Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
STRUCTURE
04040204/04/2002636485Subject regarding wind noise while driving. *tt11/08/2002
19090109/19/2001626222Customers may complain of a water leak at the center of the windshield or from the overhead console. *slc12/13/2001
STRUCTURE - BODY
0193301/01/200401933A10007833Water leaks at overhead console map. *tt07/12/2004
02086700606/01/2002634513Some customers may comment that there is rust forming around the front or rear portion of the roof. *tt10/03/2002
02085800306/01/2002634510Some customers may comment that road noise can be heard coming from the area behind the front seats. *tt10/03/2002
01085700611/01/2001628525This bulletin contains information on various waterleak conditions. *tt03/13/2002
83170410/01/1998602983Concerns of door handles on white painted vehicles truning yellow. *yc01/25/1999
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR
05040204/05/2002636509Issue regarding excessive road noise most prevalent in the sliding door areas, left, right or both. *tt11/09/2002
02086401105/01/2002634619Some customers may comment that the power sliding door will reverse on closing or the door will appear closed, but the alarm will come on when the transmission is moved out of park. *tt10/03/2002
07010201/07/2002629666Subject regarding recall 01013 and 01059 power sliding doors. *tt04/04/2002
99086401709/01/1999608378Some customers may comment that their sliding side door rattles at the top. *tt11/24/1999
99016A05/01/199999016606534Revised customer satisfaction campaign regarding power sliding door operation. *tt08/26/1999
STRUCTURE - BODY - HOOD
010851004A01/01/200301085100410000948Premature aluminum hood corrosion / blistering. *tt04/04/2003
01085100410/01/2001627616Information regarding premature aluminum hood corrosion. *yh02/13/2002
STRUCTURE - BODY - ROOF AND PILLARS
020867006B03/01/2003020867006A10001276Roof perforation. *tt04/25/2003
020864006A12/01/200202086700610000746Roof perforation. *tt03/28/2003

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
STRUCTURE
SQ00014GENERAL MOTORS CORP.07/25/200010/22/2001UNEXPECTED OPENING OF SLIDING DOOR01V067000
 There is no summary currently available
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR
PE04064GENERAL MOTORS CORP.09/17/200412/22/2004POWER-SLIDING DOOR04V597000
 Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's chair seat back creating a risk of injury (other seating configurations have ample seat to door clearance to avoid entrapment of the lower arm).among the 103 total reports, there were 102 alleged injuries including arm/wrist, thumb and shoulder injuries.a count of injuries reveals that 76 injuries were a fractured or a broken arm/wrist requiring an immobilizing cast for four-to-six weeks.all injuries involve the right side power sliding door.the left side power sliding door is on far fewer vehicles, but more importantly, it produces less force.gm notified the agency by letter dated december 21, 2004, that it will recall model year 1997 though early 2005 gm u-van vehicles equipped with a right side power sliding door and with 2nd-row bucket seats or captain chairs (nhtsa recall #04v597).as part of the recall remedy, gm will replace the door handle with a flush mounted handle that will prevent an occupant from grasping the handle with the palm between the handle and door panel (thumb up orientation) and thus eliminate the potential for arm/wrist entrapment.this investigation is closed.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
STRUCTURE
05/12/200630001712/31/1989
 I have had so many problems 1. the inner brake pads wore down to the steel ruining the inside of both rotors about 3,000 miles. under warranty. but the brake pads. 2. battery acid is corroding about 4,000 miles the dealership pay all still under warranty 3. battery again but it turn out to be the alternator about 6,500 the dealership pay under warranty. 4. the tread completely separated from the sidewall. p215/70r15, fire stone on all four tires. dealership did not cover tire have no warranty on new vehicle 7,000 miles 5. water leak, and carpet is wet every time it rains i feel it is coming from the windshield. warranty does not cover. 8,000 still does it at 50,256. 6. lighter keep shorting out and ac keep mess up under the warranty 7. while driving the check oil light and the battery line came on. the vehicle shut off, loosing all power the intake manifold under warranty 38,000 miles. 8. intake manifold fix came home my lights was mess up when put on my brakes the four way flasher came on when i put my left turn signals the right one would came on put the right turn signals the left one would come on took it back they had to repaired entire wiring system because of over hearted burn it up under warrant 9. battery acid is corroding the battery pan and surrounding components, positive cable connected to battery has fallen off,38,500 not cover 6 year was up. 10. power steering fluid spraying fluid onto the engine and serpentine belt the dealership did not put cap back on power steering. 11. power locks will not operate from door switches only from the remote power window. back ac does not work. 12. connector left and right melt tail lights, stop lights, turn signals about 42,000. 13. there is a thump noise when stopping and taking off. 14. strong smell of fuel when parked. 15. clouding of lens 16. serpentine belt replace at 50,256 17. leaking from lower intake manifold gasket. at 50,000. *nm
01/15/200018000
 Fuel gauge has quit working @ 80k. we had transmission failure @ 18k and a problem with the sliding door @ 21k. we were given an estimate to repair fuel gauge problem of $700.00 to $800.00 dollars.
