Problems with 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer POWER TRAIN

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

Transmissions went out weeks after hearing sounds underneath the car, and hearing a loud poping sound. i had all of the recall problem, plus problems with my heating and cooling system controls going out on the high setting, problems with embrassasing squeaking noises coming from underneath the car. what really hurt me so bad is that the place where my husband and i work we build parts for general motors every day and worked there fo 22 years trusting that the first car that we bought brand new would be a gm product that i would be at least heard from the company and having them be concerend enough to help pay for my repairs or something, i only had the car for 2 and a half years. *jb

'02 trailblazer-i bought the vehicle used at 30k. every once in awhile when pulling it out of the garage the 4x4 selection lights would go out and the red "n" would flash. when i put the vehicle in neutral the red "n" would go out and the 2wd light would come on. at approx. 40k miles it did it one day when i was pulling out of the garage. later that day i was just exiting the interstate and heard a loud grinding noise coming from the transfer case/transmission. the noise changed pitch with my speed. when i pulled over to the shoulder i put the vehicle in park and shut off the engine. when i took my foot off of the brake the vehicle started to roll down a hill. i re-applied the brake, started the vehicle and switched it from 2wd to 4wd then back to 2wd. the vehicle then was able to move and i took it directly to the dealership. after they looked at it the next day they said "could not duplicate the problem." they also said that the flashing "n" was not normal and to bring it in if it did it again. after looking at this site i am very concerned for my family's safety in this vehicle. i spoke with chevrolet customer service on 5/3/05 on this and another issue and was told that my vehicle vin was not part of the list of those affected by this problem and that it would only be added if the dealership saw the problem.

Shifted vehicle into reverse and heard loud bang. while backing heard grinding and scraping noise. shifted into drive(forward gear). hear grinding noise in drive. taken to mechanic. diagnosed with broken planetary gears. parts available for inspection. *jb

We bought a new 2002 trailblazer. never used the four wheel drive until it had 39,000 miles on it. at that time, found out we would need to replace a transmission module. this was replace about three months ago.*ak my wife was driving the truck down the interstate in two wheel drive. without warning, she felt the vehicle lose power and slow down. she glanced down at the electronic switch indicator for drive condition. the indicator light was flickering between four wheel hi and four wheel lo. if there had been other traffic around, it could have been a serious accident since she slowed down under 40 mph during this ordeal. i was driving the vehicle and was stopped waiting to make a left hand turn. the drive indicator, without warning, started to switch between two wheel drive, four wheel drive hi and four wheel drive low. i didn't move. after about 5 seconds, the lights stopped flashing and the two wheel drive indicator lamp was on. i proceeded to make the turn. the dealer (glenway chevrolet, cincinnati, oh) finds nothing wrong with the vehicle. their suggestion: we start to replace parts, at our cost.

Purchased vehicle 6 months ago from a dealer. it had 54,ooo miles on it and it now has around 60,000 miles.my hisband noticed that the transmission was not shifting properly at times, we mentioned it to dealer and they said that nothing was wrong with the transmission on our way back from town one day and before the day was over and we could get back home we had lost all but 1st and 2nd gears, took to our mechanic and transmission has to be replaced on this vehicle with only 60,ooo miles on it. of course the warranty had expired, and now we are stuck with repairing a vehicle that should have been taken care of before this.*ak

2002 chevrolet trailblazer had problems with the transfer case control module.*mr the light on the switch did light signifying whether 2wd, 4wdh or 4wdl was operating. the transfer case did not switch out of 2wd into any other operating modes. *jb

Transmission failed due to band failure for the third and forth gears, completely burn up. contacted chevrolet. dealer stated that they did have transmission problems. *ak.....*ak

The vehicle locks itself into 4-wheel low, which caused the vehicle to go from 45 miles to 25 miles in a matter of seconds. there was no warning. consumer has taken the vehicle into the dealer 10 times already. consumer has had 2 accidents with the vehicle due to the vehicle dropping into 4-wheel low. also, the air bag did not deploy. consumer was injured.*ak

2002 chevrolet trailblazer [xxx]. 4 wheel drive module malfunctioned not allowing vehicle to engage in 4 wheel drive; module was replaced at our expense (can provide receipt). we have been made aware that same type vehicles have had same problem, and we would like to be included in the recall. gm customer service has made us aware that a recall has been made on another series of vin numbers of like vehicle, and we would like to be included.*ak updated 07/24/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

