21st Nov 2010, 23:25
Hi.
Sounds like all kinds of problems with 2003 TB. I just had the same thing happen to me. I go to start it, turn on the key, all dash lights on, radio and heater on, turn to start, and nothing. No click, no crank, just silence.
I read the post here and started to troubleshoot it. I tried to start in every gear, nothing. I pushed the vehicle back to make sure it was in park and not stuck in a gear. I cleaned the battery posts, still nothing. I jumped the starter with the key on and it turned, got in turned the key and bingo. Dead spot on the starter. That's why it doesn't happen all the time, only when it stops on the dead spot.
I am not saying this is everyone's problem, but it sounds like a few here might have the same symptoms. Worth a try and nothing to lose.
Ron.
22nd Nov 2010, 09:50
I have a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer.
On November 10, 2010 I tried to start my truck but it wouldn't. It was around 11pm, so this was not the best time of day, or night to be having this type of problem. A young man came over and told me to put it in neutral and try again. I did and it started.
On November 22, 2010 it did the same thing again. Why is this happening and what can I do to prevent it from ever happening again? Putting the truck in neutral is NOT the normal way of starting a vehicle.
Any recommendations?
22nd Nov 2010, 13:54
Thank you! Finally a mechanic that knows the real story about these under designed trucks GM spewed out for a decade!
22nd Nov 2010, 13:55
"Any recommendations?"
Yes, do what I did. Trade it in on a much more reliable and fun to drive Toyota SUV. You will never regret it, and never look back!
22nd Nov 2010, 19:06
Well good for you... suit yourself.. but those are overpriced junk as well!
Just because it's a Toyota, doesn't mean it's going to be better, they make lemons as well, and have been spewing out a lot of poorly built junk in the last decade as well.
The brand is less important than the previous owner and the maintenance that was done. A ill maintained GM will do no worse than an ill maintained Toyota.
23rd Nov 2010, 11:54
Well, since I bought BOTH of my Trailblazers brand new, and did all the routine maintenance, I have to respectfully disagree with you. GM does not build a vehicle that will go 100K miles without major major repairs in my experience. It has nothing to do with who owned it prior, because there was no prior owner in both cases.
Toyota is like night and day to GM. They are more refined, overall, being smoother, more powerful, quicker, and most of all much more fun to drive. And since I have never been to a Toyota service department for other than routine maintenance, I would have to once again lean towards Toyota as the better brand. If my Toyota proves me wrong and costs almost $4K in repairs before it hits 100K miles? Well then I will write about my experiences. I am confident that this won't happen though, as I haven't had any import fail in the past 26 years of driving.
23rd Nov 2010, 12:45
I would agree with that statement. I'm a Toyota owner but it's a machine just like anything else. One of my friends had a 2000 Camry and he never changed the oil. One day, lo and behold, the engine froze up. On the other hand I have a friend with a 89' Dodge Caravan. He babies this thing. It has 260,000 miles.
23rd Nov 2010, 17:23
Often true, but not always. Our cars are all meticulously maintained, but our imports have proven to be far less reliable than our domestics.
26th Jan 2011, 07:10
My 2002 Trailblazer sucks also!
Started out with OnStar going haywire; had to pull the fuse or the battery dies.
Now the lock on the door doesn't work anymore. I had to buy another electric key.
4 wheel drive went out.
Throttle body was cleaned because it ran horrible, but only when the heat was on.
We had the brakes changed yesterday, and now the key is stuck in auxiliary mode. It starts and runs OK, but I had to keep going outside last night at work to keep my battery from going dead. It will shift gears now without pressing the brakes.
Last winter someone hit me, and most of the rear end got replaced; about $6000 worth of damage. I wish it were totaled. I can't sell the thing for that much! We need to go back to horse and buggy. At least when the horse gets sick, you can shoot it.
8th Feb 2011, 21:40
My 2003 TrailBlazer also has a starting problem, which I believe is related to the theft deterrent pass lock system.
The security light comes on randomly, and it seems if you continue to drive with the security light on, the vehicle will not start the next time you try to start it. What I do to remedy this, is to immediately pull over or as soon as possible, and shut off and restart the engine. The light usually goes out after doing this, and I won't experience the starting problem.
I also have found that if I always set the alarm with the remote after parking, I will not experience the won't start issue. When I forget to set the alarm, the won't start happens.
I also believe it is tied in with door alarm contacts. At times when a passenger gets in while the motor is running, the security light comes on, and when I have the passenger re-open and slam the door, the security light goes out.
Lastly, when I am parked at home and the won't start issue happens, I have found if I connect my 12 volt charger to the battery for a couple of minutes, it will reset whatever is causing the security/won't start electrical problem, and the vehicle starts. The battery is brand new by the way. The security light issue is very annoying, and seems to be a common problem.
8th Apr 2011, 08:02
I have a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. Same problem that everyone posted. It will not turn over. It's not every time I start the car either; mostly the first start of the day in the morning. This started about 2 weeks ago, and is just getting worse. My mechanic is going to replace the ing. switch. I am hoping this takes care of it.
26th Oct 2010, 19:48
I agree. I'm actually a mechanic who works for a professional repair facility, and I can tell you personally that we get Trailblazers (and all other Trailblazer models carrying different brand names) in for front end repairs VERY frequently. Almost all of them have well UNDER 100,000 miles before needing repairs.