Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Chevrolet Venture owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Consumer complained about a multitude of problems: 1. Headlights came on and off intermittently; 2. When hitting a bump in the road, headlights came on; 3. Engine overheated due to leaking radiator , and 4. Electrical problems, such as ignition and power door locks malfunctioned regularly. The vehicle was hard to start. The door panels were loose. The windshield leaked. The anti theft alarm malfunctioned. Rear window washer malfunctioned.
#1. Stereo panel is extremely hot with lights on & driving a while, there is also a buring smell. It has been worked on twice, replaced once and still you can burn your fingers. #2. Defogger takes forever to defog in the morning, sometimes it makes visibility worse. #3. Interior roof has been hanging down since the day I bought the van and has gotten worse. #4. My headlights have been replaced many times because of condensation(at least 4 times). #5. Brakes. The dealership said I needed new brakes but not under warranty so I had them checked elsewhere. I needed new brakes (front). It cost me over$700 to replace. They said they were grinded down all the way and I should have been able to grind 2 times before replacing. I have the parts. They said the brakes should not have been this far down so soon, too prematurely. …
#1. It is very heavy to push up the tailgate without the use of the hydraulics. It goes up easily only part of the way. #2. My seat and pocket should not be ripping as easily as they have. I do not have little kids tugging at them. #3. The cigarette lighter does not work . It has been allegedly fixed several times. #4. The interior side door panels are hard plastic and they are attached by velcro. They don't always stick to the velcro and come loose. One has already broken and replaced. They are still loose. #5. The front seatbelts don't retract all the way on their own and the front passenger's seatbelt twists on a regular basis. #6. The range of distance on the remote keyless entry is being basically on top of the vehicle. I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle since the day I bought it . It is my first American made vehicle and probably my last. …
On 12/12/01, the door would not stay closed under power. The manual override switch located on the header had to be used and the door closed manually. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on 12/19/01 to have the campaign repair performed. This was done but the dealer said the inside door lock was broken due to the bad actuator that was replaced under the campaign and that I needed to call Chevrolet. Later that evening, the outside door handle fell off. Chevrolet (ref. # co6273409) was called and today, over 2 months later, michael glenn of Chevrolet said that it was the owner's responsibility to have the door repaired. Yesterday, 2/27/02, the door popped open while driving down the highway even though the doors were locked and power was removed from the side door.
The intake manifold gasket blew and filled the engine with water, this is a problem with the 3.4 engine that GM is aware of. The sliding door on the passenger side has fallen off the van 4 times since we have had dealer fixed 3 times then it was out of warrenty. The front and rear brakes started squealing when the van had 1000 miles on it and continue to this day. GM says they are designed like that. The seat belts in the van come unlatched at any time, the belts in the rear will contiually tighten when you hit bumps in the road. GM told us that we were not using the seatbelts properly. The rack and pinion steering started making a growling noise immidiatly following the warrenty running out.
While driving at 20mph the passenger sliding door opened while in motion . It came completely off the track and also caused damage to the moulding inside the van it also frightened my 2 year old who was seated at the door. Fortunately, she was secured in her child safety seat door was in the locked position and the child safety lock was engaged.Chevy denies there is a problem with the van. This matter is a severe safety issue. It should be corrected before some is seriously injured or gets killed.
During moments of high excelleration, entering freeway, van loses power - gains power - loses power causing lurching and places me in peril from traffic.....driver's door locks sporatically (at an ever increasing rate) and system had an episode of lock/unlock/lock in fast succession over a period of 20 minutes. The doors left my mother (72) and me (disabled) in a locked van and the lock/unlock buttons on both sides were disabled and did not work.
While driving on an incline or hill, vehicle will roll. The dealer has attempted to repair vehicle several times , but the problem still exists. Also, automatic sliding door shuts on passengers when they are getting in/out of vehicle. Also, sliding door locks on its own. The dealer repaired vehicle. Manufacturer has been notified.
Front drivers side window regulator. Window will not operate. Talked to a mechanic about it. He was completely amazed because he had seen about 5 Venture vans in the last month with the problem. The part to fix is almost 500.00 and I have my name on lists country wide to purchase a used one, low in behold I can't find one that is operable.
Door locks automatically locked when door closed. This has happened on many occasions. Problem is intermittent, but very dangerous. Consumer's children have been locked in vehicle sometimes with keys inside vehicle. Dealer said nothing because they've had no other complaints. Manufacturer kept referring consumer to dealer.
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Body complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the body & structure of the 1997 Chevrolet Venture, 10% of the model year's 432 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (41 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chevrolet Venture body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1997 Chevrolet Venture, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Venture body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 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.