2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer: What to check before buying

A "Shift to Park" message appears when the shifter is already in Park, and the car will not shut down fully. It stays in accessory mode, keeps beeping, and can drain the battery overnight. Owners cycle through the gears, wiggle the lever, or restart many times to clear it. Most reports start between 14,000 and 28,100 miles. Dealers replace the shifter assembly, often at the owner's expense, and several reports cite back-ordered parts. Other reports describe reduced-power mode at highway speed, stalling in traffic with lost power steering and brake assist, and a worn brake pedal that blocks cruise control.

Nearly every report here describes the false "Shift to Park" message. The car keeps running, the radio and lights stay on, and the doors cannot be locked until the warning clears. Onset is reported between 19,700 and 29,700 miles, and dealers cite parts shortages or cannot find the cause. A second pattern is door lock actuator failure: front doors stop locking from the fob or the door button, and the rear actuators follow. Other reports describe delayed push-button starts, an early battery failure, and a key that cannot be removed.

Persistent brake squeal is the most common complaint, often present from new and starting under 10,000 miles. Dealers call it normal or say the brakes are dirty. A worn brake pedal sensor at about 21,000 miles keeps cruise control from engaging until the driver pulls the pedal up. More serious reports describe a soft pedal with pulling and metal-on-metal noise, and shaking at highway speed with brake, ABS, and traction warnings that required a new brake control module. One high-mileage car had a stuck pedal and no replacement parts available.

Exhaust bolts at the muffler flange rust and shear, and the rear muffler or tailpipe drops while driving, including on the interstate. Owners describe the pipe dragging under the car with no warning beforehand. Reported mileage ranges up to 65,000. A separate pattern is evaporative emissions purge pump failure, reported at 33,442 miles, with the dealer refusing coverage. One car repeatedly drops to half power with the check engine light on, and neither the dealer nor GM can find the cause after nearly two weeks in the shop.

The check engine light comes on and the dealer finds a failed evaporative emissions canister pump that needs replacement. In that report the car was diagnosed but not repaired, and the manufacturer pointed the owner to the federal complaint hotline. The other report covers exhaust failure: bolts and studs holding the system together rust through and break after about two years, and the entire exhaust comes loose from the car. Both problems match patterns reported in other categories for this model year.

"Service Power Steering" and "Service ESC" warnings appear while driving, and steering turns heavy enough to need real force. In some cases the engine drops to reduced power and brake warnings appear at the same time, creating a loss-of-control risk in traffic. The warnings come and go, and some cars are towed to the dealer more than once. Dealer fixes include a steering column and a braking system update. Several of these reports also mention the false "Shift to Park" message, an overheating engine, and jerky gear changes.

Adaptive cruise and forward collision braking slam on the brakes at highway speed with nothing ahead. Triggers include overhead bridges, passing cars in the next lane, and lane changes, and one car braked at 70 mph near 35,500 miles. Half of the four reports involve a crash, one with an injury, both after a "Forward Collision System Reduced" warning appeared. Those reports focus on dealer delays: a multi-day diagnosis with no loaner car. One new car also logged a "Service Side Detection System" warning with several low-voltage and communication codes.

The exhaust system and muffler drop off the car while driving. The bolts joining the exhaust sections break, or a plastic exhaust bracket fails, and the pipes come down and scrape the road. No warning lights or messages appear before the failure. Owners describe a real crash risk if the pipe catches the pavement at speed, and one car lost power when the muffler disconnected. Cars are towed to the dealer for repair, and one dealer called it a common problem on this model.

Adaptive cruise control brakes hard for no real reason, such as the shadow of a tree or an overpass, and the problem repeats. One report describes unintended acceleration from 40 mph to over 100 mph at 2,876 miles. The brake pedal did not slow the car, and the driver stopped it by shifting into Park. The car was towed to the dealer, and the cause had not been determined. With only two reports, this is not a broad pattern, but both describe sudden loss of speed control.