Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 030601010 | 03/01/2003 | 10001282 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt | 04/25/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 736212 | 03/01/1997 | 52579 | Engine coolant weeping from coolant recovery reservoir cap. *tw | 08/21/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 03-06-01-010 | 04/01/2008 | 030601010C | 10004768 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt gm reminder. *tt install new lower intake manifold gasket. updated 7/18/08 *pe | 01/06/2004 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 020601014 | 04/01/2002 | 634708 | Subject regarding revised lower intake manifold installation. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 990604005A | 04/01/2001 | 990604005 | 619360 | Some owners may comment on driveability symptons of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 05/24/2001 |
| 876002A | 07/01/1998 | 876002 | 615073 | Some v6 engines may, on a very infrequent basis, have an oil odor condition that is generally encountered after the engine's oil has been changed.typically the odor lasts approximately 1000 miles after the change of oil and then does not re | 12/26/2000 |
| 990604005 | 02/01/1999 | 776304A | 604343 | Some owners may experience a driveability symptom of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire. *tt | 04/26/1999 |
| 98576124A | 06/01/1998 | 57-61-24 | 601915 | Comments on a ticking type noise that begins shortly after cold engine start-up and gradually diminishes as the engine warms up. *yc | 08/28/1998 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/28/2008 | 122000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. the contact stated that the antifreeze in her vehicle has corroded the radiator, water pump, thermostat, and intake valve. this is the coolant that was listed in the owner's manual and is always used in her vehicle. a recall was sent to chevrolet consumers, but it was not issued by nhtsa. the manufacturer stated that they could not assist with the repairs. the failure mileage was 122,000. | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 120000 | 1 | |
| Needs replaced frontend hubs ,tierod,pinion repairs/recall this van needs a new owner!!! nothing but costly repairs chevy needs to recall all them ventures. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2006 | 172000 | 1 | 01/14/2006 |
| Had head gasket replaced last year. recently the van stalled and was told that anti-freeze had been leaking into the cylinders, and i needed a new engine. was also told that the new engine not only could but would have this same problem at some point. was also told that this is a common problem among these vehicles.*ak | |||
| 07/08/2003 | 2 | 10/30/1997 | |
| This happened twice the first time the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. i replaced this at a cost of 25.00, luckily it was covered under my extended warranty. the second time this happened was in july of 2003 i had just gotten onto to the highway with my two 5 year old daughters suddenly the car just slowed down as if to stall white smoke everywhere.. it turned out to be the manifold gasket again but this time the engine went and i had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4400.00. my mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. more of a warranty than gm gave me. i will never buy american gm products again. the second time it occurred, i was only 1,000 miles over on my extended warranty, but not yet up on the years and gm and the company offering an extended warranty didn't do anything to help me out. gm refused to help out at all. *jb | |||
| 04/10/2000 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle was leaking antifreeze into the engine. when taking the oil cap off there is a milky mix. manufacturer offered no assistance.*ak | |||
| 01/14/2005 | 116000 | 3 | 03/01/1999 |
| My vehicle a 1997 chevy venture, suddenly lost power while cruising on the highway. the temp light came on and i pulled off the highway. luckily it happened to be the dealerships exit and i pulled right in to the service bay. they tell me i have a blown head gasket. when they took the engine apart the service manager allowed me to see the engine. the coolant channels are coated with a brown gummy substance and the cylinders were full of coolant. the service manager was given a sample of the substance and said he will give it to the gm rep when he comes in later this week. cost will top $2500. previously i replaced the intake manifold gasket and the water pump. this seems like faulty gaskets or coolant i don't know which. i'm just glad it didn't strand me out somewhere away from town. *nm | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 29904 | 1 | |
| Defective intake manifold gasket repaired 4-times reply directly to the constituent. *bf the dealer refused to repair the consumer's a/c until the manifold gasket was repaired. the vehicle transmission fluid burned and the pcv valve was gummed with dexcool. the serpentine was worn out. *nm | |||
| 07/10/2004 | 57367 | 1 | |
| While driving, the vehicle shut down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the camshaft sensor was defective. the manufacturer stated that they will reimburse for part of the repair. *jb | |||
| 12/15/2002 | 77500 | ||
| The following is a letter sent to gmc on 1/18/03. gmc did not do a thing to help out with the defect. note that george jang is the owner of the vehicle. my name is ray jang - his son - i am filing the complaint on his behalf. ----- sir / madam: due to a significant manufacturer's defect in my gmc venture, i was forced into a dangerous situation where i could have been seriously injured. at an intersection on hastings street - one of the busier streets in vancouver - my vehicle unexpectedly stalled leaving me helpless, without power. several mechanics assessed my minivan concluding that, for no normally expected reason, the camshaft snapped in half, rendering the vehicle inoperable and causing significant, irreparable damage to the engine block. attached to this letter is an analysis of the engine failure conducted by a mechanic with 23 years of experience. having purchased five new exclusively gm vehicles in the past, specifically a pontiac sedan, a pontiac station wagon, a chevrolet van, an oldsmobile calais supreme and my present venture minivan (wolfe chevrolet oldsmobile, vancouver), i consider myself a loyal gm customer. being a lifetime gm customer i'm disappointed and surprised by the extent and magnitude of my minivan failure. i realize that the warranty has expired, but i believe it to be completely unreasonable for a camshaft to snap after only 5 years of light to moderate use. as such, i feel it is only fair and reasonable that gmc, being consumer minded, reimburse me for this manufacturing defect. the total cost for repairs is ~ $4600. please contact me at 604-435-3131 or geojang@telus.net to discuss further. sincerely, george jang vin: 1gndx03e4vd260235 | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 37000 | ||
| In march 03, i noticed that the van did not have heat. the van was taken to highland chevrolet, aurora ontario for recall work and we asked that they check the no heating problem! the no heat was diagnosed as a problem with the intake manifold gaskets. at the time of replacement the van had 59274 kilometers (37000 miles) on it. the van was repaired with newly designed gaskets that came out in november 2002. the van still did not have heat and the air conditioning was no longer working after the above repair. the van was returned to the dealer, who rechecked the van and stated that the cabin filters were blocked. they took the cabin filters out and told us to try the van for a couple of days. this did not work and van still did not have heat or a/c. the van was returned to the dealership again , we addressed our complaints with the service manager, who agreed to take the van back in for a third time . this time they back flushed the heater and heater now works moderately better. service manager informed that there was a build up of grunge, which was preventing the heater from working . as for the a/c that still does not work, we were told that there are pin hole leaks in the pipe that runs under the van .this pipe operates the rear air. we were also told that there is leak with the end seal on the tie rod, which causes power steering fluid to leak. to date we have not had these items repaired. in july the headlight lens cover came off! i sent a registered letter to mr. grimaldi, president g.m. canadian division, asking for full reimbursement. i also talked about the tsb that was released for the 1999 vans with the same problem that essentially extended the warranty coverage for vans with less than 80,000 kilometers . verna, a customer service representative telephoned me in response to my correspondence. however she indicated that gm did not see it as a problem but told me to hang onto my receipts. we purchased our van brand new in august 1997. | |||
| 10/15/2003 | 76000 | ||
| Our van suddenly overheated coming home from work a couple weeks ago and totally shut down. our dealership says that we need new gaskets and the heads are worped due to the engine getting so hot. there if oil in the coolant and boiled the coolant and overheated the engine!! we have only had our van for 11 months with no extended warranty and we know of a lot of other people having the same problem. gm has not so far done anything to help!!! our dealership has been very nice, but they say there is no recall at this time for this problem!!! sincerely. mike and tracey porter | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 53000 | ||
| Two months ago i took my chevrolet venture(with 53,000 miles)to a certified chevrolet repair shop complaing that the low coolant light was on, and that my van was experiencing a loss of power. after having my car in the shop for 8 days i was told that they couldn't find any problems. i was charged 153.00 for the diagnostic test and an oil change. a week ago my car started to overheat. i again took the van to the shop. i was told that i need a brand new engine at a cost of $5,000. i just finished paying off this $27,000 van. now it is worthless. i don,t understand. to add insult to injury i can not role up my window on the drivers side, as the power switch has failed | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 100000 | ||
| This all started in dec of 2002, the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. i replaced this at a cost of 850.00. after reading all the complaints on this from other websites i decided to write the bbb also who wrote back stating not gms fault since they have not had any complaints. thats a lie, because there is a thousand of them on the internet including a petition-on-line. anyway though, after only one month after i fixed the manifold gasket the engine went anyway and since i still have a large "balance due" on the car i had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4300.00. my mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. more of a warranty than gm gave me. i also want to note that before i got the gasket replaced, i went to the chevrolet dealership i bought the van from...he didnt even look under the engine but knew immediately that i had this gasket problem and offered me only $1000.00 for the van for a trade in...he knew we still owed 7000.00 on it. i will never buy american gm products again. | |||
| 11/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| Over the past year the low coolant light has been coming on. recently i noticed coolant on the floor of my garage so i decided to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. leaking intake manifold gasket and possible lifter problems. i have also had to have the brakes replaced a couple of times and have had the vehicle in for several recall related issues. a web site has been set up to petition gm to recall this issue http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1 . | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 86000 | ||
| Manifold gasket leak | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 37154 | ||
| Engine required replacement because of a broken camshaft. camshaft broke due to engine coolant leaks into engine via damaged intake manifold. repair cost estimated at $5180. this incidence is similar to many cases reported by owners of vehicles (venture, montana, grand am, etc.) with either the 3.1l or 3.4l gm engine. there is no prior warning before engine failed, except for the low coolant light turned on a while back. coolant was topped off to recommended level at that time. owner of these vehicles should visit http://www.gmintakeleak.com/ for more information. | |||
| 03/03/2004 | 98000 | 4 | |
| Intake manifold failed on van. vehicle became hot quickly and stopped running. had chevy dealer replace intake. vehicle still overheats. problem has not been resolved after spending over $1100.00. i appears that this is a very common problem with the 3.1, 3.4 and 3.8 gm motors. very dissappointed in this product. | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 75000 | 2 | 07/18/1999 |
| This is a follow up of acomplaint filed on 3/10/1997. after several conversations with chevy corp. they have advised me that they will offer no assistance in repairing my venture. the dealership has advised me that repairs will cost a minimum of $2000. add this to the $7500 that i still owe and i will owe $9500 on this van. i am amazed by the denial of chevy corp. with all of the complaints by consumers who have blown head gaskets from dex coolant. i am asking that someone please investigate this matter!! this should not have happened with only 75,000 miles on this van. that's an average of 12,000 miles per year, and i have doccumented proof of regular maintenance. i have also had problems with the brakes, sliding door, seat latches, and electrical problems with power windows. i will never by another gm product again!!*ak | |||
| 11/18/2003 | 64000 | 2 | 07/03/2002 |
| On 11/18/2003 i took my 1997 chevrolet venture van, with 64,000 miles, to my service shop telling them i was getting a fluid leak on my driveway looking like a mixture of oil and anti-freeze. i was told it was my intake manifold gaskets and also that i could have engine damage as a result. it turns out i did have engine damage and now may need to replace my engine. this shouldn't happen with so few miles. chevrolet should back their product.*ak | |||
| 02/11/2004 | 94060 | 0 | 11/19/1997 |
| Van taken for service for complaints of engine overheating and temperature gauge going up and causing temperature (hot) and service engine soon indicator lamps to come on. the van never warms up either. the van was diagnosed by gm technician indicating repairs of leaking lower intake manifold gasket, replacement of lower intake gasket thermostat and oil pump drive seal. cylinder #2 misfire with installation of new spark plugs and wires, pcv valve, air filter, fuel filter and cleaning of fuel injectors. the van didnt get 1.5 miles from the service facility after my almost $1600 payment before the same problems resurfaced. the car was taken back and after being serviced again with no new diagnosis, i drove the van all of 20 miles before the engine overheated again. the van was taken back for the second time after initial service, all within a one-week timeframe. now, the van has been diagnosed as having head failure. gm needs to stand behind its work the first time and not try to charge the consumer more the third time for the same problem. | |||
| 01/30/2004 | 95000 | 1 | 03/28/2003 |
| My chevy venture with 95,000 miles, with no prior warning, rather suddenly overheated and stalled as i was pulling it over on the interstate. thankfully there was a level, grassy shoulder so i could pull all the way off the road, as the heavy truck traffic was quite intimidating. this was in maine, on a very cold day, and i was alone with my 4 small children, about 45 minutes from home. tow truck driver couldn' t take all of us, and there were no taxi cabs. thank god one of my friends with a van (ford!) was able to come get us. we had to wait in the cab of the tow truck for 45 minutes for my friend to come from home to where we were stranded. got the van back from the dealership with a $2800 repair bill (apparently we got off easy, usually more engine damage is sustained in this kind of thing) diagnosis: failure of intake manifold gasket (which dealership admits is a design flaw, resulting in these problems for too many owners) resulting in a flooding of engine with antifreeze, sudden temperature change warping the head. if this is such a common problem, i wish it had been recalled for a replacement before this incident. chevy needs to know that its minivan products are almost always driven by moms with large families who cannot afford (financially or safety-wise) to break down so dramatically and without warning. my children and i were terrified that day--if it had stalled 5 seconds sooner, we would not have made it off the road. thank you. marcia hyde. *jb | |||
| 02/10/2004 | |||
| I own a repair shop, my wifes van just started to over heat. opon me testing the engine i could not find the problem- because of years of working on engines i decided to change the head gaskets only to find cracks in both heads from the plug hole to the valve -this is definitly a design flaw head do not just crack nor do they do it in the same place, i beleive alot of coolant problems with these engine 3.4 v6 will be traced to the heads ,i could not find the problem by doing a presure test but once the heads were out there it was..1997 chevy venture | |||
| 1 | |||
| While driving the consumer notice that the low coolant indicator light and the check oil light started flashing. the consumer checked the oil and noticed water in the oil system. the vehicle was serviced and the technician indicated that the vehicle needed and intake gasket. *nm | |||
| 06/20/2002 | 56000 | 0 | 02/19/1999 |
| Coolant temp. gauge will go up and fan will not come on unless i turn heater knob to defrost. changed thermostate and had flush and fill, no change. when gauge is all the way on hot , temperature of motor is normal, by way of computer check by lisenced mech. | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 54500 | 1 | 02/06/1997 |
| The intake manifold and head gasket failed, and the head light lens fell out of place. ph | |||
| 12/20/2002 | 65000 | 1 | 08/01/2001 |
| On my 1997 chevy venture the manifold gasket is leaking! and i don't have that kind of money to fix that it, because of gm poor engineering. there are thousands of complaints online about this defect and no one seems to be doing anything about it. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 02/20/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| General motors dex-cool ruined our cooling system in our 97 chevy venture. have had to replace entire cooling system and now crankshaft has gone bad. we have spent over $2000 in repairs. van started having problems at 80,000miles. van only has 110,000 miles. we are overwhelmed and extremely frustrated. we would have replace the coolant if we would have know about the problems the dex-cool caused. we feel we have been denied very important information in regards to maintaining our vehicle. consumers need to be made aware of the problems with dex-cool coolant!!!!!!! *tr | |||
| 08/25/2004 | 30000 | 2 | |
| While driving coolant warning light illuminated. the dealership repaired the problem once, but the consumer was still having the same problems. *ak. consumer no longer owns this vehicle. *ak | |||
| 04/30/2003 | 90500 | 2 | 03/21/1999 |
| Failure of manifold gasket and subsequent failure of the water pump caused coolant light to flicker on and off and. there was some driveability problems. dealer noted that this failure was quite common, but not warrantied. the best part was it failed on consumer's birthday, what a gift.*ak | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 75000 | 1 | 07/18/2000 |
| I purchased a 1997 chevrolet venture in 8/2000. the van had 19,000 miles and i paid 17,900. i am the second owner, and the van has received regular maintenance. i use the van to transport my day care children to their schools. i also use it to transport my children and their friends to and from school sporting events and dance. last week the coolant light began coming on & off. also, the temperature gauge began fluctuating between hot and cold, and there was no heat. the garage replaced the thermostat- $130.00. at the time there appeared to be no coolant mixing with the oil. i drove the van 3 miles to my home with no problems. the very next day while taking the children to school the same thing occurred. after returning the van to the garage, i got the devastating news that it appears to be a head gasket. my mechanic was in disbelief because i take such great care of my van. my day care parents are furious!! i still owe $7,000. on this van and i'm making payments over $300.00 a month. i recently built a new home and do not have the funds for the repair. to make matters worse, two of my friends just purchased venturesbased on my reccommendation! they are also considering unloading them asap. i was going to trade mine for a warners brothers model later this year. i sold a jeep cherokee with 100,000+ miles on it for $2000 so that i could get this van. the jeep was running beautifully. gm is aware of this problem. there have been ongoing complaints. they need to stand behind their product and recall these vehicles for repair. this may very well be my last gm purchase. my friends, family, and buisness associates have all said that they will not purchase gm products if they choose to do nothing with my van! with modern technology, news spreads fast!! i am deeply disappointed with how gm is handling this situation. please help. greatfully, marie marion. *ak | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 40000 | 10 | 10/01/1997 |
| From about 40000 milesproblems with the temp gauge indicating engine running hot when in fact it never was and coolant was adequate mechanic never able to figure out 60000 intake manifold replaced 90000 miles engine losing power and stalling engine block cracked possible and head gasket. brakes noisy with a grinding feel in the pedal lights on dash on & off abs and coolant low when no problem exists! car pulls to left and hard to steer in a puddle horn almost impossible to activate. directional and hazard lights flash when brakes applied. *ak | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 92100 | 1 | 10/15/2002 |
| Coolant lost 3.4 litre g.m. engine. failure of intake manifold gaskets causing overheating and engine repair. *jb | |||
| 12/26/2003 | 106175 | 2 | 12/20/1999 |
| I own a 1997 chevrolet venture van. recently discovered engine coolant was leaking internally and externally at the intake manifold because of a failed gasket and dexcool engine coolant. water pump was leaking also. when i discovered this problem i began to search for the root of the problem on the internet and found a petition located at http://www.petitiononline.com/gmcnsmrs/ that contained almost 5000 gm owners who have experienced the same problem. on other sites i found that some people were put in harms way by the failure of this gasket and the subsequent damage caused to their automobile engines at inopportune times. the gasket has been redesigned but at some point last year (2003) it was on back order for weeks at a time. after repairs and approximately 100 miles of travel my service engine soon light has now come on. i am requesting an investigation into the failure of these gaskets, the damage caused by use of dexcool coolant, and subsequent mechanical failure of gmc engines. *ak | |||
