1997 CHEVROLET Venture

WHEN THE CAR IS RUNING FOR MORE THAT ONE HR THE ENGINE LIGHT COME ON, WHEN I STOP AND TRY TO LEAVE THE CAR IS MOVED WITH LOSS OF DRIVE. I CHANGE NEW TRANSMISSION FROM THE SAME DATE, BUT NOTHING CHANGED,EVERY TIME THE LIGHT COME ON THE READING IN THE COMPUTER SCANER, ALWAYS IS A FAULT IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE SHOP CAN’T FIND ANYTHING WRONG IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE SHOP JUST RESET THE LIGHT. THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT’S THE PROBLEM.

Two months ago I took my chevrolet venture(with 53,000 miles)to a certified chevrolet repair shop complaing that the low coolant light was on, and that my van was experiencing a loss of power. After having my car in the shop for 8 days I was told that they couldn’t find any problems. I was charged 153.00 for the diagnostic test and an oil change. A week ago my car started to overheat. I again took the van to the shop. I was told that I need a brand new engine at a cost of $5,000. I just finished paying off this $27,000 van. Now it is worthless. I don,t understand. To add insult to injury I can not role up my window on the drivers side, as the power switch has failed

THIS TRUCK IS A 1997 MODEL I PURCHASED IN MAY 1998 FROM TOM TAYLOR CHEVROLET IN MARTIN, TENNESSEE. WITHIN 3 MONTHS I HAD TO TAKE THE TRUCK BACK (BEFORE THE 6-MONTH WARRENTY INSPECTION) BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT PULL THE TRUCK. SINCE THEN I’VE HAD INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION INCLUDING TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENGAGE, EVEN AT STOP SIGNS, WITH ACCELERATOR PRESSED DOWN AND AT INCREASED RPM’S. HAVE TO SHIFT MANUALLY. TRANSMISSION JERKS WHEN SHIFTING AND WILL NOT SHEFT INTO OVERDRIVE. THIS HAS NEARLY GOT ME INJURED OR KILLED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION.

This all started in Dec of 2002, the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. I replaced this at a cost of 850.00. After reading all the complaints on this from other websites I decided to write the BBB also who wrote back stating not GMS fault since they have not had any complaints. Thats a lie, because there is a thousand of them on the internet including a petition-on-line.Anyway though, after only one month after I fixed the manifold gasket the engine went anyway and since I still have a large "balance due" on the car I had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4300.00. My mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. More of a warranty than GM gave me. I also want to note that before I got the gasket replaced, I went to the chevrolet dealership I bought the van from…He didnt even look under the engine but knew immediately that I had this gasket problem and offered me only $1000.00 for the van for a trade in…he knew we still owed 7000.00 on it. I will never buy AMerican GM products again.

The steering will lock completely and/or have a massive amount of resistance you can not control vehicle. Rain magnifies the problem; this can happen while driving straight, making a lane change or turning in eaither direction. It is random, happening within 2/10th of a mile when leaving the driveway or out and about for a while. However once it starts it is very consistant. It took me 6 months of driving with this condition in the begining until I was able to convince the Dealership that this was a problem and not my imagination. They always said they could not reduplicate the problem. They always tested after they replaced the belt and tensioner, never before. The belts are wearing abnormally approx. every 20-15,000 the van is undrivable. They keep replacing a belt but never fixing the problem. The abnormal belt wear is a result of the problem. The water is not the problem, it only magnifies the worn belt. There is a design flaw in the van. GM customer service says to not drive in the rain, yeah right!After several visits approx once a year, they have finally admitted that the vehicle is unsafe and unfixable. It took me to withold the vehicle in \"Dry Dock\" in my control until it rained, 3 days later, then I got the Service Manager out in the rain into a parking lot at the local college. You should have seen his face was he was behind the wheel, white as a ghost with the comment \"oh my…\"! We were out for approx. 30 minutes during which the steering was inoperable for 75% of that time.

The problem currently is with the front brakes making a squeling and grinding noise.

The paint has peeled off and yet GM Canada claims no problem and refuses to hear our complaint let alone acknowledge it yet we can see for ourselves on this site the U.S. acknowledgement!The floorboard cracked under the driver’s seat and it’s been a day and we have yet to hear from our local retailer!

The following is a letter sent to GMC on 1/18/03. GMC did not do a thing to help out with the defect. Note that George Jang is the owner of the vehicle. My name is Ray Jang – his son – I am filing the complaint on his behalf.—–Sir / Madam:Due to a significant manufacturer’s defect in my GMC Venture, I was forced into a dangerous situation where I could have been seriously injured. At an intersection on Hastings Street – one of the busier streets in Vancouver – my vehicle unexpectedly stalled leaving me helpless, without power. Several mechanics assessed my minivan concluding that, for no normally expected reason, the camshaft snapped in half, rendering the vehicle inoperable and causing significant, irreparable damage to the engine block. Attached to this letter is an analysis of the engine failure conducted by a mechanic with 23 years of experience.Having purchased five new exclusively GM vehicles in the past, specifically a Pontiac sedan, a Pontiac station wagon, a Chevrolet van, an Oldsmobile Calais Supreme and my present Venture minivan (Wolfe Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Vancouver), I consider myself a loyal GM customer. Being a lifetime GM customer I’m disappointed and surprised by the extent and magnitude of my minivan failure. I realize that the warranty has expired, but I believe it to be completely unreasonable for a camshaft to snap after only 5 years of light to moderate use. As such, I feel it is only fair and reasonable that GMC, being consumer minded, reimburse me for this manufacturing defect. The total cost for repairs is ~ $4600. Please contact me at 604-435-3131 or [email protected] to discuss further. Sincerely,George JangVIN: 1GNDX03E4VD260235——–The following is a second letter sent at the same time as the above letter describing the problem from a third party mechanic’s point of view:Sir / Madam:I

so far both of my headlight covers have fallen off and i glued one back on and could not find the other one so it will cost me 150 dollars to buy the whole assembly just because the glue that chevy used was all cracked and not working.. when calling about the cover i was told it happends alot in the venture and montana not sure if it is true.. also the windows are power and seem to work on and off along with the back window wiper…

See failures

Over the past year the low coolant light has been coming on. Recently I noticed coolant on the floor of my garage so I decided to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. Leaking intake manifold gasket and possible lifter problems. I have also had to have the brakes replaced a couple of times and have had the vehicle in for several recall related issues. A web site has been set up to petition GM to recall this issue http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?GMcnsmrs&1 .

Our van suddenly overheated coming home from work a couple weeks ago and totally shut down. Our dealership says that we need new gaskets and the heads are worped due to the engine getting so hot. There if oil in the coolant and boiled the coolant and overheated the engine!! We have only had our van for 11 months with no extended warranty and we know of a lot of other people having the same problem. GM has not so far done anything to help!!! Our dealership has been very nice, but they say there is no recall at this time for this problem!!!Sincerely.Mike and Tracey Porter

Manifold gasket leak

Lower intake manifold leak, sludge in radiator, oil. Safety concerns of reported engine failures at highway speeds.

Lots of problems with my Chevy Venture, power window quit working I had to replace the motor, not the passanger side quit working. Next the intake gasket went out at a cost of 975.00 to repair this was done to only have to engine go 5 months later, through serching the internet I have found this to be a direct result of the leaking intake gasket, cost to repair this would be $5200.00 which is more than I can afford, also more than the blue book value of the vehicle. So I had to replace the vehicle. From what I can find out these are all problems that GM is well aware of and not doing anything about. How many consumers have to complain before anything is done about this. Both majors problems with this vehicle were diagnoised by certified Chevy Dealers and neither mentioned that this is a common problem, which I find very upsetting.

Last year my wife

Intake Manifold Gasket.

Intake manifold gasket leaked coolant into the crakcase, causing the engine seize. This happened while driving on the highway with the cruise set at 112km/h the vehicle just stalled and us stranded for about 4 hours. I am married with three young children and this has greatly affected us as well as our income as I am self employed and rely on a vehicle for income to support my family!

Intake gaskets failed stranding my wife and two daughters in very bud=sy intersection, which almost caused a very severe accident.The gaskets failing caused the coolant to leak into the crankcase causing major engine damage.I do not have a final on the repair cost of this last incident.

I was travelling alone with my 4 small children on the interstate at about 65 mph, 45 minutes from home. Without warning, the overheating warning light came on, drawing my attention to the temperature guage, which was maxxed out. (I check my guages regularly, so this came on rather suddenly) The van stalled as I was pulling it over, fortunately we made it to a grassy shoulder, as the truck traffic was very heavy and intimidating. It was an exceptionally cold day, and the tow truck arrived quickly, and the driver allowed us to wait with him in the truck cab (he could’nt take all of us, and there wasn’t a taxi service) Fortunately, I was able to catch a friend who owns a van at home, but we had to wait 45 minutes for her. The diagnosis: Failed intake manifold gasket, which flooded the engine with antifreeze, which caused a sudden temperature change which warped the head. Apparently, my $2800 bill was a smaller hit than other Venture owners have suffered. The dealership admits that the gasket has a “design flaw” and that this problem is common, so I wish there had been a recall to replace this item before we had this incident. Chevy needs to know that its minivan products are driven mostly by moms with large families of small children who cannot afford (safety-wise or financially) to suffer dramatic breakdowns without warning. If the van had stalled 5 seconds sooner, we would not have made it off the highway. Thank you for your time. Marcia Hyde

I purchased a 1997 Chevy Venture in 8/2000. The van had 19,000 miles and I paid 17,900. I am the second owner, and the van has received regular maintenance. I use the van to transport my day care children to their schools. I also use it to transport my children and their friends to and from school sporting events and dance. Last week the coolant light began coming on & off. Also, the temperature gauge began fluctuating between hot and cold, and there was no heat. The garage replaced the thermostat- $130.00. At the time there appeared to be no coolant mixing with the oil. I drove the van 3 miles to my home with no problems. The very next day while taking the children to school the same thing occurred. After returning the van to the garage, I got the devastating news that it appears to be a head gasket. My mechanic was in disbelief because I take such great care of my van. My day care parents are furious!! I still owe $7,000. on this van and I\’m making payments over $300.00 a month. I recently built a new home and do not have the funds for the repair. To make matters worse, two of my friends just purchased Venturesbased on my reccommendation! They are also considering unloading them ASAP. I was going to trade mine for a Warners Brothers model later this year. I sold a Jeep Cherokee with 100,000+ miles on it for $2000 so that I could get this van. The Jeep was running beautifully. GM is aware of this problem. There have been ongoing complaints. They need to stand behind their product and recall these vehicles for repair. This may very well be my last GM purchase. My friends, family, and buisness associates have all said that they will not purchase GM products if they choose to do nothing with my van! With modern technology, news spreads fast!! I am deeply disappointed with how GM is handling this situation. Please help. Greatfully, Marie Marion

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE LEFT BRAKE LAMP/BULB AT LEAST THREE TIMES AND THE RIGHT BRAKE LAMP/BULB ONCE. EACH TIME I HAVE REPLACED THE LAMPS/BULBS THE BASE OF THE LAMP/BULB HAVE BEEN CHARRED AND MELTED. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED, BOTH OF THEM WERE MELTED AND CHARRED, WHICH LEFT MY WIFE DRIVING WITH ONLY THE THIRD BRAKE LAMP WORKING. I AM CONCERNED THE MELTING/CHARRING COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE A FIRE. EVEN THOUGH THE LAMP/BULBS HAVE BEEN MELTED AND CHARRED, THE FUSE DID NOT BLOW. THE BULBS STILL WORKED IF I WIGGLED THEM AROUND TO GET CONTACT WITH THE BASE.

I bought the van used from a dealer. After purchasing, I noticed the transmission would jerk when making the final shift. This was between 45-60 m.p.h.I took it to get it serviced and they changed the torque converter. That solved the problem for about 2 weeks. Then the same thing started happening again.It will jerk continuously between 45-65 m.p.h. I have been told by my mechanic that he has seen this problem over and over again, in the Chevrolet Venture vans. He has advised that the only solution is a new transmission.

Headlight lens covers fall off. The factory glue used to seal them on dries up and lets go.

Engine-Intake manifold gasket failed showed up as overheating.Power Door motor died and continues to go out of synqEngine Cooling- Water pump failed, probably due to previous engine repair.Windshield wiper motor control intermittently worked usually not when you needed it. It would just shudder and not store properly

Engine required replacement because of a broken camshaft. Camshaft broke due to engine coolant leaks into engine via damaged intake manifold. Repair cost estimated at $5180. This incidence is similar to many cases reported by owners of vehicles (Venture, Montana, Grand Am, etc.) with either the 3.1L or 3.4L GM engine. There is no prior warning before engine failed, except for the Low coolant light turned on a while back. Coolant was topped off to recommended level at that time. Owner of these vehicles should visit http://www.gmintakeleak.com/ for more information.

Coolant loss due to failure of intake manifold gaskets. A G.M. known defect. Lost all coolant into oil pan,overheated engine. Unknown damage to main and rod bearings due to antifreeze in oil

Continuing problems with passenger sliding door not working. Sensors don’t appear to be working, and door no longer has power. Was brought in for recall 2 years ago.

Both headlamp lenses fell off within one week of eachother. Wreckers cannot get used replacements. Dealer knows of no warranty or recall. New will cost about $225 Canadian per side. My understanding is that this is a common fault.

Defective intake manifold gasket repaired 4-times reply directly to the constituent. *bf the dealer refused to repair the consumer's a/c until the manifold gasket was repaired. the vehicle transmission fluid burned and the pcv valve was gummed with dexcool. the serpentine was worn out. *nm

When driving and making left turns, the steering wheel locks up and owner could not control vehicle. *ak rack and pinion failed. after replacement, air bag light remains on. *tt

Our van suddenly overheated coming home from work a couple weeks ago and totally shut down. our dealership says that we need new gaskets and the heads are warped due to the engine getting so hot. there if oil in the coolant and boiled the coolant and overheated the engine!! we have only had our van for 11 months with no extended warranty and we know of a lot of other people having the same problem. gm has not so far done anything to help!!! our dealership has been very nice, but they say there is no recall at this time for this problem!!! sincerely. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering locked up on '97 venture van while being operated at 70 mph on a straight highway. vehicle had to be towed, rack and pinion and steering pump replaced.

Took foot off gas pedal, proceeded down the ramp, vehicle did not decrease speed, applied brake, motor continue to pull the vehicle, shut engine off to stop vehicle, due to steel cable inside the vinal covering had cut through the shield and held the cable fast, preventing the cable to release.

