Chevrolet Trailblazer Headlight Problems

Headlight complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Headlights
  103
• Brake lights
  96
• Tail lights
  32
• Turn signal
  10
• Headlights › High/low beam dimmer switch
  3
• Headlights › Switch
  3
• Brake lights › Switch
  2
• Turn signal › Flasher unit
  2

Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  7413%
• 25k–50k
  6511%
• 50k–75k
  9617%
• 75k–100k
  9516%
• 100k–150k
  15627%
• 150k+
  9016%

What owners report

My first complaint is that headlights, low beam, would not work. Only high beams worked. The issue stopped, unexplainable, on its own, has not occurred again. The 2nd complaint is the radio volume would 'slip' as if there were a loose wire to the speakers, and loss of sound became more frequent and for longer periods of time, eventually all sound stopped, it has not been fixed, as of yet. 3rd complaint, a brand new battery, in under a year of use, went completely dead, without any visible explanation. When an attempt to jump start the vehicle the cables from another cars battery were touched at my cars battery, it sparked, indicating to the person performing the task, there is a 'short' somewhere in the wiring system. I drive this vehicle less than 3000 miles per year, and use it sporadically with my second vehicle to keep the batteries active. …

The low beam headlights keep going out. All other lights stay on and the high beam lights work. Only the low beam headlights are affected. This has happened while in motion and from a stopped position when first starting the car and putting it in drive. I have researched it on several group we sights and found that the problem is the headlight dimmer module (hdm). I have replaced this two times over the last two years which always fixes it for about a year then it starts failing again. This is a very dangerous situation because it happens after dark. I can pull over and stop, open the hood and take off the fuse box cover and remove the hdm and put it back in the socket. Sometimes this works and sometimes not. It is a dangerous situation. There have been recalls on earlier trailblazers but not this year. It should be included.

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that the ignition was turned to the on position and there was smoke coming from the hood without warning. The contact turned the ignition back to the off position and opened the hood and discovered the head lamp driving module relay on fire. The contact extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken dealer where it was diagnosed that the accessory board failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,471.

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH at nighttime, the low-beam headlights started flickering, and then became inoperable. The vehicle decelerated and veered to the side of the road. The contact engaged the high-beam headlights and continued driving. The contact stated that he replaced the low-beam headlights relay several times. Additionally, the contact replaced the low beam headlights switch, bulb, and fuses; however, the failure persisted. The local dealer and a second dealer, Pohanka Chevrolet (13915 US-50, Chantilly, VA 20151) were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact related the failure to GM Campaign Number: N140291. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. …

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights became inoperable without warning. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact replaced the headlight bulbs three times, the fuse, and the switch. The failure persisted. The contact had spoken with the dealer who stated the headlamp driver module (HDM) module needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that an unknown recall for the failure had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 200,200.

The headlamps have quit working when driving at night but will come back on later. This has happened several times. I found GM recall number 14291 that is supposed to include 2006 Chevy Trailblazers and pertains to this problem. The local dealership told us that our vehicle has a vin number that is not covered. It would seem that all model 2006 Chevy Trailblazers would use the same HDM modules in them when they were built. Is ours covered?

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the headlights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring was burned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 5/15/15 updated 05/26/15

Related recalls (3)

NHTSA investigations