This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I have occurying multiple issues with my 1997 Chevy Blazer which include the back seat seat belts not working correctly, suspension control arm and bushings, corrosion of intake gaskets due to dexcool required coolant.
Owning this vehicle has been a nightmare and a financial drain. Windshield wipers worked when they chose, replaced wiper motor due to defective part. Upper and lower ball joints all had to be replaced. Wheel bearings had to be replaced. A/C stopped working, had it looked at and recharged and it still doesn't work. Fuel gage didn't work, replaced fuel sensor and sending unit. Rear wiper quit working, replaced rear wiper motor, a few days later it does not work again. Replaced water pump, have replaced ABS only to get a recall after the fact with no reimbursement. Wears through brake pads entirely too fast. Replaced alternator and battery twice. Rear hatch does not unlock with key. Headlights are so dim they might as well not exist. Water leaks into interior on drivers side due to a bad seal. Idler arm needs to be replaced. Gas pedal sticks. Now heater fan works sometimes. Reading through the complaints we are all experiencing the same problems and nothing is being done about it. Recalls issued on some vehicles but not all? now I hear GM put a bad intake manifold gasket on these as well as several other cars (1997) and did not issue a recall because it is not a safety matter! this causes antifreeze to leak into the engine and ultimately ends in a repair of at least $1500. After my experience with this vehicle I will be purchasing soon and it most likely will not be GM. Sad since my dad worked for them for 30 years. They should be held accountable for putting a bad product on the market and leaving us to dry.
Ball joint upper control arm broke as I was driving today. Since I purchased this 1997 Blazer I have had nothing but problems-the windshield wipers fail, the water pump has been replaced the fuel pump has also been replaced. This vehicle has less than 60,000 miles. I just found out that most of these problem have been recalled I was never notified. I purchase the vehicle used at a local dealership, whom by the way did not tell me of any of these recalls. I have had very serious and dangerous problems with this vehicle.
While driving at 35 mph vehicle overheated and stalled, vehicle was towed to independent shop, technician diagnosed that coolant turned into acid and damaged the intake manifold/water pump/ thermostat, and radiator. Dealer notified.
97 Blazer cooling system failure. From the time I bought the car the cooling system had trouble. The radiator had a leak ( 34391 miles), the cooling system clogged up and the heater core leaked from dex-cool gelling up ( 65265 miles ), again heater core leaking from bad dex-cool ( 104044 miles ), heater core leaking (114387 miles). Each time the heater core had to be replaced. The cooling system had to be acid flushed by the dealer because the dex-cool gelled up. All these repairs where done by GM dealer. The dealer could not tell me why the dex-cool was gelling up or the heater core kept leaking. I filed a complaint with GMC (complaint # 1-152407734) GMC could not help me. I found out from a radiator repair shop that they have had many GM cooling system failures du to the dex-cool causing electrolysis. This is the main cause of my problem and GM and the dealer will not address it. The radiator shop said the only repair is to flush out the cooling system for 36 hours the refill it with antifreeze, not dex-cool. Also add an anti-electrolysis solution to it and a radiator cap with an anode rod on it. They have had very good results with this repair. There many complaints on your site about this and also many on other auto repair web sites. All I want is to be refunded the money I spent on repairs from day one and have GM pay for the radiator shop to do the flushing and repairs.
- Emerald Hills, CA, USA
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I purchase my 97 Blazer in Dec 2000 with 35000 miles from a local dealer, I believe it was a previous lease vehicle. Within one year I had to replace ball joints but was told that I did not qualify for a recall. In Feb of 2003 I lost my heat and spent close to 2000 dollars replacing first the water pump, then the radiator. After that didn't solve the problem, the dealership told me that the system needed to be flushed with a special machine that would cost another 400 dollars. The system had to be flushed twice to get marginal heat. According to the dealership, the next move is to replace the heater core. Now the wipers stop working and only restart by flipping the switch back and forth. Not real good on the highway in rush hour traffic. I recently had the alternator replaced and the dealership stated that the serpentine belt was old and cracked and needed to be replaced. It actually had less than 5000 miles on it as they replaced it in February when the water pump was done, there was nothing wrong with it. The combination of lousy service from 2 different dealerships, a vehicle that has had nothing but ongoing problems will be enough to stop me from buying another GM product again.
Heater in truck failed, no heat to defrost windows. Coolant gauge spiking with sludge in radiator and overflow bottle. After truck has been run, strong smell of coolant is apparent.
Engine failures related to coolant gel up with dex-cool. Cooling system flushed twice. Intake gasket leaked coolant into engine and damaged internal bearings. New engine needed. Water pump failed after that.
The transmission in my vehicle has a defective valve body and it caused my transmission to break, I went to the dealer when I first had the problem of a hard shift from first to second gear when the vehicle was being driven long distances. The dealer said the vehicle is shifting fine and to bring it back when it does it again. This was back on 08/19/02 and now I have a code 1870 on the computer and the transmission is shot. I found out the transmission is a 4L60E and it is very unreliable. Also I already had to change my water pump and alternator and my gas gauge does not work and there is a problem with my windshield wipers also.
This vehicle has had numerous problems. From bad dexcool, witch caused a major overhaul of the cooling system at approx. 37000 or 3 1/2 yr. Yet Chevrolet states the coolant is good for 5yr or 150,000. The front ball joints had to be replaced at approx. 35,000. Just over the 3yr warranty with no help from Chevy despite numerous complaints of this failure. Also have had two batteries in the system one after only 3000 miles and the second one is now out at 38000 miles. There is a short in the system that still has not been found. The shift lever handle has been a changed 3 times and still rattle after approx. A month of use. The front drivers side mirror shakes to the point it is hard to see out of when driving. The hood rattles when going over bumps, which can be fixed by adding a solid rubber gasket at the top of hood to keep the hinge stops from bouncing on the frame. The front brakes had to be redone at 28,000.
This vehicle has had numerous problems. From bad dexcool, witch caused a major overhaul of the cooling system at approx. 37000 or 3 1/2 yr. Yet Chevrolet states the coolant is good for 5yr or 150,000. The front ball joints had to be replaced at approx. 35,000. Just over the 3yr warranty with no help from Chevy despite numerous complaints of this failure. Also have had two batteries in the system one after only 3000 miles and the second one is now out at 38000 miles. There is a short in the system that still has not been found. The shift lever handle has been a changed 3 times and still rattle after approx. A month of use. The front drivers side mirror shakes to the point it is hard to see out of when driving. The hood rattles when going over bumps, which can be fixed by adding a solid rubber gasket at the top of hood to keep the hinge stops from bouncing on the frame. The front brakes had to be redone at 28,000.
While checking fluid levels, consumers son, who is a mechanic, noticed rust in the radiator fluid, he also found tsb 666841 regarding rust in the coolant system, consumer has been trying to get GM to alleviate this problem due to the safety factors it could cause, however it is very costly, GM has not been of any assistance because the consumer is not the original owner of the vehicle.
Cooling system will repeatedly turn black, even after consumer had radiator flushed. Problem still occurs. Consumer states problem comes back every 20000 miles or every 6 months.
Brakes squeak, idler arm not attached properly causing rattling and pulling while driving, windshield wipers stop working intermittently during use causing problems seeing outside, rear defrost does not work, fuel gauge gives incorrect readings and bobs back and forth, dex coolant turned to sludge causing blockages in heating core, engine block, and radiator
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Anaheim, CA, USA