Most common 1997 Chevrolet Venture problems
Share of the 432 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Venture complaints by model year
Best Venture years: 2005, 2004, 2003. Years to avoid: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. Compare all years →
1997 Chevrolet Venture recalls (6)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for…
Steering › Rack and pinion
Certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began January 24, 2003.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: 1997-2001 Chevrolet venture, Pontiac montana/transport, and Oldsmobile silhouette Mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from April to August 2001.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on October 22, 2001.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but May not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v-264.
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Vehicle description: passenger Mini vans equipped with bucket seats or a split bench seat in the second (middle) or third (back) row. The seat latch mechanisms on bucket seats and on the 40% portion of the split bench seat in the second and third rows do not have protective covers.
Remedy: Dealers will install protective covers on the outboard latch mechanisms on all left and right hand rear bucket seats in the second and third row, and to both inboard and outboard latch mechanisms on the center rear…
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Linkages
Vehicle description: passenger Mini vans equipped with traction control systems. The windshield wiper linkage arm can contact a brake line which is connected to the traction control system modulator valve. This contact can chafe the brake line resulting in a brake fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will install a brake line clip to ensure proper clearance. Also the brake lines will be inspected to any damage caused by this condition and will replace any damaged lines.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 8 possible defects involving the 1997 Chevrolet Venture:
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Finger cutting/pinching
Odi has received three reports indicating injuries occurred to consumers while they wer folding a second row seat to gain acces to the rear or third row seats.when folding the seat a portion of the seat frame moves in a scissor action.two of the consumers severed the end of their finger and the third suffered a pinched finger.all required emergency room treatment.this investigation has been opened to further study…
Shoulder harness clip
Steering rack and pinion
Odi has received 200 complaints fromt consumers and 1,238 from GM alleging failure or lockup of the steering rack and pinion unit (r&p).this alleged condition can result in the loss of steering control of the vehicle and a crash can result.GM has reported six crashes in which eight people have sustained injuries ranging from bruises, airbag burn, seat belt abrasion, facial injury, neck and back pain.all crashes were…
Rear axle trailing arm failure
On November 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on April 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue.
Safety belt assembly failure
Odi identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.odi was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, odi determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were…
Power rack and pinion steering failure
The lower pinion bearing in the rack and pinion steering assembly May fail.GM will recall 1997-98 grand prix built between 1-mar-96 and 31-oct-97; and 1996-98 u-vans/j-cars built between 1-jan-96 and 31-oct-97.see attached summary.
Rack and pinion steering unit failure
Mr. Dennis fike of elkridge, md, submitted a petition to NHTSA by letter dated January 13, 2004, alleging that a GM dealer informed him that his van was not included in safety recall 02V286 and charged him for the replacement of the steering rack and pinion unit.mr.
What 1997 Chevrolet Venture owners say
Engine & cooling all 86 →
On December 30, 1999, I dropped my Chevrolet, Venture to puente hills Chevrolet dealer for regular maintenance. The dealer!/s technician found a hole in the air cleaner housing. Based on the dealer!/s diagnostics, the hole was burned by exhaust heat. Since the dealer had no part available, the technician just simply taped the hole as a fix. A few months later, the minivan!/s engine started to stall occasionally when the van was decelerated before the red light, left or right turn. I sent the van to glendora Chevrolet dealer twice, one was on March 12, 2001, and another was on May 15, 2001 with no success. Dealer was not able to duplicate problem, and did nothing (obviously, they didn!/t do enough testing). On October 14 of 2001, my wife got an accident due to the engine stall when she exited from a freeway. …
Description : I bought a used 1997 Chevrolet Venture from the norwood group in warwick, ri back in sept 2002. Approximately 5 weeks ago I began experiencing overheating problems. I took the vehicle to pep boys in warick, ri for a diagnostic thinking that it was the thermostat. They ran the test and came back with an engine problem, and advised me to take the vehicle back to the dealership. I did this and the service dept at norwood informed me that there was a problem with the intake manifold gasket. After having my vehicle for two weeks they repaired that and when taking it for a test drive before returning it to me, they decided that I now had a throttle body problem. Fixed that and two weeks later the vehicle started to smell strongly of gas. …
Steering all 76 →
Steering rack broke. Driving down highway steering wheel can assume positions anywhere between 10 to 2 o'clock while still going straight. Steering action is not positive. At turns, more steering movement is needed and vehicle does not response as before. Found out there is a recall NHTSA #02V286000 for the steering rack lower pinion bearings that the dealer would replace the lower pinion bearing or replace the steering rack. We took the car in 5/28/05 for this recall and I believe the lower pinion bearing was replaced. Contacted Chevrolet customer service 1/17/05. Told to have car inspected by dealer. Lannan Chevrolet confirmed that damage is inside steering rack and it needs to be replaced. Talked with Chevrolet customer service 1/20/05, they decline responsibility for the current problem and said that it is due to "wear and tear". …
On 28 July 2003, the Chevy dealership replaced the lower pinion bearing in my 97 Chevy Venture under a recall scheme. I should have taken it back in, since they left the vehicle with the steering offset to the right by about 15 degrees, but it was such a hassle dealing with them that I didn't bother. Around the start of February 2006, I started to experience intermittent problems when steering to the right. It was as if the power steering wasn't working. When I drive the van, I have to be constantly prepared to wrestle the wheel with both arms, although the fault is still intermittent. I have yet to raise the matter with the dealership, but note that there are many similar accounts, although mostly relating to steering to the left, for similar 97 ventures and other GM vehicles.
Lights all 64 →
1997 Chevrolet Venture. Headlight lens cover. Last summer I noticed the drivers side lens was loose so I glued it back on with epoxy.(cost $3.00) recently I found out that the passenger side lens had fallen out sometime while driving.(both fell out within 6 months of each other) I went to wash the van and the halogen bulb exploded and flamed when it got wet. Had I been closer to the vehicle I could have been struck by flying glass. If this would have happened during a rain storm I would have been driving without headlights. (the dealership charged me $165 to replace one assembly). The sealant was faulty on the last assembly, I don't feel comfortable with the new one.
Rear brake lamps keep failing, light bar on top works fine but both side rear brake lamps fail continuously. Upon disassembly of brake light one can see the sockets and bulb contacts are melting. This van has already had the entire rear light assembly on each side replaced but problem is recurring. Cleaning/sanding sockets works temporarily but problem returns within a couple of weeks. Bulb replacement alone does not work. Filaments in bulbs are not burnt out but contacts on bulbs and sockets are burnt. This only affects the circuit the brake light filament is on, the taillights (which share the same multifilament bulb) are not affected. Upon further research it's quite apparent this is a problem very common across most or all model years of this van. …
1997 Chevrolet Venture engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Chevrolet Venture a good car?
Based on 432 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 Venture rates avoid: 2.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Venture at the same age. It is one of the Venture years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Chevrolet Venture?
The engine & cooling — 86 complaints, 20% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. Next are the steering (76) and lights (64).
How many recalls does the 1997 Chevrolet Venture have?
There are 6 recalls for the 1997 Chevrolet Venture, the most recent from December 22, 2004 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Venture?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2005, 2004 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. See the full Chevrolet Venture years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Venture problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 78,000 miles; 18% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.