Chevy Blazer’s Trailblazing EV Outage

General Motors has halted sales of its new ballyhooed Chevy Blazer SUV because of “software problems.” But, the automaker has also had issues with its other new EVs as troubled road trips to Timbuktu with them pile up …

As the WSJ article by Mike Colias relates: “As one of the nation’s first owners of GM’s new electric Chevrolet Blazer, James Hattin was loving the SUV – before the problems began. On a trip from the mountains back to his home in Burbank, Calif., he & his wife heard weird clicking noises coming from the dashboard. A short time later, the cruise control went out. A few days after that, in his driveway, the car’s screens went blank & the car wouldn’t start.” Mr. Hattin’s dad had always warned him about buying the first model year of a new car, but even that common sense advice was steeped in Oldsmobile Era experience. Imagine how sage the advice is in today’s hi-tech world.

Fast forward to December, 2023. GM instructed Chevy dealers to stop selling the Blazer, while it worked to address “certain software-quality issues that have frustrated buyers & auto reviewers alike.” The company still hasn’t given a time frame for when it might have a fix, the WSJ piece notes, yet is still building the Blazers at its plant in Mexico. To boot, GM has also struggled with “manufacturing delays & other technical obstacles as it has introduced its first Ultium-based models, including the GMC Hummer pickup truck & SUV and Cadillac Lyriq SUV.” Then, too, the launch of yet another GM electric SUCV, the Chevy Equinox, was delayed a few months to allow more time to refine its software. Maybe make sure of your EV quality BEFORE you send the piggies to market?

Davd Soul