2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Routine

Owners filed 193 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
74,000 milesMedian miles at failure

168 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 60,00075,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System43
090
Air Bags26
605
Engine17
000
Exterior Lighting12
000
Steering8
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic8
101
Electronic Stability Control (esc)7
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System6
000
Fuel/Propulsion System5
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch5
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seat Belts
Filed May 14, 2026AZ

Both side curtain airbags deployed while driving down the street. The driver's seatbelt tightened then locked up. There was no obvious reason for the airbags to deploy. the vehicle was taken to a Chevy dealer to see if it was on recall list but they said it was not. Vehicle was referred to a body shop for estimate for repairs...$6,435.00....if you can find the parts. driver was shaken up by the deployment but not injured.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 9, 2024NJ

FRAME ROTTING OUT - HAS ROT HOLES - UNSAFE - REMAINDER OF TRUCK IS GOOD BUT WITHOUT A SOLID STRUCTURE THIS TRUCK IS UNSAFE AND USELESS. MANY TRAILBLAZER FRAMES DO NOT LAST AND ROT OUT FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING. BAD PRODUCT GM.

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Jun 21, 2022206,000 milesWA

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while parked in her driveway, the passenger side door caught fire without warning. The fire occurred overnight and in the morning, the contact and her boyfriend discovered both her passenger side door and front passenger seat melted. The contact believed that the fire smoldered overnight and eventually burned out on its own. The fire department was not notified and a fire report was not filed. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact's boyfriend discovered that the wiring inside the door had melted which may have caused the fire. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000

Engine
Filed Jun 21, 2022CO

I was driving on the highway just reaching 55 mph, that is when all of a sudden, my suv stalled out with no warning no sound nothing. I tried to restart it and sounded as if it was trying to start but wouldn't. after a couple of times of trying that is when a tow truck came and as he was putting my suv on the flat bed I noticed huge amount oil on the ground. I got it towed to Chevy dealership for service and that is when they told me that the 6th cylinder cracked also a rod went through causing a hole in the engine block. I asked what could have caused it, because I'm on top of my maintenance and my suv only had 94,000 miles on it. That is when he explained to me that it was nothing that I did and that there was nothing that I could've done to prevent it and that there was nothing I did wrong that caused it. So, the leaves me asking, isn't that a manufacturing issue?

Electrical System
Filed Aug 14, 2021TX

I was just sitting in a drive thru and my passenger side window just started smoking and now it will not go down.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Jul 22, 2021MA

While driving home at approximately 9:30pm, my eighteen year old daughter experienced the headlights failing to come on after dark with the automatic headlight-on feature. She turned on the headlights manually, and the low beams still were not working, but all driving lights and high beam headlights were working. I assumed that the bulbs were burned out, so replaced both the driver and passenger side bulbs. The low beam headlights still failed to come on either automatically or manually. I Googled the problem, and multiple people have reported this exact same problem, and some stated that there was a recall due to this problem. I am unable to find either a recall or a service bulletin for this issue.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 22, 2021210,702 milesCT

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MY GAS TANK NEEDLE WENT DOWN TO EMPTY ON A FULL TANK OF GAS AND WILL NOT COME BACK UP, AND IT STALLS. WHILE I WAS DRIVING.

Engine
Filed Feb 22, 2021128,000 milesFL

THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IN MY 2008 CHEVY TRAILBLAZER HAS BROKEN NOW THREE TIMES. THE CHEVY DEALER HAS CHANGED THE MANIFOLD TWICE FOR FREE BUT NOW THEY NO LONGER WANT TO PAY FOR IT PLUS I ASKED IF THEY HAVE MADE A CHANGE TO THE CAST IRON MANIFOLD AND THEY TELL ME THE PART NUMBER CHANGED IN 2011 BUT MY FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED SINCE THEN SO I KNOW THE REPLACEMENT MANIFOLD I WILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. EXHAUST FUMES IN WINTER ENTER THE CABIN.

Steering
Filed Feb 21, 2021170,000 milesNH

THE POWER STEERING LINES BLOW

Air BagsCrash
Filed Dec 6, 2020160,000 milesAZ

YES I WAS DRIVING ON THE 65 MILES AN HOUR IN THE PASSENGER LANE ARE CARPOOL LANE ALL THE SUDDEN FOR NO REASON BOTH CURTAIN AIRBAGS JUST DEPLOYED I HAD MY HEAD RIGHT NEXT TO KNOCK ME OUT COLD I DIDN'T PROCEED OVER AND HIT THE WALL 21 TIMES JUST SKIP DOWN IN WHEN I CAME TO I THOUGHT I WAS I THOUGHT IT AND OTHER VEHICLES LIKELY THAT WAS NOT THE CASE DID CAUSE SOME TESTA INJURY HURT MIGHT PULL MY CAR ALLEGEDLY FOR MY RIBCAGE IN GOT MY NECK IN MY HEAD I SEE THIS IS HAPPENED MANY TIMES THE 2008 BUT YET THEY KEEP SAYING THERE'S NO PROBLEM THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S A 2% LEAN AND EXPOSED THE 16 FOR THE ROLE OVER TO KICK IN THAT ESCAPE SCREWING EVERYBODY YEAH THE VEHICLES ON THE HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT NO TURNS NO BOMBS NOTHING JUST DEPLOYED I HAVE VIDEO PICTURES OF THE WALL IT SCREWED UP MY RAMS AND OF COURSE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE MESSED UP AND SHOW THE BACK AXLE IN THE PUMPKIN SO NOW THATS WHINING SO I KNOW IT'S GONNA FAIL SOON POWER STEERING LINKIN TRUCK NEVER LEAD TO DROP ANOTHER WITH SILENT AT THE GREAT V6 IN IT NOW THE FRONT END STEERING ALL SCREWED UP AND I CAN SEE THAT IT'S HAPPENED MANY MANY TIMES BEFORE

