Two problems related to front suspension upper arm have been reported for the 1999 Chevrolet Blazer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The driver side upper ball joint failedcoming out of a mcdonalds making a left turn at slow speed. I pulled it over immediately and had it towed. I have the part (upper ball joint) and it is very mangled. I ahve not been in any accidents, hit any curves, and get them lubed every 3,000 miles when I have the oil changed. I really would hate to have seen this happen on the highway at 65 or 70 mph. The only thing I asked the dealer is if the part was under recall. They said no. The $975. 00 is for replacement of all the ball joints. I did not feel comfortable changing just the one just in case. I do have all the parts. If you want them I can send them to you. I am not doing this to get out of paying the bill. I have already payed it in full. It bothers me that it happened because I go out of my way to make sure that my vehicle is maintained properly. Another point is that I had new tires put on three weeks ago, with an alignment, and supposedly everything was ok then.
The right upper control arm ball joint failed without warning while traveling at 55 mph. It was very difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, and I suspect that if my wife would have been driving she would not have been able to stop the vehicle safely. This was very dangerous. Luckily I was not on the expressway. I know that chevy Blazers had recalls for this defect in past model years, and I maybe they should again.