After starting my 2002 4wd trailblazer (38025 miles) it would not go into reverse. it will go forward with severe difficulty getting out of first gear. mechanic says transmission is shot. i did not get the extended waranty but i called cheverolet for assistance to see if they would help. chevy said to take it dealer for diagnosis, have them fix it and then they would decide if they would help. my chevy dealer said it would be at least $300 to diagnose. if it needed a new transmission it would then cost $2500 for the transmission and $900 to put it in. chevy wants me to do all of this before they will decide to help or not, bs. dealer also told me the best he had ever seen chevy do for someone that was out of manufacturers warranty was to pay half, and that he said is extremely rare.*ak

After starting the vehicle it would be hard to shift/ drive/reverse gears. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak hard to shift when cold. *tc

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

2002 trail blazer 4-wd broke. took to dealership and they told me i need a new transfer case module for $400.00 ( vehicle not under warranty) i have used the 4wd maybe 4 times. noticed a lot of other people on the web with similar 4wd problems. called gm and they basically said too bad and maybe there would be a recall someday in future. also, after i left the dealership the "service 4wd"light on the dash was lit up. was not lit before so i am not sure how long it was broke- i only noticed it wasnt working when i tried to use it 2 weeks ago.*ak

When turning on the vehicle it accelerated uncontrollably. while driving at low speeds consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the transfer case needed to be replaced, and replaced it twice. however, the problem recurred. *ak

Fan clutch: took vehicle to the dealer because the vehicle was making a very loud clinking noise, which is coming from the front end of the vehicle. consumer took vehicle in three times to dealer for this. problem. dealer stated that the clutch assembly fan failed. *ak

Sharp turn steering locks up. passenger seat belt gets tighter and tighter doesn't release pressure. 4 wheel drive not working . tapping sound in engine. the only thing the dealer has done is replace power steering pump and within 5 miles it was not working again. *jb

Was at a stop light and when the light turned green tried to drive. truck was in drive and was acting as if in neutral. almost was hit by a trailway bus. truck will not drive in drive, or reverse. alot of noise from rear end as if truck is about to fall apart. also, truck rattles when driving 50 miles an hour. time to turn in...why should we pay for defective vehicles that have had the mechanical problems brought before chevrolet dealerships and owners. time for class action lawsuit. you may contact me...deceptive practices, and product liability issues.*ak

While driving consumer found that there was a hole in the rear axle differential and as a result the vehicle could not be driven. this vehicle had one problem after another. however, on november 25, 2004 while consumer was driving heard a very loud noise. took the vehicle to dealer, and was told that this time it was the transmission transfer case module. *ak

Consumer experienced the same problems as stated in recall 01v134000 concerning transfer case. dealership would not perform repairs free of charge because the vin was not included.*ak

Transmission leaked fluid from the seal, and the vehicle would not go over 25 mph. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer, and the manufacturer stated they would only pay half for a new transmission.*ak

I brought this car on august 14, 2004. at 2 months the vehicle stop working. i call the dealership and told them what was happening. they told me that it was a battery problem and the insurance i had got with them did not cover it. so then i decided to purchase a insurance that would cover that. they charged me one thousand dollars. later they called me to tell me that i did not qualified for the insurance. they didn't return me the one thousand dollars i had gave them. since the beginning the sales person lied to me. he told me that the vehicle was 2003 but it is really a 2002. the transmission to my vehicle does not work. i want to cancel the purchase of this car. *jb

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

There were no events that took place before this happened. the failure was a coupling on the high pressure transmission line. the transmission fluid sprayed onto exhaust manifold and started a major engine fire.*ak nothing has been done at this time.

Consumer unable to shift gears. after trying to shift gears numerous times vehicle stalled. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the shifter cable needed to be replaced. *ak

Upon startup (cold or warmed) there are high rpm's, the idle is high, engine races and does not idle down. when shifting into drive and giving gas there is low acceleration and the truck won't go over about 15 miles per hour. after driving about 2-3 blocks the truck shifts and then runs normal. intermittent problem, dealer states if there is no problem we can't diagnose or fix it. black box recorder is needed to install until problem is reproduced and can be recorded. *la

While driving 60 mph a loud clicking noise was heard from the front. then, vehicle stalled. consumer restarted vehicle, and pulled over. had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transmission sensor needed to be replaced. *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.

Vehicle will randomly shift from normal 2wd to 4wd without warning. happens at slow (parking lot) and turnpike speeds (75 mph). difficult to control vehicle when failure occurs on turnpike. dealer reprogrammed tccm (transfer case control module) but did not fix problem. *ak

1st the transmission had to be replace, then the transmission pump and not the keeps stalling,and one last item the trailblazer rpm goes up and down while i'm driving don't know why. *la

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

While reversing gradually consumer's vehicle was involved in a minor collision. the other vehicle only sustained a scratch while consumer's vehicle rear end bumper was smashed up . consumer felt that rear bumper was not sturdy enough. *ak

This is my third complaint in 3 months. this morning, i shifted from 2hi to 4hi due to ice, snow and slippery conditions. i stopped at a shop and shut off my engine. i returned, started the vehicle and pulled into the street. the lights on the transfer case dial went black and the vehicle reverted to 2hi. this is the 3rd time in three months that this has happened. my local dealer has been very good at trying to identify the problem, however, gm itself is of little assistance beyond "hoping" that nothing more serious happens. the reat question is whether the nhtsa will now do anything as a result of the numerous complaints on its webpage. *ak

I bought a new 2002 chevrolet trailblazer in january 2002. when i reached 50,000 miles in 2004, reverse and 4th gear suddenly stopped working. i had the transmission rebuilt and sun gear replaced at aamco of charlottesville. now i took, at 99,000 miles, it in for a fluid change and was told the fluid looked bad and they were concerned i might have more transmission problems. transmission rebuilt should not be needed every 50,000miles. i do mostly highway miles, and very rarely tow anything. *tr

Feb. 04 46,000 miles repaired transmission, 2nd gear and reverse broken, was told by a gm transmission repairman that this is very common problem, sometimes it takes just one fix, some trailblazers have required many repairs (also problem on envoy), being a straight 6, the transmission cannot handle the torque causing the gears in the transmission to break; vehicle cut off on me at a red light for unknown reason; dash gauges and radio would not come on when car started, drove for a few miles, cut car off, restarted and all came back on;radio facing becomes extremely hot to touch at times and flickers on and off; obnoxious squeak in the front end of car, taken to mechanics with no reason why; ticking noise while running; other than the transmission, no action has been taken due to reading the filed complaints of others with no real successful results or answers from dealers. i hate this car!! *jb

I own a 2002 chevy trailblazer and have had nothing but problems with it since it was bought. it's been in the shop a total of 7 times. three of the times it has been in the shop with drive train problems, two times for u-joints and once for a bearing to the driveshaft. another two times the vehicle just stopped and the transmission could not be shifted into gear. now after 43,000 miles the transmission failed and would not go into reverse and since the warranty is only for 36,000 miles it is now going to cost $2800.00 to repair it. i feel that a transmission in a car that is only a year and a half old should not have failed since all the maintenance since the car was bought was done at the dealership. i have also never received and of the recall notices i have read about on this vehicle. the bottom line is a transmission should last a little longer than 43,000 miles. *jb

2002 chevy trailblazer total transmission failure at 25,478 miles. sun shell stripped in transmission causing near fatal accident in intersection in ft.myers,fl.causing loss of control of vehicle, 01/12/04. need complete recall of this transmission. sun shell defective not holding up stripping, metal to thin 1/16 and stripping out causing loss of control of vehicle and causing transmission to fail. also clutch fan failure at same time, 01/12/04. many reports of 2002 trailblazer transmission failure at many dealerships. time for gm to take care of this issue before someone gets hurt or killed because of this well known problem gm has with their transmission failure due to a defective sun shell. alfred j. attard *tr

I own a 2002 chevy trailblazer (purchased new) and had the transmission go out for the 3rd time in 9 months. this time the dealer has agreed to replace the transmission. but i understand there is a known defect in this new transmission (per the dealer it is in the "reverse shell" area), the same defect was in my original transmission. the dealer has also implied that perhaps the problem has to do with how we drive the vehicle and the way we shift gears! i strongly disagree. i've had several vehicles over my 37 years of driving and have never had a problem like this. i started having problems with the trailblazer back in april 2002 when the switch used to select from 2h to 4h to 4l began flashing the selector lights in each of the positions. i brought it back to the dealer but they found nothing and said i would have to continue to drive it until i got some sort of solid indication. in april of 2003 (about 14 months after i purchased the trailblazer). while driving down the interstate the vehicle suddenly shifted from 2h to 4h and finally to 4l as i brought it to a stop. i had to turn off the engine to get it out of gear. this happened a second time a few minutes later and then quit. in may 2003 and in june 2003 i had to have the transmission repaired. now the transmission has gone out again in january 2004. this time they are replacing the transmission but i understand that this transmission has a defect ( as previously described) in it. they assure me that i won't have any more problems and have offerred a $2,000 rebate on a future purchase. after 3 transmission problems in 9 months, i have little faith in this vehicle.*ak

2002 chevrolet trailblazer -- while attempting to shift from 2hi to 4hi due to slippery road conditions the lights on the transfer case select switch flashed as usual. however, rather than remaining illuminated in 4hi, all the lights went out and the transfer to 4hi was not completed. the vehicle remained in 2hi. turning off the vehicle and re-starting did not remedy the situation. on january 2, 2004 a chevrolet computer technican attached a computer under the dash, but could not get a reading. the technican opened the engine compartment fuse block and removed and checked the automatic shift lock control system fuse [mini fuse 25]. whether he merely put it back or replaced it i do not know. however, after doing so, he worked some more on the computer and got the system re-set so it could be used. a subsequent check by my local dealer could not identify the source of the problem, but the did charge for re-programing the computer. *ak

