2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer Visibility Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 8, 2026 · 51 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about visibility problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 5% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 95,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “side window” (24% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Side window: mentioned in 12 of 51 complaints (24%)
  • Windshield wipers: mentioned in 7 of 51 complaints (14%)
  • Door panel: mentioned in 6 of 51 complaints (12%)

At what mileage do visibility problems happen?

Based on 37 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles1 · 3%
10k–25k miles0 · 0%
25k–50k miles0 · 0%
50k–75k miles9 · 24%
75k–100k miles12 · 32%
100k–150k miles13 · 35%
150k+ miles2 · 5%

How serious are the reports?

Of 51 complaints, 8 a fire, 1 an injury.

Chevrolet Trailblazer visibility complaints by model year

Peak: 2002, with 100 complaints
2002: 10020021002003: 642003642004: 282004282005: 352005352006: 512006512007: 642007642008: 5200852022: 120221

n = 348 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearVisibility complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2022 Trailblazer11%40,000
2008 Trailblazer53%50,000
2007 Trailblazer649%75,000
2006 Trailblazer515%95,000
2005 Trailblazer352%79,438
2004 Trailblazer283%56,650
2003 Trailblazer647%64,000
2002 Trailblazer1009%45,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2012, with 29 complaints
2008: 1200812009: 2200922010: 1201012011: 5201152012: 292012292013: 4201342014: 4201442015: 2201522018: 2201822024: 120241

n = 51 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (4)

Visibility:power window devices and controlsSep 24, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V599000 · 9,932 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced.

Risk: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700.

Visibility:power window devices and controlsJul 2, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V404000 · 184,611 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.

Visibility:power window devices and controls; electrical systemJun 13, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V248000 · 193,652 vehicles

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: Owners will be contacted and dealers will test the driver's door module. If the module is functioning properly, a protective coating will be applied. If the module is not functioning properly, it will be replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners, Isuzu and Saab will contact their respective owners. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463, Isuzu owners at 1-800-255-6727, and Saab owners at 1-800-955-9007. GM's campaign number is 12180. This recall is an expansion of recall 12V-406.

Visibility:power window devices and controls; electrical systemAug 16, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V406000 · 278,174 vehicles

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles, originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: Parts for this recall are expected to available in March 2013. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners when parts are available. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. Isuzu owners will be notified by Isuzu Motors when parts are available. Owners may contact Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727. SAAB owners will be notified by SAAB Cars North America when parts are available and for inquiries, owners may call SAAB customer service at 1-800-955-9007.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V248000 (Electrical System, Visibility). The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was running or while driving at various speeds, the passenger's window switch was…

Received Sep 10, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11613711

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SPRAYED UNCONTROLLABLY AT MAXIMUM PRESSURE. EVEN THOUGH THE SPRAYER ACTIVATED UNCONTROLLABLY, THE WIPERS DID NOT WORK. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR…

Received Jul 20, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11112562

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (KUNI CHEVROLET CADILLAC, 2449 FULTON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 95825, [redacted]) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIPER MOTOR…

Received Jul 19, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11112387
Chevrolet Trailblazer
2002-2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer photographed in Marshall Hall, Maryland , USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazers have visibility problems?

No. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints about visibility for the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer (5% of the 1,108 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer visibility?

Yes: 4 safety recalls list visibility. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do visibility problems start?

The median reported mileage is 95,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about visibility problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer?

The most frequent phrase is “side window”, in 12 of 51 complaints, followed by “windshield wipers” (7).

Other 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer problems

See all 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer problems or visibility problems across all Trailblazer years.