2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer has a complaint index of 90, ranking 2nd worst out of 11 model years, and is rated Avoid. Owners logged 1,108 complaints, mostly Fuel System (607) and Electrical System (335) issues, plus 8 recalls.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 90/100
- #2 of 11 Trailblazer years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 1,108
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 8
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 29
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 59
- Injuries
- 40
- Top issue
- Fuel System
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 16
- 14 city / 19.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 40 / 14
Top 2006 Chevy Trailblazer problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Fuel System607 (55%)
- Electrical System335 (30%)
- Visibility & Wipers102 (9%)
- Engine78 (7%)
- Brakes50 (5%)
- Transmission & Powertrain50 (5%)
- Structure & Body42 (4%)
- Airbags31 (3%)
- Other28 (3%)
- Steering26 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Owners report the fuel level gauge failing, leading some to worry about a hidden fuel system defect after buying the vehicle used.
- Several owners describe fires starting from the driver's side door panel or door module, in some cases while the vehicle was parked.
- Owners report airbags failing to deploy during head-on or front-end collisions, sometimes resulting in serious injuries.
- One owner reported a seatbelt inertia reel failing during a straight head-on crash with no airbag deployment.
- An owner described a brake pedal that resisted depression at 35 mph, resulting in a rear-end collision with no warning lights beforehand.
2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer recalls
8 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 15V599000Sep 24, 2015Visibility & Wipers9,932 vehicles
Visibility:power window devices and controls
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced.
Risk: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700.
- NHTSA 15V519000Aug 14, 2015Electrical System429,170 vehicles
Exterior lighting:headlights
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, 2006-2008 Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (HDM) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.
Risk: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.
- NHTSA 14V404000Jul 2, 2014Visibility & Wipers184,611 vehicles
Visibility:power window devices and controls
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.
Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.
2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 14 MPG
- Highway
- 19.5 MPG
- Combined
- 16 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $4,050
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2006 compared with other Trailblazer years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2006 Trailblazer ranks 2nd worst out of 11 model years with a complaint index of 90 and an Avoid verdict.
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
- Fuel System complaints make up 55% of all complaints (607 total), followed by Electrical System issues at 30% (335 complaints), many involving fires.
- Does the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer have recalls?
- NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for this year, covering visibility/wiper door modules, electrical system components, airbags, steering hoses, and tire labeling.
- How does the 2006 model compare to other Trailblazer years?
- The 2005 model has a higher complaint index of 100 and is also rated Avoid, while 2008 (index 60) and later years like 2009 (index 10) and 2025 (index 20) score much lower and rate Caution to Best.
- At what mileage do 2006 Trailblazer problems typically appear?
- The median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 68,000 miles, with Fuel System issues showing up at a median of 58,000 miles.