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2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,081 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, most often about the electrical (58% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is 4th of 17 Trailblazer model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer problems
Electrical
627 complaints · 58%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition, wiring, 12v/24v/48v battery.
Most dashboard gauges failed on the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Total loss of fuel gauge, amp gauge, temperature gauge and oil pressure gauge. In addition to these failures odometer did not work properly. Also, other driver information computer items did not function. Abs, parking brake and battery lights illuminated.…
I have a 2004 chevorlet Trailblazer. The speedometer quit working driving down the interstate. I have no way to gauge my speed while driving. This is a common problem on gm products. The vehicle is 3 years old and has 66k and speedometer should not fail. This is clearly defective equipment and a safety issue and…
Fuel system
148 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 83,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
I was smelling gas fumes coming from my '04 chevy Trailblazer. After some investigation found that the fitting going into the fuel tank from the fill line is leaking. The check engine has been on for a while.
Speedometer and fuel gage completely stopped working. Researched the internet and lots of people have complained of this very issue, but no recall has been made. This is a safety hazard and to fix this problem our dealership said it would cost anywhere at the least $500. This really upsets me as we cannot afford to…
Lights
104 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signal.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he attempted to install a child safety seat in the third row seating, but none of the seat belts would successfully tighten and retain the child seat. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired.…
I was driving down the freeway when I noticed my headlights went dark. All the other electrical components worked well (radio and stuff) and the lights came back on about 10 seconds later. The incident has happened a few times, but I can't figure out what is causing it. It's happened on the highway, the street, my…
Transmission
62 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, transfer case (4-wheel drive), driveline.
I have transmission problems with my 2004 trail blazer I first noticed it when I was driving down the road at 55 and all the sudden it was like the vehicle was put in neutral and I pulled to the side shut the vehicle off and tried to start again and it took off fine like nothing was wrong. Then a day or 2 later the…
I have a 2004 Trailblazer. I had taken it to the dealership service center on several occasions because of issues with it. The service engine light came on all the time. It would rev up the rpms for no reason and make a weird sound. It would not go into 4 -wheel drive or out of it like it is supposed to. And other…
Engine
55 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 52,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the contact took the vehicle to the dealer; however, they could not determine the cause of the failure. The light has been illuminating ever since the vehicle was purchased, but the failure cannot be located or…
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While parked with the engine running, the contact heard a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The technician advised that the knocking noise was normal for the type of engine in the vehicle. The vehicle was then…
Air bags
42 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet trail blazer. While driving approximately 25 MPH and engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated, spun out of control and rolled over down a hill. The consumer suffered minor injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. A police has a report is available if needed. The Chevrolet…
I was side swiped by another car that went through a red light. My truck then proceeded to hit another car and finally the front end of the truck got airborne and landed with the tires in the front windshield of another car. The truck sustained over $6,000 in damage as well as the front frame where the motor sits was…
Speed control
38 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 59,500 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control, accelerator pedal.
Vehicle goes into shutdown mode with an unresponsive accelerator. Motor still runs but no acceleration. This is a serious safety issue when driving in traffic as you have no power to get out of traffic and harms way. There is no warning that a problem is imminent. A reduced power light comes on and you're stuck.…
Driving along and all of a sudden the speedometer reads zero. All other gauges work fine. Had dealer fix it for 466.00 gm has bulletin out for the pickups and suvs but not this vehicle that use the same components.
Visibility and wipers
31 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: power window devices and controls, windshield wiper/washer, defroster/defogger/hvac system, glass, side/rear.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the windows failed to open or close. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the master window switch was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Ten minutes after the contact activated the rear defroster, the rear glass exploded. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 77,000.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer recalls
Lights: turn signal
Risk: The driver may not be able to clearly signal their intentions to turn, change travel lanes, or potentially warn others of an impaired vehicle operating condition increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2005. Isuzu began mailing owner letters on august 4, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, buick at 1-866-608-8080, and oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Full defect summary
On certain trucks and sport utility vehicles, the driver wishing to signal a turn by moving the directional signal lever, (up or down) may cause the front marker/turn lights and rear turn lights to flash in a manner similar to hazard warning, rather than flashing on the desired side only.
Lights: brake lights
Risk: An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tail lamp/stop lamp assemblies, and if necessary, replace them. The recall began on november 22, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, vibration and heat may cause the tail lamp/stop lamp bulb to loosen in its socket. If this occurs, the bulb may flicker and eventually become inoperative.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of headlights
Summary
The subject vehicles are model year (my) 2002-2009 chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, 2004-2007 buick rainier, 2003-2008 isuzu ascender, 2005-2009 saab 9-7x, 2002-2004 oldsmobile bravada, 2003-2006 chevrolet ssr, 2005-2009 buick lacrosse, and 2006-2008 pontiac grand prix. This scope includes the trailblazer/envoy variants: 2002-2006 envoy xl/trailblazer ext and 2004-2005 envoy xuv. The original scope of this investigation was expanded to include all vehicles equipped with the subject headlight driver module (hdm). The focus of the investigation was to determine whether actions performed by general motors adequately addressed any unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in the subject vehicle
Fuel pump module leaks gasoline
Summary
During the course of this ea investigation, odi observed that the majority of the complaints (88%) and warranty claims (94%) were reported for vehicles that are registered for use in the salt belt region of the US.this area includes 20 states in the northeast, mid atlantic and the midwest regions and the district of columbia.consumers in the salt belt region reported to odi that they could smell fuel vapors in their vehicles while driving.upon further examination of their vehicles, they discovered that fuel vapors were coming out of the top of the fuel tank. This condition is caused by corrosion of the return and sender lines of the fuel pump module.water and road salt collect on top of the
Brake lamp failure
Summary
Gm states that some brake/tail lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to malfunctioning brake/tail lamp sockets.on march 2, 2004, gm initiated a 6-year/72,000 mile special policy for 989,487 subject vehicles to inspect and replace the rear brake/tail lamp bulb socket assemblies.on april 4, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-032) based on consumer complaints alleging brake lights not operating when the brake pedal is depressed.on august 3, 2004 odi upgraded pe04-032 to an engineering analysis (ea04-021).by letter dated october 27, 2004 gm notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA # 04v527) covering subject vehicles
Brake lamp failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation on model year (my) 2002-04 chevrolet trailblazer vehicles.gm reports that other vehicles sharing this platform and brake lamp design are the my 2002-2004 chevrolet trailblazer ext; gmc envoy, xl, xuv; oldsmobile bravada and 2004 buick rainier.complaints allege that the rear brake lamp does not operate when the brake pedal is depressed.there is no indication to the driver from inside the vehicle that one or more brake lamps bulbs are not functioning.gm found that heat from the bulb could deform the lamp socket, produce electrical arcing and an inoperative bulb.to correct the condition, gm changed the bulb to a bulb that trans
Questions about the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (627 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); fuel system (148 complaints, typically around 83,000 miles); lights (104 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 5, 2005 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Chevrolet Trailblazer?
- It is 4th of 17 Trailblazer model years by number of complaints, with 1,081 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.