The TrailBlazer name was first introduced for the 1999 model year as an upscale trim level of the compact 4-door Chevrolet S-10 Blazer.

It offered additional features on top of the previously top-of-the-line Chevrolet S-10 Blazer LT trim level, including an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player and optional remote cassette player, OnStar, color-keyed front and rear bumpers, side cladding, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, upgraded alloy wheels, a full-size spare tire and wheel, and upgraded cloth seating surfaces with power front bucket seats.

The inline-six engine option made the TrailBlazer the most powerful six-cylinder SUV in its class at the time of production.

The inline-six versions of the TrailBlazer produce up to 20 miles per US gallon (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg‑imp) on the highway, according to United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

The LS was the base trim level of the TrailBlazer, and included a plentiful amount of standard equipment, including aluminum-alloy wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, the 4.2L Vortec inline six-cylinder gasoline engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, cloth seating surfaces, a full-size, matching spare tire with black-painted steel spare wheel, an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player, a six-speaker audio system, power windows, door locks, and mirrors, keyless entry, a 65/35 split-folding rear bench seat, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, and a Driver's Information Center.

The LTZ was the top-of-the-line trim level of the TrailBlazer, and added further luxury features to the already well-equipped LT trim, including a Bose six-speaker premium amplified audio system, a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, luxury leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual heated front bucket seats, OnStar, a universal garage door opener system with travel note recorder, a power moonroof, and upgraded interior trim.

The TrailBlazer EXT platform was given the internal designation GMT370, which was shared with the GMC Envoy XL and Isuzu Ascender LWB; long-wheelbase versions of the Oldsmobile Bravada, Buick Rainier, and Saab 9-7X were never offered.

The TrailBlazer SS also came with a 4.10 rear axle ratio, improving off-the-line acceleration, and was available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations.

[9][needs update] 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Crash Test Ratings:[10] The next-generation TrailBlazer was to be built on an upgraded version of the current GMT360 platform called the GMT361.

It was scheduled to be launched in spring 2007, but in January 2006, GM decided to refresh the current platform under the code GMT360NG.

[16] In 2012, General Motors and Isuzu recalled more than 258,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix short-circuits in power window and door lock switches that could cause fires.

The SUVs were sold or registered in 20 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, where salt and other chemicals are used to clear roads in the winter.

The bodywork from the A-pillar back is entirely different as it takes the form of an SUV with an enclosed roof, tailgate and three rows of seats.

Unlike the Colorado, the rear suspension is a five-link system connected to coil springs but retains the live axle.

The 2.8 L diesel engine have several new parts, namely a water-cooled variable-geometry turbocharger, high-pressure common-rail fuel delivery system, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, intake manifold, cylinder head, cylinder block, balance shaft unit, and Engine Control Module (ECM).