2021 Chevrolet Blazer Brakes Problems

Went to park car in a park to drop daughter off and it sputtered out and stalled out of nowhere with no warning. I had received a lamp warning very sporadically prior to this and on occasion that stated 'reduced steering assist drive with care' this resulted in heavy steering for that drive until car was shut off and then it would go away and be fine again, fixed the car through Knudtsen Chevy due to a recall about a month before on the issue with the engine being turned off and it thinking it was still hot and still running the fan (even though the car was not running). Knudtsen fixed that issue. Low battery voltage light did not come on however battery was older so had battery installed at park to ensure the issue was not due to the battery. The oil was fresh and showed no issues, changed 2 weeks before fresh oil no issues found during service. When tried to restart the car it would think it would try to start and then sputter out and not stay in idle. Les Schwab left and called a mobile mechanic to bring the computer. Computer was hooked up and it would try to start, however, it would not know it was already running and try to start again on it's own...the codes that came up were the PO101 code came up for Mass Air Flow issue...and then the codes would go in a wild sequence of fail.....mechanic checked for loose connections around air filter, took air filter out and it was clean no issues, checked pipe no visible issues. We walked away and walked around the park to give it some time to sit and then we tried it again and it tried and sputtered out and died again would not stay idling. Then all of a sudden we heard it try to start itself without us trying to start it and it clanked. We hauled it to Knudtsen for a diagnosis. They stated "the motor will not turn this way or that way and it is seized or locked up". This is a 2021 with only 89,000 miles it should have a longer life than this. Please investigate and is there anything we can do to fix it?

NHTSA ID

11734510

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the electronic parking brake independently activated. Additionally, the failure had occurred while the vehicle was parked. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.

NHTSA ID

11732946

Incident

Feb 18, 2026

Mileage

31,000 mi

Brake booster failed after 50k miles needing repair. Brake became very still, prolonging the time it takes to stop the vehicle

NHTSA ID

11688584

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

My name is [XXX] and I was a passenger in our 2021 Chevy Blazer with our young child in the back seat when the brakes suddenly failed while we were driving on the freeway. The brake pedal went stiff and wouldn’t respond. It was terrifying — we truly felt like we were going to crash. I was panicked, and my child was crying. Since then, I’ve been too afraid to drive or ride in this vehicle, even if it gets repaired. This isn’t the first issue with the car, and GM has not resolved it in a timely or helpful way. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and we are paying for a rental car out of pocket. I’m reporting this because I believe this vehicle poses a serious safety risk to families like mine. I’m asking NHTSA to please investigate this issue before someone gets hurt. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11677356

Incident

Jul 26, 2025

While driving my 2021 Chevrolet Blazer LT on the freeway with my wife and child, the “Brake Assist” warning came on and the brake pedal suddenly became extremely stiff. I was going about 65 mph, and it became difficult to slow down safely. We were terrified. This created a serious safety hazard, as I almost couldn’t stop in time and could have caused a crash or gotten someone killed. The check engine light came on as well. I had previously taken the vehicle in for a similar rattling or braking noise back in 2021 and was told it was “fine.” Now the issue seems to have gotten worse. I have since learned that other owners have reported similar brake assist issues on 2021 Chevrolet Blazers, and it appears there are service bulletins but no recall yet. I am extremely concerned that GM has not addressed this defect, especially since it happened without warning and endangered my family’s lives. I am requesting a full investigation into this issue and for GM to take full responsibility for the repair.

NHTSA ID

11676544

Incident

Jul 26, 2025

Brakes bottomed out. Message on my dash board said “Brake System Failure reduce speed to 62” and the brake went on the way to the floor.

NHTSA ID

11675890

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

My 2021 Chevrolet Blazer experienced brake failure while driving, without any warning lights or diagnostic alerts from the vehicle’s onboard system prior to. This created a very dangerous situation for myself and others on the road, including my family who was in the car as well. Prior to this incident, I brought the vehicle to the dealership not long after purchasing it because I was constantly hearing screeching noises when braking. I thought it was rather soon to need new brakes, considering I purchased the vehicle brand new, but the issue was dismissed without any further inspection. This most definitely resulted in a missed opportunity to diagnose what is seemingly a more well known mechanical failure common among GM manufactured parts. After the brake failure, service technicians discovered that the vacuum pump had failed, causing the brakes to fail which led to engine damage by projecting shrapnel into the engine. This has rendered a $35,000 car purchase useless after 4 years of use without a $10,000 repair. I find this highly unethical. Upon further investigation, I learned that GM has previously acknowledged vacuum pump failures in several vehicles manufactured between 2014–2018 and even recalled certain models. The 2021 Chevy Blazer should be included in the list because failures of this part can lead to harm, injury, or loss of life. The documented defects in older GM models is consistent with my experience. I got oil changes and service regularly. The dealership should not have been so quick to dismiss the the brakes, knowing the history of these parts and the warning signs. This issue should be taken seriously as it is likely more widespread and is a ticking time bomb. Loss of life should not be the catalyst to trigger action in this situation. Other consumers are likely at risk without knowing it.

