Chevy TrailBlazer?

[Happiest mommy]

Hello DISers need your help,my DH is thinking of buying a used Chevy Trailblazer we are a bit iffy because we have read mixed reviews, if you own one please tell us what your experience has been pros/con TIA

 

[dsneprincess]

We own a 2005 LT extended. Has been a good car for us, however, we have had a few issues with it. Mostly in the interior design, we feel the car is not quite wide enough. It was fine until we added a baby to the family though, but was hard to work with when we needed the 3rd seat regularly because of the width of the second seat with car seat installed, so that may not be an issue for you. Our a/c line has gone on it, but that is more a road salt issue than anything else, so that depends on where you live. My gas gauge doesn't work properly & the low fuel light comes on at odd times (like when car is full). This is under a recall & chevy will pay 1/2 of repair, but I have just been using the trip odemetor for guidance on when to fill. DH is driving the car now as I took the new vehicle for space, so that may have to change....overall, it has been a good car for us. Knock wood.

 

[goofystitchfan]

I have a 2007 which I purchased brand new (my first ever brand new car) and I have to tell you that if I had the chance to do it over again, I would choose different. The front is very cramped I am a mother of 2 and spend a lot of time driving here and there and I feel that I have absolutely no room up there. I have had various issues with the tires it seems since day 1. The trunk is roomy and the back seat is a little crowded too according to my DS's.

 

[wtpntigger2]

I have a 2005 with the third row. I bought it used and all was in good working order, but shortly afterwards the fuel gauge stopped working as well as my speedometer. These are common problems on the 05 and 06 models. Chevy doesn't seem to care (when I last talked to them there was no offer of paying for even half of the repair of the fuel gauge like the PP) even though they know these are problems with these model years. I have no complaints about size, but I am a family of three. This will be the last Chevy I own.

 

[Happiest mommy]

thank you all for the info I will reading this to DH

 

[AllesonWonderland]

We have a 2004 Trailblazer, bought it new. I remember reading some bad reviews in Consumer Reports awhile back and that worried me, but we've had no issue with ours. Nearly 110k miles on it (this year was a busy year--drove from AR to CA for one trip and out to Maryland for another!) and we've only had to do routine maintenance and replace the tires. Every once in awhile I get kind of itchy for something new, but this is paid for, so those feelings don't last too long. Good luck with your decision!

 

[dhuba]

I have a 2004 Trailblazer also, and can say that it has generally been free of trouble except at 19,000 we had the transmission replaced. Luckily it was under warranty at the time. Also, a few years back we had a bearing or bushing replaced in the front end, but other than that, just routine maintenance. It still only has about 50,000 miles on it and it's now my son's primary vehicle.

 

[m&amom]

I have a 2004 Trailblazer that we bought used in 2006. It has been a great car and we have put about 70,000 miles on it and never had to do a major repair. I will say that I wished I had got a 4X4 because it handles awful on ice but that is a rare problem so I have learned to work around it. I am hoping to keep the car for 1.5 years. I have no complaints about it being small (drove it 24 hours to Disney last summer with 5 of us in it).

 

[flea1267]

I have a 2004 Trailblazer and LOVE IT! We bought it new and it now has 228,000 miles on it! True Story!!! Until it hit 197,000 the ONLY repairs I had to put into it was an ignition switch thing that was $400. Of course new tires due to the miles I put on it (I drive 70 miles back and forth to work everyday and it's the family car so we put tons of miles on it, it's been to Disney several times ) --- at 197,000 I had to get a new transmission but at that point it kind of deserved one we figured! Honestly, it's a WONDERFUL car! Our mechanic said he's never had to replace an engine in one and when I took it in to get a "tune up" back in October they told me it was running fine and it would be a waste of my money to get tune up because it was running so well. OH! and I still have my original brakes on it! Yes I would do a commercial for Chevrolet declaring the wonders of the Trailblazer - I hate they quit making them!

ps. my tacometer, you know the little RPM thing quit working but I don't really need that anyway.

 

[ArmyWife7]

I have a 2005 as well with nearly 120,000 miles. I finally broke down and fixed the gas gauge 2 weeks ago because I plan on selling it within the next year and wanted it working. That set me back $800. The dealership didn't say anything to me about it being a common problem. ARG!

I owned a Honda before my TB. I mean it when I say the Honda never saw the inside of a mechanic shop in the 8 years I owned it. My TB goes into the shop a few times a year. Never anything major, but for little, aggravating things. For example, it's gone in a few times because the windshield wiper fluid line wasn't working for the back windshield.

I don't know if I'll ever buy Chevy again.

 

[Happiest mommy]

wow! thanks for the reviews sounds like its not such a bad choice after all we currently own a Tahoe and LOVE it best truck we have evr had we need a second second car smaller and DH thought the TB would be a good fit for us thanks all

 

[tinan]

We bought our trailblazer used in 2006. We haven't had any major problems with ours. The 4X4 switch is known to go in them. We had that replaced once or twice, but I know once was definitely while still under warranty. Another thing it is very touchy with is the check engine light. Every once in a while the check engine light will come on after getting gas. I have taken it to get checked several times to find this was the only problem, but it does clear on its own. We had another weird thing happen that was an easy fix. Basically, our battery died once and when we charged it up again our check engine light came on, and at an idle if we had the air on it wanted to die. After changing the alternator, thinking that was our problem, we delved a little deeper and realized it was a dirty throttle body. We had mechanics trying to tell us the computer needed replaced and all kinds of other things. A few dollar can of cleaner and about an hour's worth of work, it was running great again! I'm surprised to hear people complain about the seating/roominess. For the size vehicle it is, I like the seating and feel there is enough room and I am not a tiny woman. Prior to purchasing it, I did research as well and I can't recall now what it was, but there was something odd with the 2002 model. I think it had something to do with a weird hum at about 45 mph. If you google problems with 2002 trailblazer I would think you would find it. Other then the above mentioned problems, it has been an excellent vehicle and I believe we have about 140000 miles on it now. The only complaint I have on it is the mpg's. When we purchased this I was going in between this and an Avalanche. I opted to go with the Trailblazer because I wanted better Mpgs and although it is slightly better, it wasn't as much of a difference as I thought it would have been. My sis-in-law bought the avalanche and when we drove to Disney, her truck didn't use much more gas than my Trailblazer did. Other than that, it has been a good vehicle so far. Best of luck!!!

 

[Sadie22]

We have a 2001 Blazer. A well-maintained vehicle will last a long time.

The check engine light will come on if someone does not tighten the gas cap sufficiently after fueling. It will go off after four or five restart cycles once the cap is tightened. This may also indicate a bad oxygen sensor in the emission system. Our repair shop will read the codes for us for free.