| 09/10/2003 | 1 | 11/02/2002 | |
| My chevrolet 1997 venture suddenly overheated on my way home from work and the van died. when i did get home i let it set and noticed the coolant was low, which it was never before. check if often as per the manual. had it towed to our dealership and now the gaskets are ruined and the heads are worped due to the engine getting so hot!!! there is oil in the coolant!! $1,200.00 in repairs which we don't have!! gm will do nothing. have only had the van for 1 year. no warning lights came on it just happened suddenly!! *ak | |||
| 08/13/2003 | 57500 | 4 | 09/06/1997 |
| The intake manifold failed and needs to be replace, along with the water pump. in addition, there is a problem with the rear braking system causing the abs and traction contol system not to work. last month the transmission needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 06/24/2003 | 1 | 09/23/2002 | |
| The vehicle leaked coolant which caused the vehicle to overheat. *ak also the fuel injectors failed and the sliding door did not shut properly. *jb *nlm | |||
| 36000 | 1 | ||
| The coolant solidified in radiator. the dealer was notified but refused to assist with repairs. the consumer was later informed that the damage may be as a result of the dexcool coolant. *nlm *nlm | |||
| 04/25/2002 | 1 | ||
| Car overheating and stalling in traffic could cause an accident. part on national b/o and not a recall. vehicle down. 48,000 parts needed through out this country. should this be a recall?*ak | |||
| 03/15/2002 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| I was told this problem was very common on venture vans.brother had the same problem on 1998 venture van. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 12/31/2000 | 4 | 10/05/1999 | |
| When trying to proceed forward after stopping at stop sign vehicle would not go forward. took vehicle to dealer, and had to replace transmission. this was the third transmission.*ak the transmission failed repeatedly. the turn signals stop flashing when brakes are pressed due to multifunction switch failure. the engine looses coolant and overheated due to intake manifold gasket failure. rear wiper was inoperative. abs light comes on due to oxygen sensor failure. right front tires failed and were replaced. *yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 40000 | 10 | 10/01/1997 |
| From about 40000 milesproblems with the temp gauge indicating engine running hot when in fact it never was and coolant was adequate mechanic never able to figure out 60000 intake manifold replaced 90000 miles engine losing power and stalling engine block cracked possible and head gasket. brakes noisy with a grinding feel in the pedal lights on dash on & off abs and coolant low when no problem exists! car pulls to left and hard to steer in a puddle horn almost impossible to activate. directional and hazard lights flash when brakes applied. *ak | |||
| 74000 | 4 | 06/03/2003 | |
| Consumer complained about a multitude of problems: 1. headlights came on and off intermittently; 2. when hitting a bump in the road, headlights came on; 3. engine overheated due to leaking radiator , and 4. electrical problems, such as ignition and power door locks malfunctioned regularly. *ak the vehicle was hard to start. the door panels were loose. the windshield leaked. the anti theft alarm malfunctioned. rear window washer malfunctioned. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/06/2004 | 112876 | 1 | |
| While driving between 65-70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. when this occurred the vehicle lost power steering and brakes. the vehicle was towed to the mechanic. the mechanic performed a diagnostic test which indicated that the engine had locked. the engine has to be taken apart to identify what caused the lock. the oil pan was full when this incident occurred. *jb | |||
| 09/28/2003 | 78000 | 05/13/1999 | |
| Own a 97 chevy venture during an oil change was told i had coolant in my oil, so i took van to a local chevy dealer. they informed my the intake gasket was bad and had to be replaced at a cost of 975.00, this was done and no mention was ever made that there could also be engine damage due to this leak. five months later i was driving down a busy street during 5 o'clock rush hour traffic taking my sick child to the doctor when all of a sudden the oil light came on and i lost all power, i had to leave the vehicle in the curb side lane, get my sick child out and walk to a phone to call my spouse to come get us and the vehicle mind you this was late september and it was chilly outside. we had the vehicle towed to a local chevy dealer (the same one that diagnosed the gasket leak) who told me they did not know what was wrong with the vehicle and that it would be cheaper to replace the motor than to find out what happened, at a cost between $3000.00 to $5200.00 depending on what type of replacement motor i wanted, not being comfortable with this repsonse i had the vehicle taken to a different dealer, who at least could tell that the intake gasket had been replaced, but unfortunatly gave the same result replace motor. i did not have the funds to do this so the vehicle is parked in my garage and of no use to me. i had to go and replace the vehicle. | |||
| 10/26/2003 | 1 | ||
| We own a 1997 chevy venture and i am fearful that i will be stranded on the side of the road with my children because the transmission light keeps coming on and we already had to replace the head gasket. this nearly happened at october of 2003. now there is a ticking noise. this has been in the shop many times. we bought the vehicle new and have had nothing but trouble. *la | |||
| 12/02/2003 | 79390 | 2 | 10/15/2000 |
| The intake gaskets on my wife's 1997 chevrolet venture failed, leaving her and my two daughters stranded on the interstate. *ak | |||
| 11/18/2003 | 65000 | 2 | 09/10/1996 |
| Our 1997 chevy venture van with 65,000 miles on it just lost its second engine in less than two years. my wife and i are the original owners, and it began at 50 something thousand miles when the dealer stated the head gasket leaked and the engine had damage from the coolant. now, on nov 18th, 2003 the engine died and the mechanics say that it is the cam shaft undoubtedly from the original coolant damage. information from the internet would indicate that this is a well known problem. two engines in less than two years and i still owe on the loan. *la | |||
| 09/30/2003 | 2 | ||
| While driving at 30 mph and without warning engine would stall, causing the consumer to pull over. also, brakes were not working properly. *ak | |||
| 07/26/2003 | 37154 | 1 | 02/22/2001 |
| 1997 venture 3.4l v6 engine (37,000 mi), engine abruptly stopped while vehicle is running (one lane each way with middle turn lane). complete loss of engine power, power steering, and power brakes. problem traced to a well known problem withthese engines (3.1l and 3.4l v6) having internal coolant leakage that causes camshaft to break. luckily, no other vehicle was following and i was able to pull off the road safely. just worry that others may not be as fortunate. | |||
| 03/07/2003 | 71600 | 1 | 12/07/1997 |
| I own a 1997 chevrolet venture with 71000 miles. that has been maintained in accordance with the owners manual. van started to over heat, took it to the dealer and was told there was engine damage due to coolant in the cylinder and engine oil. a leaky manifold gasket is the suspected cause. this appears to be a prevalent problem with this manufactures 3.4l engine. *jb | |||
| 02/01/2003 | 40000 | 1 | 11/24/1997 |
| Coolant leak at intake. venture had 40,000 miles only.*jb | |||
| 03/11/2003 | 1 | 12/15/1999 | |
| I took my 1997 chevy venture van to the dealer today for a previous recall for steering and to my supprise i was informed that my lower intake manifold gasket is bad and will cost approximately $600 to fix. not everyone has that kind of money including me. i did some investigating on the internet and found that thousands of similar complaints have been filed. how many complaints need to be submitted before a recall is issued?*jb | |||
| 11/03/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1997 | |
| Vehicle had a blown head gasket with significant engine damage at 56k miles. engine had to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 01/16/2000 | 1 | 06/01/1997 | |
| Dealer said engine block cracked but engine had not previously overheated. *ak | |||
| 06/26/2000 | 1 | ||
| Manifold gasket cracked resulting in the vehicle overheating. nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/22/2003 | 46956 | 9999 | |
| Total engine seisure from blown head gasket(plastic) coolant sucked into engine oil, total destruction of block. heard from service reps from twentyfive local dealerships (chevolet) that this is no uncommon but typical!!! something has to be done!! total cost for fixing over $4000.!!!! chevy no heelp says it's too bad, called every local dealer in upstate ny (20+) and get the same reply typical of this engine, good thing nobody hurt!!sorry if nsta wont do anything how about a class action suit??what will it take a few deaths?? gm is junk!! i wonder how many others out there are suffering also?? notified the ny state attorny general with problem also. next will be the media.. i know there are many more with the same problem with this type. | |||
| 05/21/2000 | 4 | 05/01/2097 | |
| Bridgestone tires showed signs of tread separation. chevrolet notified, but stated tires are not on recall list.*ak | |||
| 12/31/2000 | 4 | 10/05/1999 | |
| When trying to proceed forward after stopping at stop sign vehicle would not go forward. took vehicle to dealer, and had to replace transmission. this was the third transmission.*ak the transmission failed repeatedly. the turn signals stop flashing when brakes are pressed due to multifunction switch failure. the engine looses coolant and overheated due to intake manifold gasket failure. rear wiper was inoperative. abs light comes on due to oxygen sensor failure. right front tires failed and were replaced. *yh | |||
| 04/01/1998 | |||
| On december 30, 1999, i dropped my chevrolet, venture to puente hills chevrolet dealer for regular maintenance. the dealer!/s technician found a hole in the air cleaner housing. based on the dealer!/s diagnostics, the hole was burned by exhaust heat. since the dealer had no part available, the technician just simply taped the hole as a fix. a few months later, the minivan!/s engine started to stall occasionally when the van was decelerated before the red light, left or right turn. i sent the van to glendora chevrolet dealer twice, one was on march 12, 2001, and another was on may 15, 2001 with no success. dealer was not able to duplicate problem, and did nothing (obviously, they didn!/t do enough testing). on october 14 of 2001, my wife got an accident due to the engine stall when she exited from a freeway. i sent the van to puente hill dealer next day, asking to check the engine stall problem and, at the same time, to replace the air cleaner housing. it took the dealer several days before they were able to duplicate the engine stall problem by the service man, mark fetterman, during his road test, but has no clue why the engine stalled. eventually, the dealer found that the hole burned by exhaust heat was very close to an engine sensor and they guessed that the hole might cause the engine stall problem. the dealer!/s guess was correct. after a new air cleaner housing was installed on october 19, we never have the engine stall problem again. *ak | |||
