Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-72
I bought a 96 Blazer LS for my wife and I due to the fact it can fit 3 kids in the back very well. The brake booster went out with in a few days of buying it. A few months later the front brakes needed replaced. I put in some 12 inch subs and an after market stereo and beat it to death. Still ran for another 40,000 miles until I put it in the ditch like a dummy. Now all you people are complaining of having problems with these trucks and wanting to offload them. I can't find one close to me for the life of me. I agree with the mechanic from Arizona, you have to listen to your vehicle or you will be purchasing a lemon. all car companies have them. my dad has been a mechanic for almost 30 years and I am not. I just learn a few things and fix them my self. now all I need is a blazer body to put my good motor in that only has 136,000 miles and a lot more to give me and my family. I miss it.
The concept that if you simply take care of your car it will be reliable is extremely faulty.
A lemon is a lemon. Why do you think virtually all Italian, British and French cars have left our shores? Because ALL their owners didn't take care of them? Please.
I'm not here to complain, just to share the issues I've had with my 96 Blazer. I was actually looking for a forum to find the cause of my newest problem, when I came across this site.
Before I get started, let me say that I have a friend that is ASE certified, who is normally fixing my blazer for me, the dealer for some fixes, and I take care of the minor problems.
Here is my list of issues...
2- after market water pumps (never sealed)
2- OEM water pumps (1st wouldn't seal, dealer gave me crap about needing new bolts, said the old ones had stretched)
2- Fan Clutches (original was bent while replacing water pump)
4- Fans (Took 3 before dealer found warped clutch)
2- sets of oil cooler lines
1- new gas tank (rusted through on top)
1- Fuel pump (needs to be replaced again due to low pressure)
1- Hub assembly for both sides, front
1- axel bearings for both sides, rear
1- Intake manifold gasket (1 week later spun a bearing due to antifreeze dried out bearing)
1- New Jasper engine
3- Radiators (1 before the engine change, 2 after)
2- Starters (1 before the engine change, 1 after)
1- Alternator
2- Batteries
1- Ball Joints, both sides upper and lower
1- Idler arm
2- Wiper motors
1- A/C compressor and Condenser
1- Front ABS sensor
2- sets of shocks (all 4 corners)
Brakes all around.
I'm sure I'm probably missing some more...
I'm currently trying to find an issue, when backing and turning (like out of a parking spot), I get a loud clunk noise from the right front. A neighbor who just sold his Blazer said he had the same problem, but never found the cure.
I will be so happy when I can afford something new and get rid of this pile of junk.
Oh ya, just so everyone knows that I'm not abusing this Blazer, this is my wife's vehicle, it has never been off road and only been on 2 trips (no more than 4 hours 1 way). Now I don't even trust it to go more than 30 miles from home. Believe me when I say, slapping a new engine into a vehicle isn't always the best answer.
I have a 96 Blazer that I purchased about two years ago with 108000 miles on it. I have only had normal problems until lately. I have the same problem as one of the other guys, where it feels like the heater is blowing air from the lower vents and the defrost. Other than that there has been not to much wrong with it. I currently have 133000 miles on it and do all the work myself. This is a lot better than my first car, which was a 77 Bonneville. That was a piece.
My turn -- bought a used 1998 Chevy Blazer Tahoe Edition Mark III with 20,000 miles on it. It now has (in 2006) 140,000 miles on it. "Well," you say, "that's not too bad, is it?"
You're correct, that's not a bad record, except for:
1. Taking it to the dealer NINE (9) times over 3 years for the brakes, which squealed from Day 2. Dealer mechanic finally tried to convince me that the brakes were SUPPOSED to squeal. After this genius proclamation, I took it to a local garage. They fixed it correctly, once, the first time in about 90 minutes, using the prescribed-by-GM matched set of pads that apparently the dealer either did not know about or ignored the GM alert on for years.
