2000 Chevrolet Venture

MY 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN, WARNER BROTHER'S EDITION, HAD THE TRANSMISSION FAIL AT 47,567 MILES. I DID NOT HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASED AT THE TIME I BOUGHT THE VAN. I HAD NOTICED WHEN I FIRST ACQUIRED THE VAN, THAT WHEN I PUT THE VAN IN DRIVE FROM REVERSE, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED NOTICEBLY. ALSO, FROM A STOP THE TRACTION DEVICE SIGNAL WOULD COME ON PERIODICALLY AND THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AS I ACCELORATED. I TOOK THE VAN TO THE DEALER, WHICH THEY FOUND THE FLUID WAS BURNT AND THE BANDS OR TORQUE CONVERTER WAS READY TO EXPLODE/COME OFF. I HAD THE VAN SERVICED EVERY 3,000 MILES AND HAD DONE EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANUAL. NOTHING WAS SAID ABOUT BURNT FLUID. THE COST FO REPLACEMENT WAS $2710.00 PLUS TAX. I WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER BUT NEEDED A VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTATION. THE $33,000.00 + VEHICLE WAS ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN 2 YEARS OLD AND THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE FACTORY (OEM) WAS WARRANTEED FOR....36K MI. THE NEW TRANSMISSION WAS WARRANTEED FOR....50K MI.! WHY WAS THIS, I ASKED? APPARENTLY, GM IS IN THE PROCESS OF UPGRADING THEIR WARRANTIES FOR POWERTRAIN AND BODY PARTS. UNFORTUNETLY, I WAS LEFT OUT OF THE LOOP. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION WITH BOTH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND SALES REP., THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE GM PAY HALF THE COST OF $1260.00. NOTICE THE PLUNGE IN COST AFTER GM GOT INVOVLED WITH THE PAYMENT?!? THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO GET ME A LOANER CAR FOR ONLY "1 DAY", AS THEY TOOK "6 DAYS" TO GET THE PARTS AND HAVE THE VAN REPAIRED! AFTER RETURNING THE VAN WITH THE NEW AND IMPROVED TRANSMISSION, THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED ME TO KEEP A CLOSE LOOK AT THE COOLANT LEVEL, AS THERE WAS A LEAK COMING FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AREA. WHAT NEXT RIGHT? NO MORE GM VEHICLES FOR ME! THE TECHNICIAN GAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE I FOUND OUT THAT IN FORUMS ON THE INTERNET, THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER VANS WITH SIMILAR AND THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE/HAD! BEWARE AMERICA BEWARE!!!!

AS YOU CAN SEE THE VAN HAS MINIMAL MILEAGE WITH MULTIPLE REPAIRS. REPORTED DIRECTLY VIA E-MAIL TO CHEVROLET. ALSO RECEIVED A FILE NUMBER AND SENT COPIES OF REPAIRS DIRECTLY TO CHEVROLET. THE LAST E-MAIL WAS SENT 5/23 BECAUSE MY VAN HAD A PUDDLE OF GASOLINE 2 FT WIDE AND 1 1/2 FT LONG UNDERNEATH IT. COULD HAVE TAKEN OUT CHILDREN, HOME AND VAN ITSELF. DEALER CLAIMS IT IS A FAULTY GAS TANK. WILL BE REPLACING WITH NEW. VEHICLE LIVES AT DEALER. NOT ENOUGH SPACE TO TELL THE "LEGEND OF THE LEMON"*AK

I WAS IN A TURN LANE WHEN MY TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH NO WARNING. I HAD TO CALL THE POLICE TO MOVE MY CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC AND HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I TRULY FEEL THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. I JUST HAD THE 30,000 MILE MAINTENACE WORK DONE ON IT 5 MONTHS AGO. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO DETECT THIS FAILURE FROM HAPPENING. IT JUST " HAPPENED". THAT IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE FOR ME. I DRIVE MY CHILDREN EVERYWHERE IN THAT CAR AND THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A FATALITY. I HAVE NO ASSURANCE THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN TO THE NEW TRANSMISSION THAT I HAD TO BUY. I HAVE OWNED A VARIETY OF CARS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY KIND OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THEM. OUR PREVIOUS CAR WAS A 94 CHEVY VAN AND WE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT, JUST YOUR NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I KNOW THAT I DID NOT CAUSE MY TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THAT A CAR OWNER SHOULD DO TO MAINTAIN PROPER MAINTENACE OF THIS CAR AND STILL THIS KIND OF FAILURE HAPPENED. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THERE MUST BE SOME KIND OF MECHANICAL FAILURE WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM ITSELF FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. I WOULD LIKE ANSWERS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED. HOPEFULLY THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED BEFORE A FATALITY DOES OCCUR. THANK YOU. *AK

OUR NEW CHEVROLET VENTURE IS LESS THAT A YEAR OLD. THERE CAN BE NO GOOD REASON FOR THE REAR AXLE TO FAIL. THE DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING WARRANTY REPAIR, SAYING THAT I HIT SOMETHING TO CAUSE THE DAMAGE TO THE REAR UNDERCARRIAGE OF VEHICLE. TOW TRUCK COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE, I WITNESSED THE DAMAGE BY THEM, AND THEY REFUSE RESPONSIBILITY. DEALER REFUSES TO FIX CAR UNDER WARRANTY. INSURANCE CO REFUSING TO CALL IT A CLAIM SINCE INCIDENT WAS NOT CAUSED DUE TO DRIVER ERROR OR HITTING ANYTHING. I NEED PROBLEM TO BE INVESTIGATED, OTHERWISE I DO NOT WANT THE UNSAFE CAR BACK. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED, WILL NOT ENGAGE, MANUFACTURER ADMITS IT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED ON A VEHICLE WITH THAT MILEAGE AND THAT AGE; WILL NOT PAY FOR IT UNLESS TAKE IT TO A DEALER, WHICH WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER AND ALSO COST MORE MONEY THAN AN INDEPENDENT SPECIALIST. AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON IN THIS VEHICLE ON A REGULAR BASIS SINCE THE 20,000 MILE MARK. I HAVE HAD THE DEALER FROM WHOM WE BOUGHT IT LOOK AT IT TWICE. ALL THEY DO IS HOOK IT UP TO A MACHINE AND TELL ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THEY NEVER TOLD ME THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS A SERIOUS INDICATOR THAT THE AIRBAG WILL EITHER DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULD NOT, OR IT WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULD. THE MANUFACTURER IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. THE DEALER HAS SHOWN NO CONCERN AT ALL.*AK

VEHICLE WAS BUCKING AS IT WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE UP TO 30-35 MPH, VEHICLE WAS GOING UP TO 5-10MPH WHEN ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES LOCKED UP, LOOSING TOTAL POWER, CONSUMER STARTED VEHICLE UP 1/2 HOUR LATER AND LET IT RUN, WITHIN 1 MIINUTE, VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN, THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED, AND DAIGNOSTIC TEST DID NOT SHOW A CAUSE. *AK THE DEALER REPLACED THE PCM/VCM.*JB