1997 Chevrolet Chevy Van

MY HUSBAND WROTE A LENGTHY LETTER DETAILING THE PROBLEM AND EVENTS AROUND THE TIME WE WERE FORCED TO TRADE OUR VAN FOR A TAHOE IN JULY/AUGUST 2001. I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 40 NEAR CROSSVILLE, TN, WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT LEAVING ME WITH LITTLE CONTROL AND BARELY ABLE TO MOVE IT SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE. IT WAS TOWED TO THE CHEVY DEALER IN CROSSVILLE, WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. AFTER MULTIPLE EVENTS LATER THE SAME TYPE INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING ON A CROWDED TALLAHASSEE, FL, ROAD WHILE WE WERE ON VACATION. THEIR CHEVY DEALER TRIED TO FIND THE PROBLEM BUT COULDN'T EITHER. WE DROVE IT HOME ON BACK HIGHWAYS TO OUR TOWN OF TULLAHOMA,TN, VERY CAREFULLY, BUT IT STALLED OUT AGAIN 50 MILES FROM HOME. THE CHEVY DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO STAND BEHIND IT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT QUITE 3 YEARS OLD, AND INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. WE WERE FORCED TO TRADE OUR VAN, AND THE DEALERSHIP SOLD IT TO SOMEONE ELSE IN THAT DANGEROUS CONDITION. THAT'S WHY MY HUSBAND REPORTED IT TO YOU AT THAT TIME; WE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO BE HURT OR DIE FROM THE PROBLEM. THE IGNITION SHUTTING OFF, LIKE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY OTHER GM CARS, IS EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO OUR VAN. NOW I BELIEVE GM HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR A LONGER TIME. I JUST HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT IT HAS BEEN TRACED BACK TO 2001; IT MUST BE EVEN OLDER THAN THAT. I CAN PROVIDE THE VIN # WHEN WE GET BACK TO TN AS MY HUSBAND IS WORKING A JOB IN FL RIGHT NOW. ALSO, WE DROVE ANOTHER GM VAN THE DAY BEFORE WE PURCHASED THE CHEVY VAN AND IT DID THE SAME THING ON THE WAY HOME FROM A TRIP TO FRANKLIN, TN, THEREFORE WE RETURNED IT, AS THE GM DEALERSHIP COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. YES, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME AND I AM THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10569027

Incident

May 13, 2001

MY VAN STARTED MAKING A STRANGE CRUNCHING SOUND. I WAS TOLD BY A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS CRACKED INSIDE. IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10551148

Incident

Jan 1, 2013

Mileage

100,000 mi

I HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR IN MY CHEVY VENTURE 97 I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I CAN RECOVER MY COST. I HEARD THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FILED A YEAR AGO REGARDING THIS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10265133

Incident

Mar 6, 2009

Mileage

147,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE SERVICE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE COMPUTER IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE REAR WHEELS AND WAS PRODUCING FALSE FAILURES CAUSING THE ILLUMINATION OF THOSE WARNING LIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, IT WAS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WHEN THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES COULD FAIL. THE ANTILOCK BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT NO CORRECTIONS WERE MADE TO THE COMPUTER.

NHTSA ID

10157700

Incident

May 17, 2006

Mileage

159,000 mi

PURCHASED USED VAN FROM ORIGINATING DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOW MOTOR FOLLOWING MY PURCHASE. THE DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW HAS BEEN EXHIBITING FAILURE FOR OVER A YEAR. IT NOW IS ALMOST TOTALLY USELESS AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE WINDOW IS PUT DOWN, ITS MOTION SLOWS TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY A 3RD OF THE WAY DOWN AND WILL GO NO FURTHER AND IT WILL NOT GO UP. SEVERAL MINUTES HAVE TO PASS BEFORE THE I AM ABLE TO GET THE WINDOW TO START GOING BACK UP. IT TAKES SEVERAL WAITING PERIODS BEFORE THE WINDOW WILL GO UP ENOUGH TO CLOSE. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THIS PART REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10152679

Incident

Oct 22, 2001

MY 1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN DEVELOPED A SHIFTING PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES EXTREMELY ROUGH SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, AND ONLY PRODUCES THE RAGGED SHIFTS AFTER THE VAN HAS THOROUGHLY WARMED UP, AS WHEN ON A 2 HOUR TRIP. IT ALSO TURNS ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT, WITH A P1870 ERROR CODE STORED. MY CHEVROLET DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS NEEDING A NEW "VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY" IN THE TRANSMISSION. COSTS 1,000 WITH LABOR. AROUND TOWN AND SHORT TRIPS, ALL SHIFTS ARE NORMAL AND GOOD. HERE'S THE HOOKER - THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WILL NOT PASS THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS TEST, IF THERE ARE ANY ERROR CODES OR "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" INDICATORS. THE VAN HAS NOW FAILED THE EMISSIONS TESTING 3 TIMES, SO IT NOW APPEARS THAT I WILL BE FORCED TO DIG UP $1,000 JUST TO PASS THE EMISSIONS TEST. OF COURSE A TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEM REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EMISSIONS, BUT GM SAW FIT TO TURN ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ANYWAY. *NM

NHTSA ID

10131434

Incident

Aug 3, 2005

Mileage

60,000 mi

FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T WORK, VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR, ABOUT 800.00 DOLLARS THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW, I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED AGAIN!!*AK

NHTSA ID

10116542

Incident

Jun 13, 1999

Mileage

54,000 mi

ELECTRIC WINDOW NOT WORKING, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS,BRAKE LIGHTS SHORTS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10116530

Incident

Sep 1, 2000

This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.

THIS TECHNICAL BULLETIN PROVIDES A PROCEDURE TO REPROGRAM THE MEDIA DISC PLAYER WITH THE LATEST CALIBRATIONS TO CORRECT A CONDITION OF THE REAR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM NOT OPERATING AS INTENDED IN COLDER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AREAS DUE TO CALIBRATION CONCERNS.

Vehicle Recalls

Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules