from $600 to over $1500 depending on how long it takes your repair person to find the problem. after my diagnosis i was angry, i am tired of repairing items on this car. i went online to see if it was rare, or if anyone else had the problem, and an exact repair. on one website alone aboutautomobile.com i found over 1,300 trailblazer owners with the same problem. after further research i have found almost 19,000 trailblazer complaints about the same problem. i do believe that all trailblazers will have this issue, and that gm should fix it, with a recall repair. i have sent complaints to gm, but no response has been given. *tr

The problem is on my 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the entire dash gauges malfunction occasionally, from speedometer to battery gauge to oil pressure gauge to water temp gauge to rpm gauge. i am one of thousands of trailblazer owners who have this problem not only in the usa, but around the world, just read the forum on edmunds.com and you will see. i usually temporarily fix this problem but turning the vehicle on and off until the gauges fully reset, but that puts a lot of strain on the starter. please open an investigation to trigger a recall because chevy dealers want us owners to shell out $100 to figure out the problem we already know and then want to gouge us for another $700-$1000 to fix. that is totally uncalled for, for a part on the vehicle which is vital to drivers, the instrument gauges. *tr

My speedometer failed and reads anything it wants. you can be doing 25mph and it will read 110mph or you can be doing 60mph and it will register 45mph. there are a million complaints on the internet about gm speedometers and other instrument clusters failing. i think this is a safety concern and should be investigated. gm is just passing the buck when you ask for help. just go to google and ask for gm instrument cluster failure and count the complaints. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My car has only 54000 miles on it and the instrument panel is shot. the dealer wants $600 to fix it. my speedometer, oil pressure , and gas gauge only work maybe 10% of the time. it is just terrible that i have to pay for this out of my own pocket when this is obviously a detective part. if this would have happened at 120,000miles i would not have been upset. that's normal wear and tear. outrageous. i feel taken advantage of. *tr

The speedometer gauge went down to 0, while i was on the freeway traveling at 65 mph. this has happened frequently since it first started happening----and it will work for awhile--and then stop. on average, i would say this has happened at least 6 to 10 times a year in the past 3 years. my speedometer currently isn't working and hasn't worked for 2 months. why isn't there a recall on this? *tr

I bought my vehicle at a dealership in 2010. i do not remember the exact date but it started having problems shortly after. the first thing that happened was all my gauges stopped working except my speedometer. in 2012 i was driving and at two different occasions within a day apart, while i was turning into a parking lot or gas station, my vehicle would shut off. i took it to auto zone to have one of those free tests done and nothing was showing up as abnormal. around 2013 my vehicle started making a real high pitch squealing sound during start up and while driving. i took my car into since it needed a new water pump and they said that the high pitch sound could be fixed but wasn't a safety concern. in 2014 just a few months ago, again i was pulling into a gas station and my vehicle turned off. i was able to turn it back on and have enough time to pull into a spot before it shut off again. this time it wouldn't start my keys were stuck in the ignition and it could not be jump started. after taping the battery the keys came out of the ignition. it starts now but none of the electrical inside the vehicle works. at this point it's not drivable because of the temperature outside and the fact that i can't roll down my windows and the air blows only hot. the stereo doesn't work, the seats to move forward and back do not work. the back brake lights work but the tail lights while driving do not work. the front headlights work. *tr

Speedometer on my 2004 trailblazer has become erratic. sometimes no speed. sometimes stuck on 90mph whether i'm moving or not. vehicle has 87240 miles. vin [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 35-40 mph, the speedometer began failing intermittently. the failure progressed until the entire instrument cluster failed. the contact was able to secure an appointment with the dealer for diagnosis and possible repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 48,000. updated 06/07/11*lj the consumer also stated the tachometer and oil pressure were not working as well. updated 06/10/11 updated 06/20/11

Speedometer stuck/instrument panel on christmas day we were traveling to families house to celebrate the holidays. 1.5 hours into the trip, the speedometer went crazy and was at 90 when we were going 65. pulled over and when we stopped it increased to 120 mph. since we had another 3.5 hrs of our trip and it was unsure exactly what was wrong (since there were no dealership/service stations open), we turned around and went home. nice christmas that we had, not. on monday (the next day the dealership was open) i called to get an appt. and couldn't' get in until tuesday. went in tuesday and of course charged me a diagnostic fee, when i could tell from searching the internet what was wrong (by now the speedometer was straight down between 0 and 120). 1.5 hrs later the dealership tells me it is the instrument panel (surprise, surprise) and that they would have to order since they have none in stock. it would take 4-5 business days. the earliest we're looking at getting is next week, now 10 days past the day it happened. i asked the dealership for a loaner and they offered me enterprise rental for $40/day (my expense). they could offer me nothing else, sending me on my way. ok, chevy...since this is a huge problem, the least you could do is stock dealerships with the panels, especially since this is a large dealership. it is not safe to be driving around with no working speedometer. did i mention this is also my vacation week....nice, being stuck at home cause you have an inoperable vehicle. chevy needs to step up to the plate and make this right with their costumers. i have been a faithful owner since 1994. a $415 part/plus labor is ridiculous when there have been so many complaints, you need to recall this. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. while the driver was traveling 45 mph, she drove over a bump, the brakes failed to engage, she lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into a highway cement wall. the driver sustained facial injuries. a police report was filed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to be inspected. the contact also stated that the speedometer did not indicate the correct speed at which the vehicle was traveling and the air bag light illuminated intermittently. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 96,000.

