1996 CHEVROLET BLAZER Complaints

WHILE PULLING OUTSIDE OF DRIVEWAY, LEFT FRONT WHEEL FELL OFF. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK *TT

AIR CONDITIONER FIRST FAILED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO (STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME). DEALER REFILLED..SAID COULD NOT FIND LEAK. LITTLE OVER YEAR LATER SAME OCCURRENCE...DEALER REFILLED. AUGUST OF 2001 OCCURRED AGAIN...THIS TIME DEALER PUT DYE IN SO COULD FIND LEAK WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN....DID NOT NOTICE TIL WARM WEATHER THIS YEAR THAT IT HAD FAILED AGAIN...TOOK TO DEALER AND HAD REFILLED AGAIN...THIS TIME DEALER SAID LEAK WAS FOUND AT COMPRESSOR...SAID COMPRESSOR WAS GOING BAD AND WOULD COST ABOUT $500 DOLLARS TO CORRECT. AM FILING SAME INFO WITH CHEVROLET. THIS IS MY 4TH BLAZER BUT LOTS OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS ONE. 4 RECALLS...DEFECTIVE DOOR PANEL...REPLACED AT CHEVROLET'S OK AFTER REPORTING TO THE COMPANY.

THE CONSUMER STATES THAT HE SUFFERED LOSS OF BRAKING AFTER THE ABS WAS FIXED ON RECALL DUE TO THE DEALER USING DEFECTIVE PARTS. EVERY LIGHT ON THE VEHICLE WENT OUT WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING, CONSUMER BELIEVES THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT IMPROPERLY INSTALLED THE WIRES WHILE PERFORMING THE RECALL. *YH

VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON AND LUNGED FORWARD WHILE IN PARK. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HAPPENING.*AK

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE EXPERIENCES PERIODIC FAILURES OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THIS HAS BEEN INTOLERABLE IN DAMP WEATHER AND AFTER CAR WASHES, DEALER HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. *SLC

DUE TO LETTER FROM MANUFACTURER, I TOOK VECH IN FOR SERVICE TO UPPER BALL JOINTS. THEY SAID UPPERS ARE FINE BUT LOWERS NEED REPLACED AND IT ISN'T COVERED UNDER THE LETTER AND IT WON'T PASS INSPECTION. I CALLED MANUFACTURER AFTER SEEING ON YOUR WEB SITE THAT LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS PROBLEM BUT THEY SAID IS THE DEALER SAYS THE UPPERS DON'T NEED REPLACED THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINT PROBLEM MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE POSSIBLE UPPER BALL JOINT PROBLEM. DOES THIS SEEM REASONABLE? *AK

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE DOES NOT HEAT UP TO PROPER TEMPERATURE IN THE WINTER MONTHS, AND IN SUMMER MONTHS IT OVERHEATS. CHEVROLET HAS ADMITTED TO THE PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM CLOGGED WITH A SANDY SUBSTANCE. MECHANIC SAYS RADIATOR, WATER PUMP, THERMOSTATED, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPONETS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $1500.00. MECHANIC SAYS HE IS SEEING THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH 1996 BLAZERS. WHILE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IN YOUR DATABASE POINT TO PROBLEMS WITH THE DEXI-COOL COOLANT, THE MECHANIC SAYS IN HIS VIEW IT IS NOT THE COOLANT AS THIS PROBLEM IS ONLY WITH 1996 BLAZERS. HE BELIEVES IT IS SAND FROM A FAULTY PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE BLOCKS WERE CAST. THE EXCESS SAND IS NOW BREAKING OFF AND CLOGGING THE COOLANT SYSTEMS CAUSING MAJOR REPAIRS. GM HAS IGNORED ALL COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AS THE VEHICLES ARE OVERHEATING AND RESULTING IN PEOPLE GETTING STRANDED ON HIGHWAYS, ETC.

CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO MECHANIC, THAT'S WHY NO SPECIFIC VEHICLE. HAVE SEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF THESE GM TRUCKS, ALL LINES, BLAXER, TAHOE, K3500, ETC. WITH THE BELT TENSIONERS COMING APART. THE CENTER ROTS OUT AND THE SPRING JUST MAKES THE TENSIONER FALL SIDEWAYS. FOR A WHILE ITS NOT BAD, THE BELT IS STILL ON AND ONLY SLIPS WET. WHEN THEY COME OFF THERE IS SUDDENLY NO POWER STEERING, ALONG WITH OF COURSE NO ALTERNATOR. WE ARE CHANGING THESE AT PROBABLY ONE PER DAY, AND CHECK ALL OF THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE FOUND THAT ALL OF THEM WITH AT LEAST THIRTY THOUSAND MILES EITHER NEED A NEW TENSIONER OR HAVE ALREADY HAD THE TENSIONER REPLACED. THIS COVERS A FEW YEARS, FROM AT LEAST 1995 THROUGH 1999, AND IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT ALL THE AFTERMARKET SUPPLIERS I HAVE SEEN (GATES, NAPA, CARQUEST) STOCK THESE PARTS. I CAN TELL YOU THE CARQUEST PART NUMBER, 89231, FROM MEMORY. AS A SIDE ISSUE, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER A SEPERATE FORM FOR MECHANICS TO FILL OUT, WITH QUESTIONS AIMED MORE THE INFORMATION WE CAN PROVIDE. AFTER ALL, WE ARE IN THE FRONT LINES, AND CAN PICK UP MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS MORE QUICKLY THAN INDIVIDUAL OWNERS PROBABLY CAN.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE VEERS TO THE LEFT, AS IF OUT OF ALIGNMENT. UPON PUTTING FOOT ON BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT, THERE WERE TWO INJURIES. *AK CONSUMER STATES REAR AXLE SEAL IS LEAKY, WHEN STOPPING VEHICLE OR SLOWING, THE BRAKE PEDAL GIVES WAY, AIR BAG FAILED. *YD