CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 · model year

2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370

10 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002CHEVROLETTRAILBLAZER EXT 370 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 3 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 is electrical system with 2 filings, followed by exterior lighting (2) and power train:automatic transmission (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2002 TRAILBLAZER EXT 370, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

10
Complaints
3
Crashes
3
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
ENGINE1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
STEERING1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recent Complaints

20141204CrashFireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I WAS SLOWING DOWN AS I WAS ENTERING AN INTERSECTION AND THERE WAS TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES AND STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NONE OF THE OCCUPANTS OF EITHER VEHICLE WAS HURT, PER POLICE REPORT. ON MY WAY TO THE COLLISION CENTER NEAR HOME, THE CAB OF THE TRUCK FILLED SUDDENLY WITH VERY BLACK SMOKE, SO THICK I COULDN'T SEE AND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY TRY TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE WERE FLAMES IN THE CAB AS WELL. WHEN I FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK MY CLOTHES WERE ON FIRE. I WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL AND HAD TO BE TREATED FOR 1ST AND 2ND DEGREE BURNS OF THE FACE, SCALP, EYES, CALF, AND BOTH HANDS. MY RIGHT (DOMINANT) HAND WAS BURNED THE WORST, AS I HAD TRIED TO GET TO THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER I KEPT IN THE BACK. THE ENTIRE TRUCK BURNED EXCEPT THE LAST ROW OF SEATS (PARTIALLY BURNED) AND THE BACK DOOR. I AM STILL HAVING TO GO TO A WOUND CARE CENTER ON A WEEKLY BASIS, AND MY BANDAGES

Mileage: 120,000

20141204CrashFireSTEERING

I WAS SLOWING DOWN AS I WAS ENTERING AN INTERSECTION AND THERE WAS TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES AND STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NONE OF THE OCCUPANTS OF EITHER VEHICLE WAS HURT, PER POLICE REPORT. ON MY WAY TO THE COLLISION CENTER NEAR HOME, THE CAB OF THE TRUCK FILLED SUDDENLY WITH VERY BLACK SMOKE, SO THICK I COULDN'T SEE AND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY TRY TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE WERE FLAMES IN THE CAB AS WELL. WHEN I FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK MY CLOTHES WERE ON FIRE. I WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL AND HAD TO BE TREATED FOR 1ST AND 2ND DEGREE BURNS OF THE FACE, SCALP, EYES, CALF, AND BOTH HANDS. MY RIGHT (DOMINANT) HAND WAS BURNED THE WORST, AS I HAD TRIED TO GET TO THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER I KEPT IN THE BACK. THE ENTIRE TRUCK BURNED EXCEPT THE LAST ROW OF SEATS (PARTIALLY BURNED) AND THE BACK DOOR. I AM STILL HAVING TO GO TO A WOUND CARE CENTER ON A WEEKLY BASIS, AND MY BANDAGES

Mileage: 120,000

20141204CrashFireSERVICE BRAKES

I WAS SLOWING DOWN AS I WAS ENTERING AN INTERSECTION AND THERE WAS TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES AND STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NONE OF THE OCCUPANTS OF EITHER VEHICLE WAS HURT, PER POLICE REPORT. ON MY WAY TO THE COLLISION CENTER NEAR HOME, THE CAB OF THE TRUCK FILLED SUDDENLY WITH VERY BLACK SMOKE, SO THICK I COULDN'T SEE AND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY TRY TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE WERE FLAMES IN THE CAB AS WELL. WHEN I FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK MY CLOTHES WERE ON FIRE. I WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL AND HAD TO BE TREATED FOR 1ST AND 2ND DEGREE BURNS OF THE FACE, SCALP, EYES, CALF, AND BOTH HANDS. MY RIGHT (DOMINANT) HAND WAS BURNED THE WORST, AS I HAD TRIED TO GET TO THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER I KEPT IN THE BACK. THE ENTIRE TRUCK BURNED EXCEPT THE LAST ROW OF SEATS (PARTIALLY BURNED) AND THE BACK DOOR. I AM STILL HAVING TO GO TO A WOUND CARE CENTER ON A WEEKLY BASIS, AND MY BANDAGES

Mileage: 120,000

20141021EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEADLIGHTS GO COMPLETELY OUT. NO OTHER LIGHTS WENT OUT I CONTINUOUSLY FLICKED THEM BACK AND FORTH AND FINALLY MY BRIGHT LIGHTS WORKS TO GET ME HOME. NEXT DAY THEY WORK FINE AGAIN THEN 2 DAYS LATER SAME THING HAPPENS. BULBS FUSES ALL HAVE BEEN CHANGED AND NO SHORT FOUND. SO I LOOK ONLINE AND SEEMS A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH TRAILBLAZER ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

Mileage: 120,000

20141010ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE `PLATE LIGHT DON T WORK REAR WIPER DOME LIGHT WON T SHUT OFF AUTO DOOR WON T UNLOCK WITH REMOTE SOME TIME DOOR LOCKS AUTO WITH OUT HITTING SWITCH THIS SCARY ALL MY DASH LIGHTS COME ON BUT DON T SHUT DOWN CAR PULL OVER AN RE STARTER IT. *TR

Mileage: 204,000

20141010UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE `PLATE LIGHT DON T WORK REAR WIPER DOME LIGHT WON T SHUT OFF AUTO DOOR WON T UNLOCK WITH REMOTE SOME TIME DOOR LOCKS AUTO WITH OUT HITTING SWITCH THIS SCARY ALL MY DASH LIGHTS COME ON BUT DON T SHUT DOWN CAR PULL OVER AN RE STARTER IT. *TR

Mileage: 204,000

20141010EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE `PLATE LIGHT DON T WORK REAR WIPER DOME LIGHT WON T SHUT OFF AUTO DOOR WON T UNLOCK WITH REMOTE SOME TIME DOOR LOCKS AUTO WITH OUT HITTING SWITCH THIS SCARY ALL MY DASH LIGHTS COME ON BUT DON T SHUT DOWN CAR PULL OVER AN RE STARTER IT. *TR

Mileage: 204,000

20140822ENGINE

WHILE AT THE STOP SIGN, MY ENGINE CUT OFF. *TR

Mileage: 217,000

20130203FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I HAVE TO PUT GAS IN SLOWLY. IF I SQUEEZE THE PUMP TRIGGER TO MUCH THE GAS SPITS BACK OUT AND ALL OVER ME. I ALSO HAVE TO HOLD THE PUMP TRIGGER UPSIDE DOWN. THE GAS LINE ON THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN APART AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. *TR

Mileage: 96,853

20061127POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I HAVE A 2002 TRAILBLAZER, THE TRANSMISSION JUST WENT OUT ON IT. I ONLY HAVE 75,000 MILE AND AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH HAVE FOUND OUT THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. JUST ON GOGGLE THERE ARE 97,100 HITS FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THE TRAILBLAZER. *JB

Mileage: 75,100

Compare 2002CHEVROLETTRAILBLAZER EXT 370 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 have?
The 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 has 10 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 3 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370?
The most-complained component for the 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EXTERIOR LIGHTING and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT 370 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.