Chevy Vans: Problems & Solutions
Hello,
I have just bought a 2002 Astro AWD. I had very good service from my previous Astro and had no reservations about buying another. I am satisfied at this point with the 2002 with one exception. When the sliding side door is opened, an inspection of the carpet just inboard of the trim strip, beside the middle bench seat, right where you would step into the van, reveals three depressions approximately 1/2 inch wide, 1/2 inch deep, and 5 to 6 inches long, and about 30 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the van.
These depressions are visible in the daylight, but not very offensive. When the sliding door is opened at night, the courtesy light for the sliding door shines across these depressions, and they look horrible. I took off the door trim strip and felt the rubber backing of the carpet and it was deformed exactly where the depressions were. I had my local dealer replace the carpet, and the replacement carpet had these depressions too. He called another dealer and asked him to look at the Astros on his lot, and he saw the same thing. He said the carpet looked like a tractor ran through the van. The service manager and I agreed that there wasn't any sense replacing the carpet again if they were coming from the factory that way. He suggested I contact customer assistance while he contacted the zone service manager. I received a call from customer assistance about a month later, and was told that the zone rep looked at a few Astros, and said the carpet was OK because every one he looked at was the same way. I was also told that mine was the only complaint they received. I asked if I could talk to the zone service manager because he obviously didn't look at the depressions in the dark when the courtesy light was shining across them. I was told that customers weren't allowed to talk to the zone service managers. I requested that customer service then, request the zone service manager re-examine the Astro carpets in the dark when the courtesy light was shining accross the depressions. I was also told that since the zone representative saw these depressions in the other Astros that it was a "characteristic" of the vehicle, implying that nothing would be done about it. These depressions may be a characteristic of 2002 Astros, but are a bad characteristic, and not a characteristic of previous years, as I owned one before this, and have looked at several lately. I'm sure that if the right person at General Motors sees these depressions at night, something will be done at the assembly line, and with the carpet supplier.
These depressions probably havn't been caught at the assembly line because they don't build them in the dark.
At this point I'm still waiting to hear from customer assistance. If anyone else has a new Astro and sees these depressions, call customer assistance right away. They appear to be going to blow me off if I'm the only one complaining. If anyone knows of a way around customer assistance
with General Motors please post it and E-mail me.
I'm sure General Motors doesn't want it's products to appear this way, but I need to get to someone who really gives a #$@*&!!!
I have just bought a 2002 Astro AWD. I had very good service from my previous Astro and had no reservations about buying another. I am satisfied at this point with the 2002 with one exception. When the sliding side door is opened, an inspection of the carpet just inboard of the trim strip, beside the middle bench seat, right where you would step into the van, reveals three depressions approximately 1/2 inch wide, 1/2 inch deep, and 5 to 6 inches long, and about 30 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the van.
These depressions are visible in the daylight, but not very offensive. When the sliding door is opened at night, the courtesy light for the sliding door shines across these depressions, and they look horrible. I took off the door trim strip and felt the rubber backing of the carpet and it was deformed exactly where the depressions were. I had my local dealer replace the carpet, and the replacement carpet had these depressions too. He called another dealer and asked him to look at the Astros on his lot, and he saw the same thing. He said the carpet looked like a tractor ran through the van. The service manager and I agreed that there wasn't any sense replacing the carpet again if they were coming from the factory that way. He suggested I contact customer assistance while he contacted the zone service manager. I received a call from customer assistance about a month later, and was told that the zone rep looked at a few Astros, and said the carpet was OK because every one he looked at was the same way. I was also told that mine was the only complaint they received. I asked if I could talk to the zone service manager because he obviously didn't look at the depressions in the dark when the courtesy light was shining across them. I was told that customers weren't allowed to talk to the zone service managers. I requested that customer service then, request the zone service manager re-examine the Astro carpets in the dark when the courtesy light was shining accross the depressions. I was also told that since the zone representative saw these depressions in the other Astros that it was a "characteristic" of the vehicle, implying that nothing would be done about it. These depressions may be a characteristic of 2002 Astros, but are a bad characteristic, and not a characteristic of previous years, as I owned one before this, and have looked at several lately. I'm sure that if the right person at General Motors sees these depressions at night, something will be done at the assembly line, and with the carpet supplier.
These depressions probably havn't been caught at the assembly line because they don't build them in the dark.
At this point I'm still waiting to hear from customer assistance. If anyone else has a new Astro and sees these depressions, call customer assistance right away. They appear to be going to blow me off if I'm the only one complaining. If anyone knows of a way around customer assistance
with General Motors please post it and E-mail me.
I'm sure General Motors doesn't want it's products to appear this way, but I need to get to someone who really gives a #$@*&!!!
