Chevrolet Blazer Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

11,074 NHTSA complaints (1981–2026).Complaint rate: 36.6 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.

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Should I buy a Chevrolet Blazer?

Quick answer from 11,074 NHTSA complaints · 1981–2026

Chevrolet Blazer reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Pick the right year and this Blazer can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.

Best years to buy
Years to avoid
Most common Chevrolet Blazer problem: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip2,004 complaints (21.2% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Why these years are worse

The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:

  • service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip2,004 complaints (21.2% involved a crash)
  • electrical faults376 complaints (1.6% involved a crash)
  • automatic transmission366 complaints (2.2% involved a crash)
  • visibility:windshield wiper/washer362 complaints (0.8% involved a crash)
  • visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor326 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
Severity Score
90.2
Complaints
11,074
US Units Sold
3,027,561
Crash Rate
9.9%
Fire Rate
2.3%
Injuries
786
Fatalities
76

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".

Bottom line: Avoid the 2006–2007 Chevrolet Blazer. The 1990 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip.

Avoid These Years

2006–2007
8734.3 complaints per 10K sold · 4 crashes
121 total units sold
1995–1997
60.9 complaints per 10K sold · 469 crashes
715,368 total units sold
2019
47.7 complaints per 10K sold · 5 crashes
58,116 units sold

Average

1985–1989
~37/yr complaints
1991–1994
28.0 complaints per 10K sold
689,280 total units sold
1998–2005
31.3 complaints per 10K sold
1,014,242 total units sold
2020–2021
28.3 complaints per 10K sold
164,921 total units sold

Better Years

1990
2.9 complaints per 10K sold
146,989 units sold
2008
~5/yr complaints
2022–2023
7.8 complaints per 10K sold
132,759 total units sold
1982–1984
~7/yr complaints

Too New

2024–2025
80 complaints so far
105,765 total units sold

Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.

Looking at a specific Chevrolet Blazer?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold

Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales

Show raw complaint counts

Common Chevrolet Blazer Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip2,00421.2%
Electrical Faults3761.6%
Automatic Transmission3662.2%
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer3620.8%
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor3260.0%
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline2211.4%
Transmission / Drivetrain1911.6%
Unintended Acceleration19119.4%
Air Bags:Frontal18689.2%
Engine Problems1641.8%

When Each Problem Spiked

Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.

Year-by-Year Breakdown

Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.

1982NO DATA
2
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
2
Fires
View →
1983NO DATA
8
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
0
Fires
View →
1984NO DATA
10
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
6
Fires
View →
1985NO DATA
35
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
7
Fires
4
View →
1986NO DATA
21
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
0
Fires
6
View →
1987NO DATA
38
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
4
Fires
1
View →
1988NO DATA
45
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
0
Fires
8
View →
1989NO DATA
47
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
10
Fires
6
View →
1990NO DATA
42
complaints
per 10K
2.9
Crashes
4
Fires
7
View →
1991NO DATA
267
complaints
per 10K
21.6
Crashes
36
Fires
17
View →
1992NO DATA
337
complaints
per 10K
22.8
Crashes
57
Fires
10
View →
1993NO DATA
616
complaints
per 10K
36.8
Crashes
81
Fires
13
View →
1994NO DATA
774
complaints
per 10K
30.8
Crashes
114
Fires
11
View →
1995AVOID
1,707
complaints
per 10K
68.9
Crashes
201
Fires
29
View →
1996AVOID
1,579
complaints
per 10K
64.1
Crashes
196
Fires
40
View →
1997AVOID
1,098
complaints
per 10K
49.6
Crashes
72
Fires
44
View →
1998
1,025
complaints
per 10K
46.6
Crashes
58
Fires
20
View →
1999
612
complaints
per 10K
26.4
Crashes
53
Fires
10
View →
2000
885
complaints
per 10K
39.2
Crashes
68
Fires
12
View →
2001
464
complaints
per 10K
31.1
Crashes
43
Fires
5
View →
2002
301
complaints
per 10K
31.4
Crashes
20
Fires
6
View →
2003
103
complaints
per 10K
19.3
Crashes
19
Fires
View →
2004
67
complaints
per 10K
20.3
Crashes
6
Fires
View →
2005
18
complaints
per 10K
36.5
Crashes
0
Fires
2
View →
2006AVOID
20
complaints
per 10K
1754.4
Crashes
2
Fires
1
View →
2007AVOID
11
complaints
per 10K
15714.3
Crashes
2
Fires
View →
2008NO DATA
5
complaints
per 10K
Crashes
0
Fires
View →
2019AVOID
277
complaints
per 10K
47.7
Crashes
5
Fires
View →
2020
299
complaints
per 10K
31.6
Crashes
9
Fires
View →
2021
175
complaints
per 10K
24.9
Crashes
5
Fires
3
View →
2022GOOD
56
complaints
per 10K
8.3
Crashes
2
Fires
3
View →
2023GOOD
48
complaints
per 10K
7.3
Crashes
7
Fires
View →
2024TOO NEW
52
complaints
per 10K
10.2
Crashes
7
Fires
View →
2025TOO NEW
28
complaints
per 10K
5.1
Crashes
0
Fires
View →
Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (11,074 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 74% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 3,027,561.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Chevrolet Blazeraccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

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