::UPDATE:: EVERYTHING IS WORKING!!! See below for answers...

Hello everyone,

I have a 2003 Trailblazer, it has 46,000 miles on it.

About 6 months ago the passenger taillights started to act up, so I replaced the housing.

On Wednesday I found out that both sides were not working so I got onto google and started looking around...

I found out that this is a recall issue...

GM Recalls - 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer 50770

So I called the number on the website and they told me that it was recalled and they called a local Chevy dealership for me...

Today I went into the Chevy dealership at 10:30A.M.

At 1PM they told me that they were having trouble getting parts and had to order them from a town over... At this point they offered to drive me home so I could wait...

At 2:30PM I called them back and I asked them if they had made any progress... They told me that it was still in repairs and I would have to call back but it wouldn't be done until almost 5P.M.

At 3 P.M. The dealership contacted me and informed me that they have finished installing the hardware but there is another issue... They think that a switch on my brake pedal is broken, and that I would need to pay them $150 for a diagnostic... I told them I would need to call them back...

After thinking about it, I wasn't about ready to pay them anything that has probably been caused by their recalled part anyways.


So I drove out to the dealership to get my car, and when I got there I told the guy that I would not be paying them to do a diagnosis... He told me that the mechanic had checked out the car a little bit while he was waiting for me to get back to them, and he had checked out the switch and said that the switch is fine... He said that they could take everything apart and look for the issue, but it is most likely a "Chafing Wire" or a burnt wire somewhere...

Now of course the brake lights are still not working... There is no light on the passenger side, and the driver side only the running light is on... I plan to take things apart tomorrow and see if I can't figure something out...

Has anyone come across this issue at all?

NOTE: Centre High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL or Top light works), Left and Right Brake lights DO NOT work, right turn signal DOES NOT work.

On another note, my cruise control isn't working anymore... Not sure if the problem might be related.

From what I have read, there are several causes...

There are 3 fuses to check...

#12 under hood (runs all three),
#34 under back seat (if only the CHMSL is out)
#16 in the back (if the CHMSL works and the two on the side are not)

...

The Multifunction switch could be bad... (The switch with the turn signal and cruise control)

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/x,carc...on_Switch.html

...

Or it could be the stop light switch...

Duralast/Stoplight Switch (DR4106) | 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2WD 6 Cylinders S 4.2L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

To clarify, the service writer at the dealership made it sound like it is the wiring to the brake lamps that is bad, *burnt or chafed*... I don't know where the wiring starts, or how I would check it as it goes... If anyone could help with this it would be greatly appreciated... Unless of course you have another suggestion/cause... Thanks


---


1/12/2013
Well it is nearly 11AM this fine Saturday morning. I am going to get going and test the fuses out, though I doubt it is the issue... Perhaps I will be able to test the other things out. I will give an update if I find out what is wrong for anyone else that may be having this issue, it doesn't seem to be an uncommon issue, so off to work we go!

::UPDATE::

When checking the tail lamps I found that the passenger side park lamp was not working, other than that everything was working except for the brake lamps.

I found that fuse #34 was burnt, and so I replaced that fuse with my radio fuse since I didn't have any spares. And voila, the brake lamps worked...

Now onto the park lamp on the passenger side...

I found that fuse #17 was burnt up, I replaced this fuse and it works now.

I also found that my turn signal on my passenger side was not working, so I took the tail lamp apart and found that I had to loosen the bulb slightly for it to work properly, I will be contacting the dealership to have them replace the circuit board once again.

My cruise control also works, it disabled itself when the brake fuse failed. At least that is what I am assuming.

So, now everything works!!!

::UNDER BACK SEAT - 2003 Trailblazer Fuse Panel::
http://www.justanswer.com/uploads/mc...bel-HVAC-B.gif

::UNDER HOOD - 2003 Trailblazer Fuse Panel::
http://www.justanswer.com/uploads/ed...Fuse_Panel.gif

I am a little disappointed that this posting had 100 views and no one left a single comment as to if they had this same issue. I want to make sure that everyone makes sure to visually inspect their fuses if they test good, because for some reason the fuses I replaced tested good, but when I visually inspected them you could clearly see that they were bad.

Thanks for reading my wall, I hope that this information has helped you, please place your comments below if this was of any assistance.

Shane

 

My guess would be to try and wiggle your turn signal switch. Have someone watch your tail lights while you shake the switch and hit the brake. If it flickers then that is your problem.
I have had my left rear brake light out for 3 years now. To get it to pass inspection I wrap a rubber band around it to apply tension. I need to fix it but I dread dealing with all that mess.

Hope that helps...

 

@FsTFwRd

Everything works now except for the passenger turn signal glitches out because the circuit board they replaced is faulty.

You might have a recall for yours, I would suggest you check it out, the dealership will replace it for free if there is a recall.