2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT BECAME DISMOUNTED FROM ITS HOUSING. LEAVING IT INOPERATIVE. CHEVROLET HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED AT THIS TIME.*AK THE DEALER HAS RE-ATTACHED THE SEAT BELT TO HOUSING. *YH

WE WERE ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING AT THE SPEEDLIMIT OF 70MPH MY DAD SAID, HE HEARD A FUNNY SOUND SO HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL OVER OFF THE FREEWAY THERE WAS MANY CARS AND LONGHAUL TRUCK APPROACHING WHEN THE CAR JUST LIKE IT DROPPED AND PULLED US OVER ALMOST CAUSING US TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT MY DAD GOT US SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ,AND MY HUSBAND AND MY DAD GOT OUT TO FIND THE TIRES OUTSIDE SIDE WALL HAD COMPLETELY COME OUT FROM THE TIRE, THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THESE TIRES, THE FIRST TIRE THAT THIS HAPPENED TO THE INSIDE WALL OF THE TIRE CAME OUT .THIS HAPPENED WITHIN A MONTH OF EACHOTHER .I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VAN ON THE FREEWAY, I FEEL THESE TIRES ARE VERY UNSAFE, THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT ,THE VAN COULD HAVE EASILY FLIPPED OVER AND WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.THE TIRE DEALERSHIPS THAT SEEN THE TIRES SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE, THE TIRES JUST CAME APART , THE WHOLE SIDES ARE JUST LIKE SOMEONE RIPPED THEM RIGHT OUT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO NEW TIRES, SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG,WHEN TWO TIRES DO THE SAME EXACT THING WITHIN A MONTH OF EACHOTHER, I THINK THIS SAYS THE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND UNSAFE.*AK (DOT NUMBER: ACM3BLI279 TIRESIZE: P215)

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER CONTROL MODULE BUT SOON AFTER THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN. NLM

TIRE BLEW OUT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP TO BE EXAMINED. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ROAD HAZARD SIGNS. DEALERSHIP CONTACTED MANUFACTURER AND THEY REFUSED WARRANTY. THE TIRE WAS ONLY 4 MONTHS OLD WHEN THIS HAPPENED.( DOT NUMBER: W2M3BCB259 TIRE SIZE: P215/70R15 )

THE INTEGRATED CHILD SAFETY SEAT SHOULDER HARNESS CLIP COMES APART WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT. *MJS

ON TWO OCCASION THE SLIDING DOOR FAIL TO REOPEN UPON CLOSING UPON A PASSENGER; BEEN IN DEALER SHOP ON TWO OCCASION AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS:

OUR VAN BROKE DOWN IN CANON CITY WHICH IS APPROX. 136 MILES FROM NORTHGLENN BUT WE HAD BEEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS FROM 55 TO 75 MILES MPH & IF THE VAN WOULD HAVE QUIT AT THOSE SPEEDS WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED BUT FORTUNATELY WE WERE LUCKY BUT MY CONCERN IS LETTING OTHER DRIVERS KNOW OF THE SERIOUS DEFECT THAT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE & FATAL INJURIES.

VEHICLE BROUGHT TO DEALER. DEALER COULD NOT RECREATE CONDITION AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF IDLING IN THE YARD. ASKED ME IF IT HAD BEEN RAINNING! VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN TO THEM "WET" ON 8/1/00. DEALER FOUND PROBLEM TO BE IMPROPER A/C MODULE SEALANT. MODULE SHOWED TRACES OF HEATER BOX GREASE WHICH WAS PLUGGING DRAIN. ALSO FOUND DRAIN OPENING TO BE TOO SMALL. RE-SEALED MODULE AND MADE OPENING LARGER. INSTALLED DOWNSPOUT OFF DRAIN TO ELIMINATE ANY REVERSE PRESSURE SITUATIONS.

CAN SEND A MORE READABLE VERSION ON REQUEST. I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT A VERY REAL AND DANGEROUS ISSUE WITH CHEVROLET VENTURES. WE BOUGHT A 2000 MODEL THIS SPRING. WHILE TRAVELING ONE DAY, MY WIFE AND I, IN THE FRONT SEATS, THOUGHT WE SMELLED SMOKE. WE FIGURED THAT A VEHICLE THAT PASSED US ON THE INTERSTATE WAS SPEWING FUMES, SO WE DIDN'T REALLY THINK IT WAS ANYTHING SERIOUS. A FEW SECONDS LATER, SMOKE STARTING POURING OUT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT! I YELLED AT MY WIFE TO PULL OVER, AND SHE AND OUR THREE CHILDREN IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED THE VEHICLE. I STOOD BY THE PASSENGER DOOR, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THIS SMOKE, WHICH WAS POURING OUT FROM THE FRONT AND THE BACK OF THE SEAT. I PULLED OUT THE STORAGE DRAWER UNDER THE SEAT, EXPECTING SOMETHING THERE. IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I LOOKED BEHIND THE SEAT, SO SEE THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT GLOWING BRIGHT ORANGE FROM OPEN FLAMES. INSTINCT TOOK OVER AT THAT POINT, AND I VERY QUICKLY PULLED OUT THE CONTENTS UNDER THE SEAT - A CHILD'S BOOK, A SPIRAL-BOUND NOTEBOOK, AND A NYLON SEAT-BELT COVER DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN. I THEN BEGAN STAMPING OUT THE ITEMS AND THE BURNING CARPET WITH MY SHOES AND BARE HANDS. ALL OF THIS TOOK, AT MOST, 15-20 SECONDS. MY WIFE SUCCESSFULLY PULLED THE CHILDREN VERY FAR AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, FOR FEAR OF THE FIRE SPREADING, AND MAYBE EVEN CAUSING AN EXPLOSION. HAD I THOUGHT ABOUT MY ACTIONS RATHER THAN REACTING BY INSTINCT, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE VEHICLE AS WELL. THE CAUSE? THERE ARE SEVERAL CONNECTORS UNDER THE FRONT SEATS OF THE CHEVY VENTURE. ON OUR VAN, THE SETS OF BLACK CONNECTORS ARE NOT USED. (I WOULD GUESS THEY ARE FOR POWER SEATS, WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE). AT ANY RATE, THESE CONNECTORS ARE "HOT" (MEANING THERE IS A VOLTAGE PRESENT ON THE PINS OF THE CONNECTORS) AND NOT COVERED IN ANY WAY. WHEN MY DAUGHTER STOPPED DRAWING IN HER SPIRAL-BOUND NOTEBOOK, IT FELL OFF THE SEAT, AND LANDED UNDER THE FRONT SEAT. THE WIRE IN THE NOTEBOOK CREATED A SHORT BETWEEN THE UNPR.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE TIRE POPPED. THE NOISE WAS AS LOUD AS A GUN SHOT. THE TIRE PULLED THE CAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE. SHE HIT ANOTHER CAR AS A RESULT. *AK