1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

I PURCHASED A 1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE NEW FOR APPROXIMATELY $27,000. AFTER 4 1/2 YEARS I HAD TO REPLACE THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT A COST OF ABOUT $500. I MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE TO THE MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS EVEN CHANGING THE OIL EVERY 3 TO 4000. ON LABOR DAY 2003, A LITTLE MORE THAN 5 YEARS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, I BROKE DOWN RETURNING FROM A FAMILY VACATION WITH THE CAR PACKED AND MY THREE KIDS. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST CHEVROLET DEALER. 75 MILES FROM HOME. BOTTOM LINE THE CAM BEARINGS SPUN IN THE ENGINE AND THE DEALER SAID THE CAR WAS WORTH $300 AS IS. IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AT A TOTAL COST OF $6150. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AGREED THAT THIS WAS PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE BUT THAT THE ENGINE HAD 72,000 MILES AND ACCORDING TO GM THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THAT ENGINE IS ONLY 100,000 MILES. THEY SAID I GOT ALMOST 75% OF THE ENGINES EXPECTED LIFE AND THEY OFFERED ME 25% OF THE COST INCURRED BY ME TO INSTALL A NEW ENGINE. GM NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE FAULTY GASKET ON THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD CAUSED THIS PROBLEM BY ALLOWING ANTIFREEZE TO ENTER THE ENGINE. GM SHOULD HAVE REIMBURSED ME THE COST FOR THE GASKET REPLACEMENT AND THE ENGINE. NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR I EXPECT, BUT TO HAVE A VEHICLE WORTH ABOUT $7,000 ONE DAY AND $300 THE NEXT IS NOT FAIR. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT AS LONG AS I LIVE AND I WILL LET AS MANY PEOPLE I KNOW HOW GM STANDS BY THEIR PRODUCT. *LA

LOW COOLANT LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF AND COOLANT OVER-FLOW IS CONSANTLEY EMPTY WITH A RESIDUE LEFT BEHIND. LOW COOLANT LIGHT STARTED COMING ON AT APPROX.48000; PRESENT MILEAGE 58830. WITHIN THE LAST 2 MONTHS I HAVE NOTICED COOLANT ON MY DRIVEWAY AND IN MY GARAGE. TEMPERATURE GUAGE ALSO SHOW SIGNS OF OVER HEAT.

I HAD TO HAVE A GASKET LEAK ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD REPAIRED. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A PROBLEM SINCE 1995 OCCURRING IN APPROXIMATELY 1 OUT OF 30 VEHICLES ACCORDING TO MY CURRENT DEALERSHIP. MY PREVIOUS MECHANIC OF 15 YEARS (A CHEVY MECHANIC FOR 26 YEARS) ALSO SAID GM IS AWARE OF THIS FREQUENT GASKET LEAK. I CALLED CHEVY IN DETROIT TO ASK FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR MY $1,070 REPAIR AND THEY TURNED ME DOWN DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM. *AK

AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG. CHEVY DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED ON SIX SEPARATE OCCASIONS OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, BUT IN EACH CASE THE PROBLEM RETURNED WITHIN A MONTH OR TWO. THE AIRBAG HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE THIS DATE, ACCORDING TO THE INDICATOR LIGHT, EXCEPT FOR SHORT TIME PERIODS AFTER REPAIR. WE HAVE ASKED CHEVY TO FIND A PERMANENT SOLUTION WITH NO SUCCESS. *LA

MY 1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT SUSTAINING MAJOR DAMAGE. THERE WAS A DIRECT HIT TO THE RIGHT HEADLAMP WITH THE POLE AND THE VAN ENDED UP LANDING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE SKIDDING ON THE ROAD. NONE OF THE 4 AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. HAS THERE BEEN A RECALL ON THEM OR HAS THERE BEEN ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE?*AK

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED 1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE. UPON CHECKING THE FLUID LEVELS YESTERDAY, I NOTED THAT THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS LOW, AND THE COOLANT APPEARED TO BE CONTAMINATED (PROBABLY BY OIL). THIS, COUPLED WITH ABNORMAL TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS AND AN ODD TINGE ON MY OIL DIPSTICK CAUSED ME ENOUGH CONCERN TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH. I'VE FOUND THOUSANDS OF TESTIMONIALS FROM GM OWNERS, ESPECIALLY OF THE 3.1 AND 3.4 LITER V-6, WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM A LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. THE DAMAGE RANGES FROM A SIX HUNDRED DOLLAR REPAIR BILL TO EJECTED RODS/CRACKED HEADS/COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A WIDESPREAD DEFECT, AND ENGINE FAILURE IN ANY TYPE OF TRAFFIC IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY CONCERN, ESPECIALLY IN A FAMILY VEHICLE SUCH AS A MINIVAN. I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR INFORMATION REGARDING ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THIS DEFECT. MY COMPLAINT IS THE COMMONALITY LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THIS PROBLEM, GIVEN THE FACT THAT GM IS CLEARLY AWARE THAT IT EXISTS (BOTH BY TECHNICAL BULLETIN AND THE FACT THAT ALL FOUR OF THE LOCAL GM SERVICE DEPARTMENTS I CALLED RECENTLY REFERRED TO THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY). IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT A RECALL HAS NOT OCCURRED ON THIS POORLY ENGINEERED, INHERENTLY DANGEROUS "DEX-COOL" COOLANT SYSTEM, WHEN IT CORRODES ENGINE OPERATING PARTS AND SUPPORT STRUCTURES, OFTEN UNDETECTABLE IN THE LOWER ENGINE AREA UNTIL CATASTROPHIC MATERIAL FAILURE. *LA

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 02V286000 NOTICE CONCERNING POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY. DEALER WAS CONTACTED ON 12/19/2002, AND DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO PERFORM RECALL REPAIRS. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN AND STILL DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS. *AK

THE SEATBELTS IN THE PASSENGER SEATS CONTINUOUSLY LOCK, WHICH REQUIRES MY CHILDREN TO UNFASTEN THEM AND REFASTEN THEM SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING. *LA

REAR WINDOW ON VEHICLE BLEW OUT. *MR IN 2001 THE REAR WINDOW HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAD BLOWN OUT. IN 2003, THE SAME WINDOW HAD BLOWN OUT AGAIN WHICH WAS THE ORIGINAL FROM GM. THERE WAS NO SEAL AROUND THE ORIGINAL WINDOW. THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD SEAL HAD TO BE REPLACED BY GM IN WHICH THEY COVERED HALF THE COST. THERE WERE OTHER CHEVROLET'S WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. (THE CRACKED SEALED LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE) THE CONSUMER FELT THAT GM SHOULD REIMBURSE THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *SCC *JB

LOCKING MECHANISM ON VAN CARGO DOOR (98' CHEVY VENTURE) DEFECTIVE. DOOR CAN NOT BE LOCKED EVEN MANUALLY. THIS WAS DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT AFTER A "REPAIR" AT A DEALERSHIP. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT ACCORDING TO THE DEALER IS "NOT UNCOMMON". *JB