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. within less than 30 days of owning the vehicle, the service engine light and the coolant light randomly kept illuminating. the contact stated that the vehicle overheated. the mechanic was notified of the failure. the contact was awaiting the diagnostic results. the contact received no solution from the mechanic and was uncertain of what needed to be repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was not available.

Rear brake lamps keep failing, light bar on top works fine but both side rear brake lamps fail continuously. upon disassembly of brake light one can see the sockets and bulb contacts are melting. this van has already had the entire rear light assembly on each side replaced but problem is recurring. cleaning/sanding sockets works temporarily but problem returns within a couple of weeks. bulb replacement alone does not work. filaments in bulbs are not burnt out but contacts on bulbs and sockets are burnt. this only affects the circuit the brake light filament is on, the taillights (which share the same multifilament bulb) are not affected. upon further research it's quite apparent this is a problem very common across most or all model years of this van. this is a safety issue for the occupants - the lights can (and will) fail without notice leaving driver vulnerable to collisions from behind due to inadequate signaling. *tr

I bought 4 pep boys definity tires w road hasard total was 424.58 on 9/10/201. mileage was152156..yesterday 9/1/2011 ihad a blow out on l rear tire. the mileage was158180. they told me it would be pro rated,only 6,000 miles and it cost me 41.52 for another tire. it couldnt be fixed. what was the road hazzard for? ps they offered me a oil change as a settelment. i told them no thanks! *tr

1997 chevrolet venture, unit 1 was eastbound in the far right lane. the hood apparently was not latched properly, flew up and back, shattering the windshield. updated 04/04/2011 *bf (ohio traffic crash report #10-0175-90)*jb updated 04/22/11 *bf

1997 chevrolet venture, caught fire and became fully engulfed causing total damage. *bf according to the police report, the vehicle had engine trouble. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0318-89)*jb updated 09/13/10*bf

I have owned 3 chevy venture minivans over the past 10 years. all of them had the same problems, the signal and head lights go out, the window switch goes out and finally the head gasket goes. they run great until the day it starts overheating, then your out a vehicle. everyone i know who has a venture has had at least one of these problems with their vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. the contact stated that the antifreeze in her vehicle has corroded the radiator, water pump, thermostat, and intake valve. this is the coolant that was listed in the owner's manual and is always used in her vehicle. a recall was sent to chevrolet consumers, but it was not issued by nhtsa. the manufacturer stated that they could not assist with the repairs. the failure mileage was 122,000.

Needs replaced frontend hubs ,tierod,pinion repairs/recall this van needs a new owner!!! nothing but costly repairs chevy needs to recall all them ventures. *tr

General motors dex-cool ruined our cooling system in our 97 chevy venture. have had to replace entire cooling system and now crankshaft has gone bad. we have spent over $2000 in repairs. van started having problems at 80,000miles. van only has 110,000 miles. we are overwhelmed and extremely frustrated. we would have replace the coolant if we would have know about the problems the dex-cool caused. we feel we have been denied very important information in regards to maintaining our vehicle. consumers need to be made aware of the problems with dex-cool coolant!!!!!!! *tr

I have a 1997 chevrolet venture and i have had a lot of transmission problems since i bought it. i got the vehicle in 2003 used. the day i bought it the transmission failed. i had it taken to the dealer and watched them take a new transmission out of a crate and put it in. after that it was back in the shop 3 more times over the next year for problems. when i would go through a yield requiring me to speed up such as getting on the interstate it would rev up as if it were in neutral , almost causing me to get hit on several occasions. when i would take my foot off the gas and then try again it would grab and take off. all three times they rebuilt the whole transmission. now the shift sensors are going out and even the local dealer said this should not be happening at only 35,000 miles. even though the transmission is still under warranty, the dealer that put the transmission in has purged their system and my information was kicked out and i cannot find the original paperwork. what can i do to keep from having to pay for a defective internal transmission part that is expensive to have put in. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. the contact stated that the manufacturer was not going to honor the recall for the steering rack and pinion because her vin was not included. while making a right turn at 5 mph, the steering wheel locked. the failure occurs intermittently. according to the nhtsa manufacturer notices to dealers (etc rcmn-02v286-8630.pdf), the vin was included in the recall. the dealer stated that they could not find a recall for the steering rack and pinion. the powertrain and recall number were unknown. the current mileage was 160,000 and failure mileage was 100,197.

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. the contact stated that the front driver side headlight bulb continuously failed. the dealer repaired the bulb, however, the failure recurred. the dealer stated that the constant failure was due to moisture entering the fixture, which blew out the bulb and discolored the lens. no repairs were made. the current mileage was 98,000 and failure mileage was 20,000.

I bought my 97 venture a year ago, ended up getting a recall notice about 3 months later for the rear door handles. brought to dealer to have fixed, to find out other recalls weren't fixed. i had the steering recall done. well now not even a year later and it needs to be replaced again. i have 4 children under 6 yrs old and this vehicle is a safety hazard, im afraid to travel in it!! every turn be it right or left i feel the steering kind of pop and stick its scary i think gm needs to reevaluate its so called family safe vehicle and reimburse all of us owners!! *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the abs brakes failed to stop the vehicle while traveling 15 mph. the failure occurred 3 separate times. the service dealer and manufacturer were not notified. updated 12/05/06. *jb

1997 chevy venture ,power sliding passenger door the door pops open while driving.the dealer states door had been repaired once in 2002 and they are not responsible for further repaires on the latching of this door

Dt*: the contact stated occupants have been injured by the interior handle that opens the power sliding door causing occupants to get trapped by the door. a nhtsa recall, #04v597000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch however, the recall did not remedy the problem. the dealership would not offer a second repair without charge under the recall. the vehicle has been taken to the dealership for repairs four to five times.

My 1997 chevrolet venture vin [xxx], wipers would not park in correct position. i took it to a mechanic and he told me he found a campaign listed (97005 feb 97) for the problem. i then took it to the chevy dealer and was told my vehicle vin number was not included in the campaign. the dealer replaced the wiper crank arm because it was bent. this particular part was part of the campaign. it cost me $234.43 to get it repaired. the wipers used to park when it first started if you turned them on and off enough times. finally, they just started stopping where they were when you turned the vehicle off. this was over probably a years time period. i just found a repair invoice from mar 98 where we had taken in the van because wipers would not park. i feel my vehicle should be added to the campaign and should be covered and i should be reimbursed. *jb udated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

On 28 july 2003, the chevy dealership replaced the lower pinion bearing in my 97 chevy venture under a recall scheme. i should have taken it back in, since they left the vehicle with the steering offset to the right by about 15 degrees, but it was such a hassle dealing with them that i didn't bother. around the start of february 2006, i started to experience intermittent problems when steering to the right. it was as if the power steering wasn't working. when i drive the van, i have to be constantly prepared to wrestle the wheel with both arms, although the fault is still intermittent. i have yet to raise the matter with the dealership, but note that there are many similar accounts, although mostly relating to steering to the left, for similar 97 ventures and other gm vehicles. *jb

Had head gasket replaced last year. recently the van stalled and was told that anti-freeze had been leaking into the cylinders, and i needed a new engine. was also told that the new engine not only could but would have this same problem at some point. was also told that this is a common problem among these vehicles.*ak

Dt: the contact stated the plastic covers on the headlights were glued and not bolted onto the vehicle. when the glue wore out water got inside the headlights, and the plastic popped off, causing the halogen light bulb to burn out. the dealer and manufacturer offered no free remedy. the vehicle has not been repaired. *ak

Dt: the contact stated the vehicle was parked for approximately 30 minutes and busted into flames. the fire started in the driver's side door panel. the fire department was called to extinguish the vehicle. the fire inspector determined it was an electrical fire. the vehicle was still at her residence. *ak

This happened twice the first time the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. i replaced this at a cost of 25.00, luckily it was covered under my extended warranty. the second time this happened was in july of 2003 i had just gotten onto to the highway with my two 5 year old daughters suddenly the car just slowed down as if to stall white smoke everywhere.. it turned out to be the manifold gasket again but this time the engine went and i had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4400.00. my mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. more of a warranty than gm gave me. i will never buy american gm products again. the second time it occurred, i was only 1,000 miles over on my extended warranty, but not yet up on the years and gm and the company offering an extended warranty didn't do anything to help me out. gm refused to help out at all. *jb

Dt: the caller bought a vehicle and found out about a recall before he got the vehicle. the recalled part was the steering rack bearing. he was told the repair was done. he says the vehicle was hard to turn when turning right. he will not let his wife drive the vehicle anymore because she could not turn the steering wheel. he thought the replacement part was faulty. dealer said they might not do the work for free. manufacturer said they would pay the repair costs, the first time he called, if it was the part in question. the second time they said they would not. *ak *jb

Dt: the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. the headlight covers came off of the vehicle. it costs $178.00 plus tax for each of the headlight covers to be repaired. about six month ago one of the headlight covers came off, and a couple of days ago, the other headlight cover came off. the entire headlight assembly has to be replaced to correct the problem. the gm manufacturer told her that this was the first time that he heard of this problem. also, the contact had automatic transmission problems. the transmission slipped. the first time it got stuck in second gear. the transmission was replaced twice. the first time at only 26,000 miles, and the second time at 26,100 miles. both times was replaced under warranty. after the second transmission was replaced it had only 78,000 miles on it. while on vacation and driving on the interstate the transmission quit. had to coast off to the side of the road. that transmission was replaced with a modified transmission, and as of right now, the problem did not recur. all the dealerships that the contact checked to get a new transmission said that there where no transmissions around because they were redesigning all of the transmissions. the vehicle was towed home. she contacted gm manufacturer, and they would not do anything about it because the vehicle had over 100,000 miles. *ak

The front headlamps on the 1997-2004 chevrolet, pontiac, & oldsmobile vans do not release moisture from the capsule causing the light to glaze over time. i have replaced front lights twice since owning the vehicle. the glaze on the headlights dramatically reduces your visibility at night to see what is out there, potentially able to cause an accident. *jb

Driving home from work and the accelerator got stuck in the open position. car was at full throttle and continuing to accelerate into traffic ahead. continued placing the car in neutral, braking, and putting it back in drive until i could pull over to a safe spot. very dangerous situation. accelerator cable has been replaced, but don't know if damage has occurred to the transmission.

The seat belt clasp on the middle bench seat has come apart, preventing the seat belt from safely connecting and staying connected.

The seat belts did not work, they were defective. took vehicle to the dealer three times, but they wanted consumer to pay for it. consumer felt that manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs. also, the sliding door motor on 1997 chevrolet venture is defective. consumer paid for repairs 3 different times, but it kept breaking.*ak passenger side window switch failed. wiper module shorted out. the vehicle abs light illuminated. the dealer found a bad connection at the ebcm. also found both traction bulbs were missing. *nm

Intake gasket leaking coolant in my van not to mention the many problems i have had with the lights on this van, so now i am having to sink another $500 into this van to get the part first mentioned just so my motor won't blow up.*ak

The rear air ride pump continues to inflate rear shocks more often and also runs when the van is off the kills the battery. connected air pump in the left rear under the van and replaced rear air shocks with aftermarket non air shocks.*ak

Vehicle was leaking antifreeze into the engine. when taking the oil cap off there is a milky mix. manufacturer offered no assistance.*ak

My vehicle a 1997 chevy venture, suddenly lost power while cruising on the highway. the temp light came on and i pulled off the highway. luckily it happened to be the dealerships exit and i pulled right in to the service bay. they tell me i have a blown head gasket. when they took the engine apart the service manager allowed me to see the engine. the coolant channels are coated with a brown gummy substance and the cylinders were full of coolant. the service manager was given a sample of the substance and said he will give it to the gm rep when he comes in later this week. cost will top $2500. previously i replaced the intake manifold gasket and the water pump. this seems like faulty gaskets or coolant i don't know which. i'm just glad it didn't strand me out somewhere away from town. *nm

Steering rack broke. driving down highway steering wheel can assume positions anywhere between 10 to 2 o'clock while still going straight. steering action is not positive. at turns, more steering movement is needed and vehicle does not response as before. found out there is a recall nhtsa #02v286000 for the steering rack lower pinion bearings that the dealer would replace the lower pinion bearing or replace the steering rack. we took the car in 5/28/05 for this recall and i believe the lower pinion bearing was replaced. contacted chevrolet customer service 1/17/05. told to have car inspected by dealer. lannan chevrolet confirmed that damage is inside steering rack and it needs to be replaced. talked with chevrolet customer service 1/20/05, they decline responsibility for the current problem and said that it is due to "wear and tear". he blamed it on other things such as hydraulic hose leak. the hydraulic hose has been "wet" since the early days (1 or 2 years) after we purchased the car. the leak is not significant and the level has been checking every 1-2 week. we believe this current problem is a safety defect and the work done for the steering rack recall did not correct the underlining problem. either there are additional steering rack defects or internal damage had already been done. *jb

The plastic covers of the headlights on the 1997 chevy venture are glued on. water gets inside the unit and the plastic pops off, then the lights burn out. this is the 5th time i have replaced them at the cost of $185.00 per light.*ak

After the vehicle came from the car wash, both front headlights failed to illuminate. consumer noticed both headlight lens were missing. the dealer was notified. the dealer informed the consumer that part was not covered under a recall.

While the vehicle was parked consumer noticed that the srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. this caused the horn to become inoperative. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. *ak. vehicle wa srecalled for steering rack and pinion replacement. after it was replaced the air bag light came on and couldn't be reset, the sensor unit shorted out and burne dall tail lights. consumer talked to several people who had the same problem. consumer claimed he was 68 years of age and was told that vehicle couldn't be driven without air bags being used in which case they were wrong.consumer drives about 3000 miles per week as a delivery person for a furnace company and alway used seat belts. *ak

While driving a fire stared in the tail light on driver's side of the vehicle, very near the gas tank. inspector stated that it was a dead short. consumer contacted chevrolet, and they were willing to do pay the sum that vehicle was worth. *ak

While driving, the right side view mirror fell completely off. the seat belt was damaged on the second row passenger side. the head light covers continuously fell off. the consumer had to replace the bulbs constantly. the consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic to have the tires changed and was told the tire rod was bent and that it could not be fixed. please provide any further information.

Defective intake manifold gasket repaired 4-times reply directly to the constituent. *bf the dealer refused to repair the consumer's a/c until the manifold gasket was repaired. the vehicle transmission fluid burned and the pcv valve was gummed with dexcool. the serpentine was worn out. *nm

After starting the vehicle in driveway a burnt odor was smelled followed by black smoke. within a few minutes the vehicle caught on fire from under the dashboard. local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. *ak black smoke came gushing out by the airbag. soon after the dash board exploded in flames. explosion caused all the windows to blow out. vehicle was a total loss as flames engulfed the entire body. *tc

While driving coolant warning light illuminated. the dealership repaired the problem once, but the consumer was still having the same problems. *ak. consumer no longer owns this vehicle. *ak

While driving, the vehicle shut down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the camshaft sensor was defective. the manufacturer stated that they will reimburse for part of the repair. *jb

On september 4, 2004 consumer received a recall 02049 from the manufacturer concerning rack and pinion failure. , prior to receiving the recall letter, consumer had already fixed the vehicle. consumer called the manufacturer to obtain reimbursement, and they indicated they won't honor the recall. *ak

While driving between 65-70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. when this occurred the vehicle lost power steering and brakes. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic. the mechanic performed a diagnostic test which indicated that the engine had locked. the engine has to be taken apart to identify what caused the lock. the oil pan was full when this incident occurred. *jb

While driving a squeaking noise was heard coming from the front. consumer was making a left turn, and the steering wheel failed to move. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the steering wheel belt needed to be replaced. *ak

Failure of manifold gasket and subsequent failure of the water pump caused coolant light to flicker on and off and. there was some driveability problems. dealer noted that this failure was quite common, but not warrantied. the best part was it failed on consumer's birthday, what a gift.*ak

(1) car started making knocking noise and then quit in the middle of traffic. (2) the intake manifold gasket failed causing engine coolant to leak into the engine oil. this coolant in the oil ruined the engine bearings and main journal. this caused the engine to quit running in the middle of traffic. (3) the vehicle was brought to a chevrolet dealership and a complete new engine had to be installed. *ak

The campaign 02049 was completed on 30 april 2003 the dealer replaced the power steering bearing. the vehicle steering slowly became stiff and gave resistance in may 2004 when turning or making steering corrections. i took it to the dealer in june or july as it was getting worse. on the way to the dealer it required a lot of exertion to steer. the dealer informed me the rack and pinion failed and needed replaced. i asked about the recall to check the gear and if it would be covered under that recall. he stated no not related. after the repair the vehicle was behaving erratically on the road. steering corrections were sloppy you had to move it left or right 3 or more inches to turn. i took it back to the dealer he had some adjustment done and the steering seemed fine. only now a groaning clunk upon turns and acceleration. i waited a few days then a component fell from the underside onto my driveway. i took the vehicle back again and voiced my concerns over the component and the noise. the dealer said they could not duplicate the noise and that the component was no problem only a loose wire bracket. i asked to speak to the mechanic and drove around to show him the noise. he heard the noise and would be able to duplicate it. next the service writer told me the strut brackets needed to be replaced. i requested the mechanic to inspect the struts for damage from the faulty strut brackets and let me know if they needed to be replaced. the service writer called and said the struts were in need of replacement. i had purchased lifetime replacement from firestone so i had it put back together and i paid for the repairs and drove over to firestone to have the struts replaced. the mechanic at firestone said the struts were fine but replaced them anyway. the only abnormality the firestone mechanic noted was that the strut springs were not properly seated. after the strut replacement the same noise was present. it is still being repaired. not sure of the start original date). *ak

Vehicle stalled while driving. also, coolant was leaking from the intake manifold gasket. this could be related to what was causing the vehicle to stall. dealership will be contacted. *ak *nm

When making a right hand turn power steering failed. as a result, vehicle was thrown into oncoming traffic. dealer stated that rack and pinion malfunctioned. no impact was reported. *ak

The paint has peeled off and yet gm canada claims no problem and refuses to hear our complaint let alone acknowledge it yet we can see for ourselves on this site the u.s. acknowledgement! the floorboard cracked under the driver's seat and it's been a day and we have yet to hear from our local retailer!

The following is a letter sent to gmc on 1/18/03. gmc did not do a thing to help out with the defect. note that [xxx] is the owner of the vehicle. my name is [xxx] - his son - i am filing the complaint on his behalf. ----- sir / madam: due to a significant manufacturer's defect in my gmc venture, i was forced into a dangerous situation where i could have been seriously injured. at an intersection on hastings street - one of the busier streets in vancouver - my vehicle unexpectedly stalled leaving me helpless, without power. several mechanics assessed my minivan concluding that, for no normally expected reason, the camshaft snapped in half, rendering the vehicle inoperable and causing significant, irreparable damage to the engine block. attached to this letter is an analysis of the engine failure conducted by a mechanic with 23 years of experience. having purchased five new exclusively gm vehicles in the past, specifically a pontiac sedan, a pontiac station wagon, a chevrolet van, an oldsmobile calais supreme and my present venture minivan (wolfe chevrolet oldsmobile, vancouver), i consider myself a loyal gm customer. being a lifetime gm customer i'm disappointed and surprised by the extent and magnitude of my minivan failure. i realize that the warranty has expired, but i believe it to be completely unreasonable for a camshaft to snap after only 5 years of light to moderate use. as such, i feel it is only fair and reasonable that gmc, being consumer minded, reimburse me for this manufacturing defect. the total cost for repairs is ~ $4600. please contact me at [xxx] or [xxx] to discuss further. sincerely, [xxx] vin: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Our van suddenly overheated coming home from work a couple weeks ago and totally shut down. our dealership says that we need new gaskets and the heads are worped due to the engine getting so hot. there if oil in the coolant and boiled the coolant and overheated the engine!! we have only had our van for 11 months with no extended warranty and we know of a lot of other people having the same problem. gm has not so far done anything to help!!! our dealership has been very nice, but they say there is no recall at this time for this problem!!! sincerely. mike and tracey porter

I have firestone p215-70r15, fr680 tires on my 97 chevy venture van. the tires have around 50k on them. still plenty of tread. two months ago a 5 inch piece of the right front tire ripped off the tire. knowing about the tire problem i contacted firestone and they sent me to their "service center" where he told me that it was my fault no the tires. two weeks later on a trip to orlando a 9 inch piece of tire ripped of my left front tire. needing a tire i also replaced that one. the straw that broke the camels back is on saturday 5.15 my wife and one year old twin girls were driving down the highway to gainsville, fl and the "whole" tread on the back left tire ripped off. only by the grace of god did she keep control of the van and got off the highway. the police officer that helped her said she was very luckly to not have been in an accident. the tire tread messed up the side of the van and tore off part of the back bumper.

In march 03, i noticed that the van did not have heat. the van was taken to highland chevrolet, aurora ontario for recall work and we asked that they check the no heating problem! the no heat was diagnosed as a problem with the intake manifold gaskets. at the time of replacement the van had 59274 kilometers (37000 miles) on it. the van was repaired with newly designed gaskets that came out in november 2002. the van still did not have heat and the air conditioning was no longer working after the above repair. the van was returned to the dealer, who rechecked the van and stated that the cabin filters were blocked. they took the cabin filters out and told us to try the van for a couple of days. this did not work and van still did not have heat or a/c. the van was returned to the dealership again , we addressed our complaints with the service manager, who agreed to take the van back in for a third time . this time they back flushed the heater and heater now works moderately better. service manager informed that there was a build up of grunge, which was preventing the heater from working . as for the a/c that still does not work, we were told that there are pin hole leaks in the pipe that runs under the van .this pipe operates the rear air. we were also told that there is leak with the end seal on the tie rod, which causes power steering fluid to leak. to date we have not had these items repaired. in july the headlight lens cover came off! i sent a registered letter to mr. grimaldi, president g.m. canadian division, asking for full reimbursement. i also talked about the tsb that was released for the 1999 vans with the same problem that essentially extended the warranty coverage for vans with less than 80,000 kilometers . verna, a customer service representative telephoned me in response to my correspondence. however she indicated that gm did not see it as a problem but told me to hang onto my receipts. we purchased our van brand new in august 1997.

When the car is runing for more that one hr the engine light come on, when i stop and try to leave the car is moved with loss of drive. i change new transmission from the same date, but nothing changed,every time the light come on the reading in the computer scaner, always is a fault in the transmission and the shop can't find anything wrong in the transmission. the shop just reset the light. they don't know what's the problem.

While driving/paring both frontal plastic headlight lenses detached from the vehicle. mechanic repaired the problem three times, but problem recurred. *ak

Two months ago i took my chevrolet venture(with 53,000 miles)to a certified chevrolet repair shop complaing that the low coolant light was on, and that my van was experiencing a loss of power. after having my car in the shop for 8 days i was told that they couldn't find any problems. i was charged 153.00 for the diagnostic test and an oil change. a week ago my car started to overheat. i again took the van to the shop. i was told that i need a brand new engine at a cost of $5,000. i just finished paying off this $27,000 van. now it is worthless. i don,t understand. to add insult to injury i can not role up my window on the drivers side, as the power switch has failed

Manifold gasket leak

This truck is a 1997 model i purchased in may 1998 from tom taylor chevrolet in martin, tennessee. within 3 months i had to take the truck back (before the 6-month warrenty inspection) because the transmission would not pull the truck. since then i've had intermittent problems with the transmission including transmission will not engage, even at stop signs, with accelerator pressed down and at increased rpm's. have to shift manually. transmission jerks when shifting and will not sheft into overdrive. this has nearly got me injured or killed at a busy intersection.

This all started in dec of 2002, the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. i replaced this at a cost of 850.00. after reading all the complaints on this from other websites i decided to write the bbb also who wrote back stating not gms fault since they have not had any complaints. thats a lie, because there is a thousand of them on the internet including a petition-on-line. anyway though, after only one month after i fixed the manifold gasket the engine went anyway and since i still have a large "balance due" on the car i had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4300.00. my mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. more of a warranty than gm gave me. i also want to note that before i got the gasket replaced, i went to the chevrolet dealership i bought the van from...he didnt even look under the engine but knew immediately that i had this gasket problem and offered me only $1000.00 for the van for a trade in...he knew we still owed 7000.00 on it. i will never buy american gm products again.

Engine required replacement because of a broken camshaft. camshaft broke due to engine coolant leaks into engine via damaged intake manifold. repair cost estimated at $5180. this incidence is similar to many cases reported by owners of vehicles (venture, montana, grand am, etc.) with either the 3.1l or 3.4l gm engine. there is no prior warning before engine failed, except for the low coolant light turned on a while back. coolant was topped off to recommended level at that time. owner of these vehicles should visit http://www.gmintakeleak.com/ for more information.

Over the past year the low coolant light has been coming on. recently i noticed coolant on the floor of my garage so i decided to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. leaking intake manifold gasket and possible lifter problems. i have also had to have the brakes replaced a couple of times and have had the vehicle in for several recall related issues. a web site has been set up to petition gm to recall this issue http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1 .

Intake manifold failed on van. vehicle became hot quickly and stopped running. had chevy dealer replace intake. vehicle still overheats. problem has not been resolved after spending over $1100.00. i appears that this is a very common problem with the 3.1, 3.4 and 3.8 gm motors. very dissappointed in this product.

Own a 97 chevy venture during an oil change was told i had coolant in my oil, so i took van to a local chevy dealer. they informed my the intake gasket was bad and had to be replaced at a cost of 975.00, this was done and no mention was ever made that there could also be engine damage due to this leak. five months later i was driving down a busy street during 5 o'clock rush hour traffic taking my sick child to the doctor when all of a sudden the oil light came on and i lost all power, i had to leave the vehicle in the curb side lane, get my sick child out and walk to a phone to call my spouse to come get us and the vehicle mind you this was late september and it was chilly outside. we had the vehicle towed to a local chevy dealer (the same one that diagnosed the gasket leak) who told me they did not know what was wrong with the vehicle and that it would be cheaper to replace the motor than to find out what happened, at a cost between $3000.00 to $5200.00 depending on what type of replacement motor i wanted, not being comfortable with this repsonse i had the vehicle taken to a different dealer, who at least could tell that the intake gasket had been replaced, but unfortunatly gave the same result replace motor. i did not have the funds to do this so the vehicle is parked in my garage and of no use to me. i had to go and replace the vehicle.

On 11/18/2003 i took my 1997 chevrolet venture van, with 64,000 miles, to my service shop telling them i was getting a fluid leak on my driveway looking like a mixture of oil and anti-freeze. i was told it was my intake manifold gaskets and also that i could have engine damage as a result. it turns out i did have engine damage and now may need to replace my engine. this shouldn't happen with so few miles. chevrolet should back their product.*ak

I purchased a 1997 chevrolet venture in 8/2000. the van had 19,000 miles and i paid 17,900. i am the second owner, and the van has received regular maintenance. i use the van to transport my day care children to their schools. i also use it to transport my children and their friends to and from school sporting events and dance. last week the coolant light began coming on & off. also, the temperature gauge began fluctuating between hot and cold, and there was no heat. the garage replaced the thermostat- $130.00. at the time there appeared to be no coolant mixing with the oil. i drove the van 3 miles to my home with no problems. the very next day while taking the children to school the same thing occurred. after returning the van to the garage, i got the devastating news that it appears to be a head gasket. my mechanic was in disbelief because i take such great care of my van. my day care parents are furious!! i still owe $7,000. on this van and i'm making payments over $300.00 a month. i recently built a new home and do not have the funds for the repair. to make matters worse, two of my friends just purchased venturesbased on my reccommendation! they are also considering unloading them asap. i was going to trade mine for a warners brothers model later this year. i sold a jeep cherokee with 100,000+ miles on it for $2000 so that i could get this van. the jeep was running beautifully. gm is aware of this problem. there have been ongoing complaints. they need to stand behind their product and recall these vehicles for repair. this may very well be my last gm purchase. my friends, family, and buisness associates have all said that they will not purchase gm products if they choose to do nothing with my van! with modern technology, news spreads fast!! i am deeply disappointed with how gm is handling this situation. please help. greatfully, marie marion. *ak

This is a follow up of acomplaint filed on 3/10/1997. after several conversations with chevy corp. they have advised me that they will offer no assistance in repairing my venture. the dealership has advised me that repairs will cost a minimum of $2000. add this to the $7500 that i still owe and i will owe $9500 on this van. i am amazed by the denial of chevy corp. with all of the complaints by consumers who have blown head gaskets from dex coolant. i am asking that someone please investigate this matter!! this should not have happened with only 75,000 miles on this van. that's an average of 12,000 miles per year, and i have doccumented proof of regular maintenance. i have also had problems with the brakes, sliding door, seat latches, and electrical problems with power windows. i will never by another gm product again!!*ak

My chevy venture with 95,000 miles, with no prior warning, rather suddenly overheated and stalled as i was pulling it over on the interstate. thankfully there was a level, grassy shoulder so i could pull all the way off the road, as the heavy truck traffic was quite intimidating. this was in maine, on a very cold day, and i was alone with my 4 small children, about 45 minutes from home. tow truck driver couldn' t take all of us, and there were no taxi cabs. thank god one of my friends with a van (ford!) was able to come get us. we had to wait in the cab of the tow truck for 45 minutes for my friend to come from home to where we were stranded. got the van back from the dealership with a $2800 repair bill (apparently we got off easy, usually more engine damage is sustained in this kind of thing) diagnosis: failure of intake manifold gasket (which dealership admits is a "design flaw", resulting in these problems for too many owners) resulting in a flooding of engine with antifreeze, sudden temperature change warping the head. if this is such a common problem, i wish it had been recalled for a replacement before this incident. chevy needs to know that its minivan products are almost always driven by moms with large families who cannot afford (financially or safety-wise) to break down so dramatically and without warning. my children and i were terrified that day--if it had stalled 5 seconds sooner, we would not have made it off the road. thank you. marcia hyde. *jb

Van taken for service for complaints of engine overheating and temperature gauge going up and causing temperature (hot) and service engine soon indicator lamps to come on. the van never warms up either. the van was diagnosed by gm technician indicating repairs of leaking lower intake manifold gasket, replacement of lower intake gasket thermostat and oil pump drive seal. cylinder #2 misfire with installation of new spark plugs and wires, pcv valve, air filter, fuel filter and cleaning of fuel injectors. the van didn't get 1.5 miles from the service facility after my almost $1600 payment before the same problems resurfaced. the car was taken back and after being serviced again with no new diagnosis, i drove the van all of 20 miles before the engine overheated again. the van was taken back for the second time after initial service, all within a one-week timeframe. now, the van has been diagnosed as having head failure. gm needs to stand behind its work the first time and not try to charge the consumer more the third time for the same problem.

