2023 Chevy Blazer Problems: Common Complaints and Safety Concerns

Brakes, powertrain, and exterior lighting issues are among the causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

Updated on August 17th, 2023 Author: Sergei Lemberg

An affordable short-wheelbase truck, the Chevy Blazer has been blazing a trail for more than three decades. The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer is a fifth generation SUV that offers refreshed styling and a few new features. But mostly it’s the same as the 2022 model that, like the new 2023 version, has several unrelated problems. There’s nothing major that’s been shared with the NHTSA, but there are still problems that concern and worry owners. Complaints include brake failures, lights that don’t work, and issues that recall parts aren’t available months after a recall was announced.

2023 Blazer Issue Breakdown

Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2023 Chevrolet Blazer relate to five components and systems. These are exterior lighting, the powertrain, forward avoidance clearance, the brakes, and vehicle speed control.

There is also a complaint that the power lift tailgate opened when a 2023 Blazer was parked. Then, the tailgate closed while someone was placing items in the rear of the truck. The result was that this person was hit in the eye and injured. Fortunately, they didn’t require medical assistance.

In addition to the complaints on file with the NHTSA, there are two recalls that affect the 2023 Chevy Blazer. These relate to the powertrain, and so we’ll look at these first.

2023 Chevy Blazer Complaint Summary

Powertrain Problems with the 2023 Blazer

There are two recalls that affect the powertrain of the 2023 Chevrolet Blazer. The first is an issue that involves transmissions that have been built with the incorrect sun gear. The second, which affects very few vehicles, is that the half-shaft assembly is missing a retaining ring.

Incorrect Sun Gear Assembly Issue

A bunch of General Motors’ vehicles are impacted by this issue, which is detailed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V172000. They include the 2023 Chevrolet Blazer, 2023 Chevrolet Traverse, the 2023 GMC Acadia, and Cadillac XT5 and XT6 models.

The problem is that about 8,744 vehicles are built with incorrect sun gear, primary gear in the transmission which can result in the driver-side half-shaft disengaging from the transmission. If this happens, there is likely to be a loss of drive power or a vehicle roll away when the truck is parked. If either of these scenarios happen, there will be an increased risk of a crash.

While the recall was issued on March 16, 2023, it states that the remedy is only likely to become available by August 31, 2023. And owners are unhappy about this, complaining to the NHTSA that the “manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.”

Half-Shaft Assembly is Missing a Retaining Ring

While only ten 2023 Chevy Blazer and Traverse vehicles are said to be implicated in this recall, the problem could cause a crash. And every crash needs to be avoided!

The problem is that a missing retaining ring on the half-shaft can easily cause separation in the half-shaft inner joint. If this happens, there will be a loss of drive power or vehicle roll away when the SUV is parked. Either way, the risk is that the SUV could crash.

Brake Problems

If your brakes don’t work, you won’t be able to stop your vehicle and you might crash.

The owner of a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer with 9,000 miles on the clock had a close call. While driving at about 50 mph “the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and the speed increased to over 70 mph.”

This is what often causes drivers to panic. For example, depressing the brake pedal in this case didn’t slow the vehicle down. But eventually activating the parking brake did the trick! Once stopped, the vehicle was towed to the local dealer “who was unable to determine or confirm the unintended acceleration failure.”

The owner was told that “the brake rotors and brake pads needed to be replaced due to excessive wear.”

This didn’t make sense since “during a previous unintended acceleration failure, the speed was reduced while depressing the brake pedal.” But when this happened, “the vehicle would accelerate when the brake pedal was released.”

According to the complaint, there was no resolution and, while the manufacturer was notified of the failure, no assistance was offered.

Exterior Lighting Problems

If you can’t see when you drive at night, there must, surely, be a problem. But what happens when dealers cannot duplicate the problem?

The owner of a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer with about 5,000 miles on the clock believes that there is a very definite exterior lighting problem. On several occasions while driving at night, the driver’s side headlight failed to illuminate properly, and the driver was unable to see more than 30-feet ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated.

Then the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the headlamp needed to be replaced. It was repaired; however, failure persisted and the driver couldn’t even see the markings on the roadway while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated.

Now what? If you are faced with this kind of problem, you might have bought a lemon, So what should you do?

If you think that you might have bought a lemon, you need to know what is legally accepted as a lemon. In essence, if you have substantial problems that recur and affect your use and the value of the vehicle, it might be a lemon.

If you think your 2023 Chevrolet Blazer might be a lemon, whether because you have the issues described above or something completely different, Lemberg Law will assess your problems free of charge. If we believe it is a lemon, we will help you get compensation or a settlement. Every year automakers buy-back, replace, or trade-in lemon vehicles. The law says that the automaker must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases. All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form to take up our offer.

About the Author:

Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."

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