| 08/11/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Shortly after purchasing car, headlights filled with moisture causing lights to burn out. dealership stated there were no replacements even made yet. at almost 100,000 miles engine died, power steering failed, belt slipped and ac went out within days of each other. 1800chevusa rep jason said chevy only builds their vehichles to last 100,000 miles. never again will i buy chevy. not after what jason said.*ak | |||
| 09/23/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1999 | |
| We believe chev. should reinbures us for the 800.00 and the engine problem just started but think they should pay to have it fixed. *ak | |||
| 12/10/2000 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Had to have the engine rebuilt, new fuel pump, front/rear shocks & struts,intermediate steering shaft assembly, brakes. i think there is something extremely wrong with this vehicle and it should be investigated. | |||
| 10/05/2000 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Told dealer that engine is knocking/making a ticking sound. can hear it clearly from within or outside of the van. took it to dealer once already and will be taking it again on tuesday, october 17, 2000 for testing. engine is also taking longer to start...hard start no matter if hot/cold start. already had to have new brakes, shocks and struts put on the vehichle. *ak | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1999 | ||
| Engine light on due to component failure within the engine. mjs | |||
| 12/03/1999 | 18 | 09/24/1997 | |
| While traveling & going down hill vehicle stalled without indication. mechanic determined the problem to be caused by the melting of the air intake hose, causing a hole to form in the hose, allowing the air mixture in the engine to go unregulated. since the air hose was replaced, the problem has stopped. *ak *ml | |||
| 1 | 08/20/1997 | ||
| Vehicle stalls when stopping and when pulling out into traffic. nlm | |||
| Took foot off gas pedal, proceeded down the ramp, vehicle did not decrease speed, applied brake, motor continue to pull the vehicle, shut engine off to stop vehicle, due to steel cable inside the vinal covering had cut through the shield and held the cable fast, preventing the cable to release. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Engine stops and starts while driving. | |||
| 05/29/1997 | 1 | 05/29/1997 | |
| Motor vibrates violently, followed by engine slowing down and erratic performance. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 08/11/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Shortly after purchasing car, headlights filled with moisture causing lights to burn out. dealership stated there were no replacements even made yet. at almost 100,000 miles engine died, power steering failed, belt slipped and ac went out within days of each other. 1800chevusa rep jason said chevy only builds their vehichles to last 100,000 miles. never again will i buy chevy. not after what jason said.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 04/01/1998 | |||
| On december 30, 1999, i dropped my chevrolet, venture to puente hills chevrolet dealer for regular maintenance. the dealer!/s technician found a hole in the air cleaner housing. based on the dealer!/s diagnostics, the hole was burned by exhaust heat. since the dealer had no part available, the technician just simply taped the hole as a fix. a few months later, the minivan!/s engine started to stall occasionally when the van was decelerated before the red light, left or right turn. i sent the van to glendora chevrolet dealer twice, one was on march 12, 2001, and another was on may 15, 2001 with no success. dealer was not able to duplicate problem, and did nothing (obviously, they didn!/t do enough testing). on october 14 of 2001, my wife got an accident due to the engine stall when she exited from a freeway. i sent the van to puente hill dealer next day, asking to check the engine stall problem and, at the same time, to replace the air cleaner housing. it took the dealer several days before they were able to duplicate the engine stall problem by the service man, mark fetterman, during his road test, but has no clue why the engine stalled. eventually, the dealer found that the hole burned by exhaust heat was very close to an engine sensor and they guessed that the hole might cause the engine stall problem. the dealer!/s guess was correct. after a new air cleaner housing was installed on october 19, we never have the engine stall problem again. *ak | |||
| 02/07/2000 | 07/01/1999 | ||
| Funny smell of chemcals. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 12/31/2000 | 4 | 10/05/1999 | |
| When trying to proceed forward after stopping at stop sign vehicle would not go forward. took vehicle to dealer, and had to replace transmission. this was the third transmission.*ak the transmission failed repeatedly. the turn signals stop flashing when brakes are pressed due to multifunction switch failure. the engine looses coolant and overheated due to intake manifold gasket failure. rear wiper was inoperative. abs light comes on due to oxygen sensor failure. right front tires failed and were replaced. *yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1999 | ||
| Catalytic converter failed. mjs | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 04/13/2005 | 1 | 02/25/1997 | |
| Intake gasket leaking coolant in my van not to mention the many problems i have had with the lights on this van, so now i am having to sink another $500 into this van to get the part first mentioned just so my motor won't blow up.*ak | |||
| 06/28/2004 | 74338 | 1 | 03/01/1997 |
| (1) car started making knocking noise and then quit in the middle of traffic. (2) the intake manifold gasket failed causing engine coolant to leak into the engine oil. this coolant in the oil ruined the engine bearings and main journal. this caused the engine to quit running in the middle of traffic. (3) the vehicle was brought to a chevrolet dealership and a complete new engine had to be installed. *ak | |||
