1996 Chevrolet Blazer

AFTER RECENTLY BUYING THIS VEHICLE WE NOTICED THE AIR COMING FROM THE VENTS WAS NOT EXACTLY WARM. TOOK IT TO BE REPAIRED AND WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY A THERMOSTAT PROBLEM SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS SO "NEW". UNFORTUNATELY, IT ENDED UP BEING THE HEATER CORE(WHICH FROM WHAT I AM HEARING IS EXTREMELY RARE FOR A VEHICLE OF THIS AGE).*AK

CONTAMINATED COOLANT FOUR TIMES IN LAST TWO YEARS, BELIEVE THAT COMBINATION OF BAD PRODUCT AND LOCATION OF RADIATOR LINES CAUSES THIS VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. SEEM TO BE LIMITED TO 1996-1997 BLAZERS, JIMMYS, SONOMAS, S10S ETC. IT IS A JOKE ABOUT THEIR 100,000 MILE COOLANT, SHOULD BE A CLASS ACTION SUIT BECAUSE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM.

ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK ON SEPT. 21, 2001, I HAD TO SIT ON I-435-E- FREEWAY FOR AN HOUR BECAUSE OF A CAR ACCIDENT. I WAS MOVING NO MORE THAN 5 TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. WHEN I GOT TO I-71-N AND I TOOK I-71 TO THE LINWOOD EXIT GOING 55 TO 60 MILES AN HOUR AND THEN 45 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND THEN 55 TO 60 AND THEN 45 TO 50. I EXITED LINWOOD TO THE EAST, OVER TO INDIANA (LINWOOD IS THE 32ND HUNDREND BLOOK). I WENT SOUTH ON INDIANA TO 3318 INDIANA. I PARKED MY CAR AND WENT IN THE HOUSE. I WAS IN THE HOUSE ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINUTES BEFORE MY NEIGHBORS CAME TO MY DOOR AND SAID MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THEY WERE USING THEIR WATER HOLES TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. MY BETTER-HALF (TRINIDAD MEDELLIN) CAME OUT SIDE AND OPEN THE HOOD OF THE BLAZER. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME, THE FIRE WAS OUT. SUPERIOR CHEVROLET HAD INFORMED TRINIDAD MEDELLIN THAT SEVERE OIL LEAK WAS PRESENT FROM OIL FILTER ADAPTER HOUSING AND BOTH OIL COOLER LINES AND THIS LEAK CONSTITUTES A SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ISSUE. TRINIDAD DID NOT SEE ANY LEAKS. IF THIS DATA WAS KNOWN TO THE NHTSA UNDER RECALLS, WHY WEREN'T THE CUSTOMERS INFORMED, PER ODI ID: 978897?*AK

VEHICLE WAS NOT BLOWING HEATED AIR. AFTER INITIAL ANALYSIS OF CLOSEST DEALER (FOX CHEVROLET - LAUREL MD.), IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT ENGINE COOLANT HAD JELLED. I INSTRUCTED THEM NOT TO REPAIR DUE TO EXCESSIVE ESTIMATE TO FIX (AND PAID THEM THEIR EVALUATION FEE UNDER PROTEST), AND ARRANGED TO TAKE VEHICLE TO DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THEY DIAGNOSED THE HEATER CORE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PROBLEMS PERSISTED OVER THE NEXT MONTHS AND THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES. RUST AND/OR JELL IN THE SYSTEM DUE TO THE DEX-COOL COOLANT WAS CONTINUALLY DISCUSSED AS THE ROOT CAUSE AND THE SYSTEM HAD TO BE "BLOWN OUT" SEVERAL TIMES YET THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WOULD TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE COOLANT PROBLEM. I POINTED OUR THAT THE SYSTEM IS LABELED TO NOT REQUIRE ANY SERVICE/MAINTENANCE UNTIL 100,000 MILES BUT THEY CONTINUED TO NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY. I REQUESTED COPIES OF THE MANUFACTURERS SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF THE SPECIFICS OF THE ISSUE AND TO CONFIRM THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM. RECENTLY (JULY 2001) I AM CONTINUING TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH GAUGES INDICATING A POTENTIAL OVERHEAT CONDITION WHICH I SUSPECT IS A CONTINUATION OF THE BLOCKAGE IN THE COOLANT SYSTEM SINCE I HAD THE THERMOSTAT DIAGNOSED AS WORKING.*AK