10/09/1999308/01/1999
 Water enters vehicle when raining and the vehicle is in motion - carpet gets soaked!
STRUCTURE - BODY
09/17/2010
 Tl -the contact owns a 1999 chevrolet venture. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact smelled a burning odor and then noticed white smoke emitting from the front driver side door. the vehicle was driven to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. the contact and passengers immediately exited the vehicle. the contact waited fifteen minutes to allow the door to cool down to touch before accessing. the inner door panel was detached. the plastic parts inside of the door panel melted and other inner materials were severely damaged. the vehicle resumed with caution. the vehicle had not been diagnosed. the contact was in the process of notifying the manufacturer regarding the safety hazard. the failure mileage was unknown. js
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR
04/28/199920000304/01/1999
 This will be a list of most of the problems. i have complained of smelling anti-freeze since i purchased the van new. it currently has 94k on it and i have done all scheduled maintenance on it. i think the clock work oil changes is the only reason it still runs. manifold gaskets, intake, head...have been replaced twice and need it again, really bad. but i just do not have 5-800 bucks laying around to do a gasket job again since i just did it a year ago. the anti-freeze diluting the oil has messed up a couple pistons. they slap very bad ok here is my list (i have dealer invoices for everything fixed the first time and receipts for parts and labor the second time, or my husband got sick of paying for the same crap so he would fix things) (he is in the automotive testing and design field) *jb
06/15/200212
 When closing the passenger power sliding door, the consumer noticed that the door would reopen. the consumer had the door repaired before, however, the problem continued. please provide any further details. *jb
03/31/2003400001
 The sliding door would not unlock remotely or manually from the inside. *jb *nlm
08/01/20021
 Power sliding door stopped working shortly after vehicle was purchased used. vehicle was a gm certified used vehicle. *jb
 The sliding door failed. *dt *nlm
07/22/2002301/03/1999
 Consumer states that after dealership repaired the recall for the sliding door for the 3rd time,the door slide open, and child fell out off vehicle.dealer/manufacturer contacted.they are not helpful, do not want to take responsibility. mr also having problems with steering, abs brakes lights are on and the firestone tires blew out. *tt
09/11/2002
 After dealership did recall 01v264000 repairs of sliding door door was inoperative, and all electrical components were not functioning, except power window, etc.*ak
05/20/19991
 Consumer's hand was on the door handle and the door was knocked into movement, consumer could not get arm out, consumers arm was broken. *jb pe04064.pco
10/20/20005002/01/1999
 Numerous intermittent electrical problems. february 2000, the air-bag light indicator on the instrument panel would stay on after starting, but only intermittently. took it in for service on 2/22/00 and they cleaned connections to driver side impact air-bag. problem went away until july 2001. again instrument panel air-bag light would intermittently stay on. may 2000 - doors would lock and unlock continually and locks would not work with remote or key while this is happening. interior lights would flash on and off. i took the vehicle to a chevy service center on 5/11/00 & 5/16/00 and both times they could not reproduce error / failure and nothing was done. after a few weeks the door and interior lights problem stopped.january 2002  instrument panel abs & tcs (traction control system) lights will come on and stay on after vehicle has been driven for 5 minutes or so, but not on every trip only intermittently. also when applying the brakes the emergency flasher / turn signal lights will come on. vehicle has 43k miles and is no longer under warranty, but problems started 1 year (13,000 miles) after purchase.