From about 40000 milesproblems with the temp gauge indicating engine running hot when in fact it never was and coolant was adequate mechanic never able to figure out 60000 intake manifold replaced 90000 miles engine losing power and stalling engine block cracked possible and head gasket. brakes noisy with a grinding feel in the pedal lights on dash on & off abs and coolant low when no problem exists! car pulls to left and hard to steer in a puddle horn almost impossible to activate. directional and hazard lights flash when brakes applied. *ak

Mechanic informed me that i will soon need my intake manifold gasket replaced because that is why i have an oil leak they cannot stop. i pad a lot of money for a diagnostic to determine the oil leak. and have been charged for so many oil changes because of the diagnostic tests etc. i was told there is a techniocal service bullitin re. this problem but i think it should be a recall based on my research of this widespread problem.*ak

Coolant lost 3.4 litre g.m. engine. failure of intake manifold gaskets causing overheating and engine repair. *jb

Consumer experienced a blow out on the front right tire (ohio traffic crash report). *ph *nm

Consumer complained about a multitude of problems: 1. headlights came on and off intermittently; 2. when hitting a bump in the road, headlights came on; 3. engine overheated due to leaking radiator , and 4. electrical problems, such as ignition and power door locks malfunctioned regularly. *ak the vehicle was hard to start. the door panels were loose. the windshield leaked. the anti theft alarm malfunctioned. rear window washer malfunctioned. *nm

Consumer's son got entangled in the seat belt which then tightened around his waist/lower abdomen. *ph although the release button was press the seat belt would not unlatch. the consumer was forced to cut the seat belt to alleviate the pain it was causing to the child. the consumer request that the seat belt be replaced free of charge. *nm

1997 chevrolet venture van replaced power steering pump and rack pinion steering, writer question if his vehicle is included with recalled campaign id number 02v286000. *ph *mr *sc *jb.

I own a repair shop, my wifes van just started to over heat. opon me testing the engine i could not find the problem- because of years of working on engines i decided to change the head gaskets only to find cracks in both heads from the plug hole to the valve -this is definitly a design flaw head do not just crack nor do they do it in the same place, i beleive alot of coolant problems with these engine 3.4 v6 will be traced to the heads ,i could not find the problem by doing a presure test but once the heads were out there it was..1997 chevy venture

I have a 1997 chevrolet venture van. there was a problem with my power sliding door working improperly and opening on its own. there was a recall of the door during that time and the door was "fixed" by the dealership. the door continued to malfunctioned several times after that and was taken back to the dealer several times for repair under the recall. unfortunately, with three small children and a full time job, i could not continue to take the van to the dealer to correct the problem. the door kept opening itself after being closed and then would blow the fuse and only operate manually. for fear of the safety of my children, i left the door operate manually and gave up on the power aspect of the door. the door is very difficult to open maually and requires a great deal of strength. now, two years later, i contacted gm on the matter and they sent me back to the dealership(sylvester chevrolet of peckville pa. ) and they "diagnosed" the problem as being unrealted to the recall. i do not believe this and feel that were the last ones to do any work on the door(recall) and it broke shortly after they"fixed"the recall. the dealer and gm are telling me that the repairs will cost $850 to fix. i feel any damage to the door was as a result of this recall and their inability to correct it. the dealer and gm have told me hey can offer me no help in this matter and if i want the door fixed, to pay for it. i know have to pay $350 for them just to put my van back together with no reapirs and the door still not working. do i have any recourse in this matter?? thank you, tammy pitsman

While driving the consumer notice that the low coolant indicator light and the check oil light started flashing. the consumer checked the oil and noticed water in the oil system. the vehicle was serviced and the technician indicated that the vehicle needed and intake gasket. *nm

We own a 1997 chevy venture and i am fearful that i will be stranded on the side of the road with my children because the transmission light keeps coming on and we already had to replace the head gasket. this nearly happened at october of 2003. now there is a ticking noise. this has been in the shop many times. we bought the vehicle new and have had nothing but trouble. *la

Vehicle requires excessive force to steer to the right, followed by unintended power assist to steer to the left. this is after recall campaign number 02v286000 (02049) was accomplished on 03/19/03 @ 103819 miles. *cb

Summer of 2003 abs light came on and with depressing brake pedal, the pedal traveled to the floor with little or no braking action. loud shutter and vibrations were felt from the wheels. road conditions were dry. service facility found faulty abs sensor, cost $580.00. now the problem has come back. little or no braking with abs light illuminating all the time. *cb

I am the owner of a 1997 venture chevrolet van that i purchased in may of 1997. i have several concerns after reviewing your web site. first, i just charged on my credit card almost $2,000 (december 2003) to fix the rack and pinion steering and to replace the power steering pump. there was a recall in november 2002 that i was not notified for the rack and pinion. second, i have just learned that there is a recall related to the power pump steering. it is not by chance that both of these items have malfunctioned on my vehicle. i have experienced the exertion on more pressure to make turns and this is some of the issues that are related to the recall. i can not give a specific date of the incidents when the issues first started but it is fair to say it started sometime in 2003. what procedures should i follow to get these charges taken off of my credit card? since i paid for or is charged to my credit card, i can not get the repairs free. if you would like to have a copy of bills - please let me know. also, i had an issue with the leaking of break fluid in 2001. after viewing your web site it appears that this could have been caused by another defect. i do not think it is just by chance the three major repairs that i have paid for on my vehicle are recalls from your organization. *la

I have a manifold gasket failure that makes it necessary to replace the engine. this vehicle only has 50,000 miles. at this point we were told no help from gm. from looking at complaints i see this is not the only problem. gm should be made to fix this problem on all affected vehicles. it is obviously a manufacturing problem. *la

I own a 1997 chevrolet venture van. recently discovered engine coolant was leaking internally and externally at the intake manifold because of a failed gasket and dexcool engine coolant. water pump was leaking also. when i discovered this problem i began to search for the root of the problem on the internet and found a petition located at http://www.petitiononline.com/gmcnsmrs/ that contained almost 5000 gm owners who have experienced the same problem. on other sites i found that some people were put in harms way by the failure of this gasket and the subsequent damage caused to their automobile engines at inopportune times. the gasket has been redesigned but at some point last year (2003) it was on back order for weeks at a time. after repairs and approximately 100 miles of travel my "service engine soon" light has now come on. i am requesting an investigation into the failure of these gaskets, the damage caused by use of dexcool coolant, and subsequent mechanical failure of gmc engines. *ak

Loss of power steering led to the death of driver's infant daughter as stated by the consumer's lawyer. *la while driving the vehicle's steering locked up. the consumer lost control of the vehicle which then ran off the road and struck a tree. in january 2003 the manufacturer issued a recall for the vehicle's rack and pinion. *nm

When making a turn at 15 mph steering wheel made a loud grinding noise, and then locked up. with enough force consumer was able to unlock the steering wheel. dealership was notified, but was unable to resolve the problem.*ak

When turning the steering wheel towards the right steering wheel locked, causing the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. consumer took vehicle to the dealership to be inspected. *ak

Transmission jerks and bucks when shifting into over drive, and continues doing this. had torque converter changed, fixed problem for 2 weeks. then started doing the same jerking condition. *la

The intake gaskets on my wife's 1997 chevrolet venture failed, leaving her and my two daughters stranded on the interstate. *ak

My chevrolet 1997 venture suddenly overheated on my way home from work and the van died. when i did get home i let it set and noticed the coolant was low, which it was never before. check if often as per the manual. had it towed to our dealership and now the gaskets are ruined and the heads are worped due to the engine getting so hot!!! there is oil in the coolant!! $1,200.00 in repairs which we don't have!! gm will do nothing. have only had the van for 1 year. no warning lights came on it just happened suddenly!! *ak

While driving at any speed and without warning engine would stall, causing the consumer to pull over. dealer stated that intake manifold cracked, and coolant went inside the engine.*ak

Our 1997 chevy venture van with 65,000 miles on it just lost its second engine in less than two years. my wife and i are the original owners, and it began at 50 something thousand miles when the dealer stated the head gasket leaked and the engine had damage from the coolant. now, on nov 18th, 2003 the engine died and the mechanics say that it is the cam shaft undoubtedly from the original coolant damage. information from the internet would indicate that this is a well known problem. two engines in less than two years and i still owe on the loan. *la

Fuel pump failed with only 65,000 miles on the car.*ak

While driving at 30 mph and without warning engine would stall, causing the consumer to pull over. also, brakes were not working properly. *ak

While driving at any speed passenger's sliding door intermittently opens on its own. vehicle had been at dealer ten times for repairs. *ak

Travelling ~40 mph, applied brake, engine stalled. restarted immediately. proceeded one quarter mile, applied brake to turn right, engine stalled, restarted immediately. repeated multiple times. took to independent mechanic; could reproduce problem but not locate source. took to dealer: unable to reproduce problem. *ak

Nhtsa recall 02-v-286-000 mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. these and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape. this recall failed. the dealer was notified.*ak *cb

1997 venture 3.4l v6 engine (37,000 mi), engine abruptly stopped while vehicle is running (one lane each way with middle turn lane). complete loss of engine power, power steering, and power brakes. problem traced to a well known problem withthese engines (3.1l and 3.4l v6) having internal coolant leakage that causes camshaft to break. luckily, no other vehicle was following and i was able to pull off the road safely. just worry that others may not be as fortunate.

Description : i bought a used 1997 chevrolet venture from the norwood group in warwick, ri back in sept 2002. approximately 5 weeks ago i began experiencing overheating problems. i took the vehicle to pep boys in warick, ri for a diagnostic thinking that it was the thermostat. they ran the test and came back with an engine problem, and advised me to take the vehicle back to the dealership. i did this and the service dept at norwood informed me that there was a problem with the intake manifold gasket. after having my vehicle for two weeks they repaired that and when taking it for a test drive before returning it to me, they decided that i now had a throttle body problem. fixed that and two weeks later the vehicle started to smell strongly of gas. again i took it to pep boys where another diagnostic was run and it was determined that the fuel injector, intake manifold and the fuel injector kit had to be replaced. back to norwood i go....norwood assumed a portion of this repair but it still cost me a lot more money than it should have considering they had just done this work.less than 48 hours after getting my vehicle back, while on the road and 120 miles away from home the vehicle caught fire from underneath. oil is sprayed all over the vehicle's exterior,the engine and undercarriage. i had to pay to have the vehicle towed back to norwood. the engine appears to be seized up and will not turn over. i am extremely disappointed over the performance of this vehicle, the dealership and the cash outlay i am having forced upon me. i want to know what can be done in the way of recourse.*ak

The intake manifold failed and needs to be replace, along with the water pump. in addition, there is a problem with the rear braking system causing the abs and traction contol system not to work. last month the transmission needed to be replaced. *ak

My 1997 chevrolet venture was in the driveway no one in it and not running when the passenger air bag suddenly deployed. i was told it was a wiring defect and would cost more than the car was worth to fix it!! apparently water got into the wire harness. how is this my fault? thank god my kids were not in the car!!!*ak

I have had to replace the left rear brake lamp in my 1997 chevrolet venture van a total of three times and the right rear once. after removing the bulbs, i noticed the base of the bulbs were charred and melted. i have serious concerns about the charring/melting eventually causing a fire. if the bulb assembly is pulling enough power to melt the base, shouldn't the fuse blow? the last incident occurred when my wife was driving home after work when another motorist told her she had no brake lights. after i checked the van, i determined that both brake lamps were charred and melted. i have not checked any of the other bulbs yet, but noticed another complaint had been filed about the bulbs melting/fusing to the socket. *ph

I bought a used 97 chevrolet venture from the norwood group in warwick, ri back in sept 2002. approximately 5 weeks ago i began experiencing overheating problems. i took the vehicle to pep boys in warick, ri for a diagnostic thinking that it was the thermostat. they ran the test and came back with an engine problem and advised me to take the vehicle back to the dealership. i did this and the service dept at norwood informed me that there was a problem with the intake manifold gasket. after having my vehicle for two weeks they repaired that and when taking it for a test drive before returning it to me they decided that i now had a throttle body problem. fixed that and two weeks later the vehicle started to smell strongly of gas. again i took it to pep boys where another diagnostic was run and it was determined that the fuel injector, intake manifold and the fuel injector kit had to be replaced. back to norwood i go....norwood assumed a portion of this repair but it still cost me a lot more money than it should have considering they had just done this work.less than 48 hours after getting my vehicle back, while on the road and 120 miles away from home the vehicle caught fire from underneath. oil is sprayed all over the vehicle's exterior,the engine and undercarriage. i had to pay to have the vehicle towed back to norwood. the engine appears to be seized up and will not turn over. i am extremely disappointed over the performance of this vehicle, the dealership and the cash outlay i am having forced upon me. i want to know what can be done in the way of recourse.

