2003 Chevrolet Express 1500 Owner Complaints

HINGES BROKE; DOORS ARE UNSAFE.

NHTSA ID

10917814

Incident

Jun 6, 2013

CORRODED AND LEAKING FUEL FILLER NECK. FOOLISH DESIGN INVOLVING DISSIMILAR METALS HELD IN CONTACT AND SURROUNDED WITH A CONDUIT WHICH HOLDS WATER AND ROAD SALT. DESIGN IS DESTINED FOR FAILURE. GM HAS A PARTIAL RECALL FOR THE SNOW BELT. SUCH A FOOLISH DESIGN SHOULD BE FIXED EVERYWHERE AS IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10811420

Incident

Dec 21, 2015

Mileage

124,000 mi

THE PASSENGER SIDE SWING DOORS ARE VERY HARD TO OPEN AND SHUT AND THE DRIVERS SIDE SWING DOORS ARE IN THE INITIAL STAGE OF THIS. THE PASSENGER SWING DOOR THAT IS FIRST TO OPEN (RIGHT) DOES NOT WANT TO OPEN AND DOESN'T WANT TO SHUT. I HAVE TO FORCE IT. THE SECOND DOOR (LEFT) IS GETTING WORSE AS WELL. THIS IS CAUSING THE INTERIOR LIGHT PIN IN THE DOOR JAM TO NOT PUSH IN ALL THE WAY, THEREFORE; THE LIGHTS WILL NOT SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ID

10748421

Incident

Aug 3, 2015

Mileage

133,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500 VAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN FUELING THE VEHICLE, FUEL SPRAYED FROM THE FILLER NECK. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT FUEL FILLER PIPE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000.

NHTSA ID

10628404

Incident

Jul 1, 2014

Mileage

107,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN AND THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE RETURN AND DELIVERY FUEL LINES WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,000.

NHTSA ID

10493335

Incident

Nov 15, 2012

Mileage

148,000 mi

ON A FEW OCCASIONS PRIOR TO LOCATING A LEAK, I NOTICED A GASOLINE SMELL. FINALLY WHEN FILLING EARLIER THIS MONTH, I SAW A LOT OF LEAKING COMING OUT OF THE FUEL FILLER TUBE, BETWEEN THE METAL TUBE AND THE PLASTIC COVER SURROUNDING THE TUBE. WHEN I GOT HOME, I CUT OFF THE PLASTIC TUBE ABOUT HALFWAY AND FOUND A STATIC WIRE RUNNING THE LENGTH OF THE TUBE. EVERYWHERE, WHERE THIS WIRE TOUCHED TO METAL PIPE, IT WAS CORRODED COMPLETELY THROUGH. THE STATIC WIRE IS OF A DIFFERENT MATERIAL AND WAS NOT CORRODED. PRESENTLY I HAVE WRAPPED THE TUBE WITH A GASOLINE RESISTANT TAPE. BUT, I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE TUBE SOON. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAS QUOTED APPROX. $241.00 WITHOUT INSTALLATION. ARE THERE OTHER INSTANCES LIKE THIS AND IS THERE A RECALL I'M NOT AWARE OF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10459328

Incident

May 1, 2012

Mileage

162,000 mi

FOR SOMETIME, THERE WAS A SMELL OF GASOLINE WHEN FILLING THIS VAN, WHICH I JUST ATTRIBUTED TO A VAPOR RELEASE WHEN THE TANK WAS FULL. RECENTLY, I NOTICE GAS LEAKING UNDER THE VAN WHEN FILLING AT THE GAS STATION. THE GAS LEAKS IN AND AROUND THE BRAKE LINES. THIS VAN IS A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500 WITH LEFT HAND DOOR OPTION. THIS IS MY FAMILY VEHICLE AND IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM FURTHER, I UNDERSTAND IT TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM AND A DESIGN FLAW, WHERE THE FUEL FILL HOSE RUSTS. THIS NEEDS A RECALL WITH IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10453725

Incident

Mar 31, 2012

I WAS REFUELING MY VAN AND GAS STARTED POURING OUT FROM THE BOTTOM. AFTER LOOKING I DISCOVERED THE FUEL FILLER NECK WAS RUSTED THRU. THE VAN ONLY HAS 64K MILES. I REPLACED IT MYSELF AT THIS TIME. THERE WAS NO COLLISION DAMAGE....SIMPLY HEAVY CORROSION. *TT

