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Chevrolet TrailBlazer Speedometer

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Comments

  • gpsteelegpsteele Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2011
    I have a 2005 Trailblazer as well and have had nothing but problems with it. The first was when the 4WD knob broke off. Then the fuel gauge stopped working. I also have a wiring problem that causes interference between the speakers and the accelerator (I hear a high pitched whizzing noise when I press on the accelerator). In the fall of 2009 the speedometer started malfunctioning like the problems that other posters have had. In the past year the oil gauge has now stopped working. The most recent defect in this glorified hunk of metal is a crack in the exhaust manifold. I will never purchase another GM product due to the number of problems and lack of customer support from the company. I cannot say that I am surprised that the company has gone bankrupt.
  • dochaleydochaley Member Posts: 11
    Will Americans ever learn!
    We the people bought their autos for a century and in the end they stick it to us by having tax payers bail them out and yet they continue to make crap for cars/trucks.
    I'm telling you guys and gals, go foreign! They are the only affordable vehicles on the market that will give you great gas mileage, durability, comfort and stay the FK together.

    CYa
    Doc
  • miquiltermiquilter Member Posts: 1
    This problem isn't related to just the Trailblazer. I have a 2004 LeSabre which runs good and no major problems with the exception of the instrument cluster. It started out with the engine light coming on so we had towed and they couldn't find anything. From there it went to the gas gauge and then the speedometer. I kept track of gas by watching the odometer but not knowing how fast I was going became a problem. GM headquarters wouldn't do anything so went had the cluster removed ($30) and sent to a guy who sent one back at a cost of $115. The gas gauge and speedometer still work after six months but engine light has come back on. Just wanted to let everyone know that it's related to other GM vehicles.
  • cheby59cheby59 Member Posts: 1
    Gas guage issue, when tank is full gas guage goes crazy, at first it would go from full to 1/2 tank, now it just stays on empty, whith the engine light, illuminating after it detects that my tank,is empty, also my lights at night seem to flicker, while driving, and so dose my instrument cluster. when at a stop all is well, just replaced the alt. still same issue,called chevy in Detroit, cust. complaint, said there is a Special Covarage # 10054 that cover 50% of repair, I feel that they should have a recall, if they know that there is an issue, but we know that will never happen. HELP.
  • 00disappointed00disappointed Member Posts: 1
    My 70 yr old aunt has a 2003 Trailblazer and the instrument cluster does not work nor the gas gauge. Heat comes on my itself, electrical windows won't go down on command and doors won't unlock from the inside at times. This it the car she depends on to get to the doctor's office. I understand that GM knows that the instrument cluster is a problem with all the Trailblazers and I heard that they paid to have it fixed in the Tahoe. I feel they should pay to have it fixed in the Trailblazer as well. With this kind of workmanship its no wonder people are buying imports from other countries. Do you think I'll buy a GM car?
  • raypassraypass Member Posts: 1
    I am wondering if someone can help me. I have a 2005 Chevy TrailBlazer with 86,500 miles and the speedometer is not working properly. The speedometer doesn't register the speed properly as it goes past the 120mph and sometimes goes straight down to the odometer reading. When I come to a stop, it stops at 70mph. When I start the vehicle, it goes down 5mph to 65mph. I have to keep starting and shutting off the vehicle in order for it to go back to zero but does this at 5mph increments. Once it does, it will work for awhile and then it will go back to improperly working. I noticed I started using the cruise control more because I do some highway driving. Could the cruise control be the cause of it? Should I disconnect the battery to reset the computer so that it can work properly?
  • auburnmom1auburnmom1 Member Posts: 2
    I have this same problem. I don't think it's the cruise control b/c I never use mine and my speedometer does the exact same thing. I have found that when I go at a higher rate of speed (highway driving) this is when it messes up. I live in the city so it hardly ever messes up just driving in town. Unless you want to pay around $500 you are just going to have to live with it. That's what I'm doing. : (
  • rpleb35rpleb35 Member Posts: 5
    Raypass...