1997 chevrolet venture tranmission failure. *ak

Consumer states intake manifold has failed. dealer notified. *ak

The consumer stated the manual sliding door did not shut properly. *ak *jb *nlm

Consumer states while vehicle vehicle was being serviced technician noticed leakage coming from manifold. manifold gasket needed to be replaced. *ak

I made a left hand turn onto the street i live on, the steering wheel locked up and released. it ripped out of my hands and sent me right on onto someone's front lawn nearly missing a tree. i regained control just in time and got it back on the road. i limped it home and parked it. i called the dealer i bought it from and did not believe me and would not help, so i started looking for a different vehicle with help from my parents. found a dealer ship 3 cities away and said bring it in and we'll help you. they called in saginaw steering plant rep. and it did it to him and said we'll replace for free just pay labor. seeing it was not covered by my extended warranty i accepted and traded it in on a s-10 pick-up. *nlm

Coolant leak caused by failure of the intake manifold gasket.*ak

The vehicle leaked coolant which caused the vehicle to overheat. *ak also the fuel injectors failed and the sliding door did not shut properly. *jb *nlm

Vehicle steers to the right at all times. dealer replaced rack andpinion and it is pulling on the opposite side. *ak

Consumer seeking full reimbursement for repairs done to 1997 chevrolet venture regarding the rack and pinion. *mr *ts *jb

The rack and pinion failed prior to recall notification 02v-286000. the consumer requested reimbursement but was denied. *ak *nlm

Transmission failure - mechanic stated the transmission failure was due to premature wear of the second drum clutches due to the fourth clutch supports main bearing being out of correct position. failure was likely due to production error. we have the actual transmission part as proof that it was misaligned when installed from the manufacturer. *jb

The consumer took the vehicle in for recall repair 02v286000 on 03/31/03. the dealer replaced the lower pinion bearings but advised the consumer that the rack assembly was bad but this repair would not be covered under recall. dealer advised consumer that their agreement with manufacturer was to replace bearings only. *nlm

Had a very loud banging sound in rear of van after turning van off, this has been going on for sometime but we have been unable to pin point the cause. while driving on the expressway may 4, 2003 (at 55 mph), transmission failed, causing a very violent forward jerk. after doing some research, i found that this seems to be a somewhat frequent occurrence in this model. please investigate this situation before someone gets severely injured. this occurred 2 days after having the recalled repair done to the rack & pinion steering. *jb

Vehicle:1997 chevrolet venture 2 front tires: b.f. goodrich 21570r15 dot # bem3nx711801 experienced tread separation blowouts within 30 miles of each other after driving approximately 600 miles, from fl. to va, in 12 hours. tires were purchased from bj's wholesale in oct 2001. and had approximately 20,000 miles on them. no unusual road conditions were encountered prior to tread separation. rear tires were not purchased at the same time and were unaffected. will return tires to bj's for replacement unless instructed otherwise. *nlm

I own a 1997 chevrolet venture with 71000 miles. that has been maintained in accordance with the owners manual. van started to over heat, took it to the dealer and was told there was engine damage due to coolant in the cylinder and engine oil. a leaky manifold gasket is the suspected cause. this appears to be a prevalent problem with this manufactures 3.4l engine. *jb

Coolant leak at intake. venture had 40,000 miles only.*jb

I took my 1997 chevy venture van to the dealer today for a previous recall for steering and to my supprise i was informed that my lower intake manifold gasket is bad and will cost approximately $600 to fix. not everyone has that kind of money including me. i did some investigating on the internet and found that thousands of similar complaints have been filed. how many complaints need to be submitted before a recall is issued?*jb

While driving the passenger side headlight lens fell off. the parts were not available as this is a common problem. *nlm

Ref: complaint #761127 we also experienced a transmission failure on a 1997 chevrolet venture that required a replacement transmission. there were less than 60,000 miles on the vehicle at that time - now there are 140,000 miles on the vehicle with a rebuilt (gm warranty) transmission. i also had a 1997 buick (gm car) that had warranty work to replace/repair the transmission (twice) and a complete failure of the transmission that required replacement of the transmission (which was less than 200 miles outside the warranty but was not covered under the warranty). my grandmother also had a 1997 buick where the transmission failed with less than 40,000 miles (but outside the 3 year warranty period). i would think it unlikely that so many 1997 cars would exhibit transmission failures with low mileage unless there was a specific manufacturing problem with 1997 gm transmissions. *nlm

The power steering failed. she had received the recall notice concerning steering and had the remedy work performed. however, the problem persisted.

The transmission went into neutral without warning and the wipers malfunctioned. *jb

The rear left wheel bearing became loose, which caused the tire to wobble while driving. *jb

The recall which was performed on the consumer's vehicle failed. recall # 02 v 286 000. *jb *tt

1997 chevrolet venture. headlight lens cover. last summer i noticed the drivers side lens was loose so i glued it back on with epoxy.(cost $3.00) recently i found out that the passenger side lens had fallen out sometime while driving.(both fell out within 6 months of each other) i went to wash the van and the halogen bulb exploded and flamed when it got wet. had i been closer to the vehicle i could have been struck by flying glass. if this would have happened during a rain storm i would have been driving without headlights. (the dealership charged me $165 to replace one assembly). the sealant was faulty on the last assembly, i don't feel comfortable with the new one. *nlm

The coolant solidified in radiator. the dealer was notified but refused to assist with repairs. the consumer was later informed that the damage may be as a result of the dexcool coolant. *nlm *nlm

Headlights fog causing a distraction. dealer has been notified. ph

Gm mainfold gasket leak

When driving 60mph, vehicle vibrates excessively to the point of losing control. also when making left or right turns, vehicle turns very wide and hear a "clanking" noise. consumer feels problem may be with left axle. ph

Front drivers side window regulator. window will not operate. talked to a mechanic about it. he was completely amazed because he had seen about 5 venture vans in the last month with the problem. the part to fix is almost 500.00 and i have my name on lists country wide to purchase a used one, low in behold i can't find one that is operable.

While driving the vehicle at night time and heavy snowing the left head light blew out, due to the head plastic light cover not well designed for this kind of weather. dealer wont sell just the head light (sell all unit $161.00) please provide further information. ts *tr

The intake manifold experienced a coolant leak. *jb

Coolant temp. gauge will go up and fan will not come on unless i turn heater knob to defrost. changed thermostate and had flush and fill, no change. when gauge is all the way on hot , temperature of motor is normal, by way of computer check by lisenced mech.

The intake manifold and head gasket failed, and the head light lens fell out of place. ph

Rear windshield wiper motor failure. gears were made of plastic components. gears when replaced were found to be broken and caused need for replacement. when replacement was done again the gears broke causing additional required replacement. due to the design of the vehicle, rain dust and debris accumulate on the rear window causing the need for rear window wiper to function properly to allow clear viewing by the driver of the vehicle. third replacement piece has continued to function at this time. at time of replacement, we were informed by two separate dealers that this was a common problem of this particular vehicle, but no recalls had been made to their knowledge, and no recalls were available for this particular product. i did contact the chevrolet site to ask about this particular problem without any response from the company regarding this concern. *jb *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*769761

Consumer was informed no parts were available regarding the rack and pinion recall 02v286 000.*jb

Consumer states that rear brake lights bulb went out, also states that the current past is causing the bulb to blow. please provide any addition information. ts

Total engine seisure from blown head gasket(plastic) coolant sucked into engine oil, total destruction of block. heard from service reps from twentyfive local dealerships (chevolet) that this is no uncommon but typical!!! something has to be done!! total cost for fixing over $4000.!!!! chevy no heelp says it's too bad, called every local dealer in upstate ny (20+) and get the same reply "typical of this engine, good thing nobody hurt!!sorry" if nsta wont do anything how about a class action suit??what will it take a few deaths?? gm is junk!! i wonder how many others out there are suffering also?? notified the ny state attorny general with problem also. next will be the media.. i know there are many more with the same problem with this type.

Leaking intake manifold gasket no longer covered under warranty. cost to repair is $1000.00 + a web site has been set up to petition gm to recall this defect http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1

On my 1997 chevy venture the manifold gasket is leaking! and i don't have that kind of money to fix that it, because of gm poor engineering. there are thousands of complaints online about this defect and no one seems to be doing anything about it. ts

Defective steering

Please provide additional information. ts

Dash warning light for the airbag came on a started up and stayed on, control modulator for the airbag was bad causing system failure. the airbag will not deploy in an accident.

Consumer state while traveling during rain head light covers fail off in result of head light blowing out. please provide further information. mr

1997 chevrolet venture - repeated problems with headlights leaking water in, collecting moisture, lenses falling off, almost caused a head on collsion because headlight blew when lense cover fell off again during recent rain storm. this is third time this vehicle has had a lense and headlight problem. in checking "mycarstats.com" this is a very common problem. i'm surprised a recall has not been issued for this defect. dealer and chevrolet refuse to admit any responsibility for their defective headlight lenses

While driving vehicle headlights shorted out. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. mr

The clear part that holds the bulb inside of the headlight fixtures flew off while traveling on highway without prior warning. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Sliding door computer module is bad. sometimes door opens on its own, and sometimes automatic control for door doesn't work. dealer has replaced 3 modules trying to correct this problem. please provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel locked up. took vehicle to rerpair shop, in which they had repaired and stated that the rack and pinion will need replacing. *jb consumer stated that the warranty had expired. (06/26/02) *scc

When driving and making left turns, the steering wheel locks up and owner could not control vehicle. *ak rack and pinion failed. after replacement, air bag light remains on. *tt

Consumer applied brakes at 40 mph, pedal went to the floor, and vehicle rear ended another vehicle. dealer stated that the right brake line had a hole. damage to vehicle unknown at this time. *ak 2 people were injured in the accident. *scc

While driving rack and pinion steering system failed, resulting in loss of steering control. vehicle has been checked by dealer.*ak

Van was involved with recall 01v067 power sliding door. door appears closed but will open while van is being driven. owner took van back to dealership which then replaced electric contact points.*ak

At 10 mph, while trying to make a left turn, steering wheel made a popping noise, then it locked up on consumer. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak *tt

Design of intake gasket was not done properly set because in hot temperatures, between 90-110 degrees, part will melt, and vehicle will malfunction. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

Driver's side headlight cover fell off, the caulking around the cover cracked. *ak the glass driver side headlight is missing. maybe it had broken or someone had broken it. there were no pieces of glass left on the base of the housing of the headlight. *scc

Consumer state on rental vehicle the second row did not latch. please provide further information.*jb

Front collision at 45-50 mph, passenger's airbag did not deploy; however, driver's airbag deployed and immediatly exploded. neck/jaw/back injuries to passenger. driver sustained injuries to chest and neck areas. vehicle was totalled. *ak *jg

Consumer states when applying the brake the abs would increase the stopping distance on dry surface which could lead in a vehicle crash, manufacturer was notified. nlm

Consumer states his two year old son was able to shift gear out of parked into drive, manufacturer was notified. nlm

Inside of headlights filled up with water. dealer has inspected vehicle, and manufacturer has been notified. *ak consumer states that the water inside of headlights making it hard to see the road. *yh

Consumer states that the exhaust manifold is leaking.*jbmechanic informed consumer that it was an improper gasket installation. *jg

While driving steering became tight; then, failed repeatedly. made left turn and steering locked up and froze. could not turn steering wheel. please add vin. *ak

Power locks lock and unlock intermittently while driving, happens when vehicle is parked with engine off. *jg *ak

Driver's side door will not shut or lock properly. then, at other times, door will not work at all. *ak

Recall 01v264000, for sliding door failed to correct the defect. dealer has yet to be contacted. please provide further details. *ak

While driving at 35 mph sliding door came open. a short time before consumer had vehicle in repair sh0p to get sliding door fixed. *ak

Power door would intermittently close on passenger or not operate at all while getting in or out of vehicle. dealer has been notified, and wasunable to correct the problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

When trying to proceed forward after stopping at stop sign vehicle would not go forward. took vehicle to dealer, and had to replace transmission. this was the third transmission.*ak the transmission failed repeatedly. the turn signals stop flashing when brakes are pressed due to multifunction switch failure. the engine looses coolant and overheated due to intake manifold gasket failure. rear wiper was inoperative. abs light comes on due to oxygen sensor failure. right front tires failed and were replaced. *yh

While driving 65 mph the accelerator cable broke. the consumer felt binding in the gas pedal, and the van started decelerating. this almost caused an accident. the cause of the broken accelerator cable is yet to be determined. *nm

While driving 5 mph, the steering went out, dealer determined that rack and pinion needed to be replaced.*ak *slc

When consumer is traveling passenger's side sliding door opens without prior warning. when door is closed there is an alarm indicating that door is secure. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Both frontal air bags needed to be replaced. repairs made at consumer's cost. *ak consumer stated air bag light illuminated while driving, dealer stated both air bag modules needed to be replaced, dealer only gave consumer a 10 percent discount. *slc

Outer piece that held lenses in fell out of headlights. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Recall 01v264000. not parts available to correct recall problem. please give any further details.*ak

While driving passenger's side headlight cover fell off.*ak

Dashboard lights will not automatically come on at night. when leaning forward in seat seat belt comes on. seat belt indicator alarm doesn't work. locks unlock and lock going down the road. mechanic stated it was body control module. consumer was taking vehicle to the dealer to confirm problem.*ak

Passenger's side lense fell off. took to dealer and they replaced headlight assembly. 3 weeks later, driver's side lense fell off. thiis eventually could short light out. other lenses have come off again. please provide any further information.*ak

While driving approximately 10 mph in a parking lot heard a noise coming from vehicle, and the steering wheel locked up suddenly, preventing consumer from controlling direction of vehicle. steering wheel would lock up and release intermittently. dealership informed consumer that rack and pinion steering broke. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak

While backing out of a driveway steering wheel locked up. vehicle was towed to dealer, and they said it was rack and pinion. *ak *slc

Rear passenger seat belt behind driver keeps popping out of buckle mechanism.*ak

Headlight lens fell off, one was in the street. consumer was able to pick it up and take it to dealership. dealership mechanic glued it on. pontiac grand indicated headlights lens came off. dealership was aware of problem. *ak *slc

Abs system malfunctioned because of circuit board according to the dealer . please provide further detail. *ak

Consumer's wife was driving at approximately 55 to 60 mph when power assisted steering failed. took the vehicle to a dealership, which determined that a bracket broke loose, causing a loss of control in rack and pinion gear. consumer complained is that vehicle was about ready to experience same problem again due to handling and steering vibrations. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

Front headlights cover keeps coming off, possibly causing problems with light bulb. *ak the head light was not bright at night without the head light cover. *yh

Windshield wipers don't stay in proper postion. manufacturer will replace entire unit at consumer's cost of $400. unit will be warrantied up to 90 days.*ak the windshield wiper malfunctioning was indentical to that described in sb 97005 for the same model and year. *yh

Covers for all headlights have fallen off.*ak the whole lamp assembly needs to be replaced to correct the head light covers falling off. this was a manufacturing defect, the consumer pointed out. *yh

Middle rear seat belt will not latch and lock into position. *ak *slc

When vehicle is being driven and a right or left turn is made, a thumping noise occurs within steering rack. please give any further details.*ak

While making a left turn steering wheel locked up, causing loss of control. please provide further information.*ak

Rear power slide door opens up on its own while driving unexpectedly. sometimes it seems to be stuck when opened manually. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Door locks automatically locked when door closed. this has happened on many occasions. problem is intermittent, but very dangerous. consumer's children have been locked in vehicle sometimes with keys inside vehicle. dealer said nothing because they've had no other complaints. manufacturer kept referring consumer to dealer.*ak

Headlight lens came off; dealer / manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that nothing would be done unless cost goes to consumer due to vehicle being out of its warranty. *ak when the lens falls off, moisture breaks the bulb causing hazardous condition for the driver. *yh

Headlights have filled up with water. dealer has replaced headlights. replacement lights have filled up with water and blewout. *ak

While going around a curve steering wheel completely locked up, resulting in loss of control. van had to be towed to dealership. a broken steering rack assembly was found. dealership and owner split repair cost. *ak

O-ring cracked on fuel filter under the vehicle, fuel leaked all over garage, and consumer woke up, coughing and had burning eyes. consumer felt house could have exploded. *ak

End cap at end of rack and pinion steering popped out, causing steering to lock up while making a turn. please give any further details.*ak

Pe00-020; while driving about 60 mph right rear tire had a tread separation, but tire never went flat, and consumer kept control of vehicle. chevrolet, venture, 1997, general, ameri p205/704 185, dot a3m0db1446. *ak general tire claims the tire failure was due to road hazard. *yh

Head lights were half filled with water, took to dealer and they replaced headlights. then, in 02/15/99 headlights were filled with water again, on 08/14/2000, the same thing happened. consumer felt this was a manufacturer's defect, and it could possibly cause an electrical short.*ak

Door will not operate by remote button; have to manually open or close door by hand. vehicle been in the dealer shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. *ak the door was still not operating after being repaired. *yh

Passenger's side rear split seat will not lock properly in the down position. dealer notifed. please provide any further details. *ak

While van was parked, all the battery acid leaked out. acid mostly leaked from positive cable. battery was replaced by the dealership under warranty. *ak *ml

Transmission slips when driving about 25mph. also, transmission makes a banging noise when shifting into gear. *ak

While driving rack and pinion steering broke in half, causing fluid to leak out. tensioner and serpentine belt were damaged. this allowed steering wheel to spin freely, breaking the tape that connects to airbags and disabling air bags. dealer has inspected vehicle. *ak *ml

Electrical wires continued to short circuit, resulting in loss of headlights and tail lights. also, smoke entered into passenger's compartment. *ak

While driving spare tire cable broke, causing the tire to fall into traffic, cause unknown. tire was held against the bottom with winch cable assembly. *ak *ml

Front disc brakes have pitted in the inner surface, causing a pulsation. there are pitted so deep that they cannot be cleaned. *ak

Parking lights and signal lights go off when consumer applies brakes. *ak

When removing foot from the brake pedal to accelerate on an incline vehicle rolls backwards. the only way to control vehicle is to place left foot on the brake pedal and accelerate with the right foot. problem was reported to chevrolet's customer service. *ak.et.

While driving sliding door window exploded,causing small glass fragments to fly into the passenger's compartment, faling on the occupants of the vehicle. please provide any further details. *ak

Driver's power mirror had an electrical short that caused the wires to burn and melt. please provide further information. *ak

Steering column stopped functioning. also, bearings broke somewhere under driveshaft. *ak

Wiring harness runs through floorboard and underneath carpet, and it is rubbing up against a bolt, causing fire hazard. *ak

Vehicle was turned off for approximately ten minutes when vehicle caught fire underneath around gas tank, fire department was called, and determined the cause to hav ebeen an electrical problem or a pin hole in the gas tank. please provide any further details. *ak

Airbag warning light keeps flashing, indictating a defect . dealer has attempted to fix vehicle on 4 occasions, but defect keeps occurring. *ak

Ongoing problem with engine check light intermittently keeps coming on. dealer notified and unable to correct the problem. *ak

While traveling & going down hill vehicle stalled without indication. mechanic determined the problem to be caused by the melting of the air intake hose, causing a hole to form in the hose, allowing the air mixture in the engine to go unregulated. since the air hose was replaced, the problem has stopped. *ak *ml

The glue on the plastic headlight covers had dried up. this caused the first (left) cover to come off on 17 may 1999. the second (right) cover came off on 09 aug 1999. *ak

Consumer's wife went to get an oil change and the mechanic noticed that brakes were worn and warped. the dealer cut down rotors. but consumer is still having the same problem. *ak

Power sliding doors open and close by themselves. when pushing button to close door, it will not close. while driving door would slide open on its own. also, child safety seat located on that side would not close. *ak

Passenger's side seat belt got stuck around the child neck and the consumer had to run into a store and get something to cut the seat belt from around the child's neck. *ak

Under carriage floorboard of the car came apart.this vehicle has never been accident. dealer has yet to be contacted. *ak

Child is able to push the button on the side of the child seat that is build into the vehicle, and when pushing the button on the seat, the seat will fold down onto the child. *ak

Steering wheel broke of at 35mph, resulting in loss of control. the vehicle is being repaired by the dealer . the manufacturer has been notified. *ak

Abs would kick in without inddications, causing extended stopping distance. please provide further information. *ak

When appyling the brakes a very loud noise occurred in front end of vehicle. dealer cannot indentify the problem. *ak

While driving at 60 mph the cover to the lens on headlamp came off. *ak

While driving on an incline or hill, vehicle will roll. the dealer has attempted to repair vehicle several times , but the problem still exists. also, automatic sliding door shuts on passengers when they are getting in/out of vehicle. also, sliding door locks on its own. the dealer repaired vehicle. manufacturer has been notified. *ak

While driving next to a big truck trailer, vehicle wanders to right and to the left. this could resulrt in loss of vehicle control and crash. please provide further information. *ak

When consumer's son was driving about 35 mph, he was trying to step on brake pedal to reduce speed, but vehicle did not reduce speed, it accelerated. front of vehicle struck a telephone pole, and none of the air bags deployed. *ak

Door locks would not release when starting vehicle. also, horn & lights would go off. then the locks would go up/down on their own. have been to dealer several times for locking problem. *ak

The defective sliding door motor assembly malfunctioned, causing the sliding door to open while driving which may resultin injuries. dealer has replaced the motor. problem still exists. dealer cannot determine the problem. please provide further information. *ak

Horn sensor is difficult to locate in an emergency. please give any further details. *ak

Plastic clip that holds two brake lines broke, causing one of the brake lines to fall at least 4 inches from the ground, also, metal clip the holds vacuum line slides out, causing the line to fall at least two inches from the ground. finally, windshield wipers are still defective even after recall was performed. recall 98v072000. *ak

Plastic clip that holds 2 brake lines broke, causing one of the brake lines to fall at least four inches from the ground. also, metal clip that holds vacuum line slides out, causing the line to fall at least 2 inches from the ground. finally, windshield wipers are still defective even after recallwas performed. recall 98v072000. *ak

Plastic clip that holds 2 brake lines broke, causing brake line to fall at least four inches from the ground. also, metal clip that holds vacuum line slides out, causing the line to fall down at least 2 inches from the ground. finally, windshield wipers are still defective even after recall was performed. recall 98v072000. *ak

The brake lines are hanging and dragging, causing snow to collect around them and pull the brakes lines down. dealer can't do anything about it. *ak

Power door locks malfunctioned, causing doors not to unlock, which resulted in occupants becoming trapped in vehicle. cause unknown. *ak

All power windows and doors will not unlock, trapping the occupants inside vehicle. power windows or doors cannot be manually operated. cause unknown. vehicle taken to dealer multiple times, but problem still exists. *ak *ml

The horn did not operate when the steering wheel was turned upside down or at a 90 degree angle. it only operated wehn the steering wheel was in a normal position. the dealer repaired the problem, and stated that it wa\s improperly designed. *ak

When the fuel tank is fulland also 3/4 full consumer noticed a knocking sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer unable to determine the cause of the problem. *ak

Consumer states the right side door opens and closes any time, the car could be on or off. the dealer and manufacturer have been contacted five times and cannot duplicate the problem. *ak

Seat belt will not come up out of the rear seat to be used. has been replaced 4 times. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak

The sliding door on the passenger's side will not close when using the remote or using the switch. the dealer could not duplicate the problem. owner experienced the same problem 2 week ago. also, while driving about 30, mph the door opened without application. dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak

Power sliding door intermittently opens when trying to close it. has contacted the dealer and manufaturer. *ak

Because of the design of the horn pad/button it is very hard to depress. dealer has been notified about the problem. *ak

Steering intermittently grabbed/stuck and locked. dealer notified. *ak

Recall 98v145000. consumer states that similar problem has occurred with her vehicle. she contacted the dealer and manufacturer, and they stated that vin does not comply to the recall, dealer will not remedy the problem. *ak

Vehicle has two built-in car seats that contain a shoulder harness clip that comes apart easily when consumer touches it, causing loss of protection. *ak

Had backed vehicle up & hit telphone pole. vehicle suddenly accelerated out of driveway. put foot on brakes to stop & held steering wheel. vehicle did 21 ft slide before hitting building. air bags did not deploy. abs worked. took to dealer & told nothing was wrong. *ak

Horn does not work properly. called manufacturer and was informed that horn was working like it should. *ak

When traveling and upon depressing the brake pedal, the pedal travels to the floorboard, causing extended stopping distance, consumer also states there is a griding sound when stopping the vehicle. consumer has contacted the dealer. dealer has replaced parts. *ak

Driver lifted the handle of seat and there was a hole which was located underneath handle. this hole caused the consumer to get finger caught and completely cut off. dealer said when they come up with an idea to fix problem they would contact consumer. only had the vehicle for 24 hours. *ak

While driving the air bags deployed without notification. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Horn is difficult to use, can not activatde by using finger. must use whole palm. dealer said horn is located behind airbags so cannot be ajusted without putting in a whole new airbag unit. *ak

Electronic sliding door locking system malfunctioned due to a faulty seat cable. dealer has repaired problem 4 different times. problem reoccurs. *ak

While parked the rear window shattered for no apparent reason. cause unknown. please provide any details. *ak

Seat belts on the passenger's/drivers/second row, and the last row get stuck, cannot be pull out for buckling up. sometimes leaving the passengers without protection. consumer had taken the vehicle five times to dealer for the same problem. in addition, horn extremely hard to beep/alarm system malfunctioned, and second row- rear seat does not lock into place. *ak

In rear impact 10-15 mph the rear left side bench seat collapsed due to a poorly designed weld to the floor that broke off during the rear impact. *ak

When driving and reaching a speed of 50mph or more the steering column shakes violently like it's going to separate from the steering box. took in to dealer and they can not find anything wrong. *ak also the cruise control was inoperative, the a/c was not blowing cool air due to a leak from the compressor, there was a smell of raw eggs due to fuel injectors leaking, and the dome lights were inoperative, the left coat hoof fell out of roof.*jb

Consumer was involved in a frontal accident and the air bags did not deploy. *ak *slc

While driving the vehicle's steering idler arm fell off due to a missing bolt, this caiuses both front tires to point inward and lost control of the car. *ak

The horn is under the cover of the airbag and it is hard to press and use. *ak

The horn on this vehicle is not loud enough to be heard and the dealer replaced it, but it still sounds the same. *ak

Vehicle's abs braking system linkage retaining ring broke off the master cylnder, the brakes became inoperative. *ak

Design problem; due to the parking lights staying illuminated, consumer states that when approaching a intersection after stopping, other drivers believe the turn signal is on and driver is making a turn. when actually he is continuing to go straight on same road.

Vehicle's abs braking system linkage retaining ring broke off the master cylnder.the brakes became completely inoperative while driving. *ak

While driving, stopped and started, fuel tank moved due to bolts/ brackets, which connected the fuel tank to the body of the vehicle, becoming loose. *ak

Windshield wiper motor failed twice in 2 months of ownership. dealer is replacing it again. *ak

Both head light assemblies lost plastic its lense covers, it appeared that the adhesive dried out and cracked. *yh

The rack and pinion failed.*dt *jb

Consumer states that sealing compound holding lens to body of headlight dried out and the lens fell off. this resulted in the open type bulb to get wet and blow. consumer is unable to drive at night. *yd

The electric sliding rear door malfunctions activating the alarm buzzer. yh

Warning light indicates overdrive transmission slippage, dealer not able to determine cause. nlm

Rear electric sliding door malfunctioned.

While driving and attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel locked up nearly causing a major accident. this now happens constantly to the point where we don't even want to drive this minivan. the last time i drove it, the steering locked up a total of 15 times. it is definitely a hazard to my wife and children.*ak

Door is extremely hard to open, dealer either wants $2000 to fix it and won't tell me how much to disconnect the whole thing so that it is easy to open.

