Chevrolet Blazer EV VSS-R
Weaknesses, engine ratings and buying advice
The Blazer EV (VSS-R, from 2024) is an entirely separate car — it shares only the name with the gas Blazer. An electric crossover on GM's Ultium platform (400V architecture), modern drivetrain, plenty of range on paper — but a launch that stands as a textbook example of how NOT to do it.
The drivetrain: Two variants. The Ultium-1M is rear-wheel drive (permanent-magnet motor), offered as 164kW or 254kW — solid, unspectacular. The Ultium-2M is the dual-motor AWD: PM motor at the rear, an engageable induction motor up front, over 600 hp on boost in the top tune (415kW). That's plenty commanding. Range and charge rate look good on the spec sheet but are a worry in practice: DC fast charging slower than expected, and a charge fault ('DC cable not latched') throttles to 35 kW. Plus a recall for an insulation defect on the rear-axle motor.
Model years — honestly: GM halted sales as early as December 2023 over disastrous software quality and only resumed in March 2024 after a comprehensive update. Avoid early examples from before the sales stop. Long-term data simply doesn't exist — the car is too new to judge battery degradation or durability seriously. Buy here and you're buying an early Ultium and carrying the residual risk.
Whole vehicle: Software remains the core theme — the infotainment screen blacks out, the vehicle turns itself back on after you leave, the 12V battery drains and the car won't start (a recurring Ultium issue). Plus: faulty thermal-management valve, false emergency braking, wind noise at the A-pillar. Serious recalls: parking-brake wiring harness (25V433), door latch bolts that can break, and a potentially breaking right control arm (N242448540).
Test drive: Hit a DC fast charger and check the actual charge curve (don't just trust the peak figure). Verify all displays and OTA software level. After it sits, watch for a dead 12V battery. Verify every recall by VIN — especially control arm and parking brake. Monitor the emergency-braking assist in daily use.
Market 2026: Here lies the opportunity: the Blazer EV has lost value hard — early 2024s are around 55% below new price, which used works out to roughly 22,000-28,000 EUR equivalent. If you understand the software risks and find all recalls completed, you get a lot of car for the money. Insider pick: a 2025 after the big software reset, with current OTA level and a complete recall history — the steep depreciation curve is already behind the vehicle.
Engine Overview
The Chevrolet Blazer EV VSS-R is available with 4 engine variants — from 220 to 557 hp.
GM Ultium platform with 400V architecture and a permanent-magnet rear motor. Software quality at the late-2023 launch was disastrous — GM halted sales in December 2023 and only resumed in March 2024 after extensive module reflashes. The drive unit and high-voltage battery are mechanically sound; the weaknesses sit firmly in software, charging electronics and the 12V system. DC fast charging peaks around 150-190 kW depending on the station but tapers early and steeply, so effective charging power trails competitors. Early build years benefit most from a fully updated software state — buyers should verify the update level on the vehicle before purchase.
- !! Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect
Insufficiently insulated winding wires in the rear drive motor can contact each other and cause loss of propulsion at any time, including at speed. GM recall N242447080, only a handful of vehicles affected. Drive unit replaced free of charge.
Symptoms: Loss of drive, powertrain warning, sudden power loss - !! 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start from 8,000 km
Control modules stay awake after shutdown and drain the 12V battery overnight, leaving the vehicle unable to start and effectively bricked. 'Service Battery Fault' message, sometimes a running fan. GM program N232428190 reprograms several modules.
Symptoms: Car unresponsive in the morning, won't start or charge, 'Service Battery Fault' message or OnStar warning, sometimes a fan running continuously overnight. - !! Software infotainment freeze (Ultium) from 5,000 km
The central touchscreen freezes, reboots while driving or goes black; navigation, climate and rear camera drop out. Primary reason for the December 2023 stop-sale. Addressed via GM module reflash (N242436240/N242436241).
Symptoms: Black screen, no touch input, navigation drops out
+ 2 more engine weaknesses + vehicle weaknesses
Ultium dual-motor with all-wheel drive — a permanent-magnet motor on the rear axle plus an engageable induction motor up front. In the strongest tune, boost mode unlocks over 600 hp with effectively instant torque. Both drive units are mechanically robust, but every software, charging and 12V-system weakness is shared with the single-motor variant. The 400V architecture caps DC charging: a high initial rate followed by an early, steep taper, hence long 20-80% charge times. Higher output means greater thermal load on battery and inverter, making working preconditioning before fast charging and spirited driving important. An up-to-date software state is essential.
- !! Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect (AWD)
Same recall as single motor variant. Affects all AWD Blazer EVs including SS.
Symptoms: Loss of drive, powertrain warning - !! 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start from 8,000 km
Control modules stay awake after shutdown and drain the 12V battery overnight, leaving the vehicle unable to start and effectively bricked. 'Service Battery Fault' message, sometimes a running fan. GM program N232428190 reprograms several modules.
Symptoms: Car unresponsive in the morning, won't start or charge, 'Service Battery Fault' message or OnStar warning, sometimes a fan running continuously overnight. - !! Software infotainment freeze (Ultium Dual) from 5,000 km
Same software issues as the single motor. Affects all Blazer EV variants including SS.
