2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 1,081 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (53% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2005
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 1,081 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was driving and a girl pulled out from a stop sign and hit my passenger side front of my trailblazer. Her airbags deployed immediately, meanwhile mine didn't deploy. My husband saved my face by throwing his arm over me!”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2025
“The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the headlights became inoperable. After a while, the headlights became operational. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 189,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2022
“Electronic throttle body? No throttle control, motor will only idle, turn ignition switch off, then restart it will run. Reduced Engine Power light comes on. Happens for no apparent reason. Very unsafe situation.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“As you come to a complete stop or go under 5 mph, the vehicle's oil gauge will go all the way down. Once you accelerate, the oil gauge goes back to normal. When pumping gas into the vehicle, the gas pump will reset as if the gas tank is full but the gauge shows it's half empty. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2020
“Tl* the contact's son owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that the driver's side window looked abnormal. When the door was opened, the contact noticed that the driver's seat had caught fire and extinguished itself out. Fire and police reports were not filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer informed the contact that there was no recall to prove that the malfunction was a manufacturer default. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000. *ln photos attached. *jb”Owner report · Seats · Oct 2019
“When driving our vehicle from myrtle beach this week we noticed a smell about half way home that reeked of rotten eggs. The smell was so bad that I because nauseous and develooed a severe headache. After we reached our house and shut off the vehicle the next day I tried to crank the vehicle and it would not crank so after researching the smell and possible causes we bought a new battery for the vehicle and changed the battery ourselves which caused my husband to develop a severe cough and upper respitory problems due to the boiling that was occuring inside the battery. Hence the smell of rotten eggs.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet trailblazer. The contact stated that while the brakes were being serviced by an independent mechanic, the technician noticed that the entire front end frame was rusted. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,542.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2019
“Brake lights flicker off and on. When the vehicle is in motion and brakes are pressed, the brake lights do not light up. This continues to happen with a new light bulb placed in.”Owner report · Service Brakes · May 2019
“All lights stopped working, except when switching to high beams. Front lights and brake lights do not work. When using the high beams, the front lights operate on high only. The car cannot be safely driven at night.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2019
“2004 chevy trailblazer keeps getting cam position sensor fault. Causing check engine light to come on. Seems to be a common problem with this model. We have replaced this part three to four times on our truck. Truck began to run rough engine knocked and had reduced power.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 56 of these complaints and injuries in 74 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, VIBRATION AND HEAT MAY CAUSE THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP BULB TO LOOSEN IN ITS SOCKET. IF THIS OCCURS, THE BULB MAY FLICKER AND EVENTUALLY BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP ASSEMBLIES, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THEM. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE DRIVER WISHING TO SIGNAL A TURN BY MOVING THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL LEVER, (UP OR DOWN) MAY CAUSE THE FRONT MARKER/TURN LIGHTS AND REAR TURN LIGHTS TO FLASH IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO HAZARD WARNING, RATHER THAN FLASHING ON THE DESIRED SIDE ONLY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SUSPECT FLASHER MODULES WITH A NEW FLASHER MODULE DESIGNED WITH SEALED RELAYS AND MORE DURABLE CONTACT MATERIAL INSIDE OF THE RELAYS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2005. ISUZU BEGAN MAILING OWNER LETTERS ON AUGUST 4, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, ISUZU AT 1-800-255-6727, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, AND OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Trailblazer by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer reliable?
NHTSA has 1,081 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The most complained-about area is electrical system (53% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 68,720 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting:brake lights. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.