2000 Chevrolet Venture

VAN WAS BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE WITH A "LOW COOLANT" LIGHT AND A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VAN IS 3 YEARS OLD WITH 48K MILES. I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD AN INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. THIS CAUSED COOLANT TO MIX IN WITH THE ENGINE OIL WHICH CAUSED A CAM BEARING FAILURE. THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR WAS AT THE DEALER (SCOTT CHEVROLET IN EMMAUS, PA) FOR 17 DAYS GETTING REPAIRED BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE $20 GASKET! THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THIS GASKET FAILURE OCCURS OFTEN AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY NORMALLY INSPECT IN VANS WITH THIS STYLE ENGINE AT 40K MILES. *NLM

I HAVE HAD A 2000 CHEVY VENTURE FOR 39 MONTHS AND 45,000 MILES. IT HAS DEVELOPED, AS I HAVE HEARD MANY OTHERS, A INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. WHILE JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, AND OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT AS IT IS AFFECTING SO MANY VEHICLES, THE DEALER WILL NOT COVER ANY OF THE REPAIRS BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED BY GM. WITH THE VAST NUMBER OF FAILURES OF THIS PART, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THE WORST PART OF THIS DEFECT, IS THERE IS NO WARNING THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AND ONCE IT HAS LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THE FUTURE LIFE OF THE ENGINE HAS NOT BEEN COMPROMISED. PLEASE ASSIST US IN FORCING GM TO OWN UP TO THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

ON 2-18-03 MY 2000 VENTURE WAS SERVICED FOR A TOW PACKAGE. THE INVOICE IS CTCS280208. WHEN I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE I NOTICED ON THE JOB SHEET "NOTE INTAKE GASKETS LEAKING COOLANT APPROXIMATE COST 450.00" I MET WITH SERVICE MANAGER ROY STONER TO DISCUSS OTHER ISSUES WHICH I AM HAPPY TO REPORT WERE SATISFACTORILY RESOLVED. I AM METICULOUS ABOUT WATCHING FOR LEAKING FLUID IN MY VEHICLES AND HAVING HAD NONE ON THE VENTURE I ASKED HIM TO SHOW IT TO ME. WHEN WE LIFTED THE HOOD I NOTED THAT MY COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. WITH THE USE OF A FLEXIBLE LIGHT HE SHOWED ME THE PUDDLE ANTIFREEZE ON THE REAR OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I ASKED HIM HOW THIS WAS DETECTED SINCE NONE OF THE WORK INVOLVED THIS PART OF THE ENGINE AND THERE WAS NO DRIP INDICATION. ROY INFORMED ME THAT THEY ROUTINELY CHECK THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON THESE VEHICLES BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN CHRONIC FAILURES OF THEM. "I CAN PROBABLY PULL ONE OUT OF THE GARBAGE CAN RIGHT NOW." WAS HIS RESPONSE. "THIS IS A HORRIBLE DESIGN OR A TORQUE PROBLEM." HE CALLED OVER ONE OF YOUR MECHANICS WHO SUGGESTED IT BE REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY OR RISK REPLACING THE ENGINE SHOULD THE LEAK BECOME INTERNAL. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27. SINCE THEN I HAVE DONE CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE. I HAVE DISCOVERED A WEB SITE PETITION SIGNED BY OVER 2,000 GM CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AT HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/MOD_PERL/SIGNED.CGI?GMCNSMRS I TRIED CALLING GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AND WAS GIVEN A SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER OF 1-75030610 AND TOLD TO GET THE TSB NUMBER AND CALL THEM BACK. MY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT MANY CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING THE REPAIR DONE WITH A $100 DEDUCTIBLE OR AT NO COST. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002 THIS GASKET WAS ON A "NATIONAL BACK-ORDER." IT APPEARS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS ALSO IN THE WORKS AND THE NTSB HAS LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION. IT ALSO APPEARS A NEW GASKET HAS BEEN OR WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON.

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!!!!

I HAVE BECOME AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS ON THE CHEVY VENTURE. A FRIEND OF MINE HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET. I HAVE BECOME AWARE OF A POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THIS PART, WHICH IS A MAJOR REPAIR. ON SEVERAL INTERNET FORUMS, PEOPLE HAVE STATED THAT A FEW DEALERS HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM UNDER THE WARANTY CLAUSE , EVEN THOUGH THE WARANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS PROBLEM WAS PRESENT WHEN I BOUGHT THE VAN. I AS OF NOW HAVE NOT EXPERICED THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE YOUR DEPARTMENT TO LOOK INTO THIS. I STILL OWE $2000 ON MY VENTURE, AND WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO INCURR A REPAIR BILL, FOR SOMETHING THAT EXISTED WHEN I PURCHASED THE VAN. THANK YOU FOR ANYTHING THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DO. I AM GOING TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM. DT