Dramatic untreading of tire happened while driving on i-95 outside of savannah georgia. there was no warning and the vehicle became very difficult to control. i was able to slow down and stop in the emergency lane. ts

The spare tire hoist cable snapped and dropped the spare on the ground during normal driving conditions. corosion of the cable is evident. i found two web sites where a recall was mentioned of this (www.westerndriver.com and www.canadiandriver.com) but found no information here. i must not be the only person to have this problem. *ak

Bridgestone tires showed signs of tread separation. chevrolet notified, but stated tires are not on recall list.*ak

The power steering system failed preventing the steering wheel from turning and unable to control the vehicle. this was not a case of the power steering failing and it was hard to steer. the steering could not be turned and i could feel the power steering preventing me from turning the wheel. this happened in a parking lot, at slow speed, where i could pull over and have the car towed. the car could not be driven safely.*ak

Worsening over the course of one week occurring at all speeds power steering locks up while turning left. chevrolet dealership chevy chase maryland states rack and pinion cracked requiring replacement, power steering flush and hose replacement, and alignment required for tires after placement of new rack and pinion. no mention made of history of gm 1997 model rack and pinion similar problems though history of same found over internet.*ak

The intake manifold gasket blew and filled the engine with water, this is a problem with the 3.4 engine that gm is aware of. the sliding door on the passenger side has fallen off the van 4 times since we have had dealer fixed 3 times then it was out of warrenty. the front and rear brakes started squealing when the van had 1000 miles on it and continue to this day. gm says they are designed like that. the seat belts in the van come unlatched at any time, the belts in the rear will contiually tighten when you hit bumps in the road. gm told us that we were not using the seatbelts properly. the rack and pinion steering started making a growling noise immidiatly following the warrenty running out. *ak

Loss of power steering and power brake assisted when going through shallow puddle. battery light went on and off. engine light went on and off. at the time of the incident, it was raining and the road was wet with some puddle in the road. when i have to use the right lane to make right or left turn, i have to go through some water that ponded along the gutter line, the steering seize on me and required forceful turn. brake paddle was hard to press and did not stop the vehicle appropriately.*ak

Headlamp fell out while going down the road, never did find it. antilock brakes are malfunctioning, very unsafe to drive, transmission went out very costly to repair, especially with so little miles on this vehicle. these problems that i am reporting are very commom and need some attention granted to them. vehicles cost so much and then when you have to put more money into them it can financially drain you. please look into this. thank you, anne de bolt. *ak

Both of the headlight assemblies fell off of the car - one year apart - the left and right assemblies - the cost to replace them exceeded 200.00 - when contacting general motors, chevrolet division they denied their was any problem with this and refused to compensate us. *a,

Car overheating and stalling in traffic could cause an accident. part on national b/o and not a recall. vehicle down. 48,000 parts needed through out this country. should this be a recall?*ak

I sent a report earlier this week regarding the steering failure of my van on 3/18/02. i brought our minivan to iron trail to be repaired. on 3/28/02 we called to find out when the repairs would be complete and the mechanic told us that the replacement rack he installed in our van broke when he was taking it for a test drive after installation. he also told us that this is the second chevrolet venture that he needed to replace the rack and then the replacement rack also broke. this seems to be a failure on the part of chevrolet in that the rack is defective. this is a major problem since the vehicle can not be steered at all when this occurs. i feel this is a serious safety issue and that it needs to be investigated futher. there are probably many people out there that don't realize that their steering can "freeze" at any time. a minivan is a family vehicle and a person should not be concerned about getting in a serious accident because of steering failure. please contact me regarding what is done with these type of reports and what follow up there is. thank you.

I was told this problem was very common on venture vans.brother had the same problem on 1998 venture van. no safety defect listed. *ak

On 12/12/01, the door would not stay closed under power. the manual override switch located on the header had to be used and the door closed manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on 12/19/01 to have the campaign repair performed. this was done but the dealer said the inside door lock was broken due to the bad actuator that was replaced under the campaign and that i needed to call chevrolet. later that evening, the outside door handle fell off. chevrolet (ref. # co6273409) was called and today, over 2 months later, michael glenn of chevrolet said that it was the owner's responsibility to have the door repaired. yesterday, 2/27/02, the door popped open while driving down the highway even though the doors were locked and power was removed from the side door.*ak

While having my van washed, the front left head light lens cover fell off. the lens cover came off in one piece leaving the bulb exposed. after replaceing this at a cost of 250.00 dollars it appears that the other (right side) head light has yellowed from uv exposure. there is also condensation inside the light indicating this seal is compromised and will soon need replacing. these plastic head lights should not fall apart and yellow. the replacement light is far brighter than the original indicating the lens covers are made of substandard material not withstanding uv damage. i've surveyed several vans that use the same style lights, several have the same condensation problems limiting the performance of the lamp. *ak

Intake manifold gasket was replaced at dealer, service manager stated that there has been several vans in for the same problem, with even less milage. *ak

Dry rot on both tires and belt shift on one. serviced due to vibration in tire and defects found at that time. tires were put on in may 2000 and had 35, 000 miles on them. only 18 months old. *ak (tiresize: p215/70r15)

On december 30, 1999, i dropped my chevrolet, venture to puente hills chevrolet dealer for regular maintenance. the dealer!/s technician found a hole in the air cleaner housing. based on the dealer!/s diagnostics, the hole was burned by exhaust heat. since the dealer had no part available, the technician just simply taped the hole as a fix. a few months later, the minivan!/s engine started to stall occasionally when the van was decelerated before the red light, left or right turn. i sent the van to glendora chevrolet dealer twice, one was on march 12, 2001, and another was on may 15, 2001 with no success. dealer was not able to duplicate problem, and did nothing (obviously, they didn!/t do enough testing). on october 14 of 2001, my wife got an accident due to the engine stall when she exited from a freeway. i sent the van to puente hill dealer next day, asking to check the engine stall problem and, at the same time, to replace the air cleaner housing. it took the dealer several days before they were able to duplicate the engine stall problem by the service man, mark fetterman, during his road test, but has no clue why the engine stalled. eventually, the dealer found that the hole burned by exhaust heat was very close to an engine sensor and they guessed that the hole might cause the engine stall problem. the dealer!/s guess was correct. after a new air cleaner housing was installed on october 19, we never have the engine stall problem again. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Afteer owning this vehicle for barely a month, we began noticing a stench that nearest i could describe it would be that of a dead mouse. however, the smell only noticable if you did not have the air conditioner on. to run the heater, we would put it on ac and then turn the heat up to avoid the smell. when we reported this to the dealer, we were informed it was because we smoked in the vehicle. howver, we have smoked for years and there is a very distinct stale odour from cigarettes which is in no way similar to the smell we noticed. now we only really notice this smell after we have the car serviced.*ak

After owning vehichle a few months, van was left running while parked, waiting on a passenger. it ran out of gas during this time and we filled a total of four five gallon gas cans, in an attempt to get it started. finally chevrolet was contacted and i was informed that the vehicle had some self-destruct mechanism which caused a diaphram (?) in the tank to disable should it ever run out of gas or have gas put in in any method other than with a standard nozzle. this, i was told was a safty feature so that owner's would take it into the shop should they run out of gas, so that the vehicle could be checked. however, had i ran out of gas in an unsafe area, this could prove detrimental to my safety and that of my passengers.

Shortly after purchasing car, headlights filled with moisture causing lights to burn out. dealership stated there were no replacements even made yet. at almost 100,000 miles engine died, power steering failed, belt slipped and ac went out within days of each other. 1800chevusa rep "jason" said "chevy only builds their vehichles to last 100,000 miles". never again will i buy chevy. not after what jason said.*ak

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The interior of lap buckle came out of the outer casing, buckle can still be used but if a slit touch buckle releases. my main concern is that is the seat were my daughter safety seat is supposed to be, and if the buckle failed that easily without being in an accident then what would happen in a crash. the dealership & chevrolet refuse to cover the repair to the lap belt.*ak

We believe chev. should reinbures us for the 800.00 and the engine problem just started but think they should pay to have it fixed. *ak

The windshield wipers do not park closed and stay open on the glass, the front struts have also worn out and need to be replaced at 61,000 miles. *ak

Passenger side headlight cover fell off. no body damage or damage to the headlight assembly.*ak

We have not had a accident yet, but the side sliding door is very loose. we were notified that a recall was to take place to fix this problem. according to your information this recall was in effect in march of this year. so far, we have received no notification. have we been overlooked? this problem really needs to be fixed before the door flies open and we have a major problem perhaps with grandchildren onboard. *ak

My 19 yr old son lost ablity to steer the van after leaving the parking lot, after a soccer game. the car would not steer left and was hard to maintain driving straight with any type of control. the van was taken to the dealers the next day. the dealer test drove the van and confimn the lost of steering. i am under the impression from the dealer that all the steering unit need to be replaced . also the dealer reported that the driver side air bag coil broke when the steering went out and could have caused unexpected deployment of the driver side air bag. steering was repaired under extented warrenty. repair to driver side air bag coil was not under warrenty and paid for by customer. all repair have been completed.

While driving at 20mph the passenger sliding door opened while in motion . it came completely off the track and also caused damage to the moulding inside the van it also frightened my 2 year old who was seated at the door. fortunately, she was secured in her child safety seat door was in the locked position and the child safety lock was engaged.chevy denies there is a problem with the van. this matter is a severe safety issue. it should be corrected before some is seriously injured or gets killed.

The steering locked-up and could not be turned to the left. dealer replaced the entire rack and pinion gear system. even though the van was out of warranty, gm covered 50% of the cost of the repair. this could have been a fatal situation.

Fuel pump was replaced last year to correct the problem of vehicle starting hard. vehicle is now acting up again and we are having a hard time starting it. also, the vehicle is still making a loud clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle. we were told it was the shocks last year and had them replaced. obviously this was not the correct answer!!! brakes were also replaced when vehicle was purchased. brakes still feel soft and are making a grinding/squealing noise.*ak

Vehicle became extremely difficult to steer to the left at highway speed. it was somewhat intermittent but very pronounced during parking. replaced pump and rack/pinion.

Vehicle had a blown head gasket with significant engine damage at 56k miles. engine had to be replaced. *ak

Dealer said engine block cracked but engine had not previously overheated. *ak

Windshield cracked, due to cold weather. condition listed by consumer's guide as problematic. i have seen the same comment on a number of various web sites. this leads me to believe that ther is a sytematic problem with the *ak

Passenger side headlight lens cover came off while driving. it appeared to be improperly attached to the assembly, possibly due to poor quality adhesive. this caused the headlight to be inoperable. the lens cover broke after falling off of the vehicle. *ak

Had to have the engine rebuilt, new fuel pump, front/rear shocks & struts,intermediate steering shaft assembly, brakes. i think there is something extremely wrong with this vehicle and it should be investigated.

The driver side headlight lens cover came unglued and dislodged from the vehicle headlight assembly. it could not be found. this was brought to our attention, by a person in the local chevrolet dealership parts department, who stated that this has been a problem with this model. the protection of the light bulb and the pattern of the light are insufficent for hazardous conditions. *ak

Seat belts on the passenger and driver side second and last row will not pull out to allow a person to be buckled in. the dealer and manufacturer refuses to take responsibility for making the repairs. the most recent seatbelt to fail is a replacement seatbelt. *ak

I was lucky and the lense covered fell off during the day. if it would happen to someone while they were traveling at night the lense covers falling off and the headlight blown. i beleive there could be several fatalities because of this type of problems. i think chevrolet should stand behind their product too. i hope you feel this is as important as i do. thanks

Power steering goes out when driving through a water puddle. battery light comes on, and electrical system may or may not stop.

Told dealer that engine is knocking/making a ticking sound. can hear it clearly from within or outside of the van. took it to dealer once already and will be taking it again on tuesday, october 17, 2000 for testing. engine is also taking longer to start...hard start no matter if hot/cold start. already had to have new brakes, shocks and struts put on the vehichle. *ak

Tire tread peeled off and caused a blow out causing loss of control. *ak (tiresize: p215/70r15)( dot number: tire size: p215/70r15 )

While driving east on 494 at 55 mph one of front firestone tires exploded. the car swerved all over the interstate but fortunately the traffic was light at that time so no accident occurred. the tire was shredded and needed to be replaced. a nearby gas station put on the spare and the next day i paid to have the pr680 replaced at a firestone dealer (store #016926-29f1 tr:8870 07 99) since then the other front tire needed to be replaced but the 2 rear tires are still original. from the newspaper pictures i've seen (e.g. 9-2-00 minneapolis star tribune business section) the tires on my chevrolet minivan seem to be exploding just like those ford tires recalled.( dot number: fr 680 )

Speedometer will cutout from 45 - 65 mph to stay at 25 - 30 mph for up to 1/2 hr at a time, to return to correct reading at anytime.

This part has been recalled.gm notice c97005. the recall fixed was completed in april 1999. the wipers failed again and i took the vehicle to the dealership for replacement. i was told they only fix a recall issue once. i then called chevy assistance and was told the same thing. this repair ws in excess of $300. if not fixed the wipers are in my direct driving vision so i had the dealership make the repair. as stated in the report this is the 5th or 6th time this defect has been repaired. additionally, i thought recalls are to fix the problem, looks like a bandaid until the vehcile is out of warranty.

Noticed shimmy in front at low speeds, mostly at acceleration. took to mechanic who diagnosed it as a defect in the front axle(inboard). notified gm and they will also inspect on 8/25

Power door locks lock and unlock on their own, whether vehicle is on or off, uncontrollably. has happened before. at that time, lock code mode was reset. however, this time not able to reset. worried about locking children in van with keys in ignition.

The headlanps seals are defective, less than 30 days a go the left headlight lens fell out. the right lens fell out. the seal that holds the lens to the asembly is dry and cracked.this is dangerous and a safety hazard to the public. if one or more of the headlight lens come off on a rain soaked at night the water would blow the halogen bulb or the electrical system. this is a safety problem that can jeopardize people's lives. thank you walter

Safety, headlamps are unsafe. *ak

Steering gear suddenly failed while driving on city street; unable to turn wheel to the left and marked difficulty turning wheel to right. fortunately oldsmobile dealer one block away who eventually repaired car.

Dealer found problem with a fuel injector wiring harness connector. van suddenly lost all acceleration in 65mph traffic. motor was still running but nothing would happen when the gas pedal was pressed. luckily i was able to coast to the side of the road. (scary!)*ak

Rack and pinion steering cracked. no reason for happening, just turning into a parking space and hear a loud thud. could not make full turns.*ak

Shortly after purchase, heard banging/thumping noise in rear when stopping and accelerating. happens when tank is full or 3/4 full only. replaced shocks and gas tank. continue to have problem and dealer/mfg unable to determine cause. very annoying and frustrating that manufacturer can't correct obvious problem.*ak

Car shut down on two separate occassions. inspection after second failure at auto shop indicated fuel pump wiring harness connector under left middle passenger seat was filled with water and severely corroded, causing electrical short. similar connector for abs brakes also shows similar problem, but has not yet failed. mechanic asked for replacement pigtail. gm told them only entire harness was available (engine harness etc). shop cut connector off and spliced wires with solder.*ak

While making a routine rt turn, the gear assembly of the rack and pinion assembly "blew-out". this event locked my steering up. no warranty in place to recover loss. but, the nature of the event was unusual. that is, the mechanical failure of the gear(s)fracturing and exploding it's housing causing loss of steering is highly questionable? at a higher speed this would have cause injury or loss of life. a certified mechanic with 20+ years experienced indicated that he has never seen a rack and pinion assembly "blow-out" like the one i am presenting in this case. the supervisor mechanic further indicated, "that this could have caused a serious accident". i have the rack and pinion assembly in my possession and i have also contacted general motors customer service (doc# 000029454 gm). gm has denied my request for reimbursement regarding the repair costs and has indicated no interest in having gmc engineers look at the failed system. this is a public safety concern.i believe strongly that a valid liability does exist that and that there is a mft defect with this product. i have high hopes that you also have an interest in my concern. i will wait for your response before i go public regarding this issue. thank you, mike johnson. *ak

While traveling down a city street, below the posted speed limit, a car pulled into our path. as the driver attempted to activate the horn, she noticed she had to remove one hand from the ring of the steering wheel. she also realized that if impact had occurred, her arm would have sustained tremendous force from the deployment of the airbag. it is our opinion that the horn activation buttons should be on each side of the wheel so the driver can keep both hands on the wheel for evasive manuevers if needed and to keep the hands away from the airbag's deployment zone. *ak

The headlight bulb or whatever you call it now, exploded, blowing off the headlight lens, which is glued on. the car is still under the original 36000. mile warranty, but is three months past the three years. the dealer says that the whole headlight assembly must be replaced as a new separate lens cannot be obtained. what should be a minor headlight problem will cost 240.00 for the part, plus labor to install. in passing,let it be noted that i have personally changed 3 left rear tail light bulbs on this van since i purchased it new. *ak

#1. it is very heavy to push up the tailgate without the use of the hydraulics. it goes up easily only part of the way. #2. my seat and pocket should not be ripping as easily as they have. i do not have little kids tugging at them. #3. the cigarette lighter does not work . it has been allegedly fixed several times. #4. the interior side door panels are hard plastic and they are attached by velcro. they don't always stick to the velcro and come loose. one has already broken and replaced. they are still loose. #5. the front seatbelts don't retract all the way on their own and the front passenger's seatbelt twists on a regular basis. #6. the range of distance on the remote keyless entry is being basically on top of the vehicle. i have had nothing but problems with this vehicle since the day i bought it . it is my first american made vehicle and probably my last. i think i really bought a lemon. *ak

Funny smell of chemcals. *ak

#1. stereo panel is extremely hot with lights on & driving a while, there is also a buring smell. it has been worked on twice, replaced once and still you can burn your fingers. #2. defogger takes forever to defog in the morning, sometimes it makes visibility worse. #3. interior roof has been hanging down since the day i bought the van and has gotten worse. #4. my headlights have been replaced many times because of condensation(at least 4 times). #5. brakes. the dealership said i needed new brakes but not under warranty so i had them checked elsewhere. i needed new brakes (front). it cost me over$700 to replace. they said they were grinded down all the way and i should have been able to grind 2 times before replacing. i have the parts. they said the brakes should not have been this far down so soon, too prematurely. i have the bill with the mechanics comments and ii would like reimbursement from gm. #6. side control panel plastic is broken and controls no longer all work. i have had nothing but problems with this vehicle since the day i bought it. i will be filling out another form to file the remainder of the problems.

