NHTSA Complaint #10064431 — 2001 CHEVROLET BLAZER

THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR. EARLIER IN THE YEAR I PUT IT IN THE SHOP BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE FALLING OUT OF OVERDRIVE. IT WAS REPAIRED AND I HAD TWO MONTHS OF INCIDENT-FREE DRIVING. WE WENT ON A WEEKEND TRIP. AFTER I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR, I NOTICED MY CLOCK RESET ITSELF. TWO HOURS INTO THE TRIP, THE CAR STARTED JERKING IN AND OUT OF GEAR. WE DROVE TWO HOURS BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY FOUND A COMPUTER WIRE WAS DISCONNECTED. TWO HOURS LATER, THE CAR STARTS SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE AGAIN. IT WOULD RUN IN 3RD GEAR, WE WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO OUR DESTINATION, WE CONTINUED ON IN 3RD GEAR. WHEN I GOT BACK HOME, I DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM TO FIX IT. I WAS WITHOUT MY VEHICLE THE MAJORITY OF THE FOLLOWING 6 WEEK PERIOD. I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IN THE RAIN, THERE WAS A FATAL ACCIDENT, I SLOWED DOWN & TURNED ON MY FLASHERS, I HAD NO TAIL LIGHTS, FLASHERS, ETC. I HAD ALREADY HAD THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH REPLACED SHORTLY AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR BECAUSE SOMEONE ALMOST REAR-ENDED ME. THE ENGINEER FROM CHEVROLET CAME DOWN AND COULD FIND NO CAUSE FOR MY TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND OFFERED $1500 TRADE ALLOWANCE, WHICH LEAVES ME STUCK WITH ANOTHER CHEVROLET AND A HIGHER CAR PAYMENT. IN ADDITION TO THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, ONE OF MY TIRES WAS WORN OUT AFTER 30,000 MILES, THE 2ND ONE 15,000 MILES AND AN ALIGNMENT LATER. AFTER ONLY 45,000 MILES THE WHEEL BEARING ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WAS SHOT, THE SAME SIDE THE TIRES WERE GOING BALD ON. *JB