    This is the same exact thing that happened to a 04 TB I had. I, also, had to keep starting the vehicle in order for the speedometer to go to 0. Anyways, I ended up getting it fixed and it was the instrument cluster motor that was causing it. Has nothing to do with the cruise control. I also did the battery disconnect thing and it would work fine for a couple of weeks but always went back to getting stuck. When this happened to me, my TB was only 3 years old and 10,000 out of warranty. I wrote GM a letter and they actually covered half of my repair which at that time came to 450 dollars. GM knows there is a problem so you might have some luck getting a hold of them. I tried the email thing and the phone calls but it was the letter that got their attention. I was told to do this by a lawyer friend of mine. He said that letters always end up on someones desk when emails go unnoticed and never get read. I took his advice and got 225 dollars out of the deal. However, with your vehicle being 7 years old now, I dont know if GM will do anything. Good luck...let me know how it turns out.
  • studi30studi30 Member Posts: 1
    I have a simple solution to save money on a repair. Buy a GPS as they tell you your speed on the screen. This may be hard if you live in areas where cars are broken into and the GPS are stolen,but if you guard it well and take it with you when you leave the car you will be OK. My wifes Jeep has a built in Nav system that tells the speed.
  • dll66dll66 Member Posts: 5
    GM has no intentions of voluntarily fixing this problem.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    It's the stepper motors on the back of the cluster, a known problem that has been discussed here many times. You have three basic choices:
    Have the cluster replaced - expensive
    Remove it yourself, send it out to be repaired (google "trailblazer instrument cluster repair) - less expensive, but you need to get it out and back in yourself
    Remove it and replace the stepper motors yourself (you need to have soldering skills) - least expensive
  • msmith13msmith13 Member Posts: 1
    I called Gm after reading this forum and you are right. They won't fix it.
    I was told it was normal wear and tear. My Spedometer??? 5 years old has expired? I told the GM person, "I 've gotten more use out of my curling iron everyday for over five years and it cost$25.00 with a one year warrantee."They won't do anything. It's not safe driving and not knowning your speed. I've had the gas guage thing too. Emmissions light and faulty gas cap. Thanks
  • rose46texasrose46texas Member Posts: 1
    I know this feeling we bought our 2007 trail blaser in 2008 and the gas gauge never worked then about a year ago they had been recalled but they said that they would only pay half to get it fix. Seems to me if it is a recal and they screwed up they should fix it
  • galanegalane Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2012
    Replying to this GREAT answer from 2009 (see IVAN10)on the issue of Chevy Trailblazer speedometer wigging out. My 2005 Trailblazer EXT started acting up about a year ago after taking a long trip. Thought it was the cruise control but it effected the speedometer incorrectly registering what speed we were going. Then my check engine light started to come on. BOTH ISSUES were intermittent. Finally called my niece's husband in VT (Chevy auto mechanic) and he suggested what IVAN10 has stated. Get that speed sensor replaced. Its a heck of alot easier to replace (and cheaper) then the IC cluster everybody keeps talking about. The dealership will most definitely go with that option first since it is FAR more expensive. Thank GOD for these blogs since we have to fend for ourselves....GM isn't go to help us! But PLEASE CONTINUE TO BUY AMERICAN!! We've got to save ourselves...and our country, too.
  • tshot12tshot12 Member Posts: 1
    Speedometer issue just happened to me last night in TN/KY hills. Watched the speedo cruise past 120! With engine off stays at 65. Having just read all previous posts I've come to 2 conclusions...1) I'm THANKFUL for my 1998 Honda Accord with over 197,000 miles (and NO MAJOR PROBLEMS) and 2) Looks like I'm gonna have even more FUN THINGS to look forward to with my Trailblazer! Since it is only my speedometer that's wacked, is it the stepper motor more than likely?
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    From past experience, yes, the stepper motor is the most likely thing.
  • tawnietawnie Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2006 Trailblazer, same problem. At start up all gauges not working, seat belt light, battery light, ABS light all lit.

    Is there a recall for this issue? Seem the instrument cluster issue is pretty wide spread!

    Local GM dealships don't seam to know anything about problem either.
    does special coverage#10054 or 10056 cover 50% of the repair?