While driving on highway, i drove over debris (tree limb) on highway while passing semi at approx. 65 mph. when i ran over branch, all vehicle electrical and braking systems suddenly went off, resulting in loss of lights, power brakes, power steering, signals, and power from engine - a total shutdown. i wrestled van to side of road and had towed to town (while on xmas trip, travelling thru ok). after towed to dealer (closed, at night), i checked under van to find a male and female plug for wiring harness disconnected and hangling down midway from front to rear on drivers side. i plugged two back together and van worked perfectly with no further problems. altho there were no accidents, injuries, if my wife or daughter had been driving, they probably would not have been able to stay in control, pull van to side of road. i beleive that connector plug of this crucial harness should be better protected from unintended disconnection. i waited this long to report since i reported problem verbally to dealer immediately after trip and just found out this site exists. i just bought a 2000 venture van, and harness/connection has changed slightly but still seems susceptible (i taped connectors to receptacles as a precaution). *ak

Headlights fill with condensation making the lights very dim and hard to see

Brake pads completely worn at 25,000 miles , problem of the brake squelling reported at 15,000 mile , dealer replace back shoes and drum and said front brakes perfect even though squelling excessively

Pad over the air bag is too thick. horn button difficult to push. dealer say's no problem

Abs brake system not working properly. extended stopping distance. rapid pulsating noise has changed to long grinding noise when system engages. feels like wheels lock to long before system engages. then it feels like wheels lock and unlock to long of a time. dealer claims nothing is wrong. horn did not work when turned side-ways or up-side down. took 4 service calls to correct. horn works but it is still hard to find the "sweet" spot to activate. audio tape deck housing heats up to 150 degrees when heater is on for 2 hours. dealer cannot correct after 4 trys. auto sliding side door would randomly reopen aafter closing. 4 service calls to correct problem. clips holding rear brake line came off leaving line dragging on street. rear brakes grind after car has sat for 1/2 hour. dealer couldn't fix.

No summary.

This failure occurred while driving out of a supermarket parking lot. the steering wheel seized and had to be forcefully righted. this occurred twice more and the vehicle was brought into a local shop for diagnosis and repair. gm was notified of the repai

The accelerator cable is frayed preventing the throttle from returning to idle. it appears that the throttle cable housing has a severe bend causing a kink right at the throttle mounting.

When the accessory drive belt gets wet there is a very good chance that the power steering will stop working. my wife was making a right hand turn at an intersection and went through a puddle. she immediately lost power steering and almost crashed into another car. i have had it happen to me as i turned into my driveway. i have contacted chevrolet and was told that there are no recalls on my van. i took it into the dealer (not the one listed here) and they could find nothing wrong with it. losing power steering in a mini van while making a turn can have serious consequences. *ak

Windshield wiper arm parks in the up-right position when wiper is turned off. *ak

Steering wheel locked while making a left hand turn. after vehicle was towed and repaired, dealer informed me that the bearing on the steering column "disintegrated" causing the shaft to slip lower into the rack and pinion. this caused rack and pinion gears to go bad.

Rear manual sliding door closed without warning. causing fractured skull and other injuries to 5 year old child. *ak

Inside of headlight modules and parking light modules collect moisture/fog up and reduce light efficiency. *ak

I have had the headlight assembly replaced 5 times due to water intruding into the lens. the dealer states that this is a common occurrence with all ventures as well as the oldsmobile and pontiac models which are the same as the chevrolet. the lens are completely covered with condensation which is degrading the light output and pattern. the lights were replaced each time, but now chevrolet refuses to replace them. in driving around town, almost all gm vans of this year and style are effected. i'm sure over time the moisture will degrade the reflector and corrode the electrical connections, causing loss of headlamps. *ak

Headlight assembly absorbing water, condensing on inside of lens, causing diminished light output. may also eventually destroy lamp. *ak

I own a 1997 chevrolet venture and the horn has been a serious problem to me from the time i bought the car new. i find it almost impossible to blow the horn, and have several times taken it to chevrolet dealers for repair. they have all told me the same thing: the problem is known to chevrolet, but no solution has been devised for after-market repair. one dealer said that maybe eventually there would be a recall and a "fix" if enough venture owners complain vociferously.

During moments of high excelleration, entering freeway, van loses power - gains power - loses power causing lurching and places me in peril from traffic.....driver's door locks sporatically (at an ever increasing rate) and system had an episode of lock/unlock/lock in fast succession over a period of 20 minutes. the doors left my mother (72) and me (disabled) in a locked van and the lock/unlock buttons on both sides were disabled and did not work. *mjs

Reported to dealer and showed my deep cut to my finger, no response from gm

On three occasions at the first braking of the car after start up, the engine accelerated at a high rate of speed. this was due to the fact that the brake pedal went below the accelerator pedal. the right foot was not squarely on the brake pedal. turned the engine off. the brake deflection measured was within that specified in the repair manual. brake pedal deflection after the first braking did not go below the level of the accelerator pedal. *ak

Loss of power steering assist when going through shallow water. *ak

The left headlight assembly started to have water collect it it. there are no visible signs of cracking. once this was noticed, made appointment w/ dealer to look at headlight assembly & replace under warranty, they refused to stating it was "normal". there is approximately 1/2" of water in the assembly, and once winter starts, this will freeze, more than likely breaking the fixtre & blowing the actual light. i feel this is a safety hazard, and it should have been replaced by the dealer. gm states that this is "normal" and refused to replace it.

Horn buttons not sensitive to anything less than excessive pressure to operate. sometimes will not operate at all. dealer says there is no fix. *ak

Power locks work intermittently, lock & unlock by themselves even with engine off and nobody in the vehicle. dealer couldnot duplicate problem. now 11/10/98 problem is beginning again. sometimes locks will lock/unlock rapidly while driving. i've browsed this web site and have found that other gm vehicles (1997 grand am) have had similar problems.

Automatic closing door failed. yh

Air bag failed during collision (unspecified reasons). yh

Sliding door inoperative. nlm

Cup holder failed. yh

Power side door lock failed. *yc

While in motion, consumer was making a left turn and the steering locked. consumer had to apply considerable force to overcome the resistance. driving about 100 feet and turning left the steering locked again. consumer was later informed that a seal in the rack and pinion had failed and the assembly had to be replaced. consumer disassembled the pinion gear and the seals were in tact. the seals didn't fail. further inspection and consumer discovered that the lower pinion bearing was damaged and all of the ball bearings were gone. consumer believes there is a design flaw in the rack and pinion assembly that poses a risk to the general public. consumer would like to be compensated for monies paid to replace the assembly. *jg

Spare tire cable broke which rusted causing the spare tire to fall off. dealer notified. *tt

The consumer was not happy with the service at the dealer with taking the vehicle in for recall repair 01v-067 of the passenger side power sliding door, the dealer took several hours more to make the repair than originally stated. nlm

Vehicle could not be turned left because of a chipped gear in the rack and pinion unit. nlm

Manifold gasket cracked resulting in the vehicle overheating. nlm

After having the tires replaced the consumer noticed a vibration. upon inspection he noticed that 3 of 5 lug nuts were cracked and one was loose. it appear that the lugs were overtighted when the tires were replacednlm

Possible fuel system failure resulting the vehicle caught fire from the back side while driving and burnt completely. yh

Brakes continually squeal, consumer has had vehicle serviced on four occasions to try to remedy, however dealer states that the brakes are designed this way. *mjs

Electric module failed causing dome light to continue to illuminate. *mjs

Fuel pump failed causing vehicle to shut down. *mjs

Windshield wiper motor failed while driving causing poor visibility. *mjs

The front end locked up causing loss of steering ability due to rack and pinion and air bag coil failure. *mjs

Head lamp installed due to poor visibility and dim lighting of previous light . mjs

Light module failed causing tail lights and interior light malfunction. mjs

Engine light on due to component failure within the engine. mjs

Pig tail not installed properly on van. mjs

Catalytic converter failed. mjs

Horn failed to activate on several occasions, horn kit installed however continues to fail due to freezing temperatures that causes horn to freeze. mjs

Back window sprayer failed, installed new nozzle however continues to fail due to freezing temperatures that causes nozzel to freeze. mjs

Headlamps have condensation inside causing consumer to have to replace the lamp. nlm

Horn takes excessive amount of pressure activate and also difficult to find the horn button. nlm

Fuel gauge failed causing it to read 1/4 tank when vehicle is out of fuel.

Vehicle stalls when stopping and when pulling out into traffic. nlm

Plastic gas tank swells during warm weather.

Fuel tank design allows for banging in the rear of the van, unable to correct problem with tank straps.

Middle row right seat belt malfunctioned.

Both headlight housings collect and retain water, fogging the headlight lens. attempted to replace a burned out turn signal bulb, located in same housing, found the bulb socket was charred and the bulb base was heat welded into the socket. checked other housing and found same conditions.

Seat belt buckles are not flexible enough to secure child safety seat properly.

Power sliding door fails to close properly.

Design of steering wheel makes it difficult to find and activate the horn.

Recall on the safety latch mechanisms on the middle and back row seats, however possible problems with remaining safety latch mechanisms on bucket seat is still present.

Seat belt retracting device strangled child due to design while child was playing, rachet mechinism kept winding up the slack in the belt.

Noise in brakes due to cracked shoes and drums failed.

Electric window failed due to loose wire in motor.

Power window switch failed several times.

Horn requires excessive effort by driver in order for it to blow.

Fuel slams back and forward in the fuel tank and makes noise possibly because there're no baffles in the tank.

When driving in the rain, the driving belt slips apparently and the steering ceases, the servo for the steering fails.

Excessive force to engage horn due to design.

Design of the gas pedal too close to brake pedal causing them to be depressed simultaneously.

Horn inoperative, consumer claims nothing happens when horn buttons are depressed, design requires excessive force to activate horn.

Passenger side power sliding door opens and closes on its own. does not close properly causing buzzer to sound.

Windshield wiper freezes.

Horn is difficult to activate when wheels are not in upright position. *ak

Automatic sliding door did not operate properly. *ak

Brake power assist vacuum system failed. *ak

Excessive wear of front brake pads. *ak

Abs brakes failed to operate proerly. *ak

Brake vacuum assist failed.

The automatic door locks unlock and lock while driving.

Engine stops and starts while driving.

Rear window broke for no reason.

Abs brakes failed, resulting in loss of control/collision. no deployment of driver's/passenger's air bags upon impact. also, driver's seat belt came unfastened.

While opening the side seat latch assembly, consumers finger was partially amputated.

Horn would not work unless you apply a substancial amount of pressur on the horn pad.

Horn is very difficult to engage due to design.

Electrical system causing panel to contain hot spots as well as through out vehicle with failures of various components within the instrument panel and engine failure.

Alarm system/remote starter failed, causing driver to be locked inside vehicle.

Second row seat belts jam.

Seat lever bent.

The cam-kit in vehicle is unadjustable therefore the tires cannot be aligned without causing excessive tire wear.

Wiring harness failed causing several electrical failures (locks, lights and motor).

The horn will not activate unless excessive physical effort is applied due to design.

Passenger side rear automatic door failure. replacement parts have failed also.

Horn button difficult to access in emergency situations.

Horn design makes it difficult to depress buttons without using excessive force.

Sudden acceleration.

Brake failure.

Due to the design of the steering wheel it is impossible to blow the horn in a panic situation.

Electrical malfunction caused loss of signals, heater, a/c,/lighting and caused doors to lock/unlock uncontrollably.

Motor vibrates violently, followed by engine slowing down and erratic performance.

The horn requires excessive effort in order for it to work.

Horn does not work because of air bag.

Right rear power sliding door is inoperative. *ak

Service advisor indicated that gm is having a problem with the venture vans where the fuel injectors clog up with fuel for no apparent reason. *ak

Excessive pressure needed to activate horn due to design.

The brake pedal and the gas pedal sit at approximately the same height. this could pose a problem in an emergency.

Difficulty locating horn buttons in emergency situations.

Consumer complains that he got his finger stuck in seat latch while trying to tilt seat, causing injury.

Back seats are very low due to design. owner feels this is a safety issue. passengers in rear seat could sustain leg injuries during collision.

Side door will not close on first attempt, has trouble staying closed and when closed it will open on it's own.

Door ajar light comes on intermittently and the dealership can not seem to fix the problem.

Interior lights turn on when car is parked and not running.

Vehicle does not handle well on the open road.

Seat belt anchor on ceiling falls off.

Vehicle fails to start.

Keyless entry failed.

Padding around horn is too hard, causing difficulty depressing horn button in emergency situations.

Power door lock failed. *yc