2002 Chevrolet Express 1500 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Chevrolet Express 1500, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Tires & wheels220.0%
- Interior & seats220.0%
- Engine220.0%
- Visibility110.0%
- Seat belts110.0%
- Brakes110.0%
- Transmission110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TIRES HAD MORE THAN 50% TREAD LEFT. RIGHT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY STARTED SHAKING THE VEHICLE. DETERMINED BELT HAD BROKE. TIRE DEALER ALSO SAID OTHER FRONT TIRE WAS GOING BAD. A FEW MILES LATER ON A BUSY HIGHWAY READ TIRE SPLIT OPEN . PERFORMANCE TIRE OF TOPEKA AND COOPER TIRE COMPANY WOULD NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENT FOR AN OBVIOUS DEFECT. (3 OUT OF 4 TIRES BREAKING WITHIN A WEEK). *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE VEHICLE HAS COOPER COBRA RADIAL TIRES, SIZE P255\70R15 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED WITHOUT WARNING ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE TIRE WAS CHANGED AND THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO HIS DESTINATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT TIRE COMPANY REPLACED THE TIRE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS CONTINUOUSLY LOW. THE FAILURE MILEAGE, VIN, AND DOT NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
SIDE DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE WELL UNLESS DOOR IS SLAMMED. THIS IS BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR HAS MADE THE DOOR LEAN DOWNWARD. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE SEAT BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE SEAT TO THE TRACK CONSTANTLY BREAK, WHICH CAUSES THE SEAT TO BECOME OFF TRACK. THE SEAT HAS BEEN REPAIRED TWICE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTS. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT OFFERED ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37,474. UPDATED 02-19-08 *BF
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY BOTH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A PLASTIC INTAKE GASKET LEAK. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE CONTACT HAD NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, THE CONTACT NOTICED A LEAK IN THE BACK OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AS A RESULT, HE HAS TO CONSTANTLY ADD ANTIFREEZE TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,400 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVERS SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR VIBRATES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE LEARNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT I'VE HAD THE PROBLEM SINCE LATE 2002, WHEN THE CAR WAS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
REAR SEAT BELTS FAIL TO LOCK MY VEHICLE IS A CONVERSION VAN BUILT BY DEBUT IN SAGINAW MICHIGAN. RECENTLY MY GRANDCHILDREN NOTICED THAT THE REAR SEAT BELTS FAILED TO LOCK. THOSE BELTS ARE ON THE SEAT/BED UNIT. THE SEAT BELTS HAVE THE NAME ATWOOD MOBILE PRODUCTS ON THEM. I INSPECTED THE SEAT BELTS AND DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC COATING ON THE MALE END OF THE BELT PREVENTED THE MECHANISM FROM PROPERLY LOCKING IN PLACE. I CUT ENOUGH OF THE PLASTIC COATING OFF TO ALLOW THE ENDS TO PROPERLY LOCK IN PLACE. THEY WORK FINE NOW. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY BE MANY MORE VANS WITH SEAT BELTS THAT DO NOT PROPERLY LOCK IN PLACE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
BRAKES FAILED WITH NO WARNING. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BRAKE LINES BURST DUE TO RUSTING.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
TWO WEEKS AGO OUR 4 YEAR OLD 1500 EXPRESS VAN, A CONVERSION VAN, DEVELOPED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE STICKER PRICE WAS OVER $55,000. THE MILEAGE IS 42,000 MILES. WHEN THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE OVER $3,000, IT PROMPTED ME TO CALL GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE RESULT WAS APPROXIMATELY $500 OFF OF THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR, OR A $1,000 BUY OUT TO BE APPLIED TO A PURCHASE OF A NEW GM VEHICLE. THE REASON WE DECIDED TO PURCHASE OUR SECOND CHEVY VAN WAS BECAUSE WE HAD VERY GOOD LUCK WITH OUR 1998 VAN. I USE THE WORD LUCKY INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT EITHER YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A GM PRODUCT WORK SATISFACTORILY, OR YOU END UP WITH AN UNREASONABLE PROBLEM/COST. OUR CURRENT VAN HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM HAVING DIED ON COUNTRY ROADS AT 39,000 MILES. THE COST OF THAT REPAIR WAS OVER $600. TODAY, AS I MENTIONED, WE WERE LOOKING A REPAIR COST OF OVER $3,000. ALL PROBLEMS INCURRED WITH NORMAL USAGE (NO TOWING, ONLY LONG TRIPS, AND REGULAR 3000 MILE OIL CHANGES). *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .