NHTSA Complaint #11715690 — 2025 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

The incident involved a 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer, purchased new in late February 2025. The failure appears related to the vehicle’s electrical/charging system and associated control modules, resulting in a sudden loss of critical safety systems. The vehicle was towed by GM Roadside Assistance and is currently at an authorized Chevrolet dealership, where it is available for inspection upon request. While driving in Cambria, New York, the dashboard illuminated with multiple warning indicators and the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power steering and braking. The brake pedal traveled fully to the floor with no resistance and no braking effect. Steering effort increased dramatically. The driver was only able to avoid a crash due to favorable road and traffic conditions and was able to coast to a stop and pull off the roadway. This failure posed an immediate and serious risk of injury or death to the driver and others. The problem had occurred previously in the form of repeated warning messages. Beginning within the first week of ownership, the vehicle displayed “Service the Charge System Vehicle May Stall” warnings and since then has appeared hundreds of times. The vehicle was previously towed to an authorized Chevrolet dealership, where we were informed that General Motors identified the issue as a known software-related problem and advised that the vehicle could continue to be driven while awaiting a future update. The catastrophic failure occurred after this guidance. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized Chevrolet dealership both prior to and following this incident, and General Motors has been involved through dealership communication. No police or insurance inspection has occurred, as no collision resulted. Based on the repeated warnings, dealer statements, and nature of the failure, the best assessment is an electrical or software-related malfunction, though the precise root cause remains UNKNOWN and requires investigation.