When parking and trying to shutoff vehicle a warning stating that the car needs to be shifted into park needs to be performed even though it is already properly in the parked position. The car cannot be shutoff and remains running until several actions of shifting the car in and out of the park position.
2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer powertrain problems
moderate 28 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain across all vehicles →
Complaints
28
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$2,500
When does it fail?
Of the 28 powertrain complaints filed for the 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 25,000-50,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Owners have filed 28 powertrain complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
Powertrain accounts for 29% of all owner complaints filed against this vehicle, across 6 categories tracked.
The failure pattern owners describe
Buyer takeaway: The 2022 Trailblazer has widespread reports of a shifter assembly defect causing false "Shift to Park" warnings that prevent shutdown and drain the battery—parts are hard to find and cost $650–$700 to replace. Additional concerns include spurious automatic emergency braking and engine power loss issues on some units.
The dominant complaint across these 26 narratives is a shifter assembly or park-position sensor malfunction. Owners shift into park, but the vehicle displays "Shift to Park" on the instrument cluster and refuses to shut down completely. The vehicle stays in accessory mode with lights and radio running, beeping continuously, draining the battery overnight. The issue starts intermittently—maybe one or two occurrences—then escalates to happening nearly every time the owner parks. Jiggling the shift lever or cycling through the gears multiple times sometimes gets the vehicle to recognize park, but workarounds fail as the defect progresses. Dealers acknowledge the problem is widespread but say repair parts are on back order. The fix is shifter assembly replacement at roughly $650–$700, typically out of warranty despite mileage under 50,000 on 2–3 year old vehicles. Chevrolet has issued technical service bulletin 23-NA-119 but classifies the repair under bumper-to-bumper warranty only, not powertrain. Secondary powertrain issues reported include automatic emergency braking engaging without cause at highway speeds, and engine power loss with turbocharger underboost codes. One complaint involves a missing transmission bolt causing shuddering and abnormal noise at startup. A brake pedal sensor issue prevents cruise control engagement.
Same Chevrolet Trailblazer powertrain reports on nearby years: 2021
Failure modes owners describe
Shift to Park false indicator / shifter assembly malfunction
Vehicle displays 'Shift to Park' warning message on instrument cluster while vehicle is already in park position, preventing shutdown. Vehicle remains in accessory mode with electrical systems active, draining battery. Issue often intermittent at first, becoming more frequent. Requires multiple restart cycles and repeated gear shifting to clear error. Steering wheel jiggling or aggressive gear shifting sometimes helps vehicle recognize park position.
When: 28,100 to 57,550 miles; most complaints around 23,000–50,000 miles; one at 141,928 miles. Multiple complaints note onset within 2.5–3 years of ownership despite low mileage.
Symptoms owners cite: False 'Shift to Park' warning message displayed on instrument cluster; Vehicle will not shut off completely, remains in accessory mode; Instrument panel and exterior lights remain illuminated; Continuous beeping or chiming sound from vehicle; Battery drain overnight due to electrical systems remaining active; Vehicle occasionally fails to recognize shift into park without jiggling shift lever; Failure intermittent at onset, becoming regular occurrence within days to weeks
Repairs/costs cited: Shifter assembly replacement required (approximately $650–$700 parts/labor per owner report). Some dealers report parts on back order with no known ETA. One owner paid $656.72 for shifter assembly replacement at dealership.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: GM issued TSB 23-NA-119 (per complaint #25). Issue covered under bumper-to-bumper warranty only, not powertrain warranty, despite owners reporting powertrain origin. Manufacturer opened cases on some complaints but provided no proactive recall. Some dealers unable to schedule due to parts unavailability. Manufacturer referred owners to NHTSA Hotline rather than offering warranty support.
Automatic Emergency Braking (Forward Collision Avoidance) false activation
Forward Collision Avoidance or automatic emergency braking system engages without cause while driving, causing vehicle to jerk or brake abruptly with no vehicles or hazards nearby. System activates at highway speed (65–70 mph) with cruise control engaged, causing full emergency stops. May activate multiple times during single drive.
When: One complaint at 40,000 miles; another at 500 miles (early); one with multiple 65 mph incidents noted at high-speed operation
Symptoms owners cite: Automatic emergency braking engages with no vehicles or hazards nearby; Vehicle jerks or brakes suddenly during normal driving; Vehicle stops completely from highway speeds (65–70 mph) without reason; Occurs multiple times during single drive session; Occurs while cruise control is engaged; No warning light illuminated in some cases
Repairs/costs cited: One complaint noted independent mechanic diagnosis of 'unknown sensor failure' but vehicle was not repaired. Other complaints not diagnosed.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Manufacturer not notified in complaint #1; complaint #11 states manufacturer informed but vehicle not diagnosed or repaired after three dealer visits.
