1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

VEHICLE TAKEN IN FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AT 39000 MILES. MECHANIC INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS A MANIFOLD INTAKE LEAK THAT WOULD COST $600+ TO FIX.I DID NOT DO THE REPAIR, BUT HAVE SINCE BEEN INFORMED THAT THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND THAT NOT REPAIRING COULD CAUSE SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE. SOMETHING KNOWN AND COMMON LIKE THIS IS SHAMEFUL FOR A CAR 3000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. I SUSPECT THE PROBLEM WAS PRESENT AT THE OIL CHANGE PRIOR TO 36K.

REAR SEATBELTS FAIL DUE TO THE BUCKLE SLIPPING DOWN EXPOSING THE PARTS INSIDE. THESE PARTS COME APART WHEN EXPOSED. 2 HAVE FAILED SO FAR...RENDERING 2 SEATS AS UNUSABLE AND UNSAFE FOR TRAVEL IN VEHICLE. A THIRD SEAT IS IN PROCESS OF FAILING...BUCKLE HAS TO BE KEPT UP WITH DUCT TAPE.*AK

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE HAZARD LIGHTS TURNED ON ITS OWN AND THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILED. THE ABS LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THE DRIVER WILL CONTACT THE DEALER IN THE NEAR FUTURE. *AK THE RIGHT TAIL LIGHT DID NOT WORK PROPERLY, WHEN THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL FLASHED TWICE AS FAST AS NORMAL, BUT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL FLASHED NORMAL, ALSO WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BOTH DIRECTIONAL INDICATORS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STAYED ON UNTIL THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE ABS AND TCS WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON AND STAYED ON UNTIL IT WAS RESET, AROUND THE SAME TIME THE BLOWER FOR THE HEAT AND AIR CONDITIONING LOST BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND SPEEDS, THE DOOR LOCK CYCLE WAS INTERMITTENT AND THE CONSUMER WAS LOCKED OUT OF THE VEHICLE, THE POWER SLIDING DOOR HAD BECOME INOPERATIVE AND THE BRAKES FAILED MANY TIMES. *SC *JB

THE 1997-2000 VENUTURES HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINES, THE INTAKE GASKET BREAKS DOWN CAUSING ANTI FREEZE TO MIX WITH THE ENGINES OIL CAUSING THE CAM SHAFT TO CRACK, IN OUR CASE THERE WAS NO LEAKS UNDER THE VAN AND THERE WAS NO WARNING EITHER THE VAN WAS RUNNING WELL THAT MORNING AND WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET THERE WAS 2 SHORT BUKLES FROM THE VAN AND EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN INCLUDING STEERING WHICH WAS DIFFICULT TO DO, IS IT GOING TO TAKE SOMEONES FAMILY TO DIE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE GM WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY THEN THERE WOULD BE NO WAY THAT SHE WOULD HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT BEING HIT, EVEN THEN SHE HAD 3 YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE VAN AGES 3-8 AND WAS ALMOST HIT FROM BEHIND, BECAUSE IT WAS AN INDUSTRIAL HIGHWAY SPEED LIMIT OF 50MPH AND NOT MUCH ROOM ON THE SHOULDER TO PARK. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE VANS AND YET NO ONE SEEMS TO BE DOING ANYTHING. THIS WEBSITE HAS COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT, WWW. COMPLAINTS.COM AND WWW.GM-V6LEMONS.COM HAS HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ALONG WITH OTHER WEBSITES OF PEOPLE EXPERANCING THE SAME PROBLEM. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE? GM DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE EVEN THOUGH THEIR DEALERSHIPS HAVE STATED THEIR IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINES. ENGINE SHUT OFF AND FAILURE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS . *AK

