Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Chevrolet Blazer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Driver's side rear view mirror switch wiring caught on fire. My husband had to tear the door panel up to keep my Blazer from burning up. GM refuses to fix this under the recall because my VIN number does not fall in the sequence of those that were recalled for this defect. My interior dome light caught on fire as well. My husband had to pull off the cover and break the bulb out of the housing to keep the Blazer from burning. Dealer will probably refuse to fix this as well.
The vehicle caught on fire while parked in consumer's yard. The fire was electrical which originated from the driver's side rearview mirror. Consumer's husband extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. Vehicle had been sitting in the yard for a week, then moved the night before the fire due to snow. Consumer felt that the fire occurred due to the defect described in the rearview mirror switch recall 03V090000.
Tl* - the contact's vehicle caught on fire while parked. She stated that this was the second time that she has had a fire in the truck. The contact stated that itwas the driver's side mirror motor that caught on fire again. She will have a police and fire report to state the cause of the fire.
Owning this vehicle has been a nightmare and a financial drain. Windshield wipers worked when they chose, replaced wiper motor due to defective part. Upper and lower ball joints all had to be replaced. Wheel bearings had to be replaced. A/C stopped working, had it looked at and recharged and it still doesn't work. Fuel gage didn't work, replaced fuel sensor and sending unit. Rear wiper quit working, replaced rear wiper motor, a few days later it does not work again. Replaced water pump, have replaced ABS only to get a recall after the fact with no reimbursement. Wears through brake pads entirely too fast. Replaced alternator and battery twice. Rear hatch does not unlock with key. Headlights are so dim they might as well not exist. Water leaks into interior on drivers side due to a bad seal. Idler arm needs to be replaced. Gas pedal sticks. Now heater fan works sometimes. …
Wiring bundle holder above transmission one of which goes to the transmission switch fails and lets wiring bundle fall on transmission and rubs the coating off of the wiring causing electical shorts; daylight headlights, transmission failure ( nothing wrong with transmission)interior lighting goes out or stays on all the time causing battery to go dead overnight, burning of wiring especially under dash and at fuse box and transmission switch (no fire resulted, unhooked battery removed fuses,and had wire replaced to transmission switch then trasmission worked; no failure of swicth just wiring,wiper and night light failures and more. Transmission auto repair says it is number 1 failure and happens all the time. The dealer said I needed a new transmission. This is a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer. I still have electral problems I have to get fixed. …
I have problems with my windshield wipers intermittenly failing. They will work one moment then stop another moment. Sometimes just restarting the truck will get them going again, other times I have to get out of the truck and pull on them to get them moving again. Most recently the wiper failure occurred 3x during a trip to work in the rain, and I had to pull over each time to get the wipers restarted again by pulling on them. In a google search about this problem, I found there have been many others who have experienced this same problem. Some have said the failures are a result of bad(cold) solder joints on the pc board in the wiper motor that is causing the intermittent problem. Reflowing of the solder joints on the board has corrected the problem for many.
Lack of assistance in remedying defects of record. Soon after the notification about upper and lower ball joints on the 97 Chevy blazers (my SUV originated in delaware, I called the local dealership and they blew me off and wouldn't fix the problem. I had to have one replaced at my expense. Now I get the same thing about the windshield wiper motor. My wipers are now intermittent. They will stop going down the road. They restart when they feel like it. Most of the time they work perfectly. It is the unexpected stop that is scary. I have also received a notice on the driver seat belt. Just who am I suppose to call. Lindsay sure doesn't want to remedy the situations.
The transmission in my vehicle has a defective valve body and it caused my transmission to break, I went to the dealer when I first had the problem of a hard shift from first to second gear when the vehicle was being driven long distances. The dealer said the vehicle is shifting fine and to bring it back when it does it again. This was back on 08/19/02 and now I have a code 1870 on the computer and the transmission is shot. I found out the transmission is a 4l60e and it is very unreliable. Also I already had to change my water pump and alternator and my gas gauge does not work and there is a problem with my windshield wipers also.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that the suspension front upper ball joint was making a popping noise. The failure caused the vehicle to shift, which made it impossible to align the front end. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. She also stated that the windshield wipers worked intermittently. Occasionally, the windshield wipers grind when activated. She stated that the wiper motor works, but the arms do not. If she jiggles the arms, the wipers would work temporarily. The current mileage was 130,000 and failure mileage was 125,000.
Dt: owner noticed after washing the car that the windshield wipers don't work. Owner has to stop and get out and hit the windshield wiper motor in order to get the windshield wipers to work. Sometimes the owner has to get out and wipe off the windshield. The auto parts store told the owner that there was no seal in the motor of the windshield wipers and this allows water to enter the motor. The owner has checked with Chevrolet and they stated owner would have to pay for diagnosis and the repair. The consumer believes the vehicle also has inferior ball joints.
Related recalls
Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
Certain sport utility vehicles, Mini vans, and pickup trucks May develop a short circuit in the electric outside rearview mirror switch.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused jumper harness to the electric outside rearview mirror switch. Owner notification began on April 24, 2003.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Blazer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer?
NHTSA has 122 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer, 16% of the model year's 768 complaints. The component named most often is windshield wiper/washer › motor (53 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chevrolet Blazer window & wiper problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-093 (exterior, Mar 7, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Blazer window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.