1997 Chevrolet Blazer S10 LS from North America - Comments

41K miles - transmission shot.

41K miles - 4wd encoder motor shot

Fuel pump ready to go.

Front end makes lots of noise.

Very disappointed in Chevy and also in the dealer. Was a lifelong Chevy man. Not anymore.

How convenient these things break as soon as the warranty expires.

I also have a 1997 Chevy blazer and it has been a electrical nightmare. everything has went wrong I have replaced about 6 electrical items and now my encoder for 4wdr is shot and a repair is 500.00 very disappointed with Chevy will never buy another one!!

I bought a 1997 LT one year ago, went out to start it, all it would do is crank and crank, no one can seem to figure out the problem. It has been over a week, very disappointed. Also a big Chevy fan until this purchase. I will get rid of this vehicle as soon as possible.

Diane.

I own a 97 Blazer. All six fuel injectors were replaced at 57k miles as well as O2 sensor. Just recently, at 108k, the fuel pump went ($500) and passenger window motor failed ($250). I had a good 50,000 mile stretch of low maintenance. I am seriouly considering selling it before it costs me more.

I am selling my 1997 Blazer, it was 2 years old when I replaced the transmission. The driver window doesn't want to go up or down anymore, the "door open" buzzes while you are driving down the road. In 2 1/2 years I have also replaced the brakes twice and they still don't work correctly..it's takes too long to come to a stop, air conditioner, master cylinder,...list goes on. I'm going to a Ford Expedition and very excited to.

I come from a General Motors family. However, my experience with a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer has me shopping elsewhere for its replacement.

I purchased the one owner vehicle with 28,000 miles in 1998. I now have 96,000 expensive miles on this vehicle. I have gone through two transmissions and most recently a defective encoder motor, which allows me to switch into 4WD. I have also noticed a gurgling sound from under the dash. Some searching on the web reveals an expensive problem with the cooling system and the Dex-Cool coolant.

I've had my '97 LT Blazer for 3 years now, and the only problem I've had is the Transmission vent tube clooged up. Otherwise, its been a very good truck.

Joe.

I recently acquired a 1997 Chevy Blazer from my parents. They were the first owners and took very good care of it. After about 43,000 miles I have had transmission problems, I have been told today that my encoder motor is shot, and I have a gurgling sound coming from the dash/floor area. I read in a previous comment that this may be a coolant problem. My entire family has driven Chevy's for years. We might have to rethink this.

Hi

I have just bought a 1997 Chevy blazer and took it to the keys. I think the truck is great, sure hope it continues that way. the only problem I encountered was it slamming into second gear after being driven 75 for over 200 miles.

I'm thinking of putting a transmission cooler in.

Good idea?

I own a 97 Chevy Blazer. The vehicle has been great, no major problems. It has the original motor and trans in it with no problems. Interior and Exterior is holding up excellent. Fuel gauge works fine. It also has 141,000 miles on it and is ready for much, much more. For anyone having problems with their fuel pump, try not letting your fuel level get below 1/4 tank, running your vehicle with a low fuel level is just going to burn up the pump quicker, doing so also sucks all the sludge build-up in the bottom of your tank into the pump (or at least tries to, but the screen catches most of it, but then lowers your fuel pressure resulting in very poor performance, and less lubrication through the pump). Also, if your gauge is not working correctly and you take it somewhere to get repaired, if they cannot figure out the problem in one day take it somewhere else because there is only one thing that controls your fuel gauge and that is the sending unit and associated wires which are located in your fuel tank built into the fuel pump assembly. It is going to be an expensive fix because in order to get the sending unit you have to purchase the whole fuel pump assembly. You can thank GM, Ford, and Chrysler for making the switch to this type of fuel pump, because they all do it now, on all their vehicles. For the transmission, all Blazers and Jimmys are notorious for rusted dipsticks. I would recommend getting your trans flushed once a year for around $40, to clear out all of the rust particles, and the filter every 2-3 years, which is a bit more expensive. You could also consider replacing the dipstick tube with a higher quality metal. When using 4WD, always stop and place the vehicle in park when switching in and out of 4WD even though the owners manual says different, and only use 4WD when it is absolutely needed. Using 4WD for extended periods gets the trans too hot, which in return thins your fluid, making it less lubricated. These tips listed above are things you should considered with any vehicle, and they all are factual. As long as you show your Blazer (or whatever vehicle you own) respect, it will show it right back to you.

I bought a 97 blazer 2 wheel drive last year. Overall it has been a good truck. A Few problems here and there. O2 sensors (3 of them at 60k) A/C I need to jumper the accumulator to get it to take a charge... Maybe Ill do that today. (only 225. for the compressor worst case scenario) I need to work on the passenger front seat, it won't stay in the track.. I been doing all the work on it and I'm not a mechanic. Front bearing pack, shocks, Not just Oil changes. Its actually not that hard and very rewarding. I agree that if you treat something well, it will treat you well back. Some things happen on all vehicles, I just try to Keep up or stay ahead of it, and because of that I should have a nice truck for another 100k. One thing though, remember when they told you plastic will be around forever? What about that stuff in the dash and the vibrating trim pieces!!Why can't they make the cheap parts out of THAT plastic. I LIKE my Blazer.