Cruise control system intermittent failure / brake pedal sensor malfunction
Cruise control fails to engage, displaying system error. Issue traced to brake pedal sensor not recognizing full pedal release. Manual brake pedal pull-up required to reset sensor and allow cruise control engagement. Dealer assessment indicates worn pedal assembly parts with progressive deterioration.
When: Mileage out of warranty; vehicle noted to have minimal wear despite interstate driving
Symptoms owners cite: Cruise control intermittently fails to engage; Cruise control system error displayed; Brake pedal sensor not recognizing full pedal release; Manual brake pedal pull-up required to reset sensor
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer recommends entire pedal assembly replacement due to worn parts. No specific part cost given.
Transmission bolt missing / rattling / hard shifting
Transmission bolt found missing by dealer during diagnostic. Vehicle makes abnormal rattling or dragging sounds, particularly when shifting. Hard or rough shifting noted with body shaking during acceleration.
When: 40,000 miles (bolt missing); sound complaints at various mileages
Symptoms owners cite: Abnormal rattling or dragging sound from transmission area; Vehicle shudders and makes abnormal sound on startup or shutdown; Hard or rough shifting with body shaking during acceleration; Sound described as dragging or gear not fully engaged in drive
Repairs/costs cited: Transmission bolt replaced by dealer in complaint #1.
Turbocharger underboost / reduced engine power / hesitation at highway speeds
Engine loses power and enters reduce-power mode while driving at highway speeds, on ramps, uphill, or downhill. Issue unpredictable and occurred despite prior repair attempts. One complaint includes diagnostic code PO299 (turbocharger/supercharger underboost).
When: Engine power loss complaint at 65 mph cruise; turbo warranty issued October 2022; complaint at 24,600 miles (tire replaced, then PO299 occurred)
Symptoms owners cite: Intermittent loss of acceleration at highway speeds; Engine enters reduce-power mode during normal driving; Difficulty maintaining speed or safely merging with traffic; Hesitation uphill or on ramps; Check engine light code PO299 turbocharger/supercharger underboost
Codes mentioned: PO299 (Turbocharger/supercharger underboost—engine power reduced)
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Vehicle covered under GM special turbo warranty issued October 2022 for known defect. Currently at dealer per complaint #14.
Synthesized from 28 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 9 most recent
The cruise control system intermittently fails to engage indicating an error with the system. After several random occasions it was finally determined that the issue is related to the brake pedal sensor not determining that the brake pedal has been fully released. It requires having to manually pull the brake pedal up to properly set the sensor to allow the cruise control system to engage. This…
“Shift to Park” message came on the dashboard. Car would not change gear or go into reverse or drive. Basically stuck in Park position. Car kept peeping sound nonstop for over 20 minutes. And it drained the battery. Car would not drive. Had to have it towed to the dealership I brought it from 45 miles away. I had to pay $656.72 at dealership to get it fixed. The dealership removed and…
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact was informed by a mobile Safelite technician that there were minor spider web cracks on the windshield. The windshield was replaced by Safelite. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact also stated that upon…
Shift to Park is Displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC) When Vehicle attempting to turn vehicle off. This is a known issue to manufacturer, but not warrantied fixes are being offered. (TSB 23-NA-119)
Shift Control Assembly (Shift to Park Issue) I bought a 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer custom, and around 57,550 miles it started throwing a shift to park error message. This does not allow me to turn my car off complete as it does not recognize it’s in park. It has been looked at by Dealer and parts are back ordered no known fix for it. This is a well known issue from Chevrolet but they only…
The contact’s daughter owns a 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated that on several occasions when shifted to park(P), the gear shift indicator failed to show the vehicle in park(P). The contact stated that the gear shifter was slammed into park(P) until park was registered on the shift indicator. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter needed to be…
I am reporting a recurring “Shift to Park” malfunction with my 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer. When I shift the vehicle into Park and attempt to turn it off, the dashboard displays a “Shift to Park” message, and the vehicle remains in Accessory Mode rather than shutting down completely. The vehicle continues drawing electrical power and the battery drains overnight. This condition poses several…
For about a month now my vehicle is telling me to put it in park when it is already in park. Have to restart multiple times and go through all the gears put it back in park turn it off and still get the "shift to park" error. It does not happen every time I use my vehicle, but it happens so much I am unsure if it is safe to use. Even though it shows it is in park I wonder is it really? I have…
Had powertrain trouble with your 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the powertrain problem on the 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 28 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $2,500 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the powertrain typically fail?
Based on the 28 complaints filed, powertrain issues most often appear around 57,319 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $2,500 for powertrain repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to powertrain?
No active recalls currently cover powertrain issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/Chevrolet/Trailblazer.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.