NHTSA Complaint #10269822 — 2006 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

ON FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009, I HAD MY 2006 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER SERVICED AT THE CLASSIC CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN GRAPEVINE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL TANK SENSOR (WHICH APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AS WELL). AT APPROXIMATELY 6:00 P.M., I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE AT THE DEALERSHIP. WHEN MY DAUGHTER AND I GOT INTO THE VEHICLE, THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS SET TO THE HIGHEST FAN SETTING WITH THE TEMPERATURE SET TO 60 DEGREES. I REDUCED THE FAN SETTING TO 'AUTO' AND RAISED THE TEMPERATURE SETTING TO APPROXIMATELY 70 DEGREES. LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES AND APPROXIMATELY ONE (1) MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE REAR GLASS WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 15 ' 20 MILES PER HOUR AND THERE WAS NOT A VEHICLE IN FRONT OR BEHIND ME. THE NOISE AND MESS SCARED MY DAUGHTER IN THE BACK SEAT AND LUCKILY, THE GLASS DID LAND ON HER. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER THE VEHICLE TO EXAMINE THE DAMAGE AND CHECK THE STREET FOR ANY OBJECTS THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE. UPON FINDING NONE, I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP PRIOR TO THERE CLOSING AT 6:30 P.M. UPON RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN OFFERED TO PROVIDE A QUOTE THE NEXT MORNING FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE GLASS, AND COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY POSSIBLE REASON FOR THE INCIDENT. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, I RETURNED TO THE SCENE OF THE INCIDENT IN ORDER TO EXAMINE THE AREA MORE CLOSELY FOR A POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE REASON FOR THIS OCCURRENCE. AFTER EXAMINING THE STREET, THE SHOULDER OF THE STREET AND SURROUNDING AREA CLOSELY, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE GLASS SHATTERING FROM AN EXTERNAL OBJECT. PIECES OF GLASS WERE ON THE STREET AND SURROUNDING AREAS UP TO TWENTY FEET FROM THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT. THE NEXT MORNING, I REMOVED ITEMS STORED IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND REMOVED THE BROKEN GLASS, PIECE BY PIECE. THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE OBJECT IN THE VEHICLE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE WINDOW EXPLOSION. THIS HAS OCCURRED IN OTHER GM VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS. *TR