2wd 4wd selector switch changes position randomly. caused a repair to front ring and pinion assembly in differential. selector switch acted up at 50-70 mph range. cost of repair: $2000.00! gm will not cover under any warranty. based on other consumers complaints. i would think if gm was aware of this many complaints for the same thing, should there not be a recall! my father and father-in-law both worked for gm. i agree with another consumer that gm has no regard for the safety of their buyers. i'm considering going to ford!!! unless gm will stand behind their "bread winner"??*ak

Vehicle transfercase shifted without command on wet ice resulting in sliding left of center going into ditch striking culvert becoming airborne landing on top . vehicle was a total by insurance company. *la

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 50 mph, the contact heard a loud screeching noise underneath the vehicle. the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the dealer rebuilt the transmission and the sun shield. one year later, the failure recurred and the dealer made the same repair. the failure recurred for the third time a year later and the dealer stated that it was an internal transmission failure. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 45,000 updated 3/5/08 *cn the consumer stated second failure mileage was 77,000 and the third was 167,000 miles. the consumer further stated the dealer rebuilt the transmission and sunshield 1st and 2nd time but refused the third time. the consumer stated the dealer replaced the 4 wheel drive switch because it kept blinking. updated 03/05/08 *tr

Had to replace the 2 wheel drive/4 wheel drive selector switch three times. component fails without warning. the day this vehicle went into service the selector switch failed delaying delivery.*ak

While driving 5 mph the 4-wheel drive engaged. this caused steering wheel to lock, and the driver had difficulty maintaining control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the transfer case module needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred, and the mechanic determined that the transfer case needed to be reprogrammed ,and reprogrammed it. the problem still occurs. *ak

Electronic exterior rearview mirrors and power seat engage and operate by themselves. dealership cannot fix the problem. *ak the memory for the mirrors and seat would not keep their position. when the consumer entered or exited the vehicle the systems would reset to a new position. occasionally they moved while the vehicle was in motion. the dealer has replaced many components but the problem still exist. the check engine light illuminated. the dealer replaced the oxygen sensor. the a/c control mode button became stuck and was noisy. the dealer replaced the a/c module head. the left windshield wiper chattered and skipped. the dealer replaced the wiper insert. the 4wd switch fluctuated between 4wh and a4wh. the dealer inspected the vehicle and replaced the transfer case select switch. *ts *nlm

On a number of occasions, while driving in 4wd hi, vehicle automatically shifts into 2wd or attempts to shift into 4wd lo. on two occasions, while driving in 2wd it shifted into 4wd. dealership could not duplicate problem, so they would not fix or replace any parts. similar account to several other owners. *la

Transmission went out couldn't drive-repaired/ rear window won't roll-up/seatbelt won't retract, later fixed, but still won't work on occasion/ brake lights have gone out 5+ times repaired still not operational/ water pump exploded/rear window won't lock first try/ check engine llight stays on. *ak

Since i purchased the car there have been a number of safety issues. the first was the transmission. i brought the car into the dealership 3 times with complaints of the car having spells where it was difficult to drive and on two of those occasions it nearly caused an accident. the third time i had to stop the car on a busy highway and have the car towed in for repair. the have since repaired the transmission. the second issue was the car was stalling intermittentaly. the final time i had it towed in and there was some electrical issue they have resolved. i am currently trying to resolve the third issue with the car. the car engine is reving very loudly and if i accelerate beyond 40 miles/hour the car lunges forward. i have not heard back from the dealership yet but this is the second time it has been in on this issue. i would also like to note i bought the car from classic chevrolet and they lied about the safety features of the car. i was told that it had the latch system and when my son was born in may i found out that in fact it did not have the latch system. gmc has stated that they have no way to repromand the dealership for lying about safety features on cars. i purchased this car because i wanted a new safe car to start a family and i ended up with a lemon of a car that is the most mechanically unstable that i have ever experienced. i ended up on the side of the road stranded when i was pregnant nearly an dozen times.*ak

At medium to high speeds transfer case engages without warning.*ak

On at least 6 occasions my trailblazer would not start, and on one occasion, while driving the transmission fluid spilled all over the road and the car would not move. i was stuck in the middle of the street for an hour and a half until the tow truck came. the dealership keeps telling me its the alarm system, but the alarm is not out of the car and it still doesn't start some time. *ph