Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Chevrolet Trailblazer - part 1

Engine shuts off while in drive but stopped- three times, twice at stop lights and once in a drive thru.

Dear chevy, I am reaching out to you again because I am desperately requesting immediate assistance with my vehicle, which has now become an extremely serious and dangerous safety concern. On Friday, [xxx], I had my vehicle towed to the dealership because of the ongoing mechanical issues I have been experiencing. I was advised that the repairs would cost $877, which included a battery replacement and new sensors. I paid for these repairs and picked up my vehicle on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, believing that the issues had finally been addressed. Unfortunately, within approximately one hour of leaving the dealership, my check engine light came back on. When I arrived home, the key became stuck in the ignition. I immediately contacted the dealership and requested to speak with a service manager. I made this request approximately five separate times, yet I was unable to speak with a service manager until Friday, September 4, 2026, when I finally spoke with matt. The situation has now escalated into an extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening safety issue. On Sunday, [xxx], while driving on the [xxx] in chicago, my vehicle completely shut off twice while I was actively driving. There were no warning sounds, no dashboard warning codes, and no indication that the vehicle was about to shut off. My vehicle suddenly lost power while I was on a busy expressway, creating an extremely dangerous situation and nearly causing a major accident/pileup. I genuinely feared for my life. A vehicle that unexpectedly shuts off while traveling at highway speeds is not something I can safely continue driving. After this occurred, I had the vehicle towed to my home. I later attempted to start it, and the vehicle did start; however, the key became stuck in the ignition again. This problem has been ongoing for over a year, and I have repeatedly and desperately asked for these issues to be properly diagnosed and repaired. I have already information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 5.

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I experienced a hard stall at a red light. The auto start/stop feature was engaged. The console displayed "press brake pedal to start". I had to shift into neutral and manually restart the vehicle. I had the vehicle checked at my dealer and there were no error codes thrown and the dealer service department could not recreate the stall.

This incident is in regards to a fire that occurred in the engine bay area, post having turbo replacement and spark plug replacement done by a local dealership where this car was purchased new. Car had roughly approximately 60,000 miles and had a check engine light and engine reduce power notification on dash. Was taken to the aforementioned dealership for general scope of work while in the possession and actively being test driven for the repair the vehicle was driven 5 miles and the driver was flagged down by motorists for smoke. The incident was recorded by riverside police department and riverside fire department. The origin and caused are still undetermined at this time. Some background in history of this vehicle has never been in a crash and has not had any parts replaced from the original purchase.

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Original owner of 2021 chevy Trailblazer lt. Purchased new in April 2021. Vehicle has a history of major powertrain issues, starting with check engine light during its first year of ownership, culminating in a complete turbocharger replacement in December 2025. This only as a result of my research, after many visits to dealership trying to diagnose the issue. The check engine was consistently illuminated in the vehicle 2021-2025. 9 days ago while traveling the vehicle, experienced sudden oil pressure loss, and stalling risks, displayed a hard warning “engine oil pressure low. Stop engine”. On star provided me with a diagnostic code of p0521, pointing to an engine oil pressure sensor malfunction. Apparently another widely known issue with this engine, there are tsbs stating after repair the code will return and software update required. Extended warranty has expired, dealership as well as gm corporate unwilling to provide any assistance with cost of diag, repairs, etc, leaving myself and disabled dependent stranded. Vehicle since purchase has been exclusively serviced through the purchasing dealerships service center. Maintenance regularly maintained. Service management has admitted knowledge of this issue with this engine, still reluctant to provide any additional assistance, informed me I’m on a waitlist for a possible loaner vehicle 4-6 weeks from now. There are several tsbs on this engine surrounding this issue. Apparently there is a known defect with the engine oil pump, cam shaft, evap purge pump. Strong possibility could be a result of the turbo replacement, debris from that failing turbo could have blocked the oil system, causing starvation.

