2001 Chevrolet Venture

TWICE WHILE DRIVING OUR 2001 VENTURE MY WIFE AND I HAD NOTICED THE ENGINE REVVING WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD. IN THE SECOND INSTANCE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED MOST OF THE DAY FINALLY GOING OUT ON THE DRIVE HOME. WE ARRANGED AN APPOINTMENT AT THE LOCAL CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPARTMENT, WHICH INCIDENTALLY IS WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND REPORTED TO US THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS BROWN AND SMELT BURNT. THEY ALSO ADVISED THAT THEY HAD PULLED 2 TRANSMISSION CODES WHEN SCANNING THE VEHICLES COMPUTER. THE DEALER PROVIDED US WITH TWO REMEDIES TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION SOLENOID AND REFILL THE TRANSMISSION WITH NEW FLUID. WE WERE ADVISED THAT THIS WAS A TRY IT AND SEE APPROACH. THE SECOND REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE THE FACTORY TRANSMISSION WITH A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. ESTIMATES FOR THESE REMEDIES WERE $1137.74 AND $2985.06 RESPECTIVELY. A SECOND OPINION WAS OBTAINED FROM A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP. THE SHOP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND REPORTED TO US THAT INDEED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS BURNT, THE ENGINE CODES MENTIONED HEREIN WERE TRANSMISSION RELATED, AND THAT THERE WAS MATERIAL BUILT UP IN THE TRANSMISSION FILTER AND OIL PAN. THE SHOP ADVISED US THAT THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE REBUILT FOR $2372.92. DUE TO THE OVERALL LOWER COST, THE LOCAL SHOP REBUILD WAS SELECTED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PICKED UP WE WERE ADVISED SOME OF THE CLUTCHES WERE ESSENTIALLY GONE, MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A SOLENOID.

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN ROLLING BACK ON HILLS SINCE I BOUGHT IT. HAVE HAD BRAKE PROBLEMS, THE VCR REPLACED, THE POWER SIDE DOOR LOOKED AT AND TOLD IT HAS BEEN FIXED. Y BIGGEST COMPLAINT IS WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. MY VAN ROLLED BACKWARDS WHEN I TOOK OFF THE BRAKE TO GO TO THE GAS PEDAL. MY WHOLE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED AND WHILE IN THE SHOP THEY FOUND THE INTAKE MANAFOLD TO BE DEFECTIVE. LUCKILY I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRENTY. TOTAL COST FOR THIS REPAIR WAS $4,200. I COULD GO ON ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE.*AK

LURCHING SHIFT WHILE DRIVING FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS THEN SUDDENLY WHEN STARTING OUT IT JERKED AND QUIT MOVING. I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITY. I CALLED THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP TO LET THEM KNOW THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 41,000 MILES, EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST TRANSMISSION SERVICE WAS DUE. THEY ASKED IF I HAD BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I REPLIED THAT I HAD NOT. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AS THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I EMAILED THE CHEVROLET COMPANY WITHOUT ANY REPLY.*JB

VALVE BODY CROSS LEAK. THE FALURE IS CAUSED BY AN INADAQUATE VALVE BODY INSATLLED IN THE AUTOMOBILE CAUSING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOPS AS WELL AS THE CHEVY DEALER THAT THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON FAILURE ON ALL SIMILAR GMC CHEVY MODELS AT OR NEAR 70-100K. TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, AN UPDATED VALVE BODY MUST REPLACE THE CURRENT STYLE ON THE VEHICLE. THEY ACTUALLY CREATED AN UPDATED BODY BECAUSE OF THE COMMONALITY OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