09/20/2000
 Power door will reopen by itself when closed or will not open after closing, will not operate manually or by remote. vehicle been in dealer shop on several occasions, and they are unable to resolve problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak
09/05/2000506/01/1999
 Automatic sliding passenger door opens while car is in drive and turning a corner. automatic door has also not locked and been unable to open manually or electronically. the door will also open and close quickly while in the process of loading passengers. the car has been recalled and replacement parts have not fixed the problem. this is a safety issue for my children and general motors refuses to take the car back .*ak
03/01/199902/01/1999
 Sliding side remote door first became inoperative one week after car's purchase. it was fist fixed by original; dealership at no charge. after that it has been back to a different dealership in san francisco over a dozen times and repaired (power module replaced, floor plate replaced, switch plate, replaced) over a dozen times, all at the owner's expense. chevrolet put out a recall for replacement of the power module. when we went to have it replaced they said one of our previous replacements (at out expense) had already taken care of that. since then the door has been inoperative eight times. each time the deal does a diagnosis, orders parts and repairs and door breaks down soon thereafter (the same day sometimes). the vehicle is used as a taxi and requires use of this feature for passengers. each repair requires a one or two day down time for cab at owner's expense. he has to rent spare cab and lose his own wages for those days. dealer acts as if they've never seen problem before each time problem arises and proceeds to fix door same as before to no avail. owner may sue for costs (over $1500) and loss of wages..*ak
05/28/2000106/01/1999
 Vehicle had problems with the right sliding door, after repair and evaluation of the door, the consumers child was injured (broken arm) as a result of the being stuck in the handle and causing the arm to be caught between the door and the trim. *mjs pe04064.pco
03/24/2000
 While driving out of neighborhood sliding door opened all of sudden and without warning. vehicle was parked in the parking lot, and mother-in-law was putting the baby in car seat when the sliding door started to close all by itself. consumer had to manually stop the door by pushing the button on the visor. also, sliding door opens and closes even after closing the door with the remote control. *ak
 If the van is parked facing downhill, sliding door on the driver's side, will not stay open. door will slam shut. dealer was made aware of the problem. owner was told to notify manufacturer. owned was told by manufacturer to call nhtsa. please provide any further information. *ak
09/25/1999
 While in motion manual sliding door opened without warning. dealer has tried to repair vehicle. *ak *ml
05/28/1999
 The sliding door on the driver's side remains ajar even though the light on the dash indicates that the door is closed. the van was checked 2 times for this problem. dealer stated that all the van are that way. *ak
111/01/1998
 While driving the sliding door opened, at the time this occured the doors were locked. nlm
111/01/1998
 Automatic door on passenger side not working properly. nlm
 Possible design flaw of power sliding door would slide open and shut on its own without warning which resulted in injury. while reaching into the vehicle the door automaticly began to close. this vehicle was rented by consumer from avis rental company. avis was contacted. *yc
08/24/1999
 Whenever sliding door is opened the hand can get caught between door & vehicle & causes the wrist to be turned. the hand/wrist are stuck. the doors are automatically opened after touching. *ak dup of 847814.pco
 On september 18, 99 while shopping for a 1999 chevrolet venture i observed the following safety defect and notified the sales manager at santa rosa chevrolet (in california). i also notified chevrolet of this issue on the same date via their product suggestion feature on the chevrolet web site. my concern is with the power assisted passenger side sliding door on the chevrolet venture. there is a safety feature which prevents the door from causing crushing injuries when closing much the same as an elevator. the door will automatically reverse direction when something blocks the path of the closing door. while operating in the opening direction; however, the door has no safety feature which reverses the direction of the door travel. with substantial effort, i was able to stall the door assist motor. when the sliding door opens it pops out producing an open gap of approximately 6-8 inches between the bottom of the door and the floorboard of the vehicle (large enough for an adult leg to slip into). there is a door brace located between the lower front end of the sliding door and the vehicle floorboard which closes off the gap at the front end of the sliding door. when the door opens this gap becomes smaller as the brace slides back with the door. when the door is fully open this door brace comes within 1 inch of the rear door opening creating a vice-like pinch point. since the door has no safety feature providing for the reversal of direction when resistance is encountered, anything caught between the opening door and the vehicle floor could be pulled back by the door brace and crushed as the door opens. robert moreno 1532 cabernet circle santa rosa, ca 95401 home: (707) 578-7723 day: (707) 573-4346
