Dealer refused to correct defect as listed below: make: chevrolet model: blazer model year(s): 1996 the federal safety agency campaign id number : 01v200000 component: suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint per recall this vehicles is subject to the conditions and is originally from new jersey.
1997 Chevrolet Blazer: ball joint or control arm failure
95 of the 767 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 95
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical repair cost reported
- $644
- typical mileage
- 82,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet blazer. The contact stated that she experienced difficulty steering accompanied by an abnormal drift in the vehicle. She took the vehicle to a local repair shop and the technician stated that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The dealer and manufacturer stated that the VIN was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign id number 01i018000 (suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint). The contact would have to pay $644.49 for the repair. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000 and current mileage was 120,291.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet blazer. The contact stated that the suspension front upper ball joint was making a popping noise. The failure caused the vehicle to shift, which made it impossible to align the front end. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. She also stated that the windshield wipers worked intermittently. Occasionally, the windshield wipers grind when activated. She stated that the wiper motor works, but the arms do not. If she jiggles the arms, the wipers would work temporarily. The current mileage was 130,000 and failure mileage was 125,000.
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 1500.00. 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.
Dt: owner noticed after washing the car that the windshield wipers don't work. Owner has to stop and get out and hit the windshield wiper motor in order to get the windshield wipers to work. Sometimes the owner has to get out and wipe off the windshield. The auto parts store told the owner that there was no seal in the motor of the windshield wipers and this allows water to enter the motor. The owner has checked with chevrolet and they stated owner would have to pay for diagnosis and the repair. *nm the consumer believes the vehicle also has inferior ball joints.
I took my 1997 blazer to alevander chevrolot because the front end was making a grinding and popping sound on 9/23/04 miles at time of service was 86,921 they told me all that was wrong was it was dry they charged me $222.94 and said they could not find anything else. Then on 8/14/05 miles at time is 91,844 which is less than 5,000 miles later the upper ball joint broke and the wheel fell over thank god we were in front of the house only doing 10 MPH or we could of been killed anyway all the dealer is doing is replacing the upper ball joints on both sides the lower they say is ok they are not replacing the wheel that was destroyed or for a front alignment which will be needed to save my tires.
We were driving into our driveway doing all of about 5mph and all of a sudden it felt like there was a flat. We parked the car and got out to check it and saw the tire leaning up against the car. The upper ball joints broke off.
Starter went, gas gauge stopped working, rear wiper don't work, ball joints bad, alternater went, shocks went many times, anti lock breaks don't work properly. Tired of the problems!
Failure of the lower control arm ball joint resulted in high maintenance cost for replacement.
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.
Consumer heard a noise coming from the right front of the vehicle. Dealer inspected the vehicle, and found no defects. Consumer was concerned that the lower control arm was defective.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Suspension: front: control arm: upper ball joint
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. Failure of an upper control arm ball joint assembly could occur due to corrosion.
- Risk
- This can result in impaired steering or steering loss, or a partial or complete collapse of the front suspension, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace both upper ball joints. Owner notification began september 4, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 01V200000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer?
95 of 767 owner complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer (12%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $644 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer
Wipers 114ABS 46Brake failure 34Fuel gauge 33Fire or smoke 20No deployment 19Fuel pump 19Stalling 19Transmission failure 15Grinding brakes 13Won't start 13Check engine light 12Headlights 12Adaptive cruise 11Jerking 10Slipping 8Airbag light 7Engine failure 7Seat belt 7Loss of power 6Overheating 6Premature wear 6Door locks 5Won't shift 5
VIN decoder
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