1997 Chevrolet Blazer Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 105 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 82,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “ball joints” (52% of reports).
- 105suspension complaints
- 82,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 17%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Ball joints: mentioned in 55 of 105 complaints (52%)
- Upper lower: mentioned in 19 of 105 complaints (18%)
- Control arm: mentioned in 15 of 105 complaints (14%)
- Front end: mentioned in 15 of 105 complaints (14%)
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 31 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 105 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Blazer suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Blazer | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2024 Blazer | 1 | 2% | 46,831 |
| 2022 Blazer | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Blazer | 4 | 3% | 34,980 |
| 2020 Blazer | 4 | 2% | 1,300 |
| 2004 Blazer | 6 | 12% | 27,323 |
| 2003 Blazer | 4 | 5% | 36,000 |
| 2002 Blazer | 16 | 7% | 48,000 |
| 2001 Blazer | 40 | 12% | 56,218 |
| 2000 Blazer | 100 | 17% | 45,310 |
| 1999 Blazer | 72 | 17% | 63,000 |
| 1998 Blazer | 60 | 8% | 63,000 |
| 1997 Blazer | 105 | 14% | 82,000 |
| 1996 Blazer | 149 | 13% | 73,250 |
| 1995 Blazer | 35 | 3% | 94,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Dealer refused to correct defect as listed below: make: chevrolet model: blazer model year(s): 1996 nhtsa 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. *tr
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…
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. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Chevrolet Blazers have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 105 owner complaints about suspension for the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer (14% of the 768 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer suspension?
Yes: 1 safety recall list suspension. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 82,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer?
The most frequent phrase is “ball joints”, in 55 of 105 complaints, followed by “upper lower” (19).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Blazer problems
See all 1997 Chevrolet Blazer problems or suspension problems across all Blazer years.