AutoUtility currently tracks 190 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 40 complaints (21.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 7 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 190 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (40 reports • 21.1% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (38), Brakes & Traction Control (31)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 7 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
190
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
7
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
3
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
4
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 21.1% of complaints

Electrical System

40 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#2 Problem Area 20% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

38 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#3 Problem Area 16.3% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

31 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 3 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 15.8% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

30 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 1 fire report
#5 Problem Area 10% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 4 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 2.1% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

4 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11757775
Filed: 08/18/2026

"Shifter"

Incident Date: 08/18/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11754543
Filed: 08/03/2026

"My timing belt snapped prematurely, causing a total loss of engine power while driving on the highway, which is a severe safety hazard"

Incident Date: 07/29/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11754013
Filed: 07/31/2026

"I am submitting this report regarding my 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer because it has been experiencing the "Shift to Park" issue described in the GM bulletin 19-NA-206. Even when the vehicle is shifted into Park, it intermittently displays a "Shift to Park" message and does not recognize that the..."

Incident Date: 05/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11753767
Filed: 07/30/2026

""shift to park" issue on a 21 traiblazer causing your car to not being able to shutdown entirely meanwhile the shift is perfectly on Park."

Incident Date: 10/09/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11752759
Filed: 07/25/2026

"Vehicle displays Shift to Park when vehicle is in park & you push the ignition button & audible chime occurs. Apparently this is a known issue for Chevrolet Trailblazers & Buick Encore GX vehicles model year 2021 & newer. You have to either wiggle the gear shifter several times & depress/wiggle the..."

Incident Date: 07/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Chevrolet Trailblazer

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2021–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer Current Page 190 7 4 Current
2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer 107 3 1 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer 65 4 0 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer 32 3 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer 19 0 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 60 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 33 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 25 1 1 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 17 0 1 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 12 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 4 0 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 1 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 2 0 3 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
CHILD SEAT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
INSERT, PADDING 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
TETHER, LOWER ANCHOR (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE) 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (190). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Related Official Reports for 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.