Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I bought the 2002 Trailblazer on February 2008 drove it for about a month and a half total the rest of the time it has been back to the dealership for repairs. Everything including the motor needed to be replaced, the transmission needs to be replaced just accelerated onto the gas heard a loud crack and the truck shook like an earthquake had hit, lost acceleration would not go any faster than 30-35 miles an hour and car would not disengage from neutral at first and the would not go into reverse., brakes have made a pulsation feeling and they were done days before I bought the vehicle and replaced again including rotors a month after I bought the vehicle, there have been too many crackling and metallic tinging noises that don't go away, the 4 wheel drive engages and disengages on it's own when driving 65-70 miles an hour. …
My vehicle is a 2002 Chevrolet trail blazer of which I purchased new. Since day one the vehicle has been plagued with a multitude of problems. It has had an engine replacement, clutch fan ($620.00), tail lights, HVAC controls $(200), exhaust manifold, recall items and now finally a transmission failure where the sun shell/gear let go costing me ($1858.03). Fast forward to today just 3 months after the transmission was "completely overhauled), the valve body id failing where the dealer has told me that "is not part of the 12 month, 12,000 warranty on the transmission."
It appears the truck is suffering from a major computer defect. With all fuses in tact, many functions no longer work (remote access, radio functions after ignition turn off, automatic volume increase on radio when accelerating). Additionally, the 4x4 torque converter switch does not light up and appears to be nonfunctional, the airconditioning quits and after alleged repair, stays on all the time regardless if set to air or vent, the rear hatch is defective and can't be opened, the tail lights have burnt out three times and two headlighrs have burnt out.
I have a 2002 chev. Trailblazer and 2 weeks ago the speedometer went upside down- it is not telling me I am going over 100mph or it tells me im going 0-to nothing. The gauge is upside down and will cost over 500 to get if fixed this is a new vehicle I don't think this is fair- if it were a 95 model I wouldn't be surprised but how many vehicles loose a speedometer gauge over within a vehicle that new?
Transmission has failed at 55,000 miles, not driving car but was about to run errands. Have had to replace power steering block, alternator, starter, tail lights, instrument panel, radio and electric on a car that is just over 5 years old. The instrument panel, power steering block and transmission are all not under warranty.
I bought a 2002 chev.Trailblazer ltz from joe cecconis dealership. My alternator was bad they told me when I bought it and so they replaced it in 2008. Wed. Nov. 18th 2010 it caught on fire while I was in it. The local fire dept. Made a report and joe cecconis wont return my calls. What do I do?
When something was towed on the vehicle's hitch, it bounced up and down which caused the utility trailer to be lost while driving. Receiver hole in hitch needed to be decreased in size.
I bought a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer lt new about 10 months ago the truck has been in for service many times for different things as for seatbelt looking up and wont release,brake lights failing,derectionals that blowout every few days,radio/cd player wasnt working,leakage of water everytime it rained etc etc.. Anyways I just took it back on 6-9-03 for seatbelt to be done again and for the derectional that failed again and also to have truck inspected I picked it up later that day and found that the inspection sticker had a wrong VIN # on it and that other work was done I left there knowing they said they dont know why the light in derectional keeps failing but they did change the bulbs { this is everytime I bring it this is all they do to fix it} on 6-10-03 the derectional wasnt working again my husband changed the light bulb this time due to the fact it takes me almost 40 mins to get …
Purchased feb 1, 2002. Since then have had nothing but problems. Had into 4 different dearlerships fixing many problems but after each visit another problem occurs. From tail lights burning out, windhshield wiper motor failures, instrument cluster replaced, heater control panel replaced once, memory mirror modules replaced 2 times, heated seat switches replaced 2 times, rear window defogger/replaced entire rear window 1 time, battery replaced 1 time ( said battery was at fault for current problems) battery was fine and charged me $ 150 for new battery that was not the correct battery replacement, exhaust gasket became loose/loud and had to be replaced, the fuel pump replaced because it just cut off as I was on the expressway going approx 65 miles an hour, I had to get to the side of the road quickly- had to be towed to dealership. …
2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer with problems with car radio customer wants reimbursement for repairs* some type of electrical problem caused a loud pop to come through the speakers. The caused the radio to short out and the speakers to blow. The radio and speakers had been replaced several times. The amplifier also had to be replaced. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer on numerous occasions but they have been unable to correct the problem. The middle seat belt in the second row locked up as soon as it was fastened into the buckle. When the defroster was used the consumer heard a clicking noise. The dealer replaced the mode actuator and mode valve per TSB 04-01-38-002. The quarter panel on the roof seam sealer cracked and was rusted. The pull down strap on the rear hatch broke. The sway bar broke. A grinding noise was heard coming from the left front wheel when making sharp left turn. …
Related recalls
Equipment › Other › Owners/service/other manual
Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage system." the owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchorage system.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with a supplement for their owner's manual. This supplement describes and shows the location symbols for the child restraint anchors that are located in the vehicle and on the child restraint or…
Equipment complaints in other Trailblazer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are equipment problems on the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the equipment & accessories of the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 2% of the model year's 1,149 complaints. The component named most often is electrical › radio/tape deck/cd etc. (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer equipment problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-250 (owners/service/other manual, Jul 15, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer equipment problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 44% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to equipment & accessories problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.