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 1998 Chevrolet Venture owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I own a 1998 Chevrolet Venture ls van. The headlight assemblies' seals don't keep them from filling from water causing the lights (headlights and turn signals) to short out. Further, due to the knowingly defective assemblies, the headlight crystals pop off (due to the poor seal). This occurred to me while I was driving and I subsequently ran over the crystal spraying debris behind me. In contacting Chevrolet customer service center's toll free number, they said that there is no recall for this defective safety equipment and they don't see a problem with these scenarios. In doing further research, I've discovered that these defective assemblies were very common, Chevrolet has in fact issued a TSB highlighting this commonly known defect, and in talking with a Chevrolet dealership service writer he related that he has seen far more of these problems than he would like to ever see. …
While driving at high speeds antifreeze was mixed in with the oil. This caused the vehicle to vibrate. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. This caused the transmission to break. The sliding door on the driver's side rubber trim had fallen off, water would get into the trunk when it rained, and the rear windshield did not work properly.
The driver side door's inside panel had smoke coming from it. The door panel had caught on fire. Door has power locks & window switch. Police took a report. Manufacturer could not look at vehicle until week later.
Windshield wipers intermittently go off by themselves when hitting a normal bump in the road, and when the front/rear heater or air conditioner controls are used. In addition, driver's information message center in the extended overhead console has never worked properly. Temperature gauge increases at least 1/8 to 1/4 inches and stayes there. Air bag wires are still exposed to rea rpassenger's seat. Drover's/passengers door locks failed. Headlights go off by themselves every 10 seconds. Finally, evaporative emission canister failed prior to recall. 780180 dup of 533715; posted on 09-07-1999.
When it rains it goes into vehicle where dome light and electronic computer were mounted on the ceiling which May cause an electrical short. Also, on middle rear seat both seatbelts jammed and would not lock in place, which wont protect child in event of a crash. Dealer replaced passenger's side seatbelt, and fixed driver's rear seatbelt. Finally, rear middle window pin kept falling, which allowed the windows to stay open. Dealer fixed the problem 3 times, but on the fourth time, they replace the whole unit. Please provide further information.
Consumer has taken vehicle to dealership approximately 5 times for poor operation of automatic doors. When children are entering or exiting the door will sometimes start closing. When pressing the button the door, sometimes door doesn't open all the way. Dealership has taken door apart and pulled the computer system and refused to repair it due to non-recall. Technician said there was no informationto help repair vehicle because it was not included in the recall. Nor could they duplicate the problem.
The power sliding door does not always close completely. In some cases, it catches the initial locking point, but it won't pull the door in and completely lock and seal the door. Most times if I use the power door switch three or four times and it still won't close, so I have to disable the power feature and close it manually. There, also, have been two incidences where the door didn't close all the way and was still ajar, but the open door indicator on the dashboard indicated it was closed.
Intermittent operation of windshield wipers. In addition, all electronics on dashboard goes on and off/headlights go off by themselves every 10 seconds/driver's controls for door locks failed/evaporative emission canister vend solenoid valve assembly failed prior to manufacturer's recall/poor idling and vehicle is sluggish/driver's information center fails to work properly, and air bag wires are still exposed to rear passengers' feet.
This is a part that failed again after replacement by recall NHTSA # 01V067000 & 01V264000. Replaced part has failed causing door to not fully latch at times. GM contacted by owner - GM employee - lemont barlow [phone] has advised owner that since part wa s replaced under recall and one year has passed, GM no longer will provide any repairs. Dealer has diagnosed (in writing to owner) replaced actuator as being defective. Mr
Driver's side rear sliding door ajar, light not showing on dashboard when the door is ajar. Light does come on when door is completely unlatched and off when closed, but does not show when door is ajar. Report from service manager was that there is no correction for this problem. I personally checked a 1999 Venture and found the same defect. I feel that it is an unsafe situation and it should be corrected.
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Power-sliding door
Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's…
Body complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the body & structure of the 1998 Chevrolet Venture, 7% of the model year's 409 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Chevrolet Venture body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1998 Chevrolet Venture, though it has 7 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 1998 Chevrolet Venture body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to body & structure 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.