1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND STRAIGHTENING THE STEERING WHEEL, THE STEERING WHEEL RACK AND PINION FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. SOON AFTER, THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO CONFIRMED THE STEERING RACK AND PINION FRACTURE. THE REPAIR SHOP ALSO DETERMINED DUE TO THE UNIQUE FRACTURE OF THE RACK AND PINION AND THE ILLUMINATION OF THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT, THE AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO PARK. THERE WAS AN NHTSA RECALL, # 98V131000 REGARDING THE POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SLIDING DOOR ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE DID NOT LATCH PROPERLY. WHILE THE DOOR WAS BEING SHUT, IT SIMPLY ROLLED BACK OPEN UPON MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A MECHANIC. A SERVICE DEALER WAS CALLED, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE.*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AT 20 MPH THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS FAILURE TO THE LOWER BEARING PLATE. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 02V286000, REGARDING THE STEERING RACK AND PINION. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

VENTURE WAS MAKING A SMELL THAT I REMEMBERED FROM MY 95 CHEVY LUMINA. PULL OVER REALIZED THE SAME THING WAS GOING ON WITH THIS VAN. COOLANT GOING INTO ENGINE. THIS VAN ONLY HAD 51,652 MILES ON FOR A 98 THAT IS GREAT I TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT AND CHEVY LOST A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE. WE WERE LOOKING A TAHOE BUT I WOULD EVEN LOOK AT IT NOW CHEVY IS THE WORST CAR MAKER OUT THERE BUT THEN AGAIN THEY ARE MAKING ME NOW LOOK A TOYOTA,HONDA IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT. *NM

THE INTAKE GASKET ON MY 98 VENTURE FAILED AND LEAKED DEXCOOL INTO THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE TEMP FLUCTUATED AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED DAMAGING THE HEAD GASKET. I SEE GM IS IGNORING THE ISSUE AS WELL AS NHTSA. THERE IS HOWEVER A LAW FIRM IN PUTTING TOGETHER A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR THIS PROBLEM. I ENCOURAGE ALL TO JOIN IN THE SUIT AND TO LEAVE GM AND BECOME LOYAL HONDA OWNERS. *JB

I EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING FAILURE MAKING LEFT TURNS ONLY. DEALER TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT IN THE RECALL SCOPE EVEN THOU IT HAS THE EXACT PROBLEM AS THE RECALL VEHICLES OF 1998 (NHTSA ID # 02V28600). THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING GEAR AT MY COST. THEY KEPT THE CORE GEAR ASSEMBLY DN/26065144 - RV 26065041-78091. THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT TELL WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE BECAUSE IT IS A SEALED UNIT. *JB

FOR THE 2ND TIME SINCE THE DATE NOTED BELOW, I AM EXPERIENCING INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE ON MY 1998 CHEVY VENTURE. IN 2003 IT WAS REPLACED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT 34,000 MILES. NOW, JUST SHY OF 2 YEARS LATER, AND AT 53,000 (AT MY OWN EXPENSE AND A COST OF $1200.00)) IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE REASON I AM CONTACTING YOU AT THIS TIME IS THAT GM DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS A RECALLABLE ISSUE WITH THEIR VEHICLES. I SPOKE WITH GLEN KUNIYUKI ON 12/7/05, AND SYLVIA JABOUIN ON 12/8/05, AT GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY SAID THAT SINCE THIS WAS NOT A RECALLABLE ISSUE AND UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT THE NHTSA MADE THEM RECALL THE VEHICLES INVOLVED, THAT THEY SIMPLY WERE NOT GOING TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM TO GM MODELS, AND RECOMMENDED TRADING IT IN FOR A NEWER MODEL. WHILE RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I FOUND SEVERAL WEBSITES WHERE MANY OTHER GM CUSTOMERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME REPETITIVE PROBLEM WITH NO SATISFACTION FROM THE MANUFACTURER. I AM PROVIDING YOU WITH ONLY FOUR, BUT THERE ARE MANY OUT THERE. (HTTP://FORUM.FREEADVICE.COM/ARCHIVE/INDEX.PHP/T-194703.HTML HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/GM_INTAKE_MANIFOLD.HTML HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/GM_DEXCOOL.HTML HTTP://SFDISCUSSIONS.PROBOARDS32.COM/INDEX.CGI?BOARD=LEMON&ACTION=DISPLAY&THREAD=1089240579) YOUR ATTENTION AND RESPONSE TO THIS MATTER WILL BE ANXIOUSLY AWAITED. *NM

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVY VENTURE VAN THAT IS DISPLAYING THE SAME DEFECTS OF THE RACK AND PINION RECALL FOR THE SAME LISTED VEHICLE AND YEAR. CHEVY TELLS ME THAT MINE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS. I FEEL THAT THIS IS TOO MUCH COINCIDENCE. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 76,000 MILES ON IT. *JB

I OWN A 1998 CHEVY VENTURE MINIVAN AND ON THE DATE SPECIFIED I WAS OUT WITH MY FAMILY ( A SNOWY EVENING) WHEN I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND MY TURN SIGNALS ON MY DASH WENT TO A SOLID GREEN. AS I APPROACHED THE RED LIGHT A PERSON IN THE CAR NEXT TO ME ADVISED ME THAT I HAD NO TAILLIGHTS. AFTER GETTING HOME I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WHERE IF MOISTURE GETS INTO THE CONNECTOR ON THE BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY, IT WILL CAUSE THE GROUND CONNECTOR TO SHORT OUT AND CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO DO SOME CRAZY THINGS AS WELL AS THE CRUISE CONTROL TO DISENGAGE AT CERTAIN TIMES. *NM