WE PURCHASED THE VAN ON 4/10/2002 WITH 7478 MILES ON IT. WE HAVE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE VAN BUT THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS AND STILL IS THE TRANSMISSION. NOV 25, 2002, THERE WERE 17070 MILES ON VAN WHEN WE TOOK IT IN. "COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM". ON NOVEMBER 28, 2002, STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS TIME THEY CHANGED OUT A PRESSURE SOLENOID. ON MARCH 3, 2003, WE BROUGHT THE VAN BACK. COULD NOT DUPLICATE. WE WERE GIVEN A RENTAL FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2003, WE BROUGHT THE VAN BACK FOR THE SAME REASON AND OTHER REASONS. LEAKING IN THE VAN AT THE BACK HATCH DOOR. STILL TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THE TRANSMISSION TO DO WHAT WE STATED BUT ONE TIME. THEY SAID NOT ENOUGH TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ON OCTOBER 13, 2003, WE BROUGHT THE VAN BACK FOR THE SAME REASON AND FOR THE DRIVER SIDE POWER SEAT. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WE ALSO HAD A OXYGEN SENSOR REPLACED BECAUSE THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. ON JANUARY 22, 2004, WE DECIDED TO BRING THE VAN TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. GERRY LANE DID IN FACT FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. HE STATED THAT IT WAS FULL OF METAL SHAVINGS AND NEEDED A COMPLETE OVERHAUL. WE GOT THE VAN BACK ON JANUARY 29, 2004. ON FEBRUARY 13, 2004, WE BROUGHT THE VAN BACK AGAIN BECAUSE IT STILL WAS NOT FIXED. ON FEBRUARY 19, 2004, WE WERE CALLED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND TOLD TO COME PICK UP THE VAN. THE SERVICE MANAGER AND A GM REPRESENTATIVE WERE HANDLING ALL OUR CONCERNS. THE GM CUSTOMER SERVICE REP THAT WE CALLED ON FEBRUARY 16, 2004 CALLED US BACK ON FEBRUARY 24, 2004 TO OFFER A COUPON FOR REPAIRS THAT MAY HAVE TO BE DONE AFTER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY RUNS OUT. GOOD FOR ONE TIME, UP TO 100000 MILES OR THE YEAR 2008, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. OUR VEHICLE IS STILL IN THE SHOP AND GM REFUSES TO DO WARRANTY WORK ON IT EVEN THOUGH A TECHNICIAN HAS IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A RECALL OR DEFECT INVESTIGATION DONE? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE FIRST? *AK

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. TOOK DEALERSHIP NEARLY 8 MONTHS TO REPRODUCE AND REPAIR. VENTURE WOULD AT TIMES NOT GO INTO GEAR AT ALL. THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A SOLENOID. AFTER TWO TRIPS TO THE DEALER THEY FINALLY AGREED TO INVESTIGATE PROPERLY AND RESOLVE IT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE VENTURE NEARLY 20 DAYS OVER THE COURSE OF 6 MONTHS AND CLAIMED THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE EVEN WHEN THE SYMPTOMS BECAME PREDICTABLE TO ME AND I WAS ABLE TO CONVEY TO THEM WHEN IT WOULD OCCUR; USUALLY SOON AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COOL. FINALLY AFTER LEAVING THE VEHICLE WITH DEALER OVER ONE WEEK WHILE ON VACATION THEY WERE ABLE TO REPRODUCE IT (ON THE DAY BEFORE MY RETURN). STILL TOOK THEM NEARLY 10 DAYS TO SCHEDULE VEHICLE BACK IN TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR. REPAIR TOOK OVER 3 DAYS. DEALERSHIP AND GM FAILED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY EVEN AFTER THE VEHICLE SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION WITH MY FAMILY IN THE VEHICLE. NEARLY CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. ONLY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED DID I FIND OUT THAT THERE WAS A BULLETIN OUT REGARDING THIS VERY ISSUE THAT SPECIFICALLY LISTED MOST OF THE SYMPTOMS I EXPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP EVEN DOWN THE SOME OF THE SAME TERMINOLOGY. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN GMS FAILURE TO RESPOND QUICKLY TO THIS PROBLEM DESPITE DOZENS OF EMAILS TO GM ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS ON THE VENTURE WAS A STRIPPED GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION REQUIRING A REBUILD. YOU'LL FIND THIS FAMILIAR IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER POSTINGS IN THIS CATEGORY ON THIS SITE AS WELL AS MANY OTHER SITES ON THE WEB. *CB