THE BELT TENSIONER ON MY '96 BLAZER STARTED TO FALL APART. I CAUGHT IT BECAUSE THE BELT STARTED SQUEELING LOUDLY AND I WAS ABLE TO REACH THE DEALER BEFORE IT COMPLETELY FELL OFF. IF IT HAD FALLEN OFF, THE ALTERNATOR, WATER PUMP, FAN AND POWER BRAKES WOULD HAVE FAILED IMMEDIATELY. I AM WRITING BECAUSE I PERSONALLY KNOW 3 OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. MY FRIEND HAD THIS PROBLEM ON A '96 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. IT WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME. MY FATHER HAS A '98 BLAZER AND HE JUST HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS BEING FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. MY FATHER'S CO-WORKER HAS A '98 BLAZER. HE HAD TO HAVE THE BELT TENSIONER AND SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED 3 TIMES ALREADY. THE FIRST 2 TIMES IT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE THIRD TIME THE WARRANTY WAS UP BUT THE DEALER FIXED IT BECAUSE OF THE ON-GOING PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THAT THE BELT TENSIONER DESIGN COULD BE DEFECTIVE. AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY PROBLEM. WHEN THE TENSIONER BRAKES, YOU INSTANTLY LOSE POWER TO ALL ENGINE ACCESORIES BEING TURNED BY THE SERPINTINE BELT.*AK

HAD TO HAVE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED TWICE WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNING 96 BLAZER. FIRST REPAIR WAS DONE BY DENOOYER CHEVROLET, JUST ABOUT A YEAR LATER THE TRANSMISSION WENT AGAIN, WITH NO HELP FROM CHEVROLET I HAD TRANSMISSION REPAIRED AT BUFF O MATIC IN GLENMONT, NY (WITH NO PROBLEMS THEREAFTER). THEN HAD TO HAVE PRACTICALLY ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM CLEANED AND REPAIRED BY DEPAULA CHEVROLET DUE TO DEX-COOL ANTI-FREEZE CRYSTALLIZING WITHIN ENGINE, AGAIN WITH NO HELP FROM CHEVROLET I HAD TO DISH OUT MONEY FOR REPAIR. GM AND CHEVROLET SHOULD BE RESPOSIBLE FOR BOTH MY REPAIRS. I AM CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE BBB, ATTORNEY GENERAL AND A PERSONAL ATTORNEY TO HOPEFULLY RECOUPE DAMAGES.*AK

COOLANT FORMED A CLAY IN THE RADIATOR AT 86,000 MILES. ACCORDING TO CHEVROLET, THE ENGINE COOLANT DOES NOT REQUIRE MAINTENANCE FOR 5 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES IF A SILICATE FREE ORANGE COOLANT (MEETING GM SPEC 6277M) IS USED. THERE IS A NOTICE ON THE ENGINE THAT STATES THIS INFORMATION. WE HAVE MONITORED THE COOLANT LEVEL AND HAVE FOLLOWED THESE INSTRUCTIONS. IN JULY, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED. WE HAD THE RADIATOR FLUSHED AND WERE INFORMED THAT THE COOLANT HAD SOLIDIFIED IN THE RADIATOR. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INFORMED US THAT THE COOLANT HAD FORMED A CLAY IN THE RADIATOR. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE ENGINE DEVELOPED A SLOSHING/WATER NOISE. WE HAD THE RADIATOR FLUSHED AGAIN AND WERE INFORMED THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE THE RADIATOR REMOVED AND MANUALLY CLEANED. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TRENT, A GMC DEALER (AS THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE FOR 3 WEEKS) AND WERE INFORMED THAT THE COOLANT SYSTEM HAD BEEN STOPPED UP AND CLOGGED THE HEATER CORE. ACCORDING TRENT, THE INTAKE WAS CLOGGED AND LEAKING, WHICH CAUSED THE ENTIRE RADIATOR SYSTEM TO STOP UP. THE RADIATOR WAS PLUGGED SO BADLY THAT THE FLUES COULD NOT BE UNSTOPPED WHEN THE RADIATOR WAS MANUALLY CLEANED. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET SET, RADIATOR, UPPER AND LOWER RADIATOR HOSES, AND THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE HEATER CORE WAS FLUSHED TO REMOVE THE SLUDGE. ACCORDING TO TRENT, ALL PROBLEMS WERE CAUSED BY FAULTY COOLANT. THE VEHICLE WAS WITHIN 5 YEARS AND 100,000 MILES, AND WE FOLLOWED CHEVROLETS SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE.*AK