What are the common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
Owners of the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer have filed 202 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the powertrain (43) and the electrical system (41). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 33 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 202 owner complaints on the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Owners named the powertrain most often: 43 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 30,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 202 complaints, 7 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2021 Trailblazer
NHTSA's file holds 202 owner complaints on the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Owners named the powertrain most often: 43 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 30,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 43 | 10 | 31,000 |
| Electrical System | 41 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine | 40 | 6 | 48,000 |
| Service Brakes | 31 | 5 | 3,746 |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 17 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 202 complaints, 7 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 Trailblazer
The 33 mileages owners gave run from 5 to 135,884 miles. A quarter are at or under 3,746 miles, half at or under 20,000, three quarters at or under 42,000 and nine in ten at or under 79,000; 2 (6%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 Trailblazer wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 31 of the 33 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2021 Trailblazer can cover.
Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2021 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 5 miles |
| 25th percentile | 3,746 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 20,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 42,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 79,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 135,884 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 2 (6%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 6,070 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2000–2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer that list mileage came after 69,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Chevrolet Trailblazer last? →
Is the 2021 Trailblazer a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Trailblazer: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 202 complaints, the 2021 drew the most of the 6 Chevrolet Trailblazer model years from 2021 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2026 (12).
NHTSA files the Chevrolet Trailblazer name for 2000–2009 and 2021–2026. A gap of three or more model years means the name covers different vehicles, so the 2021 is compared only with the 2021–2026 model years.
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 (this page) | 202 | 33 | 20,000 |
| 2022 Trailblazer | 113 | 18 | 35,500 |
| 2023 Trailblazer | 76 | 17 | 44,962 |
| 2024 Trailblazer | 36 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2025 Trailblazer | 27 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2026 Trailblazer | 12 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
Every Trailblazer year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Chevrolet Trailblazer years to avoid →
2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 21V440000 | Jun 10, 2021 | EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND |
| 20V588000 | Sep 24, 2020 | SERVICE BRAKES |
| 20V537000 | Sep 3, 2020 | SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS |
| 20V295000 | May 21, 2020 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 Trailblazer lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 Trailblazer.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 169 of the 202 complaints on the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA names counted: TRAILBLAZER and TRAILBLAZER EXT. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
- Recall-file names matched: TRAILBLAZER and TRAILBLAZER EXT.
- NHTSA also holds 26 complaints filed as the 2000 Chevrolet Trailblazer. EPA's fuel-economy catalogue lists the Chevrolet Trailblazer for 2002–2026 only, so that model year has no page.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer questions
What are the most common 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer problems?
NHTSA's file holds 202 owner complaints on the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Owners named the powertrain most often: 43 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 30,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 202 complaints, 7 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 4 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
Of the 33 complaints on the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer that list mileage, the middle half came between 3,700 and 42,000 miles; 2 (6%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 Trailblazer can cover.
Is the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Trailblazer: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 202 complaints, the 2021 drew the most of the 6 Chevrolet Trailblazer model years from 2021 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2026 (12).
How many recalls does the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer.