Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
08E050000K2 MOTOR CORPORATION E (Equipment)192112/17/2008OVSCGENERAL MOTORS CORP.08/11/200808/14/2008571108
Defect SummaryK2 motor is recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. these headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Consequence SummaryWithout the amber side reflex reflectors, the lighting visibility may be affected, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Corrective SummaryK2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. the recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. owners may contact k2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.
NotesThis recall only pertains to aftermarket replacement equipment and has no relation to any original equipment installed on vehicles manufactured by honda, ford, or chrysler llc. customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
313601/01/200410010026Daytime running lamps (drl) disable official government vehicles only. *tc11/03/2004
20020202/20/2002629818Customers may experience problems with leaking headlamps or lenses falling off. *tt04/09/2002
18100010/18/2000617646Brief information on vehicles exhibiting leaky headlights. *tt03/21/2001

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
01/10/2007130000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet venture. the contact shifted the gear into park and shut off the vehicle. the vehicle rolled away while she was assisting a child with exiting the vehicle. the contact ran to jump into the vehicle and noticed that the gear shifter was very unstable and had a lot of play or wiggle. she depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle came to a stop. prior to this failure, the tail lights failed in february of 2007. at that time, she was informed that she needed new circuit boards. within a year, the failures recurred. the circuit boards burned out and the dealer stated that the plug for the boards was burned out as well, which would cause the failures to continue. the failure mileage was 130,000 and current mileage was 168,000.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BACK UP LIGHTS
05/20/2004188888103/27/1998
 Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. the main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. the only brake lights working now are the led lights on the rear door. system is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. unable to use this vehicle and is parked.*ak unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. vehicle was inspected and past the last part of april 2004.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS
01/30/2007101/23/2007
 Drivers side brake light. it keeps burning out the bulbs. it melts the plastic around the metal line, the part that it plugs into. i have talked to other people that has the same problem. *jb
12/17/2005930001
 I own a 1998 chevy venture minivan and on the date specified i was out with my family ( a snowy evening) when i went to apply the brakes and my turn signals on my dash went to a solid green. as i approached the red light a person in the car next to me advised me that i had no taillights. after getting home i did some research on the internet and found that this is a widespread problem where if moisture gets into the connector on the brake light assembly, it will cause the ground connector to short out and cause the brake lights to do some crazy things as well as the cruise control to disengage at certain times. *nm
05/20/2004188888103/27/1998
 Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. the main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. the only brake lights working now are the led lights on the rear door. system is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. unable to use this vehicle and is parked.*ak unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. vehicle was inspected and past the last part of april 2004.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS - SWITCH
09/08/1998312/01/1997
 Stop light switch holds brake pedal slightly down causing engagement of brakes, three repairs due to failure. mjs
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS
05/20/2004188888103/27/1998
 Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. the main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. the only brake lights working now are the led lights on the rear door. system is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. unable to use this vehicle and is parked.*ak unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. vehicle was inspected and past the last part of april 2004.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
05/01/2005130000407/01/2002
 Dt: the contact stated that the right front headlight lens came off three times and the left once. they replaced the entire head lamp twice on the right side. the problem occurred again. *ak
07/01/200462000106/04/1998
 Dt: the contact states when applying the brakes both headlights separated from the vehicle. he replaced the headlights in the vehicle. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine why this happened. he has not contacted the manufacturer. *ak updated 11/30/05. *jb
11/29/200452000112/28/2001
 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
06/12/2004212/01/2000
 While driving at night, the headlight lens fell from the vehicle. this forced the driver to pull off of the road. the consumer contacted the dealer. *ak *sc
05/14/20030
 1998 chevrolet venture-both headlight covers fell off over a one month period. cost was $180.00 for replacement components. *nlm
 While driving at 70 mph the vehicles steering wheel locked up. consumer states' after breaking steering out of the lock mode, consumer drove to a near dealer. please provide any further information.
 While driving headlight lens cover will pop off without warning, unable too just pop it back on. contacted dealer.cause unknown.*ak
04/18/2002105/01/2098
 After much research with area gm dealerships and your website, it appers that the 1998 venture mini-van's intake manifold gasket develops a leak at 80000 to 90000 miles. i had this replacement in may 2002. since my van was out of warrenty by 1000 miles (it was shy 2 weeks of being 4 years old). i spoke with gm's customer service and they stated there was nothing they could do about it. even though i have maintained my vehicle on schedule for all tune-up/oil changes/tire rotations, etc. i ended up paying $575.00 to have the intake manifold gasket replaced. since then my van has never been the same. it is now in the shop in need of a whole new engine with only 82000 miles. it seems a piston rod spun and damaged the crank shaft. after much investigation, i was told that the problem with the intake manifold gasket could have caused all of this. now i am faced with replacing the whole engine with an used engine with 4,000 miles for $2400 + tax, getting a remanufactured engine for $3865 or trading in the car. i do believe an investigation in the leaking of the intake manifold gasket should definately be pursued. i would really appreciate any assistance. for the headlight, my headlight lens fall off while i was driven on a highway going about 55 mph. i never could found the lens and lucky the lens flying off did not cause a crash. i contacted the gm assistance program and once again was told there was nothing could be done to assist us. this wasn't a known problem. after investigating again, i see this is a known problem. replacing the lens meant replacing the whole headlight unit at the tune of $328.03. what is the consumer to do??no safety defect listed. *ak
03/27/2002106/29/1998
 Passenger side headlight lens fell off with out any physical damage to vehicle. contacted dealer who was not willing to do anything.*ak *yh
06/05/2001
 Driver's side headlight fell out, consumer checked passenger's side headlight and it was very loose. dealer has been contacted. please provide any further information.*ak
05/03/2002106/01/1998
 Driver's side headlight fell out. consumer checked passenger's side headlight and noticed it was loose. *ak *yh
06/08/20012
 The headlight assemblies had to be replaced, due to the lens covers popping out and the headlamps blowing out, the problem was due to a defective venting system in the headlamps, and that the manufacturer was aware of the problem.*jb
04/01/20011
 While driving under normal conditions the plastic headlight cover on the driver's side fell off, a new unit was unstalled, three months later the cover over the passenger side fell off, the consumer believes there is a design problem or manufacturing defficiency. nlm
110/27/1997
 The head light covers that are to be permanent fall of exposing halogen bulbs to moisture, and insects causes them to blow out unexpectedly and repeatedly causing loss of headlights at night. the part is not covered under warranty. *yd
05/01/2002106/01/2098
 Front headlamp assembly lenses for both front l/r fell off vehicle, attempted to have dealer repair. this is a defect, lens should not fall off at 52,000 miles, and to repair have to find lens, unavailable, dealer does not have individual lens, need to replace whole assembly on problem side.*ak
02/04/2002110/14/2001
 Lenses separated from headlights. took vehicle to dealer. problem was not solved. *ak consumer is concerned with paying out of pocket when it is clearly a manufactures defect.*jg
03/20/2002104/01/2001
 I was making a turn and was going no more than 10mph, when i heard a noise. i stopped when i got to my destination and realized that both of my headlight covers had fallen off the van! i went back to the place where it happened and retrieved the, only to find out that the glue had separated the 2 parts. manufacturer. said it is not a 2 pc/ part, but now mine is. i have heard from a repair shop that mine is the 19th in my area alone to have this happen to in the past 6 weeks. i feel this is a major proble, b/c if the bulb were to get wet, wouldn't it short out? thus causing the driver to not have headlights?? i feel that the mfr. should issue a voulentary recall of the mini vans and fix it at no cost to the consumer.
02/02/2002201/01/1999
 I noticed that my headlight cover was missing and couldn't figure out what had happened. i started looking at the other headlight cover and it fell off in my hand. i noticed that they had been glued on and the glue had dried up and was cracked no longer holding on the cover. i came in and called chevrolet but they wouldn't do anything since it was out of warranty (just barely). they don't make just the cover - you have to buy a whole headlight assembly (ripoff -$90). i went online to a venture owners message board. i found message after message about this same problem with other 98 ventures. obviously chevrolet/gm is ignoring it. it was pointed out to me how dangerous this can be if the cover is gone and moisture gets to the halogen light it could explode injuring anyone close. not only that but someone could be injured if the headlight cover flies off while driving. please investigate this. chevrolet is being negligent. and people are going to be hurt.*ak
110/27/1997
 The head light covers that are to be permanent fall of exposing halogen bulbs to moisture, and insects causes them to blow out unexpectedly and repeatedly causing loss of headlights at night. the part is not covered under warranty. *yd
04/01/2001110/27/1997
 Headlight protective covering that is glued to headlight, protective shield continuiously falls off. if something hits bulbs they blowout, once while driving at night headlights blewout, and consumer was not able to see, consumer stated all the repair work has been completed, consumer replaced the headlight himself.*jb
06/08/20012
 The headlight assemblies had to be replaced, due to the lens covers popping out and the headlamps blowing out, the problem was due to a defective venting system in the headlamps, and that the manufacturer was aware of the problem.*jb
08/01/2001104/01/2001
 Drivers side, the lens of the headlight fell off. the bulbs keep breaking because of moisture. the dealer said its not covered in the extended warranty. the replacemment will cost app. 269.00. i have already replaced the bulb 5 times at $8.99 apiece.*ak
08/10/20011
 Right headlight cover fell off.*ak *slc
05/30/200105/01/1998
 I believe these lenses will fail virginia safety inspection. no apparent cause - probably defective manufacturing.*ak
07/15/2001103/01/1998
 The passenger's side headlight lens cover fell off. based on website searchs, this apparently has been a recurring problem with the headlights on the venture, pontiac transport, and oldsmobile sihouhette due to a breakdown of the adhesive material the retains the lens cover to the housing. this can cause the headlight to burn out if exposed to rain. gm issued a bulletin (#00-08-42-003) to help reduce the cost of repair but it is still significant (approx. $150). due to the potential safety issue, i feel that this should be looked in to for a possible recall. thank you.*ak
07/14/2001101/01/1999
 I reported the headlights to the dealer while under warranty (under 36000 miles) (condensation on inside of both headlight's lens). they said it was normal. after the 36000 mile warranty was up (at 43,200 miles), the driver's side headlight cover fell off (exposing the inner workings). they said it would cost $275 for a new sealed beam headlight. i think it wasn't sealed under warranty and it failed (fell off because of a bad seal on the assembly)*ak.
 Head lamp lense fell off, exposing wires and bulbs. parts are backordered.*ak
03/23/20012
 Consumer turned on ignition and heard a pop sound. both headlight lens covers and lights blew out. consumer was responsible for $600 repair. *ak *slc
10/22/2000211/03/2000
 The passenger's side headlight lens covers fall off, on 11/1/00 this cause the bulb to short out due to exposure to rain, shortly after, the driver's side headlights lens cover fell off, mechanic discovered glue that holds lens cover to headlight assembly failed. cj
12/01/1999212/01/1998
 The lens on both headlights have now failed. evidently moisture leaks into the assembly and the heat of the light causes rapid expansion , blowing the lens off. the lens is only held in place with adhesive. off course this only happens at night when you need lights.