Symptoms: Black screen, no touch input, navigation drops out
+ 1 more engine weaknesses + vehicle weaknesses
GM Ultium platform with 400V architecture and a permanent-magnet rear motor. Software quality at the late-2023 launch was disastrous — GM halted sales in December 2023 and only resumed in March 2024 after extensive module reflashes. The drive unit and high-voltage battery are mechanically sound; the weaknesses sit firmly in software, charging electronics and the 12V system. DC fast charging peaks around 150-190 kW depending on the station but tapers early and steeply, so effective charging power trails competitors. Early build years benefit most from a fully updated software state — buyers should verify the update level on the vehicle before purchase.
- !! Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect
Insufficiently insulated winding wires in the rear drive motor can contact each other and cause loss of propulsion at any time, including at speed. GM recall N242447080, only a handful of vehicles affected. Drive unit replaced free of charge.
Symptoms: Loss of drive, powertrain warning, sudden power loss - !! 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start from 8,000 km
Control modules stay awake after shutdown and drain the 12V battery overnight, leaving the vehicle unable to start and effectively bricked. 'Service Battery Fault' message, sometimes a running fan. GM program N232428190 reprograms several modules.
Symptoms: Car unresponsive in the morning, won't start or charge, 'Service Battery Fault' message or OnStar warning, sometimes a fan running continuously overnight. - !! Software infotainment freeze (Ultium) from 5,000 km
The central touchscreen freezes, reboots while driving or goes black; navigation, climate and rear camera drop out. Primary reason for the December 2023 stop-sale. Addressed via GM module reflash (N242436240/N242436241).
Symptoms: Black screen, no touch input, navigation drops out
+ 2 more engine weaknesses + vehicle weaknesses
Ultium dual-motor with all-wheel drive — a permanent-magnet motor on the rear axle plus an engageable induction motor up front. In the strongest tune, boost mode unlocks over 600 hp with effectively instant torque. Both drive units are mechanically robust, but every software, charging and 12V-system weakness is shared with the single-motor variant. The 400V architecture caps DC charging: a high initial rate followed by an early, steep taper, hence long 20-80% charge times. Higher output means greater thermal load on battery and inverter, making working preconditioning before fast charging and spirited driving important. An up-to-date software state is essential.
- !! Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect (AWD)
Same recall as single motor variant. Affects all AWD Blazer EVs including SS.
Symptoms: Loss of drive, powertrain warning - !! 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start from 8,000 km
Control modules stay awake after shutdown and drain the 12V battery overnight, leaving the vehicle unable to start and effectively bricked. 'Service Battery Fault' message, sometimes a running fan. GM program N232428190 reprograms several modules.
Symptoms: Car unresponsive in the morning, won't start or charge, 'Service Battery Fault' message or OnStar warning, sometimes a fan running continuously overnight. - !! Software infotainment freeze (Ultium Dual) from 5,000 km
Same software issues as the single motor. Affects all Blazer EV variants including SS.
Symptoms: Black screen, no touch input, navigation drops out
+ 1 more engine weaknesses + vehicle weaknesses
Vehicle Weaknesses
| Weakness | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales halt due to software catastrophe GM halted sales December 2023, four months after launch. Edmunds documented 23 fault codes on their test vehicle. Sales resumed March 2024 after major update. Symptoms: Screen freezes, charging aborts, error messages without cause from 1,000 km | Low | |
| Phantom automatic emergency braking AEB activates aggressively without any obstacle. Particularly alarming at highway speeds. Symptoms: Vehicle brakes hard without obstacle, rear-end risk | Low | |
| Infotainment screen goes black Center touchscreen goes black or freezes while driving. Navigation, climate, backup camera go offline. GM bulletin PIT6362. Symptoms: Black screen, no touch input, backup camera shows nothing from 5,000 km | Medium | |
| DC fast charging problems Charging power drops drastically above 55% SoC (sometimes to 4 kW). 310V battery architecture fundamentally limits speed. Symptoms: Extremely slow charging, session aborted | Medium | |
| Vehicle turns itself back on after exit Some Blazer EVs restart after being turned off and exited. Likely a software glitch in the anti-theft system. Symptoms: Vehicle continues running after exit, lights stay on | Low | |
| 12-volt battery drain / vehicle won't restart The 12-volt accessory battery drains from parasitic loads of connectivity and security features. This triggers a 'Service Battery Fault — Vehicle Won't Restart' message and the car won't wake. GM bulletin N232428190 reprograms several control modules; a jump-starter is considered essential kit. Symptoms: 'Service Battery Fault / Vehicle Won't Restart' message, dead vehicle, no wake via app or handle, repeatedly flat 12V battery. from 10,000 km | Low |
Top Reported Issues
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Known Problems and Issues +
A total of 20 weaknesses have been documented for the Chevrolet Blazer EV VSS-R (2024–2026) — 9 engine-related and 11 vehicle-related. Typical issues affect Electronics, Other, Body, Cooling.
Blazer EV (Ultium-1M, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect, 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start, Software infotainment freeze (Ultium). Power: 220 PS.
Blazer EV (Ultium-1M, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect, 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start, Software infotainment freeze (Ultium). Power: 340 PS.
Blazer EV (Ultium-2M, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect (AWD), 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start, Software infotainment freeze (Ultium Dual). Power: 300 PS.
Blazer EV (Ultium-2M, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Recall: rear drive unit insulation defect (AWD), 12V battery drains — vehicle won't start, Software infotainment freeze (Ultium Dual). Power: 557 PS.
What to watch out for with the Chevrolet Blazer EV? See the detailed listing of all engine and vehicle weaknesses in the sections above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Last updated: February 2026 · All information without guarantee