NHTSA ID

11670018

Incident

Jun 15, 2025

I am reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2021 Chevrolet Blazer, which experienced brake failure while driving, without any warning lights or diagnostic alerts from the vehicle’s onboard system. This created a highly dangerous situation for myself and others on the road. Prior to this incident, I brought the vehicle to the dealership after consistently hearing squealing or screeching noises when braking. The issue was dismissed and attributed to a change in federal regulations limiting the use of copper in brake pads—without any further inspection. This resulted in a missed opportunity to diagnose what appears to be a deeper mechanical failure. After the brake failure, service technicians discovered that the vacuum pump had failed, which impacted braking performance and also caused engine damage. While I’ve since learned that GM has acknowledged vacuum pump failures in several vehicles manufactured between 2014–2018 (via formal recalls), the 2021 Chevy Blazer is not currently included in those campaigns However, the symptoms and outcome I experienced are strikingly similar to the documented defects in older GM models. The lack of early diagnostic detection, coupled with dealership dismissal of clear warning signs, signals a potential emerging safety defect in this newer model that may not yet be officially recognized. Given the safety-critical nature of the braking system and the failure of both mechanical and procedural safeguards, I strongly urge NHTSA to investigate whether this issue is more widespread in recent GM models, including the 2021 Blazer. Other consumers may be at risk without knowing it.

NHTSA ID

11667583

Incident

Jun 12, 2025

The vehicle’s brakes failed while I was driving. I was luckily able to steer the vehicle off the road narrowly avoiding hitting another car. We had the vehicle towed to a Chevy dealer and they told us the fault was due to a low voltage battery. They would also not drive the vehicle until the battery was replaced because it was giving an error message of “brake system failure”. The dealer is the only place that has inspected the vehicle at this time. The warning messages appeared at the time of failure and not before. I find this to be a manufacturing defect in need of a recall as this could have easily caused harm or loss of life.

NHTSA ID

11655932

Incident

Apr 11, 2025

I parked on an incline using the parking brake and the vehicle could not disengage the brake

NHTSA ID

11648464

Incident

Mar 14, 2025

The brakes failed on my SUV as I was driving on a city street. Yes it is available for inspection. Losing my breaks almost caused a collision with the car in front of me but due to the distance between the cars and the low speed at the time, I was able to avoid collision and detour into a parking lot where I cruised to a stop with the help of a parking lot space concrete stop. The problem was not reproduced by me but the service center computer diagnostics confirmed break issues. The service center says that the cause was low voltage of the car battery which affected the brakes. This is a very dangerous situation if the vehicle can lose complete braking ability due to a low voltage battery. This is the reason for reporting the issue. They replace the battery and said that should fix the issue. They said the only recourse to avoid this happening again is to replace the battery around every 2 years. The issue was inspected by a service center owned by the manufacturer of my SUV. The warning lamps only occurred as the brake system failed. A message of "Brake System Failure" appeared and the "Check Engine" light came on. Within the previous week of the issue the SUV also had other electrical issues such as the Climate Control interface went out and the rear camera also went out.

NHTSA ID

11625772

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

I have made numerous complaints to Jeff Schmitt Chevy dealership Dayton, Ohio regarding parking brake being engaged upon starting vehicle even though vehicle is on flat surface. Twice now, last occurring [XXX], while gradually increasing speed to make a left hand turn the vehicle suddenly self-brakes, during acceleration, making a harsh screeching sound. I remove my foot completely from the accelerator before I accelerate again. The initial incident was reported to chevy dealership. No findings have been noted per dealership. No accidents have occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11568424

Incident

Jan 29, 2024

The breaks make a squealing noise all the time which is concerning. I was told by Beaver Chevrolet that this is normal as the breaks were changed in newer car models. They have made a squealing noise ever since I bought the car brand new. I took the car into Beaver Chevrolet approximately 4 months ago and was told that they were unable to replace the breaks because they "weren't squealing bad enough". They did spray my breaks down, however they told me that once I hit 36,000 miles if the issue was still occuring (which it will be) that I would have to pay to have the breaks sprayed. The issue persisted and the spray they used only lasted a few days. Typically breaks should not squeal unless they have gone bad, which isn't the case here. I find this issue to be a safety hazard as how are customers supposed to know when their breaks actually do go bad if they squeal all the time. The issue was reproduced, but it is unclear what their standard is for determining the actual noise to breaking ratio.

NHTSA ID

11544054

Incident

May 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer. The stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the vehicle without warning. When the contact notified the dealer of the failure, he was informed that they were aware of the failure however, there was no fix for the failure. The contact then received a letter from the dealer where he was informed that a repair was under development. Recently, the contact called the dealer for an update and was informed that no update was available and that the repair remained unavailable. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 429. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11429241

Incident

Dec 1, 2020

Mileage

429 mi

Car purchased on 5/19/21 with 117 miles on it. It now has 1153 miles and the brakes are grinding. The Chevy dealership states that it needs replacement brake pads, but they are on backorder. I have been uncomfortable driving the car after the dealership said it needed new brake pads and have not driven the car for two days. I can get by another four days, but I have a Dr's appointment this coming Wednesday that requires a 50 mile trip.

NHTSA ID

11425229

Incident

Jun 29, 2021

The brakes are noisy (like metal to metal, worn out) and the brake pedal is soft. Took the vehicle into the dealer (only 1,000 miles on odometer) they say GM is aware of a problem. How many people will die before this problem is fixed? The problem isn’t corrected, and exists today.

NHTSA ID

11425003

Incident

Jul 1, 2021

Vehicle only has 700 miles and there is a loud brake grinding noise when slowly down at speeds of around 40 MPH.

NHTSA ID

11422910

Incident

Jun 3, 2021

OCCASIONAL GRINDING NOISE WHEN BRAKING' GRINDING NOISE WHEN VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 400 MILES

NHTSA ID

11416123

Incident

Apr 12, 2021

Mileage

400 mi

OCCASIONAL GRINDING NOISE WHEN BRAKING

NHTSA ID

11415195

Incident

Apr 26, 2021

Mileage

90 mi