0
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In the right, rear compartment, where the jack is stored, there is a black plastic box (approx. 3.5"X2.5"X1") with a wiring harness plugged into it. I carefully opened this box and found a small circuit board containing two relays. One relay activates the solenoid to release the glass hatch and unlock the right dutch door. The other relay locks the right dutch door about 2 seconds after the the hatch is closed. The second relay had blackened contact points from arcing. It seemed that if the second relay failed to lock the right dutch door, then the first relay would not activate the solenoids to release the glass hatch. I carefully cleaned the contacts on both relays and also cleaned the the circuit board contacts where the wiring harness plugs into it. I have not had a failure since I did this, but if I do, I will replace the entire black box. I hope this helps all who have experienced this problem. Please write if you find the solution to this problem to be anything other than this.
I have a 2001 Chevy Venture that recently started to overheat, after having it in the repair shop for about three weeks they eventually found out that it was the thermostat that had gone bad, they replaced it and now three weeks later the car has started to overheat again.
I live and work in Kingston Jamaica where it is very hot most of the times so i was wondering,could the vehicle run effectively without a thermostat, or what else could possibly cause it to be overheating.
a. fan clutch, my number one pick.
b. Plugged or dirty radiator.
c. Not running the specified 50/50 coolant.
d. No! you can not run without a thermostat.
Good luck
Boyd
Driving home, we noticed on cruise control & a few other times, it wasn't so smooth. It was like someone consistantly accelerating & letting off, but only slightly, enough to wonder...
Is this a normal Venture trait we simply need to get used to, does anyone else experence this as well?
We got our first Chevy Venture from a dealership inLaurel, Maryland. From day one we noticed the overhead console leaking. The sales rep told us it was a "condensation buildup from the air conditioner". WOW one powerful air conditioner eh? Well that buildup landed up back in the shop 9 times. Unable to fix the problem and Chevy accusing us of creating the problem... the Chevy Corp. had to purchase the vehicle back under the lemon law. Especially after they found rust on the van from the leaking.
Well, a few years later... October 13, 2001..we decided to purchase another Chevy Venture van because we enjoyed the "space" in it when we traveled back home. This time we purchased the van back home while my husband and I were on leave. Well..... our saga begins again. In April of this year... with only 8200 miles on the van... we noticed a bit of hesitation to the motor. What went from hesitation to a down and out clunk in the motor turned out to be the transmission. Yep.. we had to have the entire transmission replaced. Well not only did the original dealership refuse to help us...( we were darn near stranded on I95!! ))... we ended up having to leave the van back in NC for a week in order for another dealership... (Power Swain - THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL HELP !!) to order the part and fix the transmission.
Ready for this? Once we got the van back up in Maryland... a week later... the godforsaken thing started leaking .. JUST LIKE OUR FIRST ONE DID. Well then... now that we are on time number 5 with the leak... here's hoping that the same attorney can get us out of this one quicker than he did the last one !!
So problems with this van?
1- TRANSMISSION - replaced at 8200 miles
2- Leaking overhead console - 8705 Miles
3- Leaking again - 12,994 Miles
4- Sliding door motor replaced - 12,994 Miles
5- Pass. Windw Motor replaced - 13,314 Miles
6- Drvr window Motor replaced - 13,536 miles
7- Leaking again - 13,536 Miles
8- Leaking again - 13,745 Miles
9- Leaking once again - 13,889 Miles
ANYONE SEE A PROBLEM HERE? hmmmmm GOD HELP ME PLEASEEEEEEEE ... NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER will I get another CHEVROLET PRODUCT AGAIN !!! AGGGGGG
Anyone else having these problems or is it just us?
Took the van out Saturday early am, and temp needle never got past the "10 o'clock " bar. If I turned the heater on, the needle went down.
However, yesterday it worked fine. Whether it was stuck in open, but resolved itself later.
from where can i order this paper? GM want not help me!!
2. i need a original owner manual to this car. who can help?
chris
all fixed now
Have you been to the dealer. If they keep it inside the workshop it may not duplicate the problem.
One major problem......
Chevy redesigned the sliding door open lock on the 2003 Astro vans. IT FEELS LIKE IT LOCKS IN THE OPEN POSITION, BUT IT WILL CLOSE WITH ONLY FINGER PUSHING PRESSURE APPLIED AT THE REAR OF THE DOOR. WHOEVER OWNS ONE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! HAVE SOMEONE HOLD THE DOOR OPEN WHILE ENTERING OR EXITING. IF ON A HILL THE DOOR WILL SLAM CLOSED FAST AND HARD.
PLEAE BE CAREFUL.
I contacted NHSA and ALSO filed a complaint with GM. The complaint number is #1-697668689. The dealer admitted that the new design sucks , but he cannot adjust or tweak it beyond the established Manual requirements. I understand his position.
Please be careful out there.
Last week the "check engine" light came on (for the first time) while the car was idling.The engine was misfiring it seemed.I immediately took it to my trustworthy mechanic and his diagnosis after scanning was a failed injector.He had never heard of one failing
at such low mileage.He said the intake plenum and gasket(s) would have to come off before he could change the injector.Well the van runs fine again,but I am resentful over both the intake gasket failure and this injector thing.Very costly repairs. Anyone else have injector failure?