06/14/1999105/25/1999
 Whenever it rains headlights fill up with water. then, when turning on headlights and if water is there, they would blow out. this causes lenses to get moisture build up from inside, and cuts off visibility. consumer has to use high beams.-*ak
02/09/2001106/01/1998
 Cover of driverside's headlights came off while vehicle was in motion. it appeared to be improperly installed with poor adhesive materials. *ak passenger side also loose and showing condensation. both head lights were replaced by the dealer. *yh
10/01/2000210/01/1998
 Assembly collects water through faulty seals. condensate reduces illumination. eventually lens falls off, bulb explodes if hot and rain strkes it, causing headlight to fail.*ak
05/27/19991
 When it rains residue/condensation buildup on headlight lens, causing visual difficulty which could result in a crash. dealer was aware of the defect, and put out a tsb bulletin in which dealer will blowout the residue/condensation with a airgun. but this problem is always occurring. *ak the driver has to take the vehicle to the dealer every time it rains or weather is damp and wait 3-4 hours while the dealer blow ot condensation with airgum. *yh
06/07/2000101/01/1999
 I spoke to customer service at chevrolet and they said my car was not in for a recall for moisture being in the lights or the headlight front coming off. i noticed in odi id 714982 someone had submitted a complaint on moisture in the lights. at this point my right head light front cover has come off. with close investigation it looks as if the adhesive had dried up and gone bad. about two months ago i noticed the left headlight had moisture in it. the moisture in the right headlight appeared about 6 months or so ago. i was told by the mechanic that it looks like the adhesive is going bad in the left headlight. i believe this is a manufacturer defect. *ak
05/10/1999205/01/1998
 Excessive water vapor in headlights reduces light. current fix was to drill holes. excessive water vapor in front turn signals increases glare and confuses traffic when turning. no fix offered. *ak
12/17/1998
 A seal on the headlights broke, causing water to enter into the headlights, and resulting in poor visibility. *ak *ml
01/01/1999
 The headlight lens has moisture inside it. i feel this effects the lighting at night as it certainly must obstrict the light beam. the headlights on this vehicle are the worst i've ever had on a vehicle even without this defect. the car was purchased from wheels inc. leasing. i simply went to seif chev. to initiate the complaint and see if there was a fix. they referred me to a chevrolet cust. complaint nbr. 800 222-1020. icalled this number and talked to a customer rep who took my complaint to investigate. he gave me a file nbr. 990559403. this call was made on 10/29/99. i did not hear anything further and on 11/18/99 i again called chev. cust. svc. and referred to the file number. the person put me on hold and called seif chev. he then came back to me and said there was nothing that could be done. it was a common occurrance to have moisture inside these headlight lens and it was felt by chev. that this was not a problem. i, as previously stated do feel it is a problem and it is caused either by bad design or poor manufacture. i think it should be looked into . not only the chev venture but also the olds silouette and pontiac mini vans.
06/01/1998
 Night driving is dangerous due to the poor quality of the headlights. they lack the intensity needed to adequately light the road ahead for speeds in excess of 35 mph.
10/20/199807/15/1998
 When driving the headlights will come on automatically when it gets dark or when driving in a garage. owner wants to be able to operate the headlights manually, so that they can be switched off in parking garages where they are not allowed to be used. *ak *ml
 Rear windshield wiper goes off when shutting the automatic passenger door/all electronics an dashboard goes off when using headlight controls/headlights goes off by themselves every 10 seconds/driver's control for door locks has completely gone out/evaporative emission canister vend solenoid valve assembly failed prior to recall, van is not idling properly.
06/18/1998506/01/1998
 No summary provided by consumer
08/05/199805/11/1998
 Headlights come on any time of the day or night without warning under shaded tree or just on a sunny day, which could almost cause a major accident. *ak
12/31/1997
 Intermittent operation of windshield wipers. in addition, all electronics on dashboard goes on and off/headlights go off by themselves every 10 seconds/driver's controls for door locks failed/evaporative emission canister vend solenoid valve assembly failed prior to manufacturer's recall/poor idling and vehicle is sluggish/driver's information center fails to work properly, and air bag wires are still exposed to rear passengers' feet.
