RoadVitals

2018 Chevrolet Express Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Jan 8, 2025
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Mar 6, 2019

What this page shows

Our database holds 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Express. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–11 of 11

Electrical
Filed Jan 8, 2025

While travelling down the road the "service Stabilitrak" and "service traction control" messages come on in the Driver Information Center and the lights for each component are lit in the dashboard. On occasion, the emergency brake light comes when I know the emergency brake is off. My safety is at risk because I'm not sure if the lights are indicating a problem or if the lights are malfunctioning as they come on every time I take a trip in this vehicle. The vehicle has been inspected by three different Chevrolet dealers, one of them three times and no fix has solved the problem. The dealers confirm the problem, but cannot find the solution. Chevrolet headquarters is well aware of the issue and have paid toward some of the dealer charges. The issue has been going since I purchased the vehicle in 2019.

NHTSA ID
11634944
Incident
Nov 20, 2019
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 24, 2024

The transmission started to fail at around 65k miles. There were no warning signs, it just began shifting hard and then began slipping. It was taken to a transmission shop and the fluids were replaced, but this did not change anything. It was at this time we were told the transmission would need to be replaced, but they had no means to obtain a replacement. It has been over two years since the problems started and the transmission is still in the vehicle and we drive it daily. It continues to slip going up through the gears and progressively gets worse during the day. By the end of the day you cannot pull out in front of anyone for fear of it slipping and not grabbing the next gear. This is an obvious danger to us and other drivers around us. The problem has been evaluated by the Chevrolet dealer and two other independent shops. The fluids have been changed but this did not help. Only the dealer has been able to provide a solution which is to replace the transmission. This was quoted to cost $11,000. Due to this high price and no alternative options, we've continued to drive the vehicle as safely as possible.

NHTSA ID
11604194
Incident
Jun 1, 2024
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed Jun 18, 2024

when the vehicle approaches 45-50 mph on the highway, the car begins to shake violently, where it feels like the body/frame of the vehicle is going to separate from the car. the only way to resolve/reset this is to bring the vehicle to an almost complete stop and then re-accelerate. when this happens on the highway everyone violently shakes in the vehicle, and it is difficult to quickly bring the car to a halt as other cars are traveling at highway speeds behind the vehicle. this has been taken to the dealership multiple times over the years with no resolution.

NHTSA ID
11595186
Incident
Apr 9, 2024
Body & structurePowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 9, 2023

Since purchasing this vehicle in 2018 we have had an ongoing issue of the car randomly going into a violent shaking when exceeding speeds of about 60mph, it happens without warning, and other than coming to an almost standstill, it is impossible to recover the vehicle. This is extremely dangerous on the freeway. Have taken the vehicle to Chevrolet dealership multiple times without any resolution. They would charge us for an alignment and this never fixed the problem. This continues to be an ongoing issue, and now having researched it on the internet, I am reading this is not a unique experience by Chevrolet/GM truck owners.

NHTSA ID
11516209
Incident
Apr 9, 2023
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Jan 14, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Express. The contact stated that the defroster would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The contact mentioned that the defroster might start working when driving over a pothole or an obstruction in the road. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V655000 (Electrical System). The contact also discovered that the rear window was made out of tempered glass which failed to comply with FMVSS standards; she was also able to link that failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V387000 (Visibility). The manufacturer was notified of both failures and informed her that the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V655000 (Electrical System) was already performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer also informed her that the VIN was no longer included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V655000 (Electrical System). The contact was also referred to the dealer, but they offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID
11447540
Incident
Sep 1, 2021
Mileage
60,000 mi
Transmission
Filed Oct 7, 2021

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Express. The contact stated that the gear shifter would shake when shifting gears. Over time, the shifter cable fractured without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where he was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The contact disputed the diagnosis and notified the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer initially agreed to repair the gear shifter under warranty; however, they later informed him that they would only cover 10% of the cost for the repair. The contact was provided with a case number. The contact then had the vehicle towed to Ourisman Chevrolet Buick GMC of Alexandria (1800 Old Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22303) where he was charged for the repair to the shifter cable. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID
11435920
Incident
May 1, 2021
Mileage
70,000 mi
Electrical
Filed May 26, 2021
Fire reported

Unknown, electrical fire from inside passenger door, no external heat source, and heat source seems to be from inside the door. Vehicle was parked while fire occurred.

NHTSA ID
11418581
Incident
May 24, 2021
Brakes
Filed Nov 22, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EXPRESS CARGO VAN 2500. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKING SYSTEM ERRONEOUSLY ACTIVATED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STOP ABRUPTLY. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT BEING DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PURAFOY CHEVROLET (601 DENVER AVE, FORT LUPTON, CO) WHO REPROGRAMMED THE BRAKE MODULE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURES CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,200.

NHTSA ID
11281820
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Mileage
7,200 mi
Brakes
Filed Aug 16, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKES APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY. TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM STOPPING ABRUPTLY, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO CONTINUE DRIVING. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS, INCLUDING EMICH CHEVROLET (303-647-5376, LOCATED AT 2033 S WADSWORTH BLVD, LAKEWOOD, CO 80227) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE TECHNICIAN THAT THE VEHICLE PERFORMED AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,283. *BF

NHTSA ID
11244426
Incident
Aug 16, 2019
Mileage
7,283 mi
Suspension
Filed Aug 15, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 4500. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD SEVERAL BANGING SOUNDS UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT EXAMINED UNDERNEATH THE CAMPER AND DISCOVERED THAT THE SPRINGS WERE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY THE LOAD OF THE CAMPER.THE 2018 CHEV 4500 IS THE PROBLEM THE SPRINGS ARE NOT HEAVY ENOUGH AND IT LAYS ON THE STOPS AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CAMPER WAS RIDING OVER THE YELLOW, RUBBER OVERLOAD STOPS. ACCORDING TO THE FRONT END TAG OF THE CAMPER, THE CAMPER HAD THE ABILITY TO HAUL UP TO 4,600 LBS; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT'S LOAD WAS LESS THAN THE WEIGHT CAPACITY. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURES. THE COACHMEN MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CAMPER WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 468. THE VIN WAS INVALID. *TR*JB

NHTSA ID
11244191
Incident
Jul 17, 2019
Mileage
468 mi
Filed Mar 6, 2019

TAKARA RECALL. MY CHEVY EXPRESS HAS VIBRATION IN THE FLOOR AND STEERING WHEEL AT SPECIFIC SPEED, ONE AT 28 TO 30 MPH, ANOTHER AT 38 TO 40 MPH AND AGAIN AT 48 TO 50 MPH. THIS IS VERY ANOYING GIVE THAT THE VAN HAS ONLY 13K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ID
11184656
Incident
Feb 25, 2019
Mileage
12,600 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .