2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Typical pattern

2.6% of complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2005 vehicle — around the middle of the 245 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (619 complaints), typically at 5.5 yr or about 70,000 miles.

Complaints: 1,896
Median age at failure: 5.9 yr
Median mileage: 70,194 n=1575
Crash / fire / tow: 6.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

619 reports · 70,000 mi

5.5 yr

2.3%

Fuel system

433 reports · 69,982 mi

5.8 yr

0.7%

Exterior lighting

144 reports · 64,534 mi

6.5 yr

1.4%

Fuel system, other

96 reports · 65,000 mi

5.5 yr

Fuel / propulsion

95 reports · 94,000 mi

8.2 yr

2.1%

Speed control

75 reports · 75,000 mi

6.3 yr

Air bags

71 reports · 95,675 mi

7.7 yr

66.2%

Power train

51 reports · 77,349 mi

5.7 yr

11.8%

Engine cooling

45 reports · 55,000 mi

4.5 yr

13.3%

Visibility

36 reports · 83,875 mi

5.8 yr

13.9%

Engine

30 reports · 98,000 mi

9.3 yr

16.7%

Structure

29 reports · 100,000 mi

6.3 yr

6.9%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

06V417000 2006-10-31

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.

IF THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, THE FRONT AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE MAY BE DISABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE ENABLED, OR ENABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE DISABLED. IN EITHER CASE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT REQUIRES AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, A FRONT PASSENGER'S LEVEL OF INJURY MAY BE INCREASED.

05V035000 2005-02-03

Visibility:windshield

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, 'WINDSHIELD MOUNTING.' THE WINDSHIELD URETHANE BEAD MAY NOT HAVE ADHERED TO THE BODY IN CERTAIN AREAS DURING THE CURE PROCESS.

IF A CRASH OCCURS, THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT BE RETAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO A VEHICLE OCCUPANT.

In owners’ own words

Power train mileage not reported 4 mo in service

THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. *NM THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED SO HARD THAT IT ALMOST JERKED THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF THE CONSUMERS HANDS. THE SECOND CONCERN WAS WHEN THE CONSUMER HAD TO PLACE THE REAR SEAT DOWN TO PLACE ITEMS IN THE BACK , IT REQUIRED THAT THE FRONT SEAT BE MOVED FORWARD AND WOULD NOT GO ALL THE WAY BACK AGAIN. THE LAST CONCERN WAS THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT USE TIRE CHAINS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH CLEARANCE AND THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED TO USE ANOTHER TRACTION DEVICE. *SC

Power train mileage not reported 1.2 yr in service

HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING COMPLETELY OFF AND ON IN THE DARK AND DAYLIGHT HOURS AS WELL AS COMPLETELY QUITTING. HAD IT TO DEALERSHIP 2 TIMES FOR THIS MATTER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I FELT IT WAS A HAZARD DRIVING IT THIS WAY BEING. IT ALSO HAPPENED AT NIGHT. THIS STARTED IN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005. HAVEN'T HAD IT A YEAR YET AND ALREADY THE DRIVESHAFT HAS BEEN REPLACED . IS THIS A LEMON ?*AK

Power train 65 mi 2.0 yr in service

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SHIFT FUNNY AFTER A LONG ROAD TRIP. IT DID THIS ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY. WE GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED INTO OUR TOWN AND THE CAR WAS HAVING PROBLEMS SHIFTING. WE BARELY MADE IT TO OUR HOUSE AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING. WE WENT TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT OVER HEATED LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE HOUSE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE RADIATOR DETERIORATED AND SENT ANTI-FREEZE INTO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. *JB

Visibility mileage not reported 4 mo in service

CONSUMER BOUGHT A NEW VEHICLE THAT HAD A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD. RESULT, POOR VISIBILITY. TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER, AND THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED AGAIN. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK A THIRD TIME. GM HAD SENT THE DEALERSHIP A NOTICE NOT TO REPLACE ANY MORE WINDSHIELDS FOR THE CHEVROLET TRAIL BLAZER. *AK

Other Trailblazer model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.