1997 Chevrolet Blazer LT review from North America

Weld on frame broke while cornering at low speed, causing the right front wheel to fall off and resulting in massive front end damage. Although (barely) out of warranty, after much posturing and threatening on my part, Chevrolet paid for the repairs. Dealership took several weeks to make repairs, didn't align the front end right and severely scratched my door. They also didn't attch the CV joint boot correctly, causing it to spin all it's grease out. They then told me they would replace the entire axle assembly, but I marked the axle with tape, and they replaced ONLY the boot. Community Chevrolet in Burbank is a terrible place for service... they shamelessly lie, and do shoddy work.

Compass has never worked correctly, and resists all calibration attempts.

Driver seat mount has slop, and rocks forward/back very slightly. It's been like this since new.

Parking brake release sticks. Also like this since new.

Cargo net anchor broke, the plastic looks dried out and fatigued.

At 40K, the serpentine belt tensioner started squealing. Upon examination, it had broken internally and would have shortly given out completely. I replaced both the tensioner and belt.

At about 20K, the gas gauge got quite unreliable. When the tank gets close to empty, the gauge starts going up!

Rear glass hatch doesn't always latch securely... I have to leave the cargo light off or risk a drained battery when the hatch doesn't latch. The hatch also squeaks loudly while driving.

Sunroof mechanism sticks slightly.

Detent spring on ventilation fan control snapped one day with an audible "ping" sound. The control still works, but with no detents on the four fan speeds... feels sloppy now.

Cheapo vinyl side panels on the "leather" driver seat have started crackling and crumbling.

While I do enjoy the vehicle, it sure doesn't speak well for American engineering and quality control.

Terrible gas mileage, and combined with the undersized gas tank, the vehicle has a very small range. (About 250 miles.)

I despise the roaring noise the auxiliary cooling fan makes when it kicks in... I feel like suddenly I'm driving a Mack truck. It seems to switch on at inappropriate times.

Apart from the wheel falling off (!!!) it has actually been quite reliable. Of course I don't have many miles on it, considering the model year.