When will the previous Chevrolet Blazer EV issues be fixed?

«The Chevrolet Blazer EV I’m very interested in it, but I’m concerned about the reliability issues it affects. Do you have any information on GM’s plans for revisions? » – Laurence

Answer

Hi Laurence,

The condition of the Chevrolet Blazer EV is very worrying. The car began distribution here towards the end of 2023. According to statistics provided by GMAuthority, 36 examples of the Chevrolet Blazer EV were sold in Canada in 2023, and 482 examples found buyers in the United States during that period.

Then, at the end of December 2023, the car was banned from sale due to software problems that were reported by owners of cars that have already been sold. GM previously announced that sales would be temporarily halted while the problems were resolved.

However, for 2 months, no Blazer EV was sold. Quebec dealers have cars in their yard waiting for a manufacturer that is still working to find a solution. This is also what GM Canada confirms, through the voice of Michelle Burnham, when asked about the situation change: “GM is working quickly to solve these problems and implement fixes. Customers will be able to bring their Blazer EV to Chevrolet dealers as soon as they are notified of the relevant software update available. Our engineering teams are working day and night to find a solution.

Surprisingly, therefore, there is no clear answer as to when this problem preventing the start of production will be resolved or on the proposed amendments.

Reputation damage

However we can question the tangent that GM is taking with products based on the Ultium architecture. This design philosophy and arrangement of the lithium-ion battery and electric motors was launched in March 2020, and the first vehicles using it – GMC Hummer EVs – arrived on the US market in November 2021.

Subsequently, several basic Ultium vehicles were announced. Think Chevrolet Silverado EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Cadillac Celestiq and even BrightDrop Zevo 600.

However, almost 4 years later, we are still waiting for these cars in Canada. Yes, there are a few Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EVs floating around here in Canada, but the delivery rate is very slow. Limited production capacity and initial problems cast doubt on the marketing strategy used by GM, but also on the reliability of these models. To the outside eye, the manufacturer does not seem ready to sell these new electric cars.

In addition, GM’s finance director, Paul Jacobson, has just said that the manufacturer must solve problems with electric vehicles before entering the market. “We’ve had some unfortunate delays in our vehicle programs and we’re working to iron out the last few bugs, because the most important thing, especially when you come up with a new platform like these electric cars, is to deliver them with quality to customers,” he added. that’s also what the manufacturer is doing with the Equinox EV, the launch of which has been postponed by a few months.

The best advice I can give is to wait before buying such a car. The beginning is not encouraging, and we will have to wait until a sufficient number of models are on the road before commenting on the reliability of these models. It is the same for all models that are supported by the Ultium architecture, even in the case of Honda and Prologue and Acura and ZDX.

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