2. Fuel pump -- today, this morning at 8 AM I will be calling the garage for a tow (over 50 miles, yay!) for the FIFTH (5th) time this year for the fuel pump. **SIGH** Enough said about the fuel pump.
3. There are so many other issues and problems, it's far too many to list them all. The short list (those problems that repeat no matter who repairs them) : wipers have a mind of their own, sometimes won't they shut off unless the car is turned off, rear defogger busted, rear window won't open with the key, power lock system is possessed and repeatedly locks and unlocks the doors as you drive down the road, driver's side window won't go down even with a brand-new electric motor unit, seat rake adjustment lever broke off, I've been through more bearings than a sea captain, and more joints than Tommy Chong. The "Service Engine Soon" light has been on for 40,000 miles. I think you can ignore that one, that's a useful light.
The only thing that has worked flawlessly since installation is the XM radio unit I put in myself. If you read this page and are then foolish enough to purchase this POS mechanic's billing dream, new or used, then you are a victim of your own fate and have no one else to blame, but yourself.
I have a 95 s10 blazer with 235k miles.
So far aside from brakes, oil, filters, battery,
belts & tires I have only put a fuel pump
and 2 exhaust systems on it. I bought it with over
100k miles on it.
Proof of what maitenance can do.
It really seems as though most of these problems should be expected on a car with 100K on the odometer. With the obvious exceptions that some have mentioned, you are talking about a used (if not well used) vehicle. I look at it as I trade the occasional big ticket maintenance item for the $300-$400 payment every month on a new vehicle. Pick you poison. I also stumble on this site looking for an answer to a new maintenance issue with my 1996 Blazer. But after hearing all of this whining, I will gladly take what ever my mechanic tells me. I bought this Blazer used (at an auction) and it was obvious that the previous owner treated it like crap. Though a got it for a steal, I immediately had to put some $$$ into it for brakes, shocks, radiator etc. That being said, I have had a problem with it... and I got it with 140K on it. I also have a 2000 S-10 Blazer that I bought with 40K on it. With basic maintenance, it has never giver me an issue. Not one major repair at all! I have even had to do the brakes yet! So maybe its all about the luck of the draw, but both of my Chevy Blazers have been ideal cars. My wife drives one with our newborn, and I wouldn't allow her to drive a POS, a hunk of junk or any of the other pet names that have been used here.
I bought a 1996 Chevy Blazer LT 4x4 with 230k Km on it and it is awesome to drive. I had an 88 aries pos for the winter and it threw a bearing in the engine. I haven had my blazer for very long, but despite the km it still has an awesome engine in it. The problems it has are 4x4 switch doesn't let you select 4 low, rear window doesn't open, but you can hear solenoid working (jammed I think) and there is a ping type sound sometimes while driving, other than that AWESOME vehicle.
Just a word to everyone with fuel pump problems its very important not to always drive with less than a quarter tank of fuel as the pump is cooled by the fuel around it in the tank always driving with a almost empty tank WILL DAMAGE THE PUMP
also avoid adding bottles of fuel additives if you use them to often they can cause pump problems
Well that's my two cents worth.
My 1996 Chev Blazer has 308,000 miles running great. It will probably run another 100,000 miles. Take care of it and it will do the same for you, used cars have problems and mechanics are expensive. Try to do your own minor repairs. Thanks for the advice about leaking around the exhaust manifold I will try to repair the coolant I'm losing myself. I thought it might be a frost plug. Keep writing I enjoy the reading.
I have a 1996 Chevy S-10 Blazer that, through a series of trades, really only cost me $50. The People I got it from put over $3000 into it in the previous 12 months of ownership. They gave up on it. It looks and drives excellent. This car now has 220,000 miles and, despite being a Dodge enthusiast, I must admit I like to drive it. I do a lot of mechanical work on vehicles of all sorts as I re-build crashed cars as a hobby. This S10 is NOT easy to work on. Difficulty is built into the design and difficulty adds to cost. There's a lot of stuff packed into a small 4WD vehicle and there isn't much wiggle room when trying to remove and replace a component. Sometimes, frankly, that affects how well you can do the job and things might not get sealed or aligned properly. It's the nature of the beast. Most people who own these types of vehicles don't really need them. 4WD commuter cars in stop and go traffic where 95% of the time you're in 2WD doesn't make much sense and it takes it's toll on a car with a lot of moving parts that are expensive to maintain. Good luck. tom.
