General Motors Corp.: Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 4, 2001. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1996-1997 4-WHEEL DRIVE CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY, AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. SOME OWNERS HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS THAT HAVE SEPARATED. GM IS PROVIDING A SPECIAL POLICY TO THESE OWNERS TO COVER UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT IF THE CUSTOMER FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE CHASSIS LUBRICATION AND THE VEHICLE STILL REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS DUE TO SEPARATION.
The risk
THIS COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
The remedy
GM HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE UPPER BALL JOINTS ON AFFECTED VEHICLES. THIS SPECIAL POLICY IS FOR A PERIOD OF 8 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST, FROM THE DATE THE VHEICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PLACED IN SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF OWNERSHIP. THE UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT, DUE TO SEPARATION, WILL BE MADE AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER DURING THIS PERIOD. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-862-4389, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537, CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Chevrolet Blazer | 768 | 7 | 28 | 60 |
| 1997 GMC Jimmy | 274 | 5 | 5 | 23 |
| 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada | 104 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 1996 Chevrolet Blazer | 1,153 | 11 | 32 | 158 |
| 1996 GMC Jimmy | 407 | 8 | 9 | 54 |
| 1996 Oldsmobile Bravada | 77 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 01I018000.
Full record for the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →