4th Dec 2006, 19:14
Your warranty must be close to expiring. I changed my exhaust system to a Borla dual exhaust on my Silverado and it runs better and has better mpg.
17th Jan 2007, 20:30
Actually, A4WD is "automatic" 4WD (rather than all-wheel drive). This means that power goes to the front wheels (somewhat abruptly in my TB) only when the rear wheels start to slip. This is supposed to save gas and wear on the front differential.
P.S. Has anyone replaced the fan clutch with the (updated) 2005 part? If so, how much did it cost? It is supposed to improve the inconsistent performance of the A/C system.
20th Aug 2010, 14:00
I am the original reviewer. At 110,000 miles I still like this SUV, but am disappointed at having to replace a cracked exhaust manifold. Never had to do that before in any vehicle I've had, many of them over 100,000 miles, and one over 200,000.
The sway bar end links have had to be replaced many times, but they were still under warranty. They seem to be under engineered. Will need to do it myself next time.
21st Aug 2010, 09:43
They don't seem to be under engineered, they are. I had two different TB's, and both front ends failed. One at 30K miles. They put weak components, made for their cars, under the TB's, and they can't take the extra weight. I've never had a GM product make it to 100K miles and not need tons of repairs.
21st Aug 2010, 12:40
Abusing vehicles will certainly cause various components to fail in any car. I've never known anyone who had any problem with a Trailblazer before 150,000 miles. The two Trailblazers in our family have 165,000 (a 2002) and 87,000 (a 2006). Our Envoy (2003) has 90,000. None of these vehicles has ever had any repairs. They have been some of the best built vehicles we've ever owned, and the power and smooth ride are better than anything short of the Cadillac Escalade.
22nd Aug 2010, 12:35
I'm a mechanic and I can attest to the fact that the Trailblazer line-up is under engineered. I've replaced multiple front-suspension and steering parts on countless Trailblazers, Envoys and the like. Most of the work was needed well before 100,000 miles.
22nd Aug 2010, 13:30
Had no problems with an Avalanche or Silverado towing a Fountain powerboat. Not flimsy whatsoever, and rear seating in either.
23rd Aug 2010, 08:54
Oooohhh, I wasn't aware that highway cruising and pulling a 3,200 pound boat two or three times a year, with a vehicle rated at 5,000 pounds towing capacity, was abuse according to GM. Huh, guess I should have ALWAYS had Toyotas that stand up better and are more refined and smooth and can handle their towing rated weights for pulling boats... never mind outperforming ANY GM SUV out there in pretty much any category.
There was NO abuse on either of my TB's as they were primarily my wife's vehicles and she drives very mildly. 85% of the miles were highway cruising and not stop and go driving. Why do people continue to think drivers are at fault when GM junk surfaces? You got EXTREMELY lucky that absolutely nothing has gone wrong on any of your SUV's. I have had other people in my family that have had the same issues with Envoy's and TB's. The front ends are trash in these trucks. Failing tie rods at 30K miles? Junk! NEVER will I own anything made by GM again... ever. I won't even list all of the crap that failed on these trucks that totaled almost $4K by the time I was at 90K miles. Type "Trailblazer issues" into Google and nearly all of my problems will handily come up for you to research.... yep we had all of them.
My favorite was the "stalling for no apparent reason while you are sitting at a light" issue. That was awesome...and very safe too as you could imagine. Of course the dealer found nothing wrong so it was all in our heads.... huh. Yeah, great products GM makes. I guess if you have a blind devotion to failing industries then that would be so.... but I am done with domestic second rate garbage. Most of them are built in foreign plants anyhow, so I'd rather support U.S. workers and buy Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus.
23rd Aug 2010, 19:48
"The front ends are trash in these trucks. Failing tie rods at 30K miles? Junk!"
I'm a mechanic and I've never even HEARD of this problem. My wife drives a GMC Envoy that is nearing 100,000 miles. I've checked every part from the front to rear bumpers religiously every 6 months, because I value her safety. In 8 years, this car has had exactly TWO things: A set of tires and a battery. These cars will easily run 100,000 miles without even a brake pad replacement. People who buy abused vehicles used without knowing the history may have issues because of previous owner abuse (as has been pointed out), but being UNDER-engineered is NOT an issue with these vehicles. If you want to see truly under-engineered cars, look underneath ANY Japanese car. Scrimping on materials is how they've gotten rich (and it's catching up to them now BIG TIME!!).
24th Aug 2010, 16:48
Well I have heard of it... on two of my own brand new trucks and my uncle's brand new Envoy which he readily traded in for a Ford F-150. They were all purchased new. Just type in "Trailblazer tie rod problems" on Google and you'll see tons of low mileage failures on many forums. These trucks are surely under designed and the parts are not heavy duty enough to handle the weight of the truck they were meant to support. I never had either of mine off road and 85% of the miles I drove were easy highway miles. The one that failed at 30K miles was so bad the steering wheel shook violently over every small bump. It was ridiculous!
There is no excuse for this kind of low quality and I'll never buy another GM pile as long as I live. As far as imports go, they are much better designed overall and last so much longer before you have to dump major money into them to keep them running. That is my experience anyway. I will now continue to do what works for me and what keeps me out of the dealers waiting room.
Funny how so many GM owners are mechanics. Guess you have to be in order to keep them running fairly cheaply!
25th Aug 2010, 12:10
A well-known mechanic in our area retired several years ago. When asked how he made all his money (he was pretty well-off) his reply was "When Nissan, Honda and Toyota started selling so many cars here, I made a FORTUNE. They break easy, are hard to fix and parts have much higher mark-up." I've found this to be very true.
4th Dec 2006, 07:50
Has anyone ever tried replacing the cold air intake with an after-market product to gain better mileage? I'm considering this with mine. My 2 questions are 1) What product did you use and what was the mileage increase? 2) Have you been back to a dealer that refused warranty work because the engine has been "ruined" by the installation of a non-OEM air filter, etc? Thanks for the help.