Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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 Chevy Venture with the 3.4l engine. I am constantly loosing antifreeze and oil disappears with explanation. I am still under a warranty but the dealership says it cant find anything wrong with it. I am concerned that my engine might seize or fail while driving down the interstate due to a design flaw in the intake manifold gasket. The coolany that Chevy uses dexcool has been known to eat away the gaskets, so large a scale has this happened that GM has switched coolants to prestone extended life. I want a recall done free of charge to fix this problem. It is definitly a safety issue as most have complained about cams breaking and loss of power. Someone is going to die because of this.
Anti-look brake system light came on and stayed on. Other lights are now flashing whem brakes are used. The main brake, signal and running lights have stipped working. The only brake lights working now are the LED lights on the rear door. System is acting like it has a short or grounding condition. Unable to use this vehicle and is parked. Unable to repair this due to being on a fixed income. Vehicle was inspected and past the last part of April 2004.
Electrical system:when driving thru puddles/hard rain battery light on, loss of all steering/brakes/etc and then power "pops" back on-do not need to restart engine. Has occurred at stop and while driving. Dangerous in regards to instrument panel: engine coolant light comes off/on, coolant levels normal, car not overheating-will see dealer; at same time air bag deployment light on same side of panel comes off/on at intermittent times. Sometimes engine coolant light and airbag light are on at same times, sometimes they alternate. Seriously think there is wiring defect in vehicle. Also--instrument panel very hot to touch at radio area, high risk to burn. …
While applying the brake pedal the hazard lights turned on its own and the brake light failed. The ABS light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. The driver will contact the dealer in the near future. The right tail light did not work properly, when the right turn signal on the brake pedal was applied, the directional signal flashed twice as fast as normal, but when the brake pedal was released, the directional signal flashed normal, also when the brakes were applied, both directional indicators on the instrument panel stayed on until the brake pedal was released, the ABS and TCS warning light had come on and stayed on until it was reset, around the same time the blower for the heat and air conditioning lost both the first and second speeds, the door lock cycle was intermittent and the consumer was locked out of the vehicle, the power sliding door had become inoperative and the …
Consumer states van will crank but will not start, the check engine light is on and the vehicle stalled at least 20 times. Fuel pump was replaced 4 times. Dealership inspected and reported original problem was no fuel pressure traced to no operation of fuel pump. Found wiring harness at fuel pump had come loose. After harness was reconnected the van started right up. Advised that connector 305 and ground 301 have a history of intermittent problems and itnernal opens that cause no start conditions.
2 major wiring harness melted, replaced with wrong harness.. No cause found and dealer said it was OK for them to put wrong harness in!!! Took original dealer 2+ weeks to fix and it was still not correct. I took it to my dealer and they spliced in new wires to make rear speakers work. They informed me the harness was from another model Venture but it was OK. Contacted Chevrolet by phone and letter and they were no help. They told me to work it out with the dealer.
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.
Was driving at night when headlights & all instrument panel lights went out. After a couple of minutes would come back on by them selves. Did not tamper with the light swtich. Took vehicle to 2 different dealership where one of them did repairs, but problem reappeared. Both mechanics indicated to bring vehicle back when it happened again. The dealer put in new generator and the problem has not reoccured.
Rear windshield wiper goes off when shutting the automatic passenger door/all electronics an dashboard goes off when using headlight controls/headlights goes off by themselves every 10 seconds/driver's control for door locks has completely gone out/evaporative emission canister vend solenoid valve assembly failed prior to recall, van is not idling properly.
After going through puddles everything would shut down or not work properly. Power steering is difficult/fan belt slips after getting wet/ alternator would quit working. Also, no protection cover to prevent water splashing. Taking to dealer to check out. ABS light keeps going off.
Electrical complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 1998 Chevrolet Venture, 8% of the model year's 409 complaints. The component named most often is horn (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Chevrolet Venture electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 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.