1996 Chevrolet Blazer problems
Owners have filed 1,579 complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Blazer with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 30.4% of them — the clear leader, ahead of visibility at 12.3%.
Complaints1,579
Crashes196
Fires40
Injuries142
Deaths3
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 30.4% · 480
Visibility 12.3% · 194
Engine and engine cooling 11.1% · 175
Suspension 10.8% · 171
Power train 6.8% · 107
Electrical system 4.7% · 75
Air bags 3.7% · 59
Seat belts 2.1% · 33
Severity
Of those complaints, 196 describe a crash, 40 describe a fire, 142 report an injury and 3 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 16 model years of the Chevrolet Blazer in this data, 1996 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 1995 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 9 in the last three years against 7 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 84,500 miles.
In owners' own words
When applying the brakes, the pedal goes to the floor and abs brakes failed. *Ak consumer states on three separate occasions in no abs situations, consumer went to brake at a stop light and brake pedal went to the floor, consumer took vehicle in for inspection 3 times but was advised there were no signs of trouble, the 3rd time they found tire speed sensor was not positioned the correct distance from the tire. Service brakes, hydraulic
Brake failure, power brake booster failed and my could not stop the car except with both feet using all the strength she had. Lucky she did not have an accident. The failure occurred at about 35 miles/per hour and ther was no traffic at the time. If there had been a car stopped in front of her she would have hit it because she could not stop the car. Very dangerous safety condition. Service brakes, hydraulic
Ea94038; abs braking performance; when going about 20-25 mph, driver applied the brakes, the brake pedal went to the floor, causing driver to rearend vehicle in front. No inclement weather at this time. Brkae failures had occurred intermittently before this accident occurred. The problem was reported to the dealer. The dealer could not duplicate brake problem. *Ak Service brakes, hydraulic
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…