2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

GAS GAUGE DOES NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT FUEL. IT JUMPS WILDLY AT TIMES FROM FULL TO EMPTY AND BACK TO FULL. IT OFTEN SHOWS 3/4 OF A TANK WHEN IT IS ACTUALLY NEAR EMPTY. I HAD TO BEGIN TRACKING MY MILEAGE TO ENSURE I DO NOT RUN OUT OF GAS. GAS LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF BUT USUALLY COINCIDES WITH AN EMPTY READING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 45 MPH AND NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS INOPERABLE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE CONTACT STATED THE FUEL AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WERE ALSO INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING AN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130000.

THE DATE WHEN THIS FIRST APPEARED IS UNKNOWN. I BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS. I HAVE OWNED THE VAN FOR 7 YEARS. THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER QUIT WORKING. THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE ACCORDING TO OTHERS WHO OWN SIMILAR VEHICLES. I CANNOT TELL HOW FAST I AM GOING, HOW HOT MY ENGINE IS RUNNING, OR WHEN I WILL RUN OUT OF GAS. *TR

WATER ENTERS THE HEADLIGHTS. CONDENSATION COVERS THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT LENSES AND REDUCES LIGHT OUTPUT. *TR

LIGHTS IN FRONT KEEP SHORTING OUT(TURN SIGNAL AND NIGHT). ASSEMBLY FELL APART (BOTH FRONT). REAR LIGHTING ASSEMBLY INSIDES BURNED UP 3 OF THE 6 CONNECTORS. HAVE REPLACED LIGHTS, FUSES, ETC AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH FOR THE LAST YEAR FOR THE FRONT LIGHTS. *TR

AS I WAS TURNING INTO THE PARKING LOT OF MY CHILD'S SCHOOL, THE STEERING LOCKED UP ON ME. I COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL FOR ANYTHING AND THANKFULLY WAS NOT GOING FAST AT THE TIME OR I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP BEFORE HAVING AN ACCIDENT WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I TURNED THE VAN ON AND OFF, WAITED AND IT STILL WOULDN'T WORK AT ALL. IT WAS AFTER A FEW HOURS THAT I TRIED AGAIN AND IT WORKED AT THAT TIME. I DROVE CAREFULLY HOME AND HAVE TO TAKE IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND HAVE IT FIXED BEFORE WE DO HAVE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO WARNING AT ALL PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING AND WE HAVE HAD IT SERVICED, CHECKED, AND ALL PARTS REPLACED AS RECOMMENDED. OIL CHANGES DONE EVERY 3,000 MILES WITH FULL SYNTHETIC OIL. ALL DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A STRONG GASOLINE FUEL SMELL BEING EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FUEL TANK FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07E021000 (FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 12/11/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUEL TANK INTAKE SEAL FAILED. THIS CAUSED GAS TO NO LONGER BE SAFELY CONTAINED AND TOXIC FUMES ARE BEING RELEASED. UPDATED 12/17/2012 *JS

WE BOUGHT THE VAN USED FROM A DEALERSHIP ABOUT A YEAR AGO. THE VAN WAS FINE AT FIRST BUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER WE BOUGHT THE VAN THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATED. THE FUEL GAUGE WAS AT HALF, IT WENT TO EMPTY THEN FULL AND BACK TO HALF, ALL IN ONE MOTION. I THOUGHT IT WAS ODD BUT NEVER HAD A FUEL GAUGE DO THAT TO ME BEFORE. AFTER THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD FLUCTUATE PERIODICALLY BUT WOULD ALWAYS GO BACK TO WERE IT WAS BEFORE IT FLUCTUATED. WE FIGURED AS LONG AS IT WENT BACK TO WERE IT WAS BEFORE IT FLUCTUATED THEN WE WOULD JUST DEAL WITH IT. BOY, WERE WE STUPID FOR THINKING THAT IT WASN'T GOING TO GET WORSE. IT EVENTUALLY GOT WORSE AND NOW IT READS FULL(BUT ITS NOT) AND JUST OUT OF NOWHERE GOES TO EMPTY AND THE FUEL LIGHT COMES ON. JUST LAST WEEK THE FUEL GAUGE READ EMPTY, WE PUT $50 WORTH OF FUEL IN THE VAN. THE GAUGE READ FULL, WE DID SOME RUNNING AROUND TOWN(WE LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN) SO WE COULDN'T HAVE USED MUCH FUEL. WE WENT HOME AND WAS GOING TO LEAVE AGAIN A FEW HOURS LATER AND WHEN WE STARTED THE VAN AND GOT DOWN THE ROAD, THE FUEL GAUGE WENT TO EMPTY IMMEDIATELY. ITS FRUSTRATING THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T DISPLAY CORRECTLY. MY WIFE USUALLY DRIVES THE VAN AND I DON'T WANT HER TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND GET STRANDED SOMEWHERE. I'VE BEEN READING A LOT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT HAVE TO AFFECT TO WARRANT A RECALL BY GM? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GET HURT OR KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING GETS DONE? HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT GM VEHICLES(NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES) BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE IF GM KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND DECIDED TO DO NOTHING. NOW WERE STUCK PAYING 3 MORE YEARS ON A VAN THAT DOESN'T OPERATE PROPERLY. WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO TRADE IT IN FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO GET IT FIXED. VERY FRUSTRATING! *TR

TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING HARD IN MARCH 2012 (69998 MILES ON VEHICLE). PROGRESSED TO, SLIPPING WHEN STARTING TO MOVE FROM STOP, AND WOULD CATCH ABRUPTLY CAUSING A LURCH FORWARD. I HAD THE TROUBLE CODES READ, FOUND PO-1811 STORED IN VEHICLE COMPUTER. CONTACTED CHEVY DEALER, AND WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. THE DEALER STRONGLY SUGGESTED A NEW TRANSMISSION OVER REPAIR/REBUILD, ESTIMATES RANGED FROM $2700.00 TO REPAIR, OR $3000.00 TO REBUILD, AND $3400.00 FOR NEW. ALSO, WAS TOLD THE OLD TRANSMISSION WOULD BE KEPT BY GM AS A "CORE" EVEN WHEN BUYING A "NEW" TRANSMISSION. CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND WAS OFFERED A TEARDOWN AND INSPECTION AT $1500.00 MY COST, WITHOUT ANY PROMISE OF ASSISTANCE FROM GM. FROM THAT POINT, I COULD CHOOSE BETWEEN REPAIR/REBUILD, OR NEW TRANSMISSION AT REGULAR PRICES (EXAMPLE: FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION $2100.00 + $1500.00 FOR TEARDOWN = $3600.00, OR $4200.00 FOR REPAIR, AND $4500.00 FOR REBUILD). AT THAT POINT GM WOULD REVIEW THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION DETAILS FOR POSSIBLE MONETARY COMPENSATION. THE CRITERIA FOR GM'S DECISION INCLUDES "COULD THE FAILURE HAVE BEEN PREVENTED, BY ACTION/S FROM THE OWNER". WAS ALSO INFORMED BY THE DEALER SERVICE WRITER, GM REQUESTS OWNERS SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION AT 100,000 MILE INTERVALS AND NO OTHER SERVICE IS REQUIRED FOR PROPER MAINTENANCE. FURTHER, I WAS ASSURED I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSIONS FAILURE. ANOTHER EMPLOYEE IN THE SAME DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME GM IS VERY AWARE OF THIS TRANSMISSIONS RECORD OF PREMATURE FAILURE, ALSO THAT HE OWNS A LATE MODEL IMPALA, WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION, WHICH IS ALSO FAILING. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING SPORADIC NOT REGISTERING SPEED ACCURATELY THEN STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER ALSO THE GAS GAUGE DOES NOT REGISTER AT ALL SINCE THE PROBLEM BEGAN .THE LOW FUEL LIGHT DOES OPERATE AS OF RIGHT NOW.I HAVE READ THAT ALOT OF VENTURE OWNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM IT IS AVERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR 500 JUST FOR THE PARTS. *TR