New Blazer EV Is GM’s Latest EV Misfire - Adds Proof EVs Are Unreliable

Reports of outrageous trouble with the new Chevrolet Blazer EV are coming in. What this means for GM’s all-electric future.

The Chevrolet Blazer is a new five-passenger crossover EV from GM’s Chevrolet brand. With the Bolt now out of production and the replacement Equinox EV delayed and likely to cost 50% more at launch than GM said it would, the Blazer was the 3-2 pitch GM needed to hit out of the park. If multiple respected publications testing the new Blazer are to be believed, Chevy just whiffed on the Blazer EV.

23 Problems With New Blazer Reported By Edmunds
One of the publications lucky enough to be testing the new Blazer this week is Edmunds. The headline from the test report they publication chose is “Our Chevy Blazer EV Has 23 Problems After Only 2 Months.” The story is almost scary. It is certainly sad if you are a fan of the Blazer EV.

With just 2,000 miles on the odometer, the Blazer EV Edmunds was testing and had eight malfunction warnings in one day, according to the test report. The Blazer EV’s Infotainment system …”completely melted down,” according to the test report. In addition, “the window switches refused to work.” After multiple more distressing warnings from the car, Edmunds took the car to Chevy’s nearest dealer for help. Edmunds reports that what they got back was “the single longest list of major faults we at Edmunds have ever seen on a new car.”

The car is at the dealer now, and Edmunds reports that General Motors has sent engineers and others to the dealer to try to figure out how to fix it. The Blazer EV has 23 different issues, many of which are serious problems, not minor glitches, according to Edmunds. The story was penned by the News Editor at Edmunds.

Chevy Blazer EV Leaves Inside EVs Tester Stranded
Electric vehicle advocacy publication, Inside EVs, is also testing a Blazer EV this week. Or was. It had a problem that left the test driver stranded just 28 hours into the test. Inside EVs chose for its test report headline, “The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Left Me Stranded In Rural Virginia.”

The test report says the the vehicle “Broke down,” and the tester had to “abandon it.” Staff writer Kevin Williams summed up the Blaver EV test by saying it was “...the most catastrophic road trips I’ve personally had.”

Mr. Williams reported that “the first thing that went” was the infotainment system. This is very concerning. The reason we say so is that GM has abandoned Android Auto and Apple Car Play, now universally-loved by nearly every vehicle tester and owner worldwide. Instead, GM is moving to a pay-as-you-go scheme that will require a telematics connection subscription after the trial period ends. 

After the infotainment system failed, Mr. Williams tried to charge at a DC Fast charger. It failed. He reports the “Blazer’s EV’s electrical fault light, (a car with an exclamation point), a check motor and check battery warning, reduced power (yellow turtle), and check charge port lights were all illuminated.” The vehicle went to a Chevrolet dealer and the test was terminated. 

GM’s Fourth Generation of EVs Has Many Problems
General Motors first modern-era EV was the EV-1 in 1996. Following this was the Volt, which GM canceled due to huge success. The Bolt followed as the third-gen EV for General Motors. All was going well, and this author named the Bolt EUV the Best EV overall in 2023 at Car Talk. However, the Bolt had a major battery recall due to fires and other problems. 

Ultium Has Not Solved GM’s Issues
The new GM Ultium battery was to be the solution to many challenges. In addition to being simply better in all technical ways, the Ultium would also enable GM to benefit from taxpayer EV subsidies since GM would make the batteries either in America or someplace that was allowed by the crazy income redistribution scheme we call EV subsidies today. Thus far, the Ultium is in the Blazer, GMC Hummer, Lyriq, and coming Silverado EV. The Lyriq and Hummer have both been recalled due to battery issues after barely any have been delivered (Under 10,000 by our estimate). Reports this month are that GM is delaying the Silverado and other future EV models. 

This author has named GM electric vehicles to “Best EVs” lists in multiple publications. My tests of the Bolt and Bolt EUV were not unusual, and the EUV, in particular, seemed like a grand slam when I had a chance to drive it. Perhaps these recent setbacks are just weird and unfortunate problems GM will quickly resolve. We certainly hope so. Wary battery-electric vehicle shoppers did not need this confirmation that Consumer Reports was right when it reported that battery-electric vehicles are less reliable than gas cars and hybrids. 

Image of Blazer EV courtesy of GM.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.