I am having this exact problem with my 97 LS with 60,000mi. on it as the referenced comment from 3-1-02.

I bought it with 59k miles. 7-20-04.

Has run like a champ till 8-25-04.

Quit suddenly a few times, but would restart.

Then 8-27 shut off to fuel and hasn't restarted yet.

I've noticed that all electrical (wipers, heater fan, headlights, etc. and starter) all work fine, but, the "idiot lights" (ABS, oil, check engine, etc.) in the dash do not come on.

I have tried replacing the ignition module. Not it.

Any suggestions?

(Reference) 1st Mar 2002, 11:13 I bought a 1997 LT one year ago, went out to start it, all it would do is crank and crank, no one can seem to figure out the problem. It has been over a week, very disappointed. Also a big Chevy fan until this purchase. I will get rid of this vehicle as soon as possible.

I have a 97 Blazer. My brother bought it with 10,000 miles on it in 1998. His wife drove it until Feb 2001. I bought it from them with 73,000 miles on it. I now have 125,000 on it and it looks like new. I registered my VIN with Chevrolet and get all the bulletins. I've had the recall on the windshield wiper motor done (bad circuit board), new ignition switch installed, and had to put an alternator on it after towing a trailer a few times (could have been the problem). The fuel gauge has never worked exactly right... will start on full with a full tank and drop down to 1/4 as normal then it will go back to full or close to it... but that's not major to me to deal with. I replaced the original back brake shoes at 110,000 only because I thought it was time, but the ones I put on didn't look any better than the originals. The Blazer has had 3 sets of brake pads on the front... My brother put a set on at 50,000, I put a set on at about 80,000 and I went ahead and put new front ones on when I did the back brakes. I've been very happy with the truck.

I purchases a 97 Blazer when it had 42,000 miles on it.

Exactly 92 days after I purchased it, the transmission went. When they were replacing the transmission, they discovered that it had been replaced before.

After having that fixed, exactly 1 week later the motor went. Since then the fuel pump has gone bad, the drivers side window stopped working, and now the A/C heater blower has stopped working, the light on the back roof is rusted out and leaking into the back. They did a recall on the Blazers for this problem, but it doesn't cover all of them, and so my VIN isn't under the recall.

I have to replace the ball joints again, which I have had to do every year since I have owned it.

Only 1 speaker inside the vehicle works, and the idiot light for my brakes won't go out.

I have so much money invested into it that I can't afford to get rid of it. I definitely wouldn't buy another Chevy product, and that is sad because my sister works for a Chevy Garage as a Body Shop Manager.

May 29, 2009

I purchased a Chevy Blazer 4WD in Sept. of 2008, and it has been in various shops for everything except the transmission, which did some crazy stuff today :(

I absolutely love this vehicle, and the way it drives and rides (when not in a shop being repaired.) It has 129,000 miles on it, but looks almost brand new. I think it's sad that Chevy actually sold a car that had so many things waiting to go wrong.

The drivers' door has problems to where the door actually won't open due to some clips inside breaking near the door handle, and because the vehicle is electric, the parts for the door are near $300, and the repair is about 5-6 hours because of the way that Chevy put the door (s) together -- VERY sad. There are only 3 things left to replace on this vehicle, and it will have all 2009 parts, except for the body. Hopefully, these parts will last long enough to turn it into a "classic".

Thank you all for your prior comments, because it helps to know that others have had a bit of trouble too. :)

Suzanne

Bought 1998 Chevy S-10 Blazer NEW.

Always maintained and serviced when needed, even extras sooner than later, like differential oil and transmission fluid.

Problems I have had since 98-2009 at 149,000 miles.

Transmission went at 38,000 miles, rebuilt.

WD encoder and motor 40,000.

Water pump 68,000.

Alternator 70,000.

Shocks 75,000.

Brakes 85,000.

Transmission started slipping again at 65,000, but not bad enough to cause major problems except it trips.

Check engine light constantly on.

Map sensor 140,000, probably because catalytic converter went out.

O2 sensors 100,000

Wiper sprayer to rear never worked right from day one.

Transmission shifts very hard into second when getting warm or A/C on during summer.

Wiper modulator bad at 60,000.

I will never buy another Chevy or for that matter an American car. The philosophy of the dealers is to make money on repairs and charge way to much for the parts to fix. Always will buy parts from Autozone or Schucks or even online at great savings for better items than OE.

Toyota and Honda and Acura are by far the best vehicles on the road, and will continue to be until we let companies like GM, Ford, etc... go bankrupt and emerge under foreign ownership. They have much more pride in the cars they build.