Exterior Lighting
Filed Nov 26, 2020150,000 milesIL

DIM HEADLIGHTS QUIT WORKING WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. BRIGHT LIGHTS WORKED, BUT NO DIMS.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Sep 29, 202070,000 milesIL

THERE'S A PROBLEM AFTER BRAKING WHICH CAUSES A FEW SECOND DELAY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A SLOW SPEED, SUPPOSEDLY PART OF THE STABILITRAK/ABS SYSTEM CAUSED BY A FAULTY SENSOR. I HAVE ALMOST HAD A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS WHEN WAITING TO TURN IN A LEFT TURN LANE.

Electrical System
Filed Sep 15, 2020TX

REAR HATCH LICENSE PLATE LAMPS BLOWING OUT, FLICKERING ALSO HATCH LOCK CLICKS REPEATEDLY, WITHOUT TOUCHING ELECTRIC LOCK BUTTONS. WHEN OPENING THE HATCH THE LICENSE LIGHTS GO ON/OFF ON/OFF. THE HATCH LOCK CLICKS REPEATEDLY. THE HATCH WIRE HARNESS COVERED WITH A 'RUBBER BOOT/SLEEVE', WHEN MOVED CAUSES LOCK CLICKING AND PLATE LIGHTS FLICKERING. THE HATCH LOCK INTERMITTENTLY LOCKS BUT WILL NOT UNLOCK. VEHICLE USUALLY PARKED. OBVIOUSLY UNABLE TO SEE LICENSE LAMPS WHEN IN MOTION.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Jun 28, 202090,000 milesMI

MY 2008 TRAILBLAZER POWERS DOWN AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON ACCELERATION I FEEL THIS IS DANGEROUS TO CARS BEHIND ME

Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed May 11, 2020220,000 milesCA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE CRASHED AND REAR ENDED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AT 53 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AS WELL AS THE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A SEVERE CONCUSSION & ALMOST BIT HIS TONGUE OFF WITH HIS HEAD SMASHING INTO THE WINDSHIELD. HE ALSO SUSTAINED CUTS AND BRUISES ON HIS LOWER BODY AND LEGS AND A BRUISED NECK. THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE OTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH INJURIES AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED WITH THE WHOLE FRONT SMASHED IN UP TO THE WINDSHIELD. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 220,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *LN*JB

Air Bags
Filed Jan 21, 202080,000 milesIA

SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON. THE CODE IS: B0026 DRIVERS SIDE FRONT DEPLOY.

Structure › Body1 injured
Filed Dec 18, 2019230,000 milesSC

I WENT TO CLOSE MY HATCHBACK ON MY 2008 TRAILBLAZER YESTER AND AFTER CLOSING THE DOOR A FEW SECONDS LATER THE GLASS EXPLODED. SOME ON THE INSIDE OF THE CAR AND SOME ON THE OUTSIDE. THE TRUCK WAS PARKED. I NOW HAVE A CUT ON MY FINGER THAT MAY NEED STITCHES. I HEAR THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TRUCKS.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Dec 14, 201984,000 milesVA

WHILE TURNING LEFT AT LOW SPEEDS STABILITRAK ACTIVATES SHUTTING POWER OFF TO THE WHEELS ONCE YOU RELEASE GAS PETAL FOR 5-10 SECONDS STABILITRAK WILL RETURN TO NORMAL AND ALLOW POWER BACK TO WHEELS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF YOU PULL OUT ON THE HIGHWAY OR ANY STREET AND YOU LOOSE POWER, YOU COULD GET HIT

Air Bags
Filed Oct 12, 2019NV

LOW BEAMS STOPPED WORKING, TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED BOTH BULBS AND IT WORKED FOR A COUPLE WEEKS NOW LOW BEAMS RANDOMLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. AIRBAG SENSOR KEEPS TURNING ON AND OFF AND THE HORN STOPPED WORKING. THE AIRBAG SENSOR SEEMS TO COME ON MORE ON LONGER TRIPS AROUND THE CITY WITH MORE TURNS.

Seat Belts
Filed Aug 26, 201962,000 milesNV

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO FASTEN THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT, HE NOTICED THAT THE BELT WAS DETERIORATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

20 of 193 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2005
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20267100Routine
202521100Routine
202433100Routine
202367010Routine
2022108100Routine
2021193430Routine
20141000Routine
200927000Routine
2008 — this page1930110Routine
20077325564Fatalities reported
20061,10885914Fatalities reported
20051,4662251Fatalities reported
20041,0812314Fatalities reported
20039018142Fatalities reported
20021,14913354Fatalities reported
200120000Routine
200026010Routine
19994000Routine

Compare every Trailblazer year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.