Please let me know if you find a solution.
Greg
gregburrow@attbi.com
A loose or broken part of the vacuum line / heater A/C control system will cause this default. The vacuum lines that fail most frequently are those near hot engine areas, firewall bends, and pinched lines (when re-installing doghouse, for example).
The engine will start only after a lot of cranking once the vehicle was sitting in a warm garage for a few days. It almost feels like a vapor lock situation. Once the engine starts, it will run very rough and has not much power (like some cylinders are not firing), and the “Serve Engine Soon” indicator is blinking. After a short while, the engine runs fine, the indicator light goes from blinking to steady. After a few miles driving, and stopping at a store, and the vehicle sitting for a while, the motor starts just normal and the service light does not come on.
Any idea what I should look for? Any advise is appreciated!
The Major problem that NO ONE seems to know what it is, is the very rough idle, it seems as if it is missing a spark plug but the van runs GREAT with the A/C turned on but what will I do during the winter months? GM tells me there is no way to up the idle on this van, which seems to me it would correct the problem, true?
Now just in the past couple of days it seems to be spraying some type of fluid on the car when I first start it, it looks kind of like oil, and I will clean my windows and 5 mins later they are slimy and greays and very hard to see out of, anyone have any suggestions, the dealer is of NO help.
This was my FIRST new car purchase and WHOA what a ride I have been on.
If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Thanks
My experience with our Venture LS has been very good. There were only 3 problems in the 2+ years and nearly 63,000 miles we have had it (we have owned it since new).
1. The HVAC control panel is some sort of electronic panel that went bad; dealer repaired under warranty. The only problem was the 2 week wait for the part. (about 44K)
2. The rear most seat latch was bent and had to be straightened. I cannot state whether it was defective from the dealership or if I damaged it. In any case, the dealer looked at it and had me return later when they could have more time. (about 50k)
3. At about 55k miles, the 'check engine' light came on. I verified all of the usual suspects (latches, gas cap, etc.). I took it to the dealer and they not only repaired the seat but diagnosed the engine light as a computer glitch. They downloaded and installed a software patch. This time I was charged $82, ostensibly for either the software fix or the seat fix...whatever...the car performs well and unlike others' experiences, I have had no other problems.
I have always had the oil changed every 3k, and replaced tires and brakes at 58k. The original tires were Firestone and we replaced them with Bridgestone. The Firestones lasted 58,000 miles, and were quite good for traction and noise, etc. On our first long trip, the car averaged 33MPG at 70-85MPH cruise; I average 23MPG in daily stop-and-go.
Thanks-
Thanks,
JOEL
Has anyone tried this?
On a side note: The power door is much easier to open than the manual sliding door when iced over. The brakes started squeaking off and on at 500 miles. Everything else works great! Our 2 small kids and my husband love the DVD player. The leather/cloth combo seats were very comfortable to travel in with just enough cup holders. We have been able to use all types of infant & child car & booster seats in all 2nd and 3rd row locations with ease.
I would like to know more about this elusive
and land yacht.
1. If it overheats more when you are working it hard, like prolonged speed or towing, a plugged or restricted radiator can be the culprit.
2. If it tends to heat up when running slow, in traffic etc., the water pump may be getting worn. However, it also,usually leaks out of the weep hole, because the pump bearing is bad.
3. Even though you are in a warm climate, be sure to run 50/50 antifreeze to water ratio. The antifreeze increases the cooling efficiency. But too extreme from 50/50 mix will undo the effect.
4. Heaven forbid, a bad head gasket can also make it run hot by letting exhaust gasses into the coolant.
Good luck
I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY 2001 VENTURE. THE FAN KICKS BY ITSELF AND KEEPS RUNNING TILL THE BATTERY DRAINS. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, AND HE CHARGED ME $250. HE SAID HE CHANGED A FEW RELAYS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I GO TO MY GARAGE AND I HEAR THE FAN RUNNING. CAN SOMEONE HELP MY MECHANIC, BECAUSE HE HAS NO CLUE AND CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER EVERY MORNING WHEN HE CHECKS THE CAR THE BATTERY IS DEAD. HE SUGGESTS THAT I BUY A NEW BATTERY.
How did your Venture feel/sound with the failed injector? I suspect a failed injector in my 96 Astro (135K miles), but I don't know how to diagnose it for sure. It coughs on & off at highway speed and shows no diagnostic trouble codes. I have recently replaced my fuel filter, my fuel pump, and my camshaft position sensor (after I got a code for it).
Maybe I can offer some insights ...
Here is a website that references towing information (2d para):
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/towingtips/a/aa040501a.htm
Notice if you follow the link to "Trailer Life" that you can secure older model specs from the company ... via email.
whenever I turn left, the ABS warning pops up, but ABS is still working.
Can anybody help me in this problem?
Thank you.