After nearly 10 weeks, Chevrolet has lifted a stop-sale order barring dealers from selling or delivering the new Chevrolet Blazer EV. The move was ordered in response to reports of serious glitches with the all-electric SUV’s software. Hoping to win back buyers, also announced price cuts running as much as $6,500, depending on the Blazer EV trim package.
The software problem that led to the stop sale of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV in December has finally been resolved.
While the Chevrolet Blazer EV won generally positive reviews following a series of media drives last autumn, the bowtie brand was quickly forced to halt all marketing efforts and advise dealers to not only stop taking orders but also to postpone making deliveries to customers who’d already purchased the all-electric crossover.
The “stop-sale” issued Dec. 23 came in response to a series of stories revealing serious problems with the Blazer EV some reviewers experienced during more extended driving opportunities.
On Friday, more than two months later, Chevy has finally lifted the stop-sale order and is taking steps to encourage potential buyers to check out the updated EV crossover. The company said it is adding new features while making price cuts of as much as $6,520 on various Blazer trim packages.
What went wrong
One of the problems with the new Blazer EV involved failures of its massive touchscreen.
Even as the first Blazer EVs started rolling out to customers, some buyers reported experiencing a variety of software glitches that, in some instances, resulted in a complete shutdown of the vehicle.
That was echoed by some journalists who got hold of the EV for longer test drives. During a run from Los Angeles to San Diego, Edmunds said its test model “went from perfectly fine to totally on the fritz.”
The trip, it added, “started uneventfully. But then the window switches refused to work. And then the infotainment display completely melted down, stuck in an infinite loop of shutting off, turning on, displaying a map centered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and turning back off again. It did this until we pulled off the freeway and restarted the car. All was well after the reset, but an hour later, it happened again.”
Similar problems were reported by other journalists and early owners. Chevy said it would “voluntarily pause” sales and deliveries until could “remedy these concerns.”
Chevy is dropping the price of the initial Blazer EV packages by up to around $6,500.
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Blazer EV is back — and more affordable
“We have made significant software updates that will improve features and functionality to deliver on the high expectations of our customers,” Chevy said in a Friday statement. “We’re confident these improvements will address concerns heard from some early owners.”
Now that it’s back on sale, Chevy cited a number of software-based upgrades, starting with revisions to the Driver Information Center graphics, and new customizable ambient interior lighting.
The automaker is also addressing one of the other big complaints about Blazer EV: it’s price. Chevy is staggering the rollout of the electric SUV. Currently, the lowest-cost model is the LT AWD which, at launch, started at $56,715. It’s now down to $50,195. The mid-range RS AWD goes from $60,215 down to $54,595. And the premium RS RWD drops from $61,790 to $61,790.
When to market later this year, the base LT FWD trim now will “start under $50,000,” Chevy said. It has yet to release pricing for two other packages, the low-end RS FWD and the high-performance Blazer EV SS.
Getting it right — next time
There was some additional good news in Chevy’s statement: Blazer EV will again qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits. The SUV briefly was disqualified under new U.S. Treasury Dept. rules enacted at the beginning of January. This required GM to switch some drivetrain components to domestic sources.
Ford has temporarily stopped shipments of the F-150 Lightning due to quality concerns.
The release added that the automaker will be “carrying learnings over to other products in GM’s lineup.” General Motors has one of the most aggressive EV rollout plans in the industry, with at least 30 models expected to be in showrooms around the world by decade’s end — and a goal of going 100% electric by 2035.
For Chevy, Blazer EV will be getting plenty of company this year, including the upcoming Equinox EV and a retail version of the Silverado EV pickup — a commercial edition launched in 2023. Among other products, the brand also is working on a next-generation take on the Bolt EV that was dropped last year.
GM isn’t the only automaker that has had challenges getting EVs out to market. Last month, Ford issued a stop-shipment for 2024 versions of the F-150 Lightning pickup to showrooms due to quality concerns. Ford didn’t say what the issue is but Sam Fiorani, chief analyst with AutoForecast Solutions blamed it on problems with the 2024 model’s new headlights. The carmaker hasn’t said when it will resume shipment.
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