NHTSA ID

10445925

Incident

Jan 19, 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING, HE NOTICED AN OVERPOWERING FUEL ODOR. THE CONTACT FURTHER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING AND RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE GASOLINE FILLER TUBE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 64,000. UPDATED 02/13/12

NHTSA ID

10443143

Incident

Sep 1, 2011

Mileage

64,000 mi

GAS FILLER TUBE RUSTED THROUGH AND GASOLINE LEAKED EVERY TIME I REFUELED. THIS WAS NOT A SMALL HOLE. THE METAL ON THE WHOLE TUBE BROKE DOWN CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK AND CREATING A FIRE HAZARD. UPDATED 08/11/11 *BF UPDATED 3/08/2012 *LN *TR

NHTSA ID

10413214

Incident

Jul 10, 2010

Mileage

63,000 mi

DRIVERS SEAT BELT BECAME STUCK AND I HAD TO LIMBO TO GET OUT OF MY EXPRESS CONVERSION VAN. I HAD TO BAG ON IT TO MAKE IT RELEASE. IT DOESN'T LATCH ANYMORE AND I NEED TO REPLACE THE BOTTOM SECTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10413213

Incident

Jul 16, 2011

Mileage

73,850 mi

FUEL LEAKING FROM FUEL TANK FILLER TUBE WHEN FILLING GAS TANK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10353717

Incident

Sep 3, 2010

Mileage

92,464 mi

SEAT BACK OF DRIVERS SEAT FAILED AND NOW SEAT WILL NOT STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A COLLISION AND THIS OCCURED WHILE DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10255155

Incident

Dec 18, 2008

Mileage

69,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2008, THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND. THE SOUND ORIGINATED FROM THE ENGINE AND PERSISTED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. HE CHECKED THE OIL AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE QUART. HE PLACED MORE OIL IN THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE DID NOT PREVENT HIM FROM ACCELERATING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE LIFTERS AND PUSH RODS WERE DEFECTIVE, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 138,000.

NHTSA ID

10241601

Incident

Sep 7, 2008

Mileage

138,000 mi

(1)SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH. SEATBELT LATCH OPENS WITHOUT WARNING. (2)THE SIDE CARGO DOOR HINGES ARE FAULTY AND HARD TO OPEN. OPENS WITHOUT WARNING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10233227

Incident

Jun 28, 2008

Mileage

134,089 mi

AT 4:30 A.M. ON THE MORNING OF FEB 13 2008 WAS AWOKE TO FLAMES FLICKERING ON BEDROOM WALL IT WAS MY 2003 REGENCY CONVERSION VAN GOING UP IN SMOKE NO APPARENT REASON BUT IT DID START IN THE FUSE BOX AREA MAYBE THE SAME ISSUE AS THE HORN PROBLEM THE WEEK BEFORE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OF HORN GOING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BUT THERE WAS NO FIRE AT THAT TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10219006

Incident

Feb 13, 2008

Mileage

40,270 mi

DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF MY 2003 CHEVY EXPRESS VAN, I NOTICED THAT BOTH INNER TIE RODS HAVE EXCESSIVE END PLAY IN THEM, LEFT INNER AND RIGHT INNER. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS A NORMAL WEAR PROBLEM AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONCERN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10200054

Incident

Aug 17, 2007

Mileage

53,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING A 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE CONTACT IS THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE INSPECTOR FOR AN INSURANCE COMPANY. HE STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE HORN BEGAN TO SOUND. HE STATED THAT THE HORN IS ALSO USED AS AN INTRUDER ALARM. SHORTLY AFTER, FLAMES BEGAN TO RISE FROM THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY RELATED FAILURE. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE WIRE THAT RUNS FROM THE HORN RELAY TO THE ACTUAL HORN IN THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN SUPER HEATED, WHICH CAUSED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE PURCHASE DATE AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN. RETURN USPS, MADE 2ND ATTEMPT 08/04/07 FAILED. *BF

NHTSA ID

10199531

Incident

Jul 23, 2007