2006 Chevrolet Blazer: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer
On the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer, the failure owners report most often is fuel gauge or level sensor failure, with 5 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 75,000 miles. Overall it scores 66 out of 100, high risk for a 2006.
High risk for a 2006 — 239th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. 20 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 11 named failure modes on the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer, and the three most-reported carry 55% of everything filed.
Fuel gauge or level sensor failure leads with 5 reports and about 41 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other fuel system problem follows with 4 reports, median 45,000 miles.
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure follows with 2 reports, median 80,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into fuel (12), glass (2) and electrical (2).
The mileage the reports cluster at
16 of the reports on the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 75,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 25% by 50,000 miles and 81% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, which alone holds 19% of the dated reports.
13% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 2 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.90, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: fuel gauge or level sensor failure at $300–$1,200, other fuel system problem at $300–$2,200, fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure at $250–$1,800 and other visibility problem at $150–$1,400. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
10% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 5 | 5 | — | 75k | — | 41.3 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 4 | 3 | — | 45k | — | 33.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 80k | — | 16.5 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 2 | 1 | — | 98k | — | 16.5 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Cooling fan failure | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 109k | — | 8.3 | $350–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Fuel injector failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 69k | — | 8.3 | $450–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 92k | — | 8.3 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 8.3 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 137k | — | 8.3 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 8.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 26k | — | 8.3 | $200–$1,500 | High |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer draws about 165 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 98th percentile of complaint rates among 2006 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 121 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2006 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Fuel gauge or level sensor failure
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet blazer. Whenever fuel was dispensed in the fuel tank, the empty fuel indicator would illuminate on the fuel gauge. The failure occurred without warning at any given fuel level capacity. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the failure was contributed to the fuel sensor. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 78,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet blazer. While driving 72 MPH, the check engine light illuminated and the fuel gauge dial switched to empty. The contact drove to the dealer and they stated that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced. The contact did not leave the vehicle at the dealer due to the repair cost and lack of warranty. In addition, there was no recall available. The vehicle was taken to an oil shop and the mechanic stated that the fuel sensor failed and had to be repaired at the contact's expense. The failure mileage was 51,000 and current mileage was 54,847.
Other fuel system problem
Getting stuck on the highways because false reading of the fuel. This has happen two time. After to repair it with only 27,000 miles. So this means every few thousand miles I have to replaced this fuel. *tr
I recently noticed my 2006 trailblazer's gas gauge rapidly going to empty. A couple of days after my warranty ended this problem occurred. Now when ever I start my car the gage will show the correct amount but rapidly go to empty. Before taking it to the dealer I decided to look on the internet to see if I could fix the problem on my own. While researching I came across the following website with over 100 complaints about this same problem:www.aboutautomobile.com. Every complaint and the same problem and many did take their vehicle to get fix but the problem wasn't ever really fixed. *tr
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure
I just filled the fuel tank until completely full, and when I started the vehicle, the gas gauge showed empty and the low fuel light came on. Shut off and restarted several times and it still shows empty and the low fuel light is on. I drove the vehicle several miles and now the service engine light is on. I had gotten a letter from my local chevrolet dealer about this problem, but discarded it do to not having any problem until now. I searched on-line and heard about alot of other vehicles(peoples complaints) having this same exact problem. *kb
Fill gas tank and gas gauge stopped functioning. This could lead to stoppage on highway or been stranded in a remote area. This will make 2nd time replaced. It was replaced at 31,000 miles. *tr
How it ranks in the 2006 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2006 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2006 — 239th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 18 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2005 comes out best at 64 and 2024 worst at 82, with 2006 itself at 66.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2006, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2005–2008 generation specifically, 2005 is the strongest year at 64 and 2006 the weakest at 66.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2005-2008 generation, 2005 Chevrolet Blazer scores best at 64 and 2006 Chevrolet Blazer worst at 66.
The limits of complaint data
20 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 20 reports, 16 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 80% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer?
The most-reported failures are fuel gauge or level sensor failure (5 reports, median 75,000 miles), other fuel system problem (4 reports, median 45,000 miles) and fuel tank, filler or evap failure (2 reports, median 80,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2006 Chevrolet Blazer reliable?
It scores 66 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 239th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2006 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Chevrolet Blazer is best?
Within the 2005–2008 generation, 2005 scores best at 64 out of 100 and 2006 worst at 66. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed