It’s Lights Out For My Problematic 2019 Chevrolet Blazer

DEAR SUZANNE
 
By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 158 – December 2023 | Worried Mother

 
Dear Suzanne,

I always knew owning a vehicle was no small undertaking, especially when the vehicle starts to exhibit certain problems. The thing is I had hoped that any car I got wouldn’t give me more problems than I could handle. Now it seems like that was just false hope as it’s been one problem after another with my Chevy Blazer.

I purchased my 2019 Chevrolet Blazer used and certified pre-owned at a Chevrolet dealership in California. At the time, it had about 25,000 miles on it, and We’ve driven it up to about 50,000 miles. To be honest, I’m not even the one who drives it, my son does, but he’s always complaining about the car. At first I felt like he was overplaying how serious the issues were, but when I tried driving the car I realized he wasn’t exaggerating.
 

Engine Noise

The problem, according to my son, comes in various forms. Right now it’s a noise coming from the engine. It sounds like a clanging noise as if a metal betting is bouncing around. We’ve complained about this noise to the dealership a couple of times now, but they haven’t been able to figure out a solution. They even heard the noise when they test-drove it, but they just can’t figure out what it is.
They said they would have to keep the car for at least a week to properly inspect it and diagnose what was wrong. After a week has passed, they called us saying the noise was gone and they couldn’t hear it anymore. Unfortunately not long after we got it back, the noise returned with full force and that’s what we’re still battling as of now.

Transmission & Electrical Issues

In addition, we’ve had to endure other issues involving the transmission and electrical system. With the transmission, it’s a subtle case of the car jerking whenever we switch gears at low speeds. Most of the time the jerks and shakes are barely noticeable, but sometimes it’s painfully obvious and even dangerous.
As for the problem with the electrical system, this one has already placed my son in risky situations. The issue is that the headlights will suddenly turn off for no reason. Considering my son usually leaves his workplace at night, he needs the headlamps when driving.
Imagine the danger this places him when he’s driving at night and the headlights turn off. Several times he has reported coming close to hitting other vehicles or even getting hit by other drivers all because the headlights don’t work as they should. It’s a lot to endure.

Damaged Backlights

Even more worrisome is when we took the car to the dealership to fix this issue and they further compounded the problem. After leaving our car with them, the service guy was trying to back into the garage when he hit a wall and damaged the backlights. Add that to the things they already need to fix I guess. Fortunately, they were able to figure out the electrical issue, but they still couldn’t provide a solution for the transmission problem.
Everything I’ve said so far are just the major issues plaguing the car since we got it. My fear now is that when the warranty runs out, we’re going to be stuck fixing these issues on our own. I would really like them to take the car back and either give us a different one or give us our money back.
 
Worried Mother

Your 2019 Chevrolet Blazer Needs to be Put Out to Pasture

 
Dear Worried Mother,

One thing people don’t talk about is how scary it can be owning a defective car. Never knowing when the lights will go out or the engine will quit can have you driving on edge. The aim of the lemon law is to protect people in your situation. Its purpose is to help you get rid of your defective vehicle and have the manufacturer compensate you for everything you wasted on it.

In order to qualify for this, you need at least two visits to the dealership for the same issue or three visits for different issues. Since you said you already have multiple repair attempts done on the vehicle, it sounds like you qualify already.
 

 
Certain Chevrolet vehicles are known to be defective, so a lot of people have been filing lemon law claims against the manufacturer. They do this because they share the same concern you have as you’ll have no recourse once the warranty elapses. The fault lies with General Motors who build highly defective vehicles, so why should you be out anything?

Filing for a lemon law case involves submitting a lawsuit against the manufacturers since they are the ones selling these defective products. In California the law considers a vehicle a lemon when you’ve taken the car to the dealership twice for the same issue or three times for different issues while still under the warranty. This is where your attorney comes in; they will help you get the best compensation for your situation.

Lemon Law Settlement Options

The first option is called the buyback. This is where the automakers buy back the car from you and they pay you back what you’ve already spent on the vehicle. This includes expenses like your monthly payments, your down payment, your taxes and interest paid. If you still owe some money on the vehicle, they pay off the loan as well so your credit doesn’t get damaged.
 

 
The second option is referred to as the cash and keep. With this option you get some cash for the issues you’ve had to deal with. The amount you end up with as compensation depends on the kind of issues the vehicle had, the number of times you took it in, and how long it spent at the repair shop.

With this option you get to keep the warranty on the car, meaning it’s not voided or canceled. If you wish to sell the car later on, it would still have a clean title. This means you don’t have to label it a lemon if and when you sell it.

There is also a third but less popular option called the replacement offer. This is where the automakers offer you a chance to trade in your vehicle for another with the same features as yours. This means the replacement car would be of the same model and market value and similar mileage. The main issue with this is that you may end up getting another lemon vehicle as a replacement.

Lemon Law Tips

The best part of the lemon law in California is that such lawsuits are usually taken on contingency by the attorney. This means you won’t be charged any lawyer fees. Instead it’s the manufacturer, General Motors, who pays the legal bills. This is because California is a consumer-friendly state and it’s the manufacturers that are to blame for selling you a defective vehicle. This means the total original settlement goes over to you.

Make sure you continue to take the car in should it need repairs. Every repair order strengthens your case. Always verify the repair orders are accurate and they have the reason you went in for the visit listed correctly.

If you have any more questions relating to any of the above options or any other aspect of the law, check out our Lemon Law FAQs page. Best of luck with lemon law and your next vehicle!

 
Suzanne

PS. Chevrolet is a division of General Motors. Additional details on the GM Lemon Law process, how it operates, qualification standards, models included, persistent vehicle defects reported, and Lemon Law case examples here.

 
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Featured image:

• 2019 Chevrolet Blazer ©Kevauto (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED License)