04/28/1998
 Vehicle was purchased and one week later found out that the headlights, while driving in the daytime, do not come on. considers this a safety defect, vehicle is only equipped with parking lights, dealer was contacted and stated that the problem could not be changed, vehicle was made like this. *ak
12/31/1997
 Windshield wipers intermittently go off by themselves when hitting a normal bump in the road, and when the front/rear heater or air conditioner controls are used. in addition, driver's information message center in the extended overhead console has never worked properly. temperature gauge increases at least 1/8 to 1/4 inches and stayes there. air bag wires are still exposed to rea rpassenger's seat. drover's/passengers door locks failed. headlights go off by themselves every 10 seconds. finally, evaporative emission canister failed prior to recall. 780180 dup of 533715; posted on 09-07-1999. *ak
10/01/19979
 Consumer' s gas tank is on straps. when stopping there is a 2 second delay, then there is a rumbling noise where as the gas gushes to the back of tank, causing the tank to move against the chassis. the dealer installed rubber bushings between tank and chassis to minimize sounds. vehicle will do this every time unless the tank is full or low. vehicle has been serviced at least nine times for this problem, chevrolet acknowledges the problem, and says they do not have a solution. in addition, the front driver's seat has been replaced. also, the window fell out from the sliding door because the latch was installed up side down/the headlight assembly was replaced due to loud whistling whenever driving more than 50mph. (dimmitt chevrolet dealership-813-791-1818). *ak
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - CONCEALMENT DEVICES
01/01/19981
 1998 chevrolet venture headlight assembly. constant condensation/moisture inside drive and passenger side units causing a foggy or burned effect and rendering headlights virtually useless. after many years, i've noticed many different model years of the venture and its oldsmobile cousin have the same problem. the headlight assembly should be replaced, at no charge, form the auto maker. *jb
07/28/20053
 My headlight lenses have fallen off on three separate occasions. this is clearly a faulty design as the lenses are merely glued on the front of the headlight assembly. because of the glue wearing away on the headlight cover, water gets into the assembly and causes the halogen lights to short out. this to me is a very serious problem. i think that the manufacturer should admit to this and recall the vans and replace with a new design. why does it always take someone's death and a lawsuit to get something taken care of. i have had to replace the lights three times. the last time i put duct tape around the outside of the lenses to keep them on. why should i have to do that??? *jb
07/09/2004211/09/2001
 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.
02/15/2004750002
 In feb./march 2004, right headlight assembly lens fell off, exposing lamp to weather. in july 2004, left headlight lens fell off. we had to replace the entire assembly in both cases. cost about $160 each time. dealer installed new assemblies and told us the failure is due to adhesive breakdown but not covered by chevrolet. the vehicle is a 1998 chevy venture ls with 75000 mile in feb and 80000 miles in july. *jb
1
 The head light lens fell off while driving. *jb
07/01/200391000208/23/2001
 The glass and back piece of the headlights were glued together. the glass came off the headlight. due to failure in the glue composite. need to check all vehicles using that lot of glue. each head light cost $88.78. consumer wants to be reimburse for manufacture defect. *nlm *cb
03/17/20031
 The driver and passenger head light lenses fell off. *jb
02/12/2003870001
 The headlight lens fell off.*jb
02/12/20031
 The driver side head light lens fell off the vehicle.*jb
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS
05/20/2004188888103/27/1998
 Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. the main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. the only brake lights working now are the led lights on the rear door. system is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. unable to use this vehicle and is parked.*ak unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. vehicle was inspected and past the last part of april 2004.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL
05/20/2004188888103/27/1998
 Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. the main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. the only brake lights working now are the led lights on the rear door. system is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. unable to use this vehicle and is parked.*ak unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. vehicle was inspected and past the last part of april 2004.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL - FLASHER UNIT
05/10/1999205/01/1998
 Excessive water vapor in headlights reduces light. current fix was to drill holes. excessive water vapor in front turn signals increases glare and confuses traffic when turning. no fix offered. *ak