While driving to work last Thursday morning suddenly my 2023 Trailblazer let out a sorta growl and then a dragging noise thankfully I was able to get over and stop on the shoulder only to discover that my tail pipe was dragging from just after the catalytic converter as the bolts apparently sheared off leaving only the head of the bolts intact. Lucky for me I there wasn’t major damage. I did however have to get my vehicle towed and have the bolt heads cut off in order to have the exhaust fixed.

I was driving down the highway when the 3 bolts holding the exhaust under the car broke off. My exhaust was dragging down the highway until I could safely get pulled over. The bolts are welded in of course so you can’t just put new bolts in you have to replace the whole catalytic converter, which is a pain to do unless you take it to the dealer and pay $2000.

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Purchased brand new December 2022. 7000 miles had issues with brake noise. Dealership resurfaced rotors. 28000 miles turbo had to be replaced due to "reduced engine power". Was told a seal was the problem in the original design. 45000 miles a/c would stop blowing and produce extensive condensation on middle vents and "shift to park" became a problem. Dealership cannot "reproduce" issues and therefore states nothing is wrong, although research shows problems exists and there is a back order on switch/shift assembly. Hopefully these problems "show" themselves to the technicians before extended warranty runs out, better yet a recall be issued.

My timing belt snapped prematurely, causing a total loss of engine power while driving on the highway, which is a severe safety hazard.

Reduced engine powers caused by turbo charger underboost, at 91200 miles.

Car was driving fine, went up a hill then check engine light came on with warning that stated "reduced engine power. " drove it approx 8 min to home. Parked in garage. Next morning, took to firestone complete autocare as that was the first place available. Just got a call that the whole turbo assembly needs to be replace costing almost $2000 and will be without a car for about a week. 5 year warranty expired 3 months ago and there is less than 47,000 miles on it. It is currently at the shop so I don't have a bill yet, but they told us how much when they told us what was wrong with it. This is unacceptable! reading about and hearing about this complaint all over the internet!!!.

All 3 bolts that connect my tailpipe underneath my car failed. This caused the tailpipe to disconnect from the car, meaning I was pushing the pipe as I drove. Luckily it failed when I was at an intersection, and I heard the noise. I was able to drive slowly into a parking lot and disconnect the exhaust for a repair. However, if I had been traveling down a highway when it occurred the pipe surely would've hit a bump and then jammed the rest of the exhaust back up into the under carriage of the vehicle and perhaps causing an accident. I did email the dealership I purchased the vehicle from, but they were unaware of an issues on the vehicle. However, from searching online, there are other 2022 Trailblazer owners experiencing the same issue. There were no warning lights before during or after.

My Trailblazer will not shift properly into drive from park or reverse. Gm calls this a "loss of forward motion" or "delayed forward engagement" in their service bulletin TSB-24-na-009. It is a safety issue because you never know when or how long the vehicle will take to engage and allow forward movement. This causes issues when leaving a parking spot or a driveway, especially on busy roads. If the car will not move forward, my family is stuck in the road until it finally engages into gear and allows forward movement. When this occurs, the vehicle engine will shutter and not allow any forward movement. I usually have to move the drive selector back to park and back to drive again. This creates an immediate and unreasonable safety risk because the vehicle will not move for several seconds while I am sitting in traffic. This generates a p2714 code. I had the car looked at by a gm dealer as well as an independent transmission repair shop and both indicate it will likely need a new transmission. Gm is fully aware of the defect and has issued a service bulletin, TSB-24-na-009 to instruct dealers how to diagnose and repair the problem. The bulletin proves a widespread engineering or manufacturing flaw exists. However, gm is treating this as a maintenance issue rather than the severe safety hazard that it is. It is my understanding, gm has since abandoned this transmission on the newer models, further indicating that gm knew these transmissions were not designed well. I am requesting the NHTSA office cross-reference my complaint with gm TSB-24-na-009 and upgrade the component defect to a mandatory, manufacturer-funded safety recall before it causes a collision or fatal injury. Thank you.