08/15/1999
 The sliding door inside handle came out too fast and too quickly which caused injuries to driver's arm which was stuck in between the sliding door and the vehicle. dealer was aware of the problem. no remedy. *ak pe04064.pco
07/26/1999
 Whenever filling the vehicle with fuel driver's side sliding door would hit the fuel hose. some times would cause the hose to disengage while fueling. *ak
06/07/19991
 Motor on sliding door (electronic activation) had enough force to pull consumers arm back and bend her wrist backwards, breaking it. nlm pe04064.pco
05/15/19991
 Design of minivan door caused it to open with power assist resulting in it bending back passengers hand, cracking a bone at the wrist. ( note: power sliding door has a safety feature causing it to stop when closing if there is an obstruction but this feature does not exist when opening). nlm pe04064.pco
 Vehicle has an electric side sliding door. after opening it and trying to shut door, it does not shut all the way, appears as if it is off the track. after about 3 minutes, it will retrack and shut all the way. the dealer has been contacted. *ak
STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR - HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
04/17/200798000106/01/2003
 Tl*- the contact stated that while reversing out the driveway, the sliding door opened on her 1999 chevrolet venture. when the contact stopped the vehicle to close the sliding door, the door fell off the track. two of the door hinges had fallen off. the failure mileage was 98,000 miles.
09/22/1999
 Sliding door fell off the hinge, and the consumer and her child were hit by the sliding door. *ak
STRUCTURE - BODY - TAILGATE
05/01/200590800104/25/2005
 As i closed the tail gate the rear windscreen explded outwards resulting in minor cuts and abrasions on face,neck and arms. the whole windscreen just shattered for no reason. when safelite came to replace the glass their technician advised that this is a known issue with chevy ventures, i believe that gmc should pay for this repair and not the consumer, costing $184.
STRUCTURE - BODY - TRUNK LID
12/01/2001103/16/1999
 Battery acid is corroding the battery pan and surrounding components, also positive cable connected to battery has fallen off, dealer has been contacted. *ak consumer stated the battery by delco, also headlights are developing spiderwebbing and clouding of lens, and rear hatch pinches palm of hands or fingers, the rear hatch handle broke off.*slc
STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS
10/31/2005108000810/08/2005
 The pinch welds behind the side sliding doors (left and right) are badly corroded compromising the overall structural integrity of this unibody vehicle. whenever a passenger weighing over 150 lbs. sits in the passenger front seat, the right side power sliding door alarm sounds. when this happens the door sometimes not close or will open unexpectedly even while the vehicle is in motion. with the integrity of the structure compromised, it has also resulted in a cracked windshield. this is not only dangerous but could potentially result in a fatality. the defect has been brought to the attention of a couple of different gm dealerships of which none were of any assistance. *nm
12/09/200593056108/15/1999
 My 1999 chev venture had the bottom suspension frame member that holds the wheel and steering assemblies,on the passenger side fail while diriving. this failure resulted in loss of vehicle control. some one could be killed if it happens again. no frame should ever brake under normal driving. this vehicle has always been driven within normal operation on the highways. it has never had more than 6 passengers in the vehilce. their had to be a flaw in the part when it was manufactured or it is a very poor design. *nm
STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS - UNDERBODY SHIELDS
04/09/2002109/09/1998
 The right rear trailing arm on my wife's 1999 chevrolet venture van unexpectedly broke while she was driving down the road. a search of your website revealed this to be a common safety defect associated with this vehicle. why hasn't there been a recall??? also, the seat belt light intermittently goes on and off in this vehicle. why hasn't there been a recall on this safety defect??? *jb