1997 Chevrolet Venture review from North America
"I loved this van, until it left me stranded with no confidence in it's reliability"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The van just up and left me stranded. I was driving and it went chug chug and died. It would not restart, so my son and I pushed her off the road. The engine lights did not come on and there were no tell tell signs of smoke -white or black. After 10 minutes or so, and turning off the air conditioning and radio, it restarted, but ran very poor until we got back home. The engine lights never came on until we put her on a tow dolly to take her to the dealer. She would not run long enough to drive into the bay. They did not read the codes, but said we needed a new motor. Do I really need a motor? It has had regular maintenance - oil change every 3,000 miles, new air filters and spark plugs. What would cause the motor to die without any warning?
The serpentine belt needed to be replaced at around 40,0000 miles.
The automatic door locks started working intermittently at 100,000 miles.
The horn has never worked well. It takes two men and a boy to get the exact two spots on the steering wheel pressed at the same time to hear the horn, which is extremely quiet.
The headlight covers fell off and both needed to be re glued.
The passenger door spring and spacer fell out so the door closes on people.
The radio knob broke off.
The front wipers both have broken off where the wiper fluid squirts out.
The air filter is hard to get to.
It is hard to get the three back spark plugs in.
It has had a lifter rattle since we've owned it.
The plastic on the seats have cracked.
The rear door handle broke out of the plastic.
The brakes need to be replaced between 18 months to two years and adjusted through out that time period.
We've needed to rebuild the seat belts several times as they lock or don't lock depending on which seat you are in.
The passenger mirror vibrated itself right out of the casing and broke off.
Recommended reviews
| Very good value for long term use |
| Please do not purchase this vehicle |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.4 liter Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 37000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 110000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Omni |
| Date of Entry | 19th October, 2004 |