When entering onto the freeway, I accelerated to the speed of the freeway traffic and the turbo system failed and the message was engine power reduced and the check engine light came on. During the time of the turbo failure, I was almost hit by another vehicle that had to suddenly brake to avoid hitting me. This turbo failure happens frequently.

The two components that failed were the water pump and the coolant control valve which caused the engine to overheat, resulting in me having to pull over along the side of a busy highway putting me at risk for injury while the vehicle cooled down. It would be available for inspection upon request. This was dangerous mostly to myself due to having to pull over on the side of a busy highway and wait until the vehicle could be somewhat ok to be driven the rest of the way home. I had to drive very slowly home with my hazards on at a very low speed. Vehicle was brought to a nearby chevy dealership the following morning. They had the vehicle for two days and claimed they could not get the problem to present itself, however, within five minutes of me driving it off the lot it overheated resulting in having to pull over again on a busy highway. An independent service center had the vehicle and diagnosed it initially as an intermittently failing water pump. This repair did not resolve the issue 100% as the vehicle began to slowly overheat again within 18 minutes of highway speed driving. Car was towed back to repair shop from my place of employment. They were able to get it to present the issue and diagnosed it as the coolant control valve. This has so far appeared to resolve the overheating issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance rep/others. The only warning that came up was on the info screen above the steering column advising me the engine was overheating and was in idle. Immediately upon seeing this I pulled over to prevent any damage. Temp gauge was all the way in the red. Fan was blowing hard. This has never happened previously and there were no other warning lights of any kind on the dash to indicate an issue. This incident happened on 6/2. Please be advised, this vehicle has since been repaired and has ran me $2300 as it is out of warranty.

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle went into limp mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on three occasions, the vehicle was stopped and restarted, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the wastegate actuator needed to be replaced, and dtc: p0299 was retrieved. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where dtc: p0299 was retrieved, and the contact was informed that the turbo or the wastegate actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, where it was determined that the turbo and waste gate actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with manufacturer recall number: a222379711. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving 70 mph on the interstate , the vehicle independently went into engine power reduce mode. The contact mention she pulled off the interstate, turned the vehicle off for five to ten minutes then turned the vehicle back on and the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnsonesd the turbo booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure, and they informed her there were no recalls at this time. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

The vehicle has experienced ongoing and unresolved issues despite multiple service visits. The primary concern is excessive engine vibration. It shakes concerningly when backed into a driveway at an incline and placed in park. This occurs while the vehicle is stationary and idling. The issue has been reproduced and acknowledged by a dealership service advisor during a test drive, who stated the vibration was excessive and concerning. However, no repair was completed, and no clear diagnosis has been provided. The vehicle has also displayed repeated error messages with no confirmed cause, ongoing bluetooth connectivity issues even after system updates and resets, and a malfunctioning forward collision warning system. Prior repair attempts include replacement of the backup camera, center console, and exterior windshield trim. The windshield trim repair was incomplete, as only the middle section was replaced while the remaining components were not, resulting in a mismatched and unresolved condition. No service documentation was provided for the most recent visit despite being advised that updated findings would be sent. These issues have persisted across multiple service attempts and remain unresolved. The engine vibration and malfunctioning safety systems raise safety and reliability concerns, including the potential for reduced driver awareness and increased risk of a collision.

See all problems of the 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer 🔎.

While driving down the interstate my 2021 chevy Trailblazer suddenly flashed "battery saver mode" on the dash and shut off completely. I was able to coast to the side of the road and call for help. This was a major safety issue as my 4 year old son was riding with me and we could've caused or gotten into a serious accident. There were no previous warnings and no check engine light came on prior to it shutting off--I had been having no issues. The car will not turn on and when attempting to, it makes a screeching noise. I had to get it towed to a local service center who stated my car has "catastrophic engine failure". They advised the issue could be either "timing chain or a dropped valve"--unable to confirm until they take the engine apart completely. They denied issues with the battery or starter and said the engine was completely blown. There was less than 120k miles on it and I kept up with maintenance.

