2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer Recalls, Complaints & Specs

12 safety recalls list the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, and owners have filed 1,149 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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12 safety recalls for the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Brake lights (exterior lighting)

   NHTSA 04V527000 Reported November 1, 2004 871,473 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   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…

2. Seat belts

   NHTSA 04V201000 Reported April 28, 2004 261,801 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." one of the two sensors in the driver's and front passenger's seat belt retractors could be inoperative. The seat belt retractors will lock when the belt webbing is extracted during a…

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect the driver and front passenger safety belt retractors, and replace them if necessary. Owner notification began on june 24, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at…

3. Windshield wiper/washer (visibility)

   NHTSA 04V046000 Reported February 4, 2004 581,394 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain sport utility vehicles have windshield wiper systems that will not turn on, cease operation while in use, fail to turn off/on by themselves (moisture sensitive wiper system), or have continuous windshield washer pump operation because the presence of water within the wiper modules can either cause a short circuit or can lead to…

   Remedy: Dealers will cover the windshield wiper module vent hole with a patch. Also, the wiper motor, circuit board, and electrical connector will be inspected to signs of water intrusion and/or corrosion and be replaced as…

4. Owners/service/other manual (equipment)

   NHTSA 03V250000 Reported July 15, 2003 1,707,825 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage system." the owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchorage system.

   Remedy: Owners will be provided with a supplement for their owner's manual. This supplement describes and shows the location symbols for the child restraint anchors that are located in the vehicle and on the child restraint or…

5. Interior/under dash (electrical system)

   NHTSA 03V096000 Reported March 19, 2003 314,300 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards no. 101, "control location, identification, and illumination" and no. 208, "occupant crash protection." these vehicles have an intermittent condition during vehicle start-up in which the instrument panel cluster may not properly…

   Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster. Owner notification began may 29, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…

6. Automatic transmission (power train)

   NHTSA 03V075000 Reported March 6, 2003 511,167 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles are equipped with a mechanical override that could allow the ignition key to be removed with the shift lever in a position other than park. In addition, these vehicles have an override…

   Remedy: Dealers will eliminate these conditions by disabling the overrides. Owner notification began on may 29, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the…

7. Body (structure)

   NHTSA 02V273000 Reported October 4, 2002 46 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain sport utility vehicles are missing welds on the rear floor plan.

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds. If missing welds are found, GM will exchange the vehicle for an equivalent vehicle or provide a refund of the purchase price. Owner notification began october 4,…

8. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)

   NHTSA 02V121000 Reported August 23, 2002 136,511 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   On certain sport utility vehicles, a fuel filter fitting can become disconnected. If this were to occur while attempting to start the engine, a no-start condition would result and fuel would be pumped out the fuel filter onto the ground.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel filter quick connect retainers. Owner notification began september 20, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the…

9. Air bags: frontal

   NHTSA 02V222000 Reported August 9, 2002 133,221 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Certain passenger, MINI vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace, if necessary, the air bag module assembly on the driver's side. Owner notification began august 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…

10. Transfer case (4-wheel drive) (power train)

    NHTSA 01V334000 Reported October 17, 2001 78,004 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive. The calibration of the transfer case control module could cause insufficient high speed gear engagement.

    Remedy: Dealers will update the transfer case control module calibration to increase gear engagement. Owner notification began november 6, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service…

11. Transfer case (4-wheel drive) (power train)

    NHTSA 01V283000 Reported September 5, 2001 895 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles (4 wheel-drive). Some of these vehicles were built with a range shift collar in the transmission transfer case that contains cracks.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the transfer cases and update the control module calibration. Owner notification began september 6, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and…

12. Suspension: lower arm

    NHTSA 01V126000 Reported April 12, 2001 30,476 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Under certain circumstances the front lower control arm brackets may fracture. This fracture could result in separation of the front lower control arm from the frame.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right front lower control arm brackets. Owner notification began by telephone on april 4, 2001. The followup letter to consumers was mailed may 3, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles…

1,149 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer have filed 1,149 complaints with NHTSA; 103 describe a crash and 35 describe a fire. Reports cite 98 injuries and 4 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 73,322 miles. Complaints peaked in 2003 with 173 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Power train: automatic transmission163
• Electrical system120
• Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)68
• Air bags65
• Exterior lighting: brake lights65
• Fuel system, gasoline52
• Power train47
• Engine and engine cooling: engine44

What owners are reporting

“I was driving on the highway going 65mph which is the legal speed limit. I got cut off by a driver and light tapped my brakes to slow the vehicle down. When I did so the vehicle then swerved to the le”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, March 21, 2025 · Air bags

“The car rmp goes high when accelerating it's a common problem with the cooling fan which the company is aware of it but aren't held reliable! It's a shame that nhtsa hade many complaining about the is”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 31, 2022 · Engine

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer (TrailBlazer 2WD, TrailBlazer 4WD, TrailBlazer Ext 2WD, TrailBlazer Ext 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Chevrolet Trailblazer model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Chevrolet Trailblazer model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Other Chevrolet models

• Malibu19,364 complaints
• Silverado 150018,029 complaints
• Impala10,434 complaints
• Tahoe10,032 complaints
• Equinox9,161 complaints
• Silverado8,799 complaints
• Blazer8,192 complaints
• Suburban8,164 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.