- Vehicles
- 0
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Other
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 4 December 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- 1996-1997 Chevrolet Blazer
- 1996-1997 GMC Jimmy
- 1996-1997 Oldsmobile Bravada
What the defect is
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.
What could happen
This could cause a loss of steering control of the vehicle.
What gets fixed
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.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 December 2001
- Owners notified4 December 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 4 December 2001.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.