2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

DT: WHILE ON A TRIP THE CALLER HEARD A NOISE AND THE ENGINE OVERHEATED. SHE PULLED OVER, AND SAW WHAT SHE THOUGHT IT WAS LACK OF ANTIFREEZE. SHE PUT SOME ANTI-FREEZE IN ENGINE AND TRIED TO DRIVE, BUT IT WOULD NOT RUN. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER, AND DEALER SAID IT WAS TRANSMISSION , AND HE WAS REPLACING TRANSMISSIONS IN OTHER VANS LIKE HERS. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK

THE POWER SLIDING DOOR SPONTANEOUSLY OPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING A LEFT TURN (CENTRIFUGAL FORCE PULLING OCCUPANTS TOWARDS THE OPENING DOOR), AN UNRESTRAINED PASSENGER WOULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT IT WAS SCARY. IT TURNS OUT THAT ONE OF THE DOOR GUIDE WHEELS BROKE ON THE REAR PART OF THE DOOR, CAUSING THE DOOR TO CLOSE BUT NOT LATCH PROPERLY. THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT WAS NOT ON AND THE DOOR APPEARED CLOSED TO CASUAL INSPECTION. PROPERTY DAMAGE OCCURRED WHEN OUR VIDEO CAMERA ROLLED OUT OF THE CAR INTO THE STREET.

IN SEPT. '03 THE REAR CYLINDER BRAKES WERE LEAKING AND NEEDED REPLACED; IN MARCH '04 THE FRONT SUSPENSION WENT AND HAD UPPER STRUTS, MOUNTS AND BEARINGS ALL REPLACED; IN JUNE '04 I FIRST TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR ENGINE ACCELERATION. THE ENGINE LUNGES AND REVS HIGH BUT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD IT IN SEVERAL MORE TIMES SINCE THEN; ALSO IN JUNE '04 THE LOWER INTAKE OF THE ENGINE COOLING WAS FOUND LEAKING. IN OCT. '04 THE ABS BRAKES WENT AND IT WAS VERIFIED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL HUB FAILED AND REPLACED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL HUB BEARING. ALSO IN OCT. '04, THE TRANSMISSION WENT. IT WAS NOT ENGAGING WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COLD AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP VERIFIED SUN SHELL FAILED AND REPLACED NEW SRTA TRANSMISSION. ALSO AT THIS SAME SERVICE VISIT, THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THE CAM SENSOR LEAKING. THEY REPLACED LOWER INTAKE AND ALL RELATED GASKETS. IN NOV. '04, I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN FOR THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM, WHICH THEY AGAIN COULD NOT DETERMINE. IN APRIL '05, I DISCOVERED MY AIR CONDITIONING DID NOT WORK. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY AND THAT I PROBABLY HAD A LEAK AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED EVEN THOUGH MY VAN IS STILL LESS THAN 4 YRS. OLD AND HAS ONLY SEEN 3 SUMMERS AND THE AIR CONDITIONING IS BARELY USED. IN MAY '05, DURING A RAINSTORM MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT COME ON. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY JOLTED ON AND NEARLY FLIPPED OFF THE SIDES OF THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAIT FOR THE RAIN TO STOP UNTIL I COULD DRIVE AGAIN, ALL WHILE MY 4 CHILDREN WERE IN THE VAN. I DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THEM THE WIPERS. THEY LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND TOLD ME THAT THE WIPERS CAME AWAY FROM THE SUPPORT BRACE. THEY ENDED UP REPLACING THE WIPER TRANSMISSION, MOTOR AND CRANK. CHEVROLET SAID THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP WITH ANY OF THE REPAIR COSTS AND TOLD ME THAT THESE THINGS HAPPEN AND I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 4 YRS. OLD.

TRANSMISSION FAILS AT 54,000 MILES DUE TO DEFECTIVE PARTS. REBUILT TRANSMISSION WILL COST $2000.

THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP AFTER SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIRED SHOP. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS NOT DETERMINED AT THIS TIME.*AK

THE LOWER INTAKE GASKETS LEAK FLUID, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT AND STALL. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK

COOLANT LOSS, AND TEMPERATURE PROBLEMS LED ME TO MECHANIC, ASSUMING IT WAS A THERMOSTAT. HE TRACED PROBLEM TO LEAKING INTAKE GASKETS. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 47,000 MILES ON IT! COST $532 FOR 6+ HOUR JOB TO REPLACE FAULTY INTAKE GASKETS. GM SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS; THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW ABOUT THEIR FAULTY GASKETS, BECAUSE THE SET NOW OFFERED IS A "NEW AND IMPROVED SET". *AK

2001 CEV VENTURE MINI VAN REAR TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY CORRODED AND CIRCUIT BOARD SHORTED. STOPPED BY POLICE HAVE HAD FRIENDS WITH SAME PROBLEM >LOCAL GARAGE (NOT DEALER) HAS SEEN MANY VENTURES WITH SAME PROBLEM. DEALER WOW FIRST TIME . *AK

WHEN OUR VAN (2001 CHEVY VENTURE) REACHED ABOUT 75000 MILES, WE NOTICED THE TEMPERATURE ON THE GAUGE RISING. I CONTACTED OUR MECHANIC AND HE RECOMMENDED FLUSHING THE COOLING LINE AND CHANGING THE THERMOSTAT. I TOOK THE VAN IN AND HAD THE COOLING SYSTEM FLUSHED AND THE THERMOSTAT CHANGED. AT THAT TIME HE NOTICED A COOLANT LEAK BELOW THE INTAKE. NOW THAT THE COOLING SYSTEM HAS BEEN FLUSHED AND THE THERMOSTAT CHANGED I WAS HOPING TO NOT SEE A FLUCTUATION IN THE TEMPERATURE. I WAS WRONG, THE TEMPERATURE IS STILL FLUCTUATING AND NOW I NOTICE WHEN IT GETS HOT THE CAR SHIFTS VERY ROUGH. HE RECOMMENDED I CONTACT A GM DEALER AND HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT, DUE TO THE VENTURE VAN BEING KNOWN FOR THIS ISSUE AND HOPEFULLY GM WOULD COVER THE COST. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL GM DEALER AND HAVE AN APPOINTMENT THIS WEEK. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHERS WITH THIS SAME ISSUE AND I HOPE THAT GM STEPS UP TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

IT WAS RAINING IN LOUISIANA AND I WAS DRIVING TO PICK UP MY HUSBAND FROM WORK. UPON LEAVING HIS WORK. WE WERE TRAVELING EAST ON HIGHWAY 10 TO CHURCH ON A WENDESDAY EVENING. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS HIT EACH OTHER AND THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS LAYING LIMP ON THE SIDE. THE DRIVERS SIDE WAS STILL ATTEMPTING TO WORK. WE HAD TO TURN THEM OFF AND DRIVE THE REST OF THE WAY TO CHURCH WITH NO WIPERS. THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD BEEN BENT AND WE REMOVED THE ARM SO THAT WE COULD DRIVE THE VAN WITH JUST THE DRIVER SIDE WIPER. IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME (11000 MILES). WE BROUGHT IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN BAKER, LOUISIANA. THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO FIX IT SO THEY ORDERED THE PARTS. WE WAITED THREE WEEKS FOR PARTS. WHEN WE FINALLY CALLED BACK TO SEE IF THE PARTS HAD COME IN, THEY TOLD US THAT THEY HAD AND THEY JUST FORGOT TO CALL US. WE BROUGHT THE VAN IN AND THEY REPLACED THE WIPER ARM AND THEY COULD NOT GET THE TIMING RIGHT ON THE WIPERS. THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE WIPERS AND SET THE TIMING. THEY HAVE BEEN RUNNING FINE UNTIL ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO. THE JUST STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER THIS TIME. YOU CAN HEAR THE MOTOR TRYING TO TURN TO MOVE THE WIPERS BUT THEY ARE NOT MOVING. THIS REPAIR IS AT 51000 MILES. FIRST TIME EVER THAT I HAVE HAD THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON ANY VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED GO OUT, MUCH LESS GO OUT TWICE. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE 240 DOLLARS PLUS TAX FOR REPAIRS. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. *JB