I WAS TRAVELING ON I-95 NORTHBOUND ON TUEDAY, MARCH 22ND NEAR THE HASTINGS, FLORIDA EXIT. THE TREAD ON THE LEMANS TIRE, P215/70R15 COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE, THE CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN VEERED TO THE RIGHT, NARROWLY MISSING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE TREAD WAS RECOVERED, AND SAVED, BUT IT SMASHED THE HOSES THAT CONNECT TO THE REAR A/C COMPRESSOR AND ALSO DAMAGED MY BUMPER RIPPING SEVERAL BOLTS OUT. THE MAN FROM AAA WHO CHANGED MY TIRE WAS AMAZED THAT I DID NOT ROLL THE VAN. HE NOTICED FLUID LEAKING OUT AND CHECKED TO SEE IF THE GAS TANK WAS LEAKING. IT WAS NOT. HE THOUGHT IT WAS EITHER BRAKE FLUID OR COMPRESSOR FREON. I DID NOT HIT ANY DEBRIS IN THE ROAD AND WAS GOING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH. THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS 32 PSI. THE DOT NUMBER ON THE TIRE IS HYM3 LTB 4100. THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER CODE ON THE TIRE Q09L. I WILL ATTEPT TO GO TO THE FIRESTONE DEALER AND SEE ABOUT REPAIRS. AFTER READING MANY FIRESTONE COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEB SITE, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT FIRESTONE DEALERS ARE TRAINED TO SAY THAT TREAD SEPARATION IS CAUSED BY HITTING DEBRIS SO THE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR DAMAGE. I WILL LET YOU KNOW OF MY EXPERIECE WITH FIRESTONE FRANCHISE AT 10553 SAN JOSE BLVD, JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA 32258.*AK

THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR ON MY VAN AS BROKEN SEVERAL TIMES. IT STARTS BY JUST COMING OF TRACK AND YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE WINDOW TO GET IT TO CLOSE AND SEAL AND EVENTUALLY THE REGULATOR BRAKES ALL TOGETHER AND THE WINDOW SLAMS DOWN OR YOU HEAR A LOUD METAL POP AND THE WINDOW GOES FORWARD AND THE CORNER THAT IS IN THE UPPER LEFT IS NOW IN THE CENTER OF WHERE THE WINDOW SHOULD BE. IT CAME REAL CLOSE TO SHATTERING THE WINDOW. WE REPLACED THE REGULATOR AND IT IS DOING IT AGAIN. *JB

WATER BUILD UP INTO THE FRONT HEAD LIGHTS AND WATER BUILD UP IN THE ENGINE. HAD TO REPLACE LIGHTS AND ENGINE AFTER LIGHTS WERE REPLACED WE HAD TO DRILL A HOLD BELOW THE LIGHT COVERS SO THAT WATER BUILD UP CAN DRAIN FROM HOLE. HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE.

AT MORNING START UP I SMELLED GAS. CHECKED UNDER VAN AND SAW PUDDLE OF GAS IN MIDDLE. TOOK VAN TO CHEV. DEALER AND FOUND GAS LINE LEAKING. LEAK IS ONLY ABOUT 18 INCHES AWAY FROM CATALYTIC CONVERTER. IF WIND WAS BOWLING JUST RIGHT A FIRE COULD START. THIS IS 1998 CHEV. VENTURE WITH 13000 MILES. THIS IS THE FORTH TIME I HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

DECEMBER 2002 - MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED, ALLOWING DEXCOOL COOLANT TO MIX WITH THE OIL SYSTEM. GASKET REPLACED. NOVEMBER 2004. REPLACEMENT GASKET FAILED. COOLANT IN OIL SYSTEM AGAIN. MODIFIED GASKET KIT INSTALLED. JAN 2, 2005. CAM SHAFT BREAKS. BEARINGS/BUSHING SEIZED DUE TO OIL SYSTEM CONTAMINATION. ON JAN 2, 2005, THE VAN STALLED IN INTERSECTION. CAR RESTARTED. CAR THEN STALLED ON THE EXPRESSWAY ON THE WAY HOME AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE STALL OCCURRED ON A BEND COMING OUT OF A TUNNEL. APPROACHING CARS HAD LITTLE WARNING THAT OUR VAN WAS ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. POLICE HELPED PUSH THE VAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONTO THE GRASS. THE VAN CANNOT BE COST EFFECTIVELY REPAIRED. IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. *NM

ENGINE STALLING AND UNDER PERFORMING DUE TO MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING COOLANT INTO ENGINE. MY WIFE WAS ENTERING A MAIN ROAD FROM OUR SUB-DIVISION DRIVING OUR CHEVROLET VENTURE '98 WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGHLY AND SPUTTERING. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL WITH THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A LEAK OF COOLANT I BELIEVE INTO THE ENGINE. IT SEEMS GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT NOTIFIED OWNERS OF THE VANS. AT THE LEAST THEY SHOULD BE MAKING CONSUMERS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE FACT THAT ENGINE FAILURE COULD OCCUR DURING CRITICAL TIMES.*AK