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly shift into gear while the gear shift lever was in use. The check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where several undisclosed fault codes were cleared. The vehicle was towed back to the same local dealer, where it remained for further investigation. The contact was informed that the transmission might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

My vehicle started overheating out of no where towed it to the shop, it’s been there for 2 weeks they’re actively waiting for a manufacturer engineer to tell them what to do because they can’t figure out how to fix it. On top of that there have been a lot of overheating issues cause by different parts on the vehicle. There was another Trailblazer in the at the same time as mine that was also overheating! a 2025 vehicle should not be having issues at this point GMC should just take all the Trailblazers off the market! also they need to change their manufacturing warranty on rentals because not one person should not have to pay out of pocket for a rental when it’s the manufacturers fault!.

My brand new two week old 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer LS issue: auto start/stop system failure, the engine shuts off and does not restart description:? while stopped at traffic lights with the auto start/stop feature engaged, the engine shuts off as designed. However, when I release the brake pedal, the engine does not restart as it should. Instead, the vehicle displays a message stating “press brake to start,” and the vehicle behaves as if it has been completely turned off. This leaves the vehicle temporarily disabled in traffic and unable to move immediately when the light changes. I must press the brake and manually restart the vehicle, causing a delay and creating a safety concern, especially in intersections. This issue has occurred multiple times and appears to be related to a malfunction in the auto start/stop system. The failure to automatically restart the engine creates a risk of being stranded in active traffic and increases the likelihood of a collision. No warning lights or prior indications are given before the failure occurs. Concern:? this is a safety issue for me and my family because the vehicle does not respond as expected when attempting to accelerate from a stop and leaves me stuck in traffic unexpectedly. It is now in the shop for the second time, as I was able to record this continuous malfunction of my brand new 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer. I get anxiety everytime I drive it. I feel I’m going to be rear ending or be involved in some type of crash. The vehicle is currently not safe to drive currently at the dealership for a second time. I had it towed each time, as I feared for my life and safety. Dealership could not duplicate issue. They asked me to record it and I was able to.

2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer rs (123,000) - coolant control valve failure cooling issues after 20-25 mins of driving. No check engine lights initially just temperature gauge climbing. After 3 day of trying to drive to and from work. "engine reduced" and p3075 code. Had it towed to dealership, in which they replaced the water pump. This did not fix the issue. The next two drives (from work, and to work), I had to pull off the road several times to get the car cooled down, and run heater on full blast to drop temperature. Pulling off the road in heavy interstate traffic consistently because of the coolant control valve (25207464 gm). Not to mention me, looking at the temp gauge most of the way to work, versus eyes on the road. The old thermostats would at least give you a temperature code, and not an engine coolant flow too low error which leads to water pump being replaced erroneously. Going to plastic control valve next to a hot engine, sounds as good as plastic car jacks for this car. Oh, wait, that happened to me as well, and they recalled it after it broke on me at 2 am in the morning.

The bolts holding the exhaust to the catalytic converter broke while I was driving my car. The car could have flipped, the exhaust could have busted through the vehicle, or I could have caused an accident and died. This comes on the heels of the exact same thing happening to my wife's chevy Trailblazer with nearly the same mileage as mine. I have 97k miles and she 96k. This is a known issue to them and it is not the first time this has occurred. There are thousands of similar instances that have occurred and one can easily find the anecdotes through an online search.

The studs that connect the front exhaust to the rear exhaust and muffler rusted and the exhaust fell down and crumpled up. Basically tore the exhaust off of the car when this happened.

I was driving an hour away from home and suddenly my muffler and exhaust started dragging— 49,000 miles, 5 years old and just passed inspection a week ago. Luckily, it didn’t become completely unattached because that could have caused an accident as there were cars behind me. Complete safety hazard.

When stopped at a red light & the light turns green & I accelerate, the vehicle does not move. It makes a loud noise and jumps. This happens way too many times. There’s also an issue with the brakes, when you press on them, you can hear something grinding, which should not be happening because I bought the car brand new. Also the brakes have always been super squeaky, which is very frustrating because they should not be with a brand new car once again. The engine light goes on and off randomly and doesn’t say anything.

