2000 Chevrolet Venture

WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED IN JULY 2003. A MONTH LATER, THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE EXTENT OF A 40 MILE TRIP, BUT HAS NOT APPEARED SINCE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, AND THE REPAIRS WOULD BE $750. THE VAN HAD ONLY 42000 MILES! I REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIRS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND OUT THAT CHEVROLET IS WELL AWARE OF THIS DEFECT, AND THAT MANY MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ENGINE. I AM EVEN MORE UPSET THAT THE DEALERSHIP (ED SCHMIDT CHEVROLET MAUMEE, OHIO) IS PART OF THE CONSIPRACY. WE WERE TOLD BY THE SALESMAN AND THE DEALERSHIP THIS WAS A GOOD VEHICLE, AND WOULD BE VERY RELIABLE. MY HUSBAND IS IN GEORGIA FOR SPECIALIZED TRAINING FOR 6 MONTHS. WE PURCHASED THE VAN UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEALERSHIP SO THAT I WOULD HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION WHILE MY HUSBAND IS OUT OF STATE. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED.

ENGINE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK'S COOLANT MY 2000 VENTURE LOST COOLANT ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND BEGAN TO RUN HOT. AT THE TIME IT HAD BETWEEN 55,000 AND 60,000 MILES ON IT. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE, AND HE REPAIRED IT AT A COST OF ABOUT 600.00. I HAVE THE RECEIPT IF YOU NEED A COPY. HE REPLACED BOTH MANIFOLD GASKETS AND THE THERMOSTAT. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU CAN GET GM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFAULT. I UNDERSTAND IT IS VERY COMMON IN THESE ENGINES.

WHEN I STARTED THE ENGINE, OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE WARNING SOUNDED, SO I SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY. TOWED VEHICLE TO MECHANIC.. MECHANIC SAID COOLANT WAS IN THE OIL PAN AND PARTS HAVE FAILED (BEARINGS, ETC..)ANDI WAS IN NEED OF A NEW ENGINE, I HAVE NO ESTIMATES AS OF YET, NOR HAVE I CALLED GM OR THE DEALER THAT I BOUGHT THE VAN FROM, I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE ON THE INTERNET FIRST AND HAVE FOUND A PETITION TO SIGN AT (YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK HERE)HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/GMCNSMRS/PETITION.HTML AND THIS SITE

STARTING AT ABOUT 25-30,000 MILES, I HAD TO REPLACE SEVERAL STOPLIGHT BULBS (LEFT SIDE ONLY) ON MY 2000 VENTURE VAN. TWO OR THREE SEEMED TO GO IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, BUT THE LAST ONE I PUT IN LASTED UNTIL RECENTLY - ABOUT 75,000 MILES. OVERALL, THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 6 BULBS REPLACED. A COUPLE OF TIMES I LOOKED AND THE FILAMENT WAS INTACT, BUT THE BASE OF THE BULB SEEMED BLACKENED SO I REPLACED IT ANYWAY. IN CHECKING ONE DAY IN MAY OR JUNE, I NOTICED THAT BOTH THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT (WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN TOUCHED) WERE OUT. THE BULBS WERE STILL GOOD, BUT THE BASES (RECEPTACLES) IN BOTH HOUSINGS WERE MELTED SO THAT I COULD NOT EVEN GET THE RIGHT ONE BACK IN. A MECHANIC FRIEND (NOT CHEVROLET) SAID HE HAD SEEN THAT HAPPEN A COUPLE OF TIMES IN VENTURES. MY LOCAL DEALER SAID IT WOULD COST $70+ TO EVEN LOOK AT IT AND THAT THEY WEREN'T AWARE OF ANY RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I THEN CALLED A GM COMPLAINT NUMBER MY DEALER GAVE ME, EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM, AND SHE CALLED THE DEALER. THE DEALER THEN CHECKED THE LIGHTS WITHOUT CHARGE AND TOLD ME THAT - YES INDEED - THE BASES WERE BURNED JUST LIKE I SAID BUT THEY COULD NOT TELL ME WHY! AFTER EXAMINATION OF THE SITUATION: (1) YES...I DO KNOW HOW TO PLUG IN A NEW BULB (2) I USED GOOD QUALITY REPLACEMENTS (3) THE RIGHT ONE WAS FACTORY-INSTALLED AND HAD NEVER BEEN TOUCHED SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW (4) THERE IS NO TRACE OF WATER LEAKAGE IN EITHER LIGHT ASSEMBLY (5) I'M A CAREFUL 60-YEAR-OLD DRIVER THAT DOESN'T RIDE OR VIOLENTLY PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL (NO GUARANTEES, THOUGH, IN ANOTHER 25 YEARS!) (6) THE BULBS WERE NOT BURNED OUT BUT THE BULB HOLDERS (THE BASE IN THE HOUSING THE BULB PLUGS INTO) THEMSELVES WERE TOAST (THE LEFT ONE WE CAN WEDGE THE BULB WHERE IT CAN WORK) (7) I'VE HEARD OF A FEW INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO VENTURE VANS (8) ON A FEW OCCASIONS MY WIFE AND I HAVE NOTICED OTHER VENTURE VANS WITH A STOPLIGHT OUT. SHOULDN'T THERE BE A RECALL IF THIS IS MORE THAN JUST AN ISOLATED CASE?

WE PURCHASED THIS VAN FROM A LOCAL DEALER ABOUT 5 MONTHS AGO. IT HAD JUST 40,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD THE OIL CHANGED TWICE AND IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES WE HAVE HAD TO ADD OVER 6 QUARTS OF OIL. AT 600 MILES WE HAD PUT IN 2 QUARTS OF OIL. THERE IS NO SIGN OF LEAKING AND NO SIGN OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST. WE PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WILL BE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER, HOPEFULLY, NEXT WEEK.