    -Tom :sick:
  • dll66dll66 Member Posts: 5
    GM has turned their heads with this problem. They are counting to make more money in the repairs. First, it will cost $50 for them to tell you that it is broke (yeah, we didn't know it was broke) and around $500 to have it repaired. This company could care less.
  • kickit689kickit689 Member Posts: 1
    Wow, I wish I would have found this place BEFORE I just went through all the aggravation with my TB. lol I had a "new" cluster put in. Turns out "new" is actually refurbished. Anyway, the mechanic told me he had to take the car to the dealer to get it programmed (my word I forget the term he actually used) Well now instead of having 141,000 miles on my car I suddenly have 164,000. Since the gas gauge hasn't worked in forever, lol, I was using the trip odometer as a guide to fill up. Mechanic said well maybe the odometer wasn't working either. But I said listen, every time I fill the tank I put the trip back to "0". When I gave you the car this morning it had 181. Now that has 9595. I said you didn't drive my car almost 10,000 miles in 4 hours did you? dealer said it should work and charged $135 to do their thing. Now THEY say well can't tell you anything else unless you have a diagnostic done! What a mess
  • dochaleydochaley Member Posts: 11
    I have been through this site a year ago with all the same problems that other TB owners have had. Chevrolet is a bucket of owl piss in terms of the product they put out. They have a supplier of a component they know is bad and still don't stand behind it.
    No more Chevy's for me, my family or any of my friends if I have any input into the matter.
    I fixed my own with the help of DrSpeedometer. Can't say enough for this guy.
    He explained how to take the dash apart (I'm no mechanic) and how to put it back together. Anyone can do it if they can tell the difference between a phillips head and straight slot screwdriver.
    He fixed it, got it back to me with a 1 day turn around and I put it in in less than 30 minutes. Everything is excellent.
    I'll be keeping an eye on it, since it's only been @ a month, but have total faith in his work. He was not the cheapest on the internet but I saw not one complaint on his work, period.
    Chevrolet used to stand for the American family. Something you could stand next to and be proud.
    Now it's just a piece of junk under an old name sake that has ran it's course.
    I wish they would have let it fail and be broken up into several smaller companies. Maybe they would have learned?
    Stephen
  • mifa1835mifa1835 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Trailblazer with 95,000 miles. On a 2 hour trip about halfway through and with the cruise control on, my speedometer locked on 60 miles per hour. I pulled off the highway and tried turning it off and on and banged on the dash a couple of times. Nothing worked. After I reached my destination I read some of these posts. I unhooked the negative battery cable and it did reset the speedometer and it began to work again. It worked most of the way back on the 2 hour trip but then locked up again. I have again unhooked the negative battery cable and it is working again. It appears to work fine on short trips. After reading all of these posts on this site and many others, GM should have recalled this part. I also have a Saturn Relay van that I have poured money into. We will have paid for that twice by the time we are done. I have decided that if GM won't stand behind this part, I will be buying Hyundai or Kia next time. If nothing else, we will get the warranty. Nobody will bail you out a second time.
  • pwhite17pwhite17 Member Posts: 1

    I have the same issue with my 2005 Trailblazer. In fact, ever since I've had it (new), there's been one electrical problem after another. Thank God most of the really bad stuff happened almost immediately, and GM had to fix them under warranty. But entire dash is out, speedometer, oil, temp, and now the fuel gauge. I have had several GM cars over the years, and not once have I ever had the dash malfunction. If there are this many of us out there with the same problem, GM knows it's really their fault for not making it right in the first place, or when contacted, fixing it. This is definitely a recall-type matter if there ever was one. I just find it odd that with all the recalls GM has put out, miraculously, the Trailblazer is never included -- every other GM, but not the TB.

  • bruneianmanbruneianman Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 trailblazer LX 6 cylinders with around 83000 miles in it. Ever since I bought it, I have so much trouble with it and cost me thousand of dollars. Transmission broke and had to be rebuilt , tachometer stuck and had to be rebuilt and now the service engine soon light came out on our way back from a 250 miles trip and had to pull to a gas station.  Yesterday I took it to autozone and the did a computer test and told me it's the cooling system. Now I have to put in more money that I don't have. I am sick of GM car. This is my first GM car and will never buy one in the future. I will buy foreign car from on ward. I have a mazda miata, suzuki SX4 and a Nissan sentra and none of these cars give me problem.  
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