Chevrolet Trailblazer Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Chevrolet Trailblazer options? We analyzed 10 model years (2006–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Chevrolet Trailblazer has 2,773 owner complaints and 18 safety recalls across model years 2006–2026. The most reported issue area is FUEL SYSTEM. 2006 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Chevrolet
- Model
- Trailblazer
- Model years analyzed
- 2006–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 2,773
- Safety recall campaigns
- 18
- Crash-related complaints
- 86
- Fire-related complaints
- 137
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2006 (1,346 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (5 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- FUEL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Chevrolet Trailblazer: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER has 2,773 NHTSA complaints and 18 recalls on record. 86 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 2,773 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 18 federal recall campaigns
- 86 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
18 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND
SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
TIRES
SERVICE BRAKES
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2006–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 2,773 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
2,773 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Brakes squeal when rotors and pads are cold. Problem disappears when they warm after driving
My 2024 Chevy Trailblazer Fully Shutdown the engine and everything at a Stoplight With the Start/stop on leaving me to put pack into park and restart vehicle!!
The 2024 Trailblazer developed a problem going into reverse at less than 17500 miles in December of 2025 when my daughter came home for Christmas. It would slam into reverse or freeze and then shift harshly. The selling dealer replaced the valve body in the transmission while it was in for normal service, the valve body was on order for 30 days in January. After I delivered the car back to my daughter on January 26, 2026 which was 4 hours away in Northern Virginia the transmission continued to freeze and slam into reverse. The selling dealer advised not to drive it back to Virginia Beach, VA. The car was then dropped off at an Arlington, VA dealer and was there for 9 days. The servicing dealer said they could not duplicate the situation and returned the car after 9 days. My daughter stated that the transmission has continued to act up in reverse with freezing and slaming while trying to reverse in real world settings. The Trailblazer was dropped off for a 3rd time on Saturday, February 21st and since then we have not heard a word from the dealer. I called Chevrolet Customer Service and they assigned a case number to the problem with the transmission. The case number is 89420437 and Sarah at Chevrolet said she would be in contact with my daughter by Sunday, March 1st.
My 2024 trailblazer lt's engine light came on about a month ago. I took it to a local dealership and they said it was caused by CCND. Diagnosed code P0128 in pass/fail status. They test drove it to get light to come on and it was unable to duplicate it. They cleared the codes. A month later it came back on. I took it to my dealership and they said they have to take the entire front end off to replace the engine coolant bypass valve. They said that the electronic component was going bad. This car isn't even 2 yrs old. This should not be happening.
Unit used as a rental from Avis. Night time driving will cause on-coming traffic to flash high beams while my lights are in low beam mode. This is a daily problem with a multitude of on-coming drivers as the LED headlights are perceived to be extra bright / blinding.
I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green I entered the intersection, the LKA system began alerting me and pulling the vehicle towards the oncoming left traffic turn lane. I took my foot off the accelerator and reached over to shut the LKA off as it was pulling my vehicle. The incident resulted in distracting me resulting in my car hitting a car in the oncoming left turn lane.
Read 14 more owner reports
Check engine light came on steady (not flashing) took to local repair shop and was informed it was a Thermo Control Valve. My car currently has approximately 66k miles on it.
My front passenger seatbelt will not latch
My 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer has two main issues. First, there is a constant squealing noise when braking. I reported this twice to the dealer — the first time they said it was just sand inside the wheel. The noise continued. On the second visit, they told me it would cost over $100 to inspect the brakes because the wheel needed to be removed, which I couldn’t afford. This problem started before the vehicle reached 36,000 miles. Second, the electrical system malfunctions occasionally while driving. When I connect my son’s phone to Bluetooth, both the dashboard and infotainment screens shut off completely for a few seconds. This happens while the vehicle is in motion, and it is extremely dangerous, especially on highways. The screens then turn back on. I believe both issues may relate to safety and should be investigated.
When shifting from park to drive after the engine start none of the gears on the shifter engage. All positions are in neutral except for park. When shifting from park to any gear the engine revs when the throttle is pressed but the vehicle will immediately roll whichever way the ground is inclined. The power brakes won't engage thus forcing the driver to put their entire weight on the brake pedal to stop the car. A fix for this issue is described in General Motors Service update N2424466290 which identifies solution as replacement of the clutch piston housing. The Dealer will not fix the problem because my VIN # was not on their list of vehicles to fix. This is a safety issue because it happens randomly and surprises the Driver when the car suddenly starts coasting in whatever direction the ground is sloping. In my case the car suddenly rolled into a lane of traffic backwards in a Costco parking lot. Fortunately no cars were coming as I struggled to apply enough force to the brake pedal to stop the car. Another time the car decided to back out of the garage before I could react with either the brake pedal or the e-brake.(The electric emergency brake would not work during this incident). Please expand the manufactures known solution to all vehicles with this issue regardless of VIN number. Thank You- [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The dash and radio have gone out while driving several times now. Was driving out of state on vacation and it has gone out on us over 9 times. We will be driving and the dash goes black. You can’t see your speed, gas or radio.
I received a email from carfax stateing the truck had diagnostic testing and is the transmission in the engine system. It’ll start up but you cannot drive it. It shows that are passed the state inspection on June 27/2025 stating that the truck passed the inspection how the truck went past inspection and it’s not driveable and I don’t have it. There’s no way that’s fraud you gonna say that the truck pass inspection when you can’t drive it normally when you go get a state inspection and once they do it and it pass they give you the keys and put the sticker on it. In this case the truck is still at the dealer and it’s not driveable. You can’t drive it. It’ll start up. They change the oil rotated to tires but it’s not driveable. You can’t drive it.
Traded in a good 2018 Chevy Cruze for a trailblazer that just keep cutting off and wouldn’t start back contacted dealer 9,989 miles 11 months old it would cut off it said the theft determine system needs service then one day it just wouldn’t start at all it would cut off while driving I had it towed to dealer I had been telling the dealer fruitless and for 4 months fruitless I traded a good Chevy they gave 9,500 and I put towards the trail blazer 9 ,989 miles I am [XXX] and half rude company every time the vehicle will cut off it will state that the theft determine system needs to be serviced. It’s a software. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Almost every time I shift from park to drive and take my foot off the brake my car jolts forward a couple feet/inches to take off by itself in a manner that it should not. This has been going on since I got the car brand new and have had it just over a little over a year. I try to be as careful as I can with it and mentioned it to the Chevrolet dealership that does all my maintenance on my car. They are not sure what is causing the issue, but on 05/24/2025 I was attempting to get ready to get gas and needed to pull up slightly a little bit more and when I shifted to drive my car jolted forward and hit another vehicle. No damage was done to the other vehicle or mine, and the gentleman was nice and said it caused no damage for either of us but my car cannot keep doing this. Sometime is not right with it to be constantly jolting forward as soon as I shift to drive and take my foot off the break peddle to go. This could have been a lot worse had a human been in front of me and I do not want that to ever happen.
My 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer ACTIV with 26,000 experienced complete engine failure while driving. Palm Chevrolet said my Trailblazer had “internal engine failure” and needs to be replaced.
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front passenger's seat became loosened. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact believed the bolts were loosened on the front passenger's seat. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
blank instrument panel while [XXX] is driving. This is not safe for my son. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When driving my steering wheel goes to the left and it’s uncontrollable, I have to yank it to the right and hold it there to keep my vehicle straight it’s unsafe and does it randomly. It started around the 22 of January, 2025 and has persisted in the days following
The vehicle was started with the key fob. The vehicle was then driven for 12 miles without a key within the vehicle. I had to bring the key to where the vehicle was located to lock the car and be able to drive it. This has not been inspected.
THIS IS AN UPDATE FOR COMPLAINT # 11619009 After doing some online research and discussing with the service manager at my dealership, we identified a SIMPLE issue- apparently there was a problem with the torque used in connecting the ground wire for the electrical auto start-stop feature, which is what cause my vehicle to completely die and not be able to be restarted. after it was identified, it was corrected within minutes. I highly recommend that there be a service bulletin for any purchasers/lessees of the new 2024 Trailblazer (and possibly other Chevy vehicles) to have the grounding issue checked.
Showing 20 of 2,773 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Chevrolet Trailblazer
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Chevrolet Trailblazer, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has 2,773 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has 18 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 86 of the Chevrolet Trailblazer's 2,773 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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By state
Check a Chevrolet Trailblazer by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Research more
Keep researching before you buy
Compare brands and categories, then check the exact car's history by VIN.
Chevrolet Trailblazer reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Chevrolet Trailblazer reliable?
Poor. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has 2,773 NHTSA owner complaints and 18 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is FUEL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Chevrolet Trailblazer years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2006 (1,346 complaints), 2007 (782 complaints), 2008 (195 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Chevrolet Trailblazer problems?
Top reported issues: FUEL SYSTEM (952 complaints); GASOLINE (773 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (703 complaints).
Does the Chevrolet Trailblazer have recalls?
Yes — 18 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Chevrolet Trailblazer. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.