Had p1098 code come up on car at 67000 issue coolant control valve assembly went bad. This a commons issue with Trailblazers and other cars similar to it. Bad design cause extremely expensive repair for this component.

My 2024 Trailblazer lt's engine light came on about a month ago. I took it to a local dealership and they said it was caused by ccnd. Diagnosed code p0128 in pass/fail status. They test drove it to get light to come on and it was unable to duplicate it. They cleared the codes. A month later it came back on. I took it to my dealership and they said they have to take the entire front end off to replace the engine coolant bypass valve. They said that the electronic component was going bad. This car isn't even 2 yrs old. This should not be happening.

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The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that, while driving on several occasions with the auto start-stop feature activated, the vehicle appeared to shut down at a complete stop as the infotainment screen and dashboard lights turned off. The vehicle restarted automatically but shuddered during startup. The dashboard lights and the infotainment screen became operable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the thermostat needle went to hot, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off for approximately 15 minutes. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coolant flow control valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,251.

Coolant control valve replacement after 5 years of purchasing the vehicle. Put at risk of over heating while driving, fan stays on after vehicle is turned off. Problem confirmed by 2 dealerships. Check engine light on for a long time, fan over working, staying on after the vehicle is off. The only warnings were the engine light coming on to get inspected and fan over running. 1st came up in December 2025 and it is now almost April 2026 costing me $1600 in repairs!! there are other chevy models that this looks like it is being covered for but my vehicle is having this issue now and is not being covered?!?? ever since I bought this vehicle brand new in 2021 it was labeled a lemon and have had nothing but issue after issue after issue!!.

Exhaust fell off under normal operating conditions. Dealership (dekalb sycamore Chevrolet- sycamore illinois) stated this has been a common issue with this year group of Chevrolet Trailblazer suvs. Dealership stated the bolts/exhaust pipe junction between the catalytic converter and pipe that goes to the muffler rusts through and the entire exhaust system from the cat back falls out of the undercarriage of the vehicle, which is what happened here.

The three bolts at the flange attaching the muffler to the upper muffler sheared off due to rust and the whole rear muffler fell off when driving the car on an interstate. Car is 3 years old and at the time had 65,000 miles. The bolts used are of poor quality, and to make matters worse, there is no exhaust hanger near this flange so the muffler is supported at the front by just this flange. Poorly designed by gm.

Vehicle experiences intermittent loss of acceleration at highway speeds. While driving at highway speed or going uphill, up ramp, down hill, down ramp the engine loses power and enters reduce power mode, making it difficult or impossible to maintain speed or safely merge with traffic. The issue is unpredictable and has occurred despite prior repair attempts. Vehicle is covered under a gm special turbo warranty for a known defect. Warranty came out oct 2022, due to the loss of power the vehicle is unsafe to operate and is currently at the dealer.

Experiencing reduced speed, rattling noise, check engine light, power steering light on. Chevy app shows throttle control system and antilock break system error messages. Took to chev dealership. Advised it was fuel injector (1 /4 was burned out). Had all 4 replaced ($3000). Picked up car on a Friday, vehicle was having the same issues next day Saturday. Took it back on Monday, it is now Wednesday and they’re saying it’s the turbo charger now (another $3000). Mechanic couldn’t figure out what the issue was so it took 3 days for him to now say it’s the turbo charger. I think it was the turbo charger from the get go! what’s the purpose of the diagnostics ($250)? isn’t it to pinpointed the issue? 1st day, took him 4 hours to say it was the fuel injector. 2nd time around it took 3 days. I kept showing them and telling them it’s the throttle control system! they’re trying to rip me off! mechanic is saying he’s been test driving it and no issues. I took a photo of my mileage before I handed them my car and it was 79,190. The mileage today says 79,191. How and where is he test driving it if it’s only been 1 mile? reverse and forward ? they’re lying.