MODELYEARINDEX

Which Chevrolet Trailblazer years to avoid

No Chevrolet Trailblazer model year in 2021–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Chevrolet Trailblazer Full report
C
Grade 2021–2021
2021 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Drivetrain 30
Electrical 27
Brakes 24
Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2021
1.00× 200 C
2022 P
0.72× 170 B
2023 P
0.43× 89 A
2024 P
0.26× 50 A
2025 P
0.15× 32 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2021 C 200 reports · median 16,600 mi

  1. Drivetrain 30

    The vehicle began to give the error shift to park when the vehicle was in park and after the power was shut off. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 27

    Within 3 months of owning the vehicle I started to hear a crackling sound coming from the passenger speaker in the door. At first it was loud and I thought someone hit me. It did it several times and then stopped. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 24

    Brakes required extreme pressure to stop the vehicle. Accident barely avoided during rush hour traffic on busy surface road. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

17 crash · 5 fire · 11 injuries

The best year for the Trailblazer

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Trailblazer model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 65 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 1.00× 200 C

Recalls

4 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V440000 EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND 2021, 2022 135,400
20V588000 SERVICE BRAKES 2021 3,677
20V537000 SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS 2021 105
20V295000 TIRES 2021 20

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 16,600 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Chevrolet Trailblazer years should you avoid?
No Chevrolet Trailblazer model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.
What is the best year for the Chevrolet Trailblazer?
2021 is the best-scoring Chevrolet Trailblazer model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 65 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Chevrolet Trailblazer have?
4 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Chevrolet Trailblazer model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Trailblazer
Complaints in window
200
Severity-weighted
307
Model median (weighted)
307
vs model median
1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
4
Open investigations
0
Score 65 C