Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Chevrolet Venture owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
#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. …
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.
The seat belts did not work, they were defective. Took vehicle to the dealer three times, but they wanted consumer to pay for it. Consumer felt that manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs. Also, the sliding door motor on 1997 Chevrolet Venture is defective. Consumer paid for repairs 3 different times, but it kept breaking. Passenger side window switch failed. Wiper module shorted out. The vehicle ABS light illuminated. The dealer found a bad connection at the ebcm. Also found both traction bulbs were missing.
While driving, the right side view mirror fell completely off. The seat belt was damaged on the second row passenger side. The head light covers continuously fell off. The consumer had to replace the bulbs constantly. The consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic to have the tires changed and was told the tire rod was bent and that it could not be fixed. Please provide any further information.
The interior of lap buckle came out of the outer casing, buckle can still be used but if a slit touch buckle releases. My main concern is that is the seat were my daughter safety seat is supposed to be, and if the buckle failed that easily without being in an accident then what would happen in a crash. The dealership & Chevrolet refuse to cover the repair to the lap belt.
Seat belts on the passenger's/drivers/second row, and the last row get stuck, cannot be pull out for buckling up. Sometimes leaving the passengers without protection. Consumer had taken the vehicle five times to dealer for the same problem. In addition, horn extremely hard to beep/alarm system malfunctioned, and second row- rear seat does not lock into place.
Consumer's son got entangled in the seat belt which then tightened around his waist/lower abdomen. Although the release button was press the seat belt would not unlatch. The consumer was forced to cut the seat belt to alleviate the pain it was causing to the child. The consumer request that the seat belt be replaced free of charge.
Dashboard lights will not automatically come on at night. When leaning forward in seat seat belt comes on. Seat belt indicator alarm doesn't work. Locks unlock and lock going down the road. Mechanic stated it was body control module. Consumer was taking vehicle to the dealer to confirm problem.
The paint has peeled off and yet GM Canada claims no problem and refuses to hear our complaint let alone acknowledge it yet we can see for ourselves on this site the U.S. Acknowledgement! The floorboard cracked under the driver's seat and it's been a day and we have yet to hear from our local retailer!
Seat belts on the passenger and driver side second and last row will not pull out to allow a person to be buckled in. The dealer and manufacturer refuses to take responsibility for making the repairs. The most recent seatbelt to fail is a replacement seatbelt.
NHTSA investigations
Shoulder harness clip
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…
Seat Belt complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the seat belts of the 1997 Chevrolet Venture, 6% of the model year's 432 complaints. The component named most often is front › buckle assembly (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chevrolet Venture seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts 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.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury and 1 death to seat belts problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.