Three problems related to axle assembly have been reported for the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Driver cannot tell whether vehicle is in or out of 4 wheel drive. Told by Chevrolet service personnel that differential and front axles were in 4 wheel drive but front wheels were not. 4 wheel drive system used very little, and vehicle has only 60k miles. Mechanic made coments that indicate frequent failure of components in this system. Can cause brake non function on slippery surfaces with no other indication of a problem.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
While pulling into a parking space at approx. 5mph the front axle and upper ball joint snapped, causing additional damage to the abs sensor, sliced the rim among other things. Tires were wearing in a odd position down to the belts, obviously due to problems in the front end. Dealership is repairing now. All under warranty, except the rim since it is a nonmechanical part even though mechanical defects caused the damage. Luckily this happened in a parking space and not 50ft. Sooner on the 4 lane highway I was on with my 8 yr old daughter. The wheel was half on leaning into the truck. Had it happened sooner there would have been an accident involving numerous people. The rear windshield wiper is intermittent and only works when it wants, causing distractions in vision while driving. Sometimes the wiper will not go down for up to 30min. That is also being repaired now. Contacted gm and they claim there have been no previous complaints of this matter with the axle or ball joints breaking.