Selling a junk or broken-down Chevy Blazer

Since 1984 the name has covered three different vehicles: the full-size K5, the compact S-10 Blazer, and a crossover built in Mexico since late 2018. NHTSA's records look very different for each, so find yours first.

Three trucks, one name

We tallied these from NHTSA's own data files on October 10, 2026.

For 1993 the compact became the S-Blazer and the full-size truck became plain Blazer; the Tahoe took over from the big one after 1994. NHTSA files both trucks under one name, so the first two rows mix them. Recall 99V193 spans the first three rows and 93V119 the first two, which is why the row figures total more than the 34 campaigns on file. NHTSA also holds 33 complaints dated to the 2006-2008 model years, when Chevrolet sold no Blazer here. They count in the 8,179 total but sit in no row.

1991-1997: brakes top every year

Hydraulic brakes are the leading complaint category on every model year from 1991 through 1997. On the 1993 it's 367 of 511 complaints; on the 1994, 415 of 620. The 1995 has more complaints than any other Blazer year, 1,224, and 467 of them are about brakes. Owners describe pedals sinking to the floor and trucks that would not stop. One 1995 owner reported a crash that totaled the truck.

Three brake recalls fall inside these years, and a fourth came for the 1998 model:

• 93V119 (August 1993): road salt could rot the seam between the two pieces of each front rotor, a stamped steel center and a cast outer part, on 1988-1992 trucks until they came apart. Dealers fitted coated rotors. The campaign covered 341,364 vehicles.
• 94V242 (December 1994): on some 1995 trucks the brake pedal pivot bolt had been started in its weld nut but not tightened correctly, so it could work loose and leave the truck with no brakes at all. Dealers checked the bolts and tightened them. It covered 262 vehicles.
• 99V193 (July 1999): the switch that tells the ABS whether the truck is in 2WD or 4WD could fail and lengthen ABS stops. It covered 1,125,749 GM pickups and SUVs with 4WD, built September 1989 through August 1996.
• 97V218 (November 1997): a rear axle brake pipe on 1998 trucks could crack from fatigue and leak, softening the pedal. 19,716 pickups and SUVs.

No document we found pins the brake complaints on one cause. One 1995 owner wrote that the ABS recall came out but did not include their VIN.

The 1993 carried a different hazard. Recall 94V093 dealt with wear in the low and reverse clutch that could keep the park pawl from engaging, so a truck left running in Park could move on its own. Dealers checked the fluid for contamination and replaced transmissions that showed it. That campaign covered 72,664 vehicles.

1995-1998: wipers, the fuel tank and ball joints

Visibility complaints climb on the second compact generation: 157 on the 1995, 161 on the 1996 and 219 on the 1998, where they lead the list. Two recalls fixed cracked solder joints in the wiper motor's circuit board. Recall 98V150 covered 1,557,585 GM pickups and SUVs, 1995-1996 Blazers among them; 03V159 covered 1,755,876 minivans, pickups and SUVs, the 1996 included. One 1996 owner said the first wiper repair had to be redone inside two weeks. Neither campaign lists the 1998.

Recall 96V234 added fuel tank shielding on four-door 4WD and AWD 1995-1996 models. In testing, the propeller shaft had struck the tank and leaked more fuel than the federal standard allows. It covered 432,183 vehicles. In 20 salt-belt states and DC, recall 01V200 replaced both upper ball joints on 1996-1997 SUVs, because a failed joint could impair steering or drop the front suspension. That one covered 48,600.

1999-2005: lights, then the end of the line

The 1999 drew 436 complaints and no recalls. On the 2001 and 2002, exterior lighting leads. Recall 01V364 replaced the hazard switch carrier on 2000-2002 SUVs, where an open circuit could knock out the stop lamps and rear hazards; the third brake light and turn signals kept working. It covered 506,377 vehicles, and a 2008 follow-up, 08V231, reached 5,862 more Blazers, GMC Jimmys and Oldsmobile Bravadas. U.S. retail sales of the four-door ended in 2004, and fleet production ran into 2005.

2019-2026: the crossover

The crossover's 718 complaints spread over eight model years, led by the electrical system and power train on the 2019 and 2020. A 2020 owner got a shift-to-park message that the dealer traced to the shifter. Most of its recalls are shared with other GM crossovers:

• 20V668: some accumulator endcaps for the start/stop system were missing bolts, which could let transmission oil leak out and end in a loss of drive. 194,105 Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC vehicles, 2019-2020 Blazers among them.
• 23V172: some 2023 transmissions got the wrong sun gear, so the driver-side half-shaft could come loose: no drive, or a rollaway in Park. 8,744 vehicles, the Traverse, Acadia, XT5 and XT6 included.
• 21V115: over-cured Continental tires on 2019-2020 cars could break at the sidewall or separate at the belt edge. 33,838 vehicles across several GM models.
• 23V869 and 24V737: door strikers that could fracture on 2024 cars (265 vehicles) or were not properly heat-treated on 2025 cars (731), shared with the Blazer EV, the Equinox and, for 2024, the GMC Terrain.

Complaints and recalls by model year

The last column tallies a campaign in each of its model years, but just once within a grouped row.

No U.S. Blazer was sold for 2006-2008. NHTSA keeps those 33 complaints under Blazer anyway, and we can't tell which vehicle they describe.

Repair it or sell it?

A repair makes sense when it costs well under what the Blazer would bring running. Before you pay for one, check these.

1. Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall search. On a crossover, an open recall may cover the very part that failed.
2. On a compact Blazer with brake trouble, look at the rust too. Road salt was behind recall 93V119, which replaced front rotors that could split in two. If lines, rotors and front-end parts all need work, price them together.
3. Engine or transmission gone? The blown engine and bad transmission guides help you weigh it.
4. Curious what a dead one brings? See what a junk car is worth.

How to sell a Blazer as one piece

1. Write down the VIN, the mileage, the engine and what's wrong with it.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe the spot. Driveway, back field or repair shop: tell us which, and whether the Blazer rolls, steers and keeps air in its tires.
4. Leave the parts where they are. A Blazer that still has its wheels, battery and converter is simpler to price. Anything already pulled off changes the number, so list it.
5. Pickup day paperwork: your title, a driver's license or other photo ID, and any keys that are left. Each state treats plates its own way; after you sell explains yours.

Looking at a different Chevy? See the Tahoe, S-10, TrailBlazer and Traverse, or every Chevrolet model we cover.