2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

10 YEAR OLD GIRL ATTEMPTED TO ENTER REAR PASSENGER SLIDING (NON-AUTOMATIC) DOOR OF 2001 CHEVY VENTURE, WHEN THE BOLTS AND TRACKING FAILED CAUSING THE DOOR TO FALL TO THE GROUND CUTTING HER BONE IN HER BIG TOE IN HALF, LEAVING IT HANGING ON BY SKIN. DOCTOR'S AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HAD TO REALIGN THE BONE AND REATTACH HER TOE. GENERAL MOTORS HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, BUT AT THIS TIME, THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO FIX OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLE.

THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH A TRAILER THAT BECAME DETACHED FROM ANOTHER CONSUMER'S VEHICLE AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *JB

MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE INVOLVED IN A COLLISION AT APPROX 65MPH WITH A 24' FLATBED TRAILER THAT DETACHED ITSELF FROM A VEHICLE HEADED THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. MY VAN HAD SEVERE FRONTAL/RIGHT FRONTAL DAMAGE. ON STAR WAS NOTIFIED UPON IMPACT-BY THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT SENSORS-AND DISPATCHED EMS FOR ME. THE DRIVER, PASSENGER AND SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE ON STAR SYSTEM SHOWS THEY DID. *AK

I WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT IN MY 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE. WE WHERE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 45 MPH, WHEN A CAR PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF US. WE HIT HIM BROADSIDE AT 30-45 MPH. OUR VEHICLE THEN SPUN AROUND AND WAS HIT BROADSIDE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONT NOR THE SIDE PASSENGER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. OUR VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK

TRAVELING 45-50 MPH WITH GREEN LIGHT IN 2001 CHEVY VENTURE MINI-VAN, CAR TURNED ABRUPTLY IN FRONT OF US, WE STRUCK THEM IN THE PASSENGER SIDE. ALL 4 IN OUR VEHICLE WEARING SEAT BELTS BUT NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED. *NLM

PREMATURE FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON 2001CHEVROLET VENTURE MINIVAN. BELIEVE KNOWN ENGINEERING OR MATERIALS DEFECT CAUSES SUN GEAR/THRUST BEARING ON INPUT SHAFT TO PREMATURELY FAIL (44,000 MILES IN MY CASE). IF FAILED UNDER SPEED COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT AS ALL FORWARD AND REVERSE POWER TO WHEELS WAS LOST. MANY COMPLAINTS ON WEB ABOUT PRE-MATURE CHEVROLET VENTURE TRANSMISSION FAILURES. GM ALSO HAS HAD A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT FOR SOME TIME ON THE FAILING SUN GEAR/THRUST BEARING. SEEMS PRETTY EARLY IN MODEL YEAR LIFE TO BE PUBLISHING WHAT IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM SHOWING UP AT REPAIR SITES. REQUEST RECALL INVESTIGATION. *AK

CONSUMER HAS NOTICED RUST AROUND THE FRAME OF THE WINDSHIELD. CONSUMER BELIEVES THE WINDSHIELD WILL BECOME LOOSE DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE RUST. CONSUMER HAS MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEALER, AND THE WINDSHIELD IS BEING REPLACED. *AK

LAST WEEK DRIVER'S SIDE SLIDING PASSENGER DOOR (NON-POWER) FLEW OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. TODAY A CHILD TRIED TO CLOSE THE DRIVER'S SIDE SLIDING DOOR. THE DOOR CAME OFF IT'S REAR TRACK AND FALLING INWARD STRIKING THE CHILD ON THE HEAD (NO INJURY). THE SLIDING DOOR WAS DANGLING BY ITS UPPER AND LOWER LEAD BRACKETS.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH WE HAD A SIDEWALL BLOW OUT ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. FIRESTONE FR680 P215/70R15 TIRES WERE INSTALLED ON APRIL 29, 2003 AND HAD LESS THAN 5,000 MILES AT TIME OF BLOW OUT. CHECKED TIRE PRESSURE PREVIOUS SATURDAY AND ALL WERE OK. ALSO CHECKED TIRE PRESSURE ON OTHER 3 TIRES AFTER BLOW OUT AND ALL WERE OK. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 10:00 P.M. WHILE DRIVING ON I-75 NORTH DOWN A 4% GRADE. FORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT. WE HAD OUR FOUR KIDS IN THE CAR AGES 10 AND UNDER. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE DON'T FEEL VERY SAFE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES. *NLM

ON APRIL 30 2003, ABOUT 6:30 PM I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE MINIVAN THROUGH A RAINSTORM NEAR DALTON, GA ON I-75 HEADING NORTH. SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COLLIDED. THE COLLISION BENT THE WIPERS AND JAMMED THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER OFF THE WINDSHIELD TO THE LEFT. I HAD NO VISION TO THE FRONT AND THE AREA WAS DARK DUE TO THE STORM. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD TO THE LEFT. I WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER AS IT SPUN FREELY. I WAS ABLE TO REBEND THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER BLADE AND THAT ONE WORKED SUFFICIENTLY TO MAKE IT BACK ON THE ROAD WHEN THE STORM LESSENED. THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD. IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE WE HAVE OVER 48,000 MILES ON IT. STILL, SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS WINDSHIELD WIPERS SHOULD NOT FAIL AS SOON AS OUR VENTURE'S DID, AND FAIL IN SUCH A WAY AS TO BE ACUTELY DANGEROUS. WE NARROWLY MISSED ADDING FOUR DEATHS TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TOTALS. THIS PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AND BUILT IN A MORE ROBUST FASHION. FROM NOW ON I WILL BE APPREHENSIVE WHENEVER MY WIFE OR I DRIVE THIS CAR IN RAIN. AFTER REPAIRS AT A LOCAL DEALER, THE WIPER ARM STILL SWEEP THE DRIVER'S SIDE BLADE PAST THE OUTER (LEFT) SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD, CAUSING THE BLADE TO HESITATE BEFORE THE RETURN STROKE. THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE ORIGINAL DAMAGE WHEN THE WIPER ARM BECAME UNSYNCRONIZED WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE ARM. THESE ARE VERY LONG ARMS AND, UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DESIGN CREATES CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE ON THE POINT WHERE THE BLADE ARM IS ATTACHED TO THE DRIVING SHAFT. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO ADJUST THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO AVOID THE OVERLAP WITHOUT CAUSING DAMAGE ON THE OTHER END OF THE SWEEP. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A DESIGN FAULT. WHEN WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL BY COLLISION THERE IS A PROBABILITY OF THAT FAILURE TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, WHICH IS LIKELY TO BE FATAL. CHEVROLET'S DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE UNABLE TO COPE WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TT