Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated she fell asleep while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle graced two trees, and crashed into the third tree on the front driver-side bumper. The contact stated no air bags were deployed. The contact sustained a fractured rib on her left side, a lesion on her right leg, and a lesion on her chest and abdomen due to the seat belt. The contact did seek medical attention. The police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The police towed the vehicle to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 205,000.
The contact owned a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side of a second vehicle. During the crash, no air bags in the vehicle deployed. The contact sustained neck, shoulders, and back injuries and was transported to the local hospital. A Police report was filed at the scene but was not available. The vehicle was towed to a local towing yard. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000
The airbags failed to deploy In a significant collision where hood, radiator, grill/number and both headlights were damaged. GM has been contacted and fail and refuse to do an inspection stating the issue is time barred to 10 years to original warranty of vehicle and are failing to acknowledge manufacturer defect or issue a recall. There were no warning signs/lights prior to notify that the airbags would fail to deploy in an accident. The vehicle has not inspected, even a request has been made on multiple occasions, with getting the runaround and claim closed. The lack of safety puts other drivers/owners of the 2005 Trailblazer and or similar vehicles at risk, at time they will need it the most to find out airbags are defective and will not work. Injuries and lives are at risk only for GM to run a cover up and not stand up to do what is right. …
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the seat belt pretensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,228.
2005 Chevy Trailblazer was driven by my granddaughter. She was trying to enter onto I-10 interstate and was going too fast on the entrance ramp. Road conditions were hazardous as it was a severe rain storm. She hydroplaned and hit a vehicle in front of her which caused her to spin into oncoming traffic. She was hit on the driver's side and the truck spun around several times before it stoppped. The airbag did not deploy!!! The police officer and the tow company driver said she was lucky to be alive. My concern is this could have been a fatal accident and the airbag failed to deploy. The Trailblazer was totaled as the axle and the engine were on the ground. The driver's side front wheel came off. I have always like Chevy vehicles but am now hesitant to purchase another one b/c of this issue with the air bag.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into a sign and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained back injuries and the passenger sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact was unable to confirm if the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving 35 MPH, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained various injuries to the face, which required medical attention. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was not diagnosed for the air bag failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
My daughter had an accident on 12/16/2008. She has(had) a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer ls, 2 wheel drive SUV. While driving on the ohio turnpike during a snow storm she lost control and had a head on crash with a cement retaining wall while traveling between 25 to 35 miles per hour. The air bag did not deploy during the accident and she slammed hard into the steering wheel resulting in a concussion, chest injuries, sore wrist, dizziness, and still has ringing in one ear. She did have her safety belt on at the time of the accident and always wears it. We are baffled as to why the air bag did not come out as it would have save her much pain. The car is a total wreck as described by the Pontiac dealer that her insurance company towed the SUV to for repairs. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While making a right turn, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was repaired. Two months later, the contact noticed moisture on the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that there was an unknown chemical substance leaking from the front passenger side air bag. The substance deteriorated the seat, cables, and the floor. The contact was unable to stop the leak. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Lucky to be alive. On 4 14 2019 while driving 65mph on 101 freeway in thousand oaks california, a pickup truck veered into my lane. When I moved over to avoid the pickup both side airbags went off with a bang filling car with powdery cloud. My left ear popped from the loud bang but I was able to get off on the shoulder. Called 911 and ca highway patrol came out and did a report. Both officers had never seen anything like it. There was no impact to the car and the chp took multiple pictures of the exterior. Milage on the car at time of accident was 117,873 . Chp cutaway the airbags and my father came out and drove it home and then to auto shop to evaluate. Seat belt also stopped working now that airbags deployed. Really terrifying experience.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Remedy: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (GM) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in GM's letter to…
Airbag complaints in other Trailblazer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
NHTSA has 70 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 5% of the model year's 1,466 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-417 (frontal, Oct 31, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 43 crashes, 2 fires and 52 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.