Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Chevrolet Blazer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Chevy Blazer has low milage. However, it still has several electrical issues radio at engine start goes to loudest point and car seats move backwards at awkward times which can cause an accident. Suspension very off guard, truck drifts to the sides while driving and makes an awkward sound when turning steering wheel. The complete break / steering system is off and may cause an accident if not properly take care right away. I have no money to do this big job. Please remediate.
Brake pedal soft and brake warning lamp came on ,made partial check ( it was dark already ) of brake system and one of the left front brake lines is rusted thru and leaking checked for recall but no luck. Vehicalin motion on a city street going straight.
I was in a drive through which looped around the building. I applied the brake to stop at the window and could feel the ABS engage and the vehicle did not want to stop. It scared me and of course I reapplied the brake quickly, to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me, and I was finally able to stop. This happened again a few weeks later at a large intersection at a red light. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and was pretty scared. I have heard several of these complaints and I know that the brakes on every year before this were recalled. I also had trouble with the brake lights and four-ways, which stopped working. I was driving and the four ways came on. I had to pull over and ended up holding the button down while I drove in order for them to stop flashing. Shortly after the turn signals stopped working. …
Without any warning the ABS electronic control module went out on my 2001, s-10 Blazer. The malfunction caused what is known as "pump run on". This means that the ABS pump runs constantly and has to be replaced. Removing 2 fuses disables the pump but does not turn off the ABS warning light on the instrument panel. The vehicle can be driven but only has power brakes and will not pass a safety inspection. After doing some research on the internet it was discovered that this is a common occurrence on GM vehicles. Especially trucks and SUV's. The dealerships want @ $700 to repair this issue. The part can be removed and sent off to several places that will rebuild the product for @ $150. Shouldn't GM do something about the faulty components that they use on their vehicles. Ie: get the part from another manufacturer or make the manufacturer responsible for their product. …
Not only have I had problems early with hub and bearing-- and also replaced ball bearing-- now the ABS-- manufacturers has done poor job on brake. Wheel parts- very cheap parts-- many talk about it and know that the Blazer has had problems with these parts. My family has purchased Chevy's for years-- I am now never about to purchase a Chevy again. While I pay my car payment, I always purchase new. I am always also paying for work done on this vehicle, and I am talking- over 2,000 so far and again have to go in today-- I May even trade it in I am so pissed. We also had problems with my husbands truck..I don't know what they did, or who they purchased their parts from, but surely went to cheap parts, they( Chevy) put many consumers in a bad spot. And I have written a complaint before- when I had the Chevy Blazer 2001 for a year half. …
Brake pedal went all the way to the floor while stopping, my wife was almost hit by a bus. The dealer has been trying to identify the problem, an has thus far replaced the master cylinder. The problem still exists intermittently, and causing the anti-lock brake pump to cycle (locking the brakes) alleviates the low or fading pedal for a short period of time. This problem seems to be related to the ABS pump and/or the computer controlling it. I am very experienced in diagnostics and rebuilding automobiles, and have seen this occur on other makes and models (usually a failure of the ABS pump). My car will be back at the dealer again on Tuesday April 14th for this on going failure of this poorly designed ABS. Maybe my government will do something about this when the brakes on this vehicle kill some innocent citizen or government employee driving one of these cars.
1) ABS and e-brake light continually come on; unsure if ABS system is functional; I have had the computer tested and it returned no faults 2) side windows work intermittently; no explanation; windows will not roll down for days at a time and then they work fine for days at a time 3) sunroof no longer functional; Chevy dealer said the "heat" warped the internal parts and they broke as I rolled it back; weather was mild and the breakage happened at 0500 in the am; I don't believe it was heat related 4) rear of vehicle is has drastically fallen below the front; I have no explanation as to why; it looks as if the vehicle front suspension was raised and the rear was lowered; drives fine, but feels unsafe all of the above happened shortly after the warranty expired, between 40000-50000 miles.
Our 2001 Chevy Blazer required brake service with 44000 miles. We selected tuffy auto service centers (warren, mi), our estimated cost was $180. During the brake service the tuffy service manager informed us that our rear brakes would require replacement, our cost for the rear was an additional $280. The service manager indicated that the rear brake disc-rotors were heavily corroded, service (rotor turning) was not an option and replacement required. Rear brake service at 44000 miles is highly unexpected, full replacement due to corrosion is unacceptable. Our assessment is that the disc-rotor material was not correctly specified (and/or perhaps a galvanic corrosion with aluminum wheels/iron hubs), the resulting excessive corrosion unexpected and a serious safety concern.
Any time I am driving my fuel gauge goes crazy. I never know how much fuel I actually have because it constantly goes up and down. I've ran out of gas a few times because it shows I have 1/4 tank or more and then it'll just go down all the way, then shoot up 3/4 tank and so on. When I'm coming to a stop, especially in small downhills, my brake pedal starts vibrating and barely slows down. I get nervous all the time because I'm afraid my car will not stop. It also does this if I'm starting to brake, and one of the wheels hits a small bump in the road, then it's almost impossible to brake normally because the brake pedal starts vibrating, the ABS brakes light comes on, and my car will not slow down which is very scary especially if I have my 3 year old in the car.
On 11/20/01 I pressed brake pedal to floor but my brakes failed causing my vehicle to bump a vehicle in front of me (bumped vehicle at very slow speed due to heavy stop and go traffic). I initially thought that my foot merely slipped off the brake pedal as after the incident my brakes worked properly. However, on the following day (11/21/01) my brakes failed a second time. I had to swerve onto the shoulder of the road in order to avoid an accident and was finally able to get my vehicle stopped. After a short period of time, my brakes were operational again. At that point, the vehicle was taken to the closest Chevy dealership (heritage auto plaza in alexandria, va) where it remains as of 10:05 a.m. On 11/26/01.
Brake complaints in other Blazer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Chevrolet Blazer?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Chevrolet Blazer, 16% of the model year's 326 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chevrolet Blazer brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2001 Chevrolet Blazer, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Chevrolet Blazer brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to brakes 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.