| 04/16/2004 | 2 | ||
| Vehicle stalled while driving. also, coolant was leaking from the intake manifold gasket. this could be related to what was causing the vehicle to stall. dealership will be contacted. *ak *nm | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 40000 | 10 | 10/01/1997 |
| From about 40000 milesproblems with the temp gauge indicating engine running hot when in fact it never was and coolant was adequate mechanic never able to figure out 60000 intake manifold replaced 90000 miles engine losing power and stalling engine block cracked possible and head gasket. brakes noisy with a grinding feel in the pedal lights on dash on & off abs and coolant low when no problem exists! car pulls to left and hard to steer in a puddle horn almost impossible to activate. directional and hazard lights flash when brakes applied. *ak | |||
| 12/21/2003 | 76000 | 1 | |
| Mechanic informed me that i will soon need my intake manifold gasket replaced because that is why i have an oil leak they cannot stop. i pad a lot of money for a diagnostic to determine the oil leak. and have been charged for so many oil changes because of the diagnostic tests etc. i was told there is a techniocal service bullitin re. this problem but i think it should be a recall based on my research of this widespread problem.*ak | |||
| 12/28/2003 | 1 | 06/27/1997 | |
| I have a manifold gasket failure that makes it necessary to replace the engine. this vehicle only has 50,000 miles. at this point we were told no help from gm. from looking at complaints i see this is not the only problem. gm should be made to fix this problem on all affected vehicles. it is obviously a manufacturing problem. *la | |||
| 10/21/2003 | 87000 | 1 | |
| While driving at any speed and without warning engine would stall, causing the consumer to pull over. dealer stated that intake manifold cracked, and coolant went inside the engine.*ak | |||
| 08/13/2003 | 57500 | 4 | 09/06/1997 |
| The intake manifold failed and needs to be replace, along with the water pump. in addition, there is a problem with the rear braking system causing the abs and traction contol system not to work. last month the transmission needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 08/08/2003 | 90000 | 1 | 09/13/2002 |
| Description : i bought a used 1997 chevrolet venture from the norwood group in warwick, ri back in sept 2002. approximately 5 weeks ago i began experiencing overheating problems. i took the vehicle to pep boys in warick, ri for a diagnostic thinking that it was the thermostat. they ran the test and came back with an engine problem, and advised me to take the vehicle back to the dealership. i did this and the service dept at norwood informed me that there was a problem with the intake manifold gasket. after having my vehicle for two weeks they repaired that and when taking it for a test drive before returning it to me, they decided that i now had a throttle body problem. fixed that and two weeks later the vehicle started to smell strongly of gas. again i took it to pep boys where another diagnostic was run and it was determined that the fuel injector, intake manifold and the fuel injector kit had to be replaced. back to norwood i go....norwood assumed a portion of this repair but it still cost me a lot more money than it should have considering they had just done this work.less than 48 hours after getting my vehicle back, while on the road and 120 miles away from home the vehicle caught fire from underneath. oil is sprayed all over the vehicle's exterior,the engine and undercarriage. i had to pay to have the vehicle towed back to norwood. the engine appears to be seized up and will not turn over. i am extremely disappointed over the performance of this vehicle, the dealership and the cash outlay i am having forced upon me. i want to know what can be done in the way of recourse.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states while vehicle vehicle was being serviced technician noticed leakage coming from manifold. manifold gasket needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 90000 | 1 | 04/15/1997 |
| Coolant leak caused by failure of the intake manifold gasket.*ak | |||
| 05/06/2003 | 56000 | 1 | |
| Consumer states intake manifold has failed. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 02/10/2003 | 44600 | 1 | |
| The intake manifold experienced a coolant leak. *jb | |||
| 11/29/2002 | 0 | 04/07/2000 | |
| Gm mainfold gasket leak | |||
| 11/22/2002 | 75000 | 03/02/1997 | |
| Leaking intake manifold gasket no longer covered under warranty. cost to repair is $1000.00 + a web site has been set up to petition gm to recall this defect http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1 | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 1 | 09/01/2098 | |
| The intake manifold gasket blew and filled the engine with water, this is a problem with the 3.4 engine that gm is aware of. the sliding door on the passenger side has fallen off the van 4 times since we have had dealer fixed 3 times then it was out of warrenty. the front and rear brakes started squealing when the van had 1000 miles on it and continue to this day. gm says they are designed like that. the seat belts in the van come unlatched at any time, the belts in the rear will contiually tighten when you hit bumps in the road. gm told us that we were not using the seatbelts properly. the rack and pinion steering started making a growling noise immidiatly following the warrenty running out. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 1 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Consumer states that the exhaust manifold is leaking.*jbmechanic informed consumer that it was an improper gasket installation. *jg | |||