I have a 96 Blazer LT with 185,000 miles and have to say it's a great vehicle. I bought it with 65000 miles from an old man who had receipts from the dealer for every oil change, light bulb, flat tire, etc. I've continued the regular maintenance, but do it all myself.
I've had a few problems, but nothing out of the norm for an SUV that pulls a bass boat 2000+ miles year and a 6x12 utility trailer probably 5000.
Brake problems? Go to your local parts house and buy the slotted and drilled rotors, and dual-piston calipers. You know, the ones that were about 3 times more expensive than the ones you bought? They're worth it. Get the best pads, too. I haven't done a brake job in 20000 miles, and I still have smooth braking at all speeds, and about 5/16" pad remaining.
Ball joints? Grease them. Every time you pay your light bill, go grease your front end. Synthetic grease seems to help, and again, buy the expensive ball joints when replacing them. :)
Leaking oil cooler lines? It's a pain in the arse, but a local hydraulic shop can replace the cheap stuff with the good stuff, and your problems are solved. I removed them and it still set me back 90 bucks, but that was over 100000 miles ago and they're still not leaking.
Change your oil, and no cheap stuff. I've always used Mobil 5w30 synthetic with the matching filter, and change it at 5000 miles. They say you can go 15000 miles under "normal use". If you're not using synthetic oil, either start, or change your oil every 3000 miles. Stay away from cheap oil filters. They come apart and clog the oil jackets in the block causing all sorts of cool stuff to happen to the bearing surfaces.
The bottom line is this. The Blazer was one of the best selling SUV's for years. They're everywhere, a decade later, still running. As with any 10+ year old car, you're going to have minor problems. Learn to take care of the small stuff yourself. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you already know how to use google. Buying a service manual isn't a bad idea either. One of the large parts houses has an online service manual for about $10 per year. It's proven useful for wiring diagrams, front end work, and lots of other stuff.
All in all my 96 Blazer has been great. It's a real workhorse with the 4.3, and the 4x4 comes in pretty handy in the winter. If Chevy was still making them, I would probably buy a new one if this one ever gives up!
I own a 1996 Blazer LT AWD. My Blazer has been work, but I still love everything about it. I've had the coolant leak at the intake manifold and that was about it until I turned 108,000 miles. Just recently I blew my engine. I baby my Blazer, but stuff happens. $4,000 for a new motor and I'm back on the road.
We bought a 1996 Blazer from a "friend" who boasted how he had the motor replaced and this one only had 63,000 miles on it. We knew him well, but can't believe he would sell us this piece of junk. We have replaced ball joints, blower fan for the heater/AC twice (and it still goes out), water pump, and our car just quit running while driving 100 miles away from home. A mechanic there says fuel pump and handed us an estimate for $850. This car has been terrible and it has drained us dry. We have so much money invested in this car it is unbelievable!
After reading the comments, I am ready to cut this one loose, but we have so much money in the car it is hard to do. What a disappointment.
The mechanic that said the following...
2nd Aug 2004, 01:16
"I find it astonishing that some people simply expect their vehicles to go as long as they put gas in that little hole in the side."
He seems to think that these frequent recurring problems are normal everyday maintenance that have to be done on vehicles. I respectfully disagree. Case in point; I have a 1995 Toyota truck w/140k miles and a 1996 Blazer w/78k miles. I treat both vehicles the same, but I am constantly working on the Blazer. There is no denying that the GM product is not well engineered and is a waste of money, hands down!
I am a firm believer in buying American products and do so whenever possible, but when it comes to a GM, forget it.