Chevrolet Blazer Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 599 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the Chevrolet Blazer across 15 model years. The 1996 model year has the most (149). The words owners use most often: “ball joints” (34% of reports).
- 599suspension complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 28mention a crash
- 15mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- $1,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 29%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 204 of 599 complaints (34%)
- Front wheel: mentioned in 62 of 599 complaints (10%)
- Upper lower: mentioned in 51 of 599 complaints (9%)
- Idler arm: mentioned in 35 of 599 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical suspension repair on the Chevrolet Blazer at $1,500, and half of them between $1,050 and $1,550.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (1999–2009), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 193 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 599 complaints, 28 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 15 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 (3)
Suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint
Model years: 1996, 1997
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.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Model years: 1998
Problem: Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle equipped with 4-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive. One or both of the attaching nuts for the right-hand lower control arm are under torqued. This can allow the attachment bolt to loosen and subsequent break resulting in separation of the lower control arm from the frame.
Risk: This condition can result in a loss of vehicle control.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and retighten the right-hand lower control arm nuts to the proper torque specification.
Suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint
Model years: 1995
Problem: The upper ball joint nuts were under-torqued resulting in improper seating in the steering knuckle.
Risk: This condition can cause the ball joint stud to loosen, and fracture resulting in a loss of steering control.
Fix: Dealers will retorque the upper ball joint nut on both sides of the vehicle to the correct torque values.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Driving on straight road going speed limit. Heard a pop behind me like a tire pop. Car fish tailed uncontrollably and ended up crashing into a Ranch Fence on the right side of the road. 2 of my kids and myself had injuries. When we got off the vehicle witnesses and I saw A rear link broken which…
Very bad clunnk on driver side when hitting any bump on the road and it's loud.dealer ship sold me the car like that . Electrical issue gauge cluster radio cluster turn signals your first camera anything that works off the instrument cluster of the radio TV screen goes off while I'm driving comes…
1) Part that failed per General Motors Chevrolet dealer was the Thermostat along with Coolant Sensor. 2) I was getting warning notices on dash board screen stating (Reduced steering assist) I was also getting a ESC warning 3) Problem has been repaired at GM dealer 4) Parts were replaced by GM…
Control arm snapped on the I-71. Going 70 miles an hour when it happened. Definitely could have been a major accident but luckily no cars were around us when it happened. i rode over a bridge's transition and heard a big pop like a tire. Then it sounded and felt like we were riding on a rim. When…
The first incident started on 08/16/2024, 2 days after buying the vehicle used from Dealership. I started getting notifications stating "Service-Front Camera not available" and sure enough, I no longer had a front camera, which then means I no longer have front collision alerts. Then I started…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Blazers have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 599 owner complaints about suspension for the Chevrolet Blazer. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Blazer suspension?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list suspension. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix suspension problems on the Chevrolet Blazer?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,500 (half paid between $1,050 and $1,550), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the Chevrolet Blazer?
The most frequent phrase is “ball joints”, in 204 of 599 complaints, followed by “front wheel” (62).
Other Chevrolet Blazer problems
See all Chevrolet Blazer problems.