26th Jan 2012, 14:08
Oh yeah, we had that throttle body cleaning issue as well. Ours was stalling spontaneously, which became very dangerous when you were taking off at a light. It was very hard to start after it stalled, but eventually it sputtered to life slowly. It also idled very poorly. I remember it was very difficult to back up to the boat trailer with it, as it would suddenly surge after acting like it was going to quit. I was thoroughly fed up with that vehicle overall.
Most of the research I was looking at for this problem pointed to the computer module, but I did find that cleaning the throttle body was a possible remedy as well. We did that. It ran better for a short time, but then started hesitating again. It simply never ran that great after 50K miles. There were always issues with it. I am very glad to have traded out of that truck now. We have been trouble free for over a year and a half now, and hopefully I will never go down that path again of such ridiculous costly repairs on such a young vehicle.
We went with a smaller SUV ourselves, as we wanted to improve on the mileage. 24 mpg was great, but now we are up towards 30 on trips with almost 270 HP.
16th Jun 2012, 11:46
I have just over 190,000 miles on my LS. I bought it used with just over 50,000 miles. The dealer reluctantly replaced one strut just after purchase, because the car was handling funny.
Since then I have replaced the spark plugs twice myself, an O2 sensor and the brakes once. I replace the fan clutch, but it continues to hint at going out again. It's a pretty expensive repair. I think the part is nearly $200 alone. I took it in, because unless you have a well equipped garage at home, you'll need a few special tools. Also, the thermostat had to be replaced. That is a true pain in the A** to do yourself. I didn't know that until I was knee deep into the repair. By the time it was done, I was ready to put a bullet in this truck, but ever since, all has been forgiven. I recently (180,000) had the ball joints replaced :( But I do go offroad (trails) fairly often shooting/hiking.
One parting thing to remember, is fluids need to be changed. Transmission, rear end, oil, radiators, etc. When I hear trannys going out and slipping, just spend a few hundred dollars to save thousands later on either repairs or a new vehicle. Many things can be done at home with normal hand tools, and you get to know your vehicle better.
25th Jan 2012, 09:00
The gas mileage was due to the numerous broken issues, Oxygen sensor and MAF sensor. But, it has almost ALWAYS been that bad, even considering 80% of my driving is highway.
I also forgot to add, the throttle body will gum up and need to be cleaned. Evidently this is another one of those common place perks to owning a Trailblazer; the throttle body has to be cleaned fairly regularly. I say fairly regularly, because I've never heard of anyone having to clean a throttle body more than once.
Oh, and the rear differential popped. Fluids need to be maintained and flushed.
But yes, first and last Trailblazer, and most likely my last mid-size SUV, considering everything is a crossover below full size now; I don't see the point in just owning an SUV that isn't anything more than a car, with an SUV body.