Speedometer has become very erratic. shows too fast and other times shows to slow by from 5 to 30 mph. very unsafe. chevrolet dealer said been no problems need to come in and diagnosis. this has been occurring the hole month of december 2010, and now in jan. 2011. *tr

I own a 2004 chevy trailblazer lt. the gauges on the instrument panel have begun to read intermittently. first, the gas gauge would read 1/4 tank and i ran out of gas with my 2 year old grandson in the car on the interstate. i have aaa, but was 30 miles from the nearest provider, therefore we were stranded for 2 hours. now the speedometer is will show that i am going 90 miles an hour when in fact i am only going 30 or 40. next my oil gauge and temp gauge are reading up and down, giving me false readings that could be a true reading and the engine overheat or freeze up. i researched this issue and see that there are many similar. *tr

Instrument cluster has quit working. *tr

2004 chevy trailblazer lt speedometer stopped working and rpm gauge is acting weird. *tr

2004 chevy trailblazer has instrument cluster failure...tachometer stuck at "maximum", and dealer reports all the gauges will be unreliable, shortly. have read dozens of these complaints, but gm (who *we* saved) won't make it right? *tr

Dashboard gauges on our 2004 trailblazer have been failing one by one. no gauges except the speedometer have been operable for many months. now, on friday 11/11/11, the speedometer stopped working! this is a serious problem. i believe it must be caused by the same issues as the identical well-publicized problems on other trailblazers. in addition, some of the dashboard lights (seatbelt light, etc.) remain on almost all the time. chevrolet should be responsible for immediate repairs at no cost to us, the owner. thank you. *tr

Speedometer show 40 doing 60 or so can not really tell how fast i am going tachometer not working right reading on the internet this is a severe problem gm recall trucks and some other models why not the trailblazers

Driving 70 mph on the freeway. the speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet trailblazer jumped up to 100 mph, then to 120 mph, then past 120 mph. when i came to a stopped and turned off the engine the speedometer reads 110 mph. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that all of the gauges on the instrument panel were stuck on 0. when the contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it, it funtioned correctly. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop but the failure could not be diagnosed. the failure mileage was approximately 59,000 and the current mileage was approximately 60,000.

Automatic headlights go completely off for no reason, and then will come back on but no apparent reason,leaving you driving completely in the dark. (turning the car off and restarting it does not effect it either.) daytime running lights will also go off. this problem 1st began appr 2 years ago but has become more frequent 3 times a week in the last 6 months. also the speedometer and tachometer no longer work. they periodically will come back on but has not worked in 2 weeks. *tr

Instrument panel gauges stopped working. tachometer, speedometer, oil pressure and voltage gauge randomly stop working. *tr

Oil pressure gauge became unreliable and had different reading each time the car was driven. most recently the gauge needle moves past the upper limits of the gauge and points straight down at the fuel gauge. two days ago, the speedometer began acting in the same erratic manner and will give various readings including exceeding 120 mph and will point straight down at the steering column. it may read anywhere from 30 mph to 75 mph at various time when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off. bottom line is that i am no longer to check my speed in comparison to speed limits or speed warning signs when in mountainous terrain. *tr

Mode actuator failure. *tr

When in motion, the fuel gauge and speedometer stopped working. the speedometer problem began when i was on the highway and 100 miles away from home. when the problem began, the gauges would sporadically move up and down. now they do not move up.

2004 chevrolet trailblazer instrument cluster not working. first the tachometer stopped, then speedometer and now other gauges quit. i have found many people have had the same problem and gm is doing nothing about the problem. if all cars from this series end up having to have their instrument cluster replaced there is a bigger problem with some factory defect and it should be taken care of by the manufacturer since the product they sold in the market has known defects. i have read how this problem has been known and reports have been filed with nhtsa for quite some time now and nothing is being done about it. i think someone should force the hand of gm to correct this problem. *tr

This is not an accident complain. my speedometer is stuck all the way to the right. this has happened for a couple of weeks now. it does not move when i drive or park the car. the miles are being recorded, but i don't know if they are accurate. lots of people have this problem. seems to me that a recall should be done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. the contact believed he was driving approximately 45 mph when he noticed he was passing all of the other vehicles on the roadway. he then realized that the speedometer was displaying an improper reading. the failure persisted and progressively became worse. the vehicle was not taken to be examined for the cause of failure and was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 90,000.

Fuel, engine temperature, tachometer not displaying correct data. fuel and temp gauge displays show needle pinned (below lower half of gauge) and tach sometimes does not work or shows zero at idle. this seems to be a common problem and occurance with this make and model. obviously, the most important is the gas gauge... not knowing exactly how much fuel is in the tank is hazardous and annoying. i have to "guess" when to fuel up, especially on longer trips.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 40 mph, the speedometer stopped functioning properly. the contact stated that the speedometer registered 115 mph when he was only driving 40 mph. the fuel and rpm gauges were also not functioning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000 and the current mileage was approximately 61,000.