2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer: What to check before buying

The touchscreen goes black, freezes, pixelates or crackles with static, and phones and CarPlay often fail to connect. The backup camera can stay on in every gear, hiding warning messages, and the radio sometimes keeps playing after shutdown. Failed OnStar modules also take out the Bluetooth microphone and remote start. More serious reports describe stalling, power loss, and a flickering instrument cluster, with one crash-related case. Keys stick in the ignition and push buttons refuse to shut the car off. Dealers often cannot find a cause, and radio replacements do not always last.

Turbocharger failure is the main pattern. An "Engine Power Reduced" message appears, the check engine light may come on, and the car can drop into limp mode on the highway, sometimes unable to exceed 30 MPH. Repairs to the turbo or wastegate actuator often do not hold, and the failure returns. Other reports cover a failed coolant control valve, engine debris in the oil pan requiring a replacement engine around 66,000 miles, broken exhaust bolts at the catalytic converter, a cracked coil that left a car stranded, and evap purge valve faults.

The engine overheats, with the temperature needle reaching Hot and the check engine light coming on at low speed. When auto start-stop shuts the engine off at a stop, the screens and dash lights can go dark and the engine shudders on restart. Turbo trouble shows up here too: an "Engine Power Reduced" event on the interstate was traced to a turbo needing replacement at about 103,000 miles. One check engine light was traced to a faulty emissions control valve.

Squealing, chirping, and metal-on-metal grinding at low speeds is the dominant complaint. It often starts within the first few thousand miles and gets louder over time. Dealers resurface rotors, grease parts, or swap pads, and the noise comes back. Several owners say dealers called it normal for the pad material or refused further work while engineering looks for a fix. A smaller group reports brakes that grab or jerk, ABS warnings, and weaker stopping than when the car was new.

After the shifter is put in park, a "Shift to Park" message stays on. The car will not fully shut down or lock, and the battery drains. Fixing it can mean cycling the ignition repeatedly, and one dealer replaced the transmission control assembly. One car stalled at 68 MPH with the same message and would not restart. Other complaints describe erratic or lurching shifts, reverse that revs without moving despite repeated valve body replacements, a shifter leaving park on its own, and no upshifts in extreme cold.

Airbags failing to deploy in crashes is the main concern. These complaints include 3 crash-related reports and 4 injuries. One frontal impact at about 45 mph brought no airbag deployment, no collision warning, and no automatic braking. In a rollover, a driver reported the side curtain deploying late and pinning their head. Going the other way, one car's side airbags deployed at highway speed during a lane change with no impact, no debris, and nothing nearby.

Lockups while driving, with a warning light on the dash, create a real loss-of-control risk. In one case the dealer said the steering unit could not be repaired and had to be replaced, and parts would take several weeks to arrive, with no rental provided. Another report describes the brakes applying on their own while accelerating and the wheel pulling right during a left turn. That problem came back even after the brake master cylinder was replaced.