Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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 purchased a 1998 Chevrolet Venture new for approximately $27,000. After 4 1/2 years I had to replace the lower intake manifold gasket at a cost of about $500. I maintained the vehicle to the manufacturers specifications even changing the oil every 3 to 4000. On labor day 2003, a little more than 5 years after I purchased the vehicle, I broke down returning from a family vacation with the car packed and my three kids. The car had to be towed to the nearest Chevrolet dealer. 75 miles from home. Bottom line the cam bearings spun in the engine and the dealer said the car was worth $300 as is. It needed a new engine at a total cost of $6150. GM customer service agreed that this was premature engine failure but that the engine had 72,000 miles and according to GM the life expectancy of that engine is only 100,000 miles. …
1998 Chevy Venture, engine light came on, pulled over engine tapping & smoking. No oil light or change in temp, gauge observed. Had to walk on interstate 1.2 miles took ride from unknown couple, had van towed. Diagnoses was: intake gasket collapsed, causing connecting rod to go through engine. Dealership & GM customer care refused any assistance. Overwelmed by severity of this gasket problem readily available on the internet. We replaced our engine with a used one, that is all we could afford. It definitely was the faulty gasket that caused our engine to be replaced. When this first happened, no dummy light came on, nothing to even tell me there was a problem, such as low oil or service engine. The mechanic who replaced our engine told us he has seen several Chevy Venture vans with the same exact problem we had. …
My family and I were on vacation driving from butler, pa to cape canaveral, florida. I was driving on I-95 near savannah, ga on June 26th when I noticed my temperture gauge was moving up and down. Car never boiled over or loss any anti-freeze. I stopped at a pep boys repair shop at which time they advised me that my thermostat needed replacement. It appeared the dex-cool antifreeze that GM requires to be used turns into a sludge at high temperatures. Entire cooling system was sludged up by the dex-cool. After installing new thermostat and anit-freeze engine was idling rough. Car was taken to Chevrolet dealer nearby - Chevrolet dealer said engine needed replacement. - anti-freeze was entering cylinders #1 and #2. Chevrolet dealer charged over $6,000. I feel Chevrolet dealer overcharged as I was traveling from out of state - my local Chevrolet dealer quoted $3,700 for same work. …
The 1997-2000 venutures have problems with the engines, the intake gasket breaks down causing anti freeze to mix with the engines oil causing the cam shaft to crack, in our case there was no leaks under the van and there was no warning either the van was running well that morning and when my wife was driving down the street there was 2 short bukles from the van and everything shut down including steering which was difficult to do, is it going to take someones family to die on the side of the road before GM will do anything about this if my wife had been on the highway then there would be no way that she would have made it without being hit, even then she had 3 young children in the van ages 3-8 and was almost hit from behind, because it was an industrial highway speed limit of 50mph and not much room on the shoulder to park. …
For the 2nd time since the date noted below, I am experiencing intake manifold failure on my 1998 Chevy Venture. In 2003 it was replaced while the vehicle was still under warranty at 34,000 miles. Now, just shy of 2 years later, and at 53,000 (at my own expense and a cost of $1200.00)) it needs to be replaced again. The reason I am contacting you at this time is that GM does not recognize this as a recallable issue with their vehicles. I spoke with glen kuniyuki on 12/7/05, and sylvia jabouin on 12/8/05, at GM customer service. They said that since this was not a recallable issue and until such time that the NHTSA made them recall the vehicles involved, that they simply were not going to recognize that this is a common problem to GM models, and recommended trading it in for a newer model. …
We had a manifold gasket on our 1998 Chevy Venture go bad earlier this year. It leaked anti-freeze into the oil. It appears that the anti-freeze leaking into the engine oil has caused failures in the strength of the crankshaft. And since this site does not combine similar problems, it May appear that there are just a few problems with the cooling system, gaskets and crankshaft on the 1998-2000 Venture vans. You need to look at all the cooling system problem reports. Now the crank shaft has broken. We have learned that of others have had the same problem with this van. The local dealership has told us it will cost over $5,000.00 to repair/replace the engine. I have had many different types of cars in the past, one Nissan maxima we have now has almost 200,000 miles, with no engine repairs like this. …
I backed the van out of my driveway at home and placed the car into drive. As I started to move forward, the gas pedal felt harder than normal but I attributed that to being left outside all winter. I pushed the gas pedal harder to get to car to move forward. And immediately I felt the pedal unstick . At that same moment, the engine raced to full throttle and raced forward with the van continually going faster and faster racing instantly to 50 miles an hour and still accelerating. At the beginning of the sudden acceleration, I tried to apply the brakes but could not stop the van or stop the acceleration. I turned off the ignition and finally braked the van to a stop. This all happened on the side street of my subdivision before I could get onto the main road. …
Dt: consumer owns a 1998 Chevrolet Venture. At 55000 miles the intake manifold gasket went out. The vehicle was maintained immaculately. This happened in October 2003. Vehicle was fixed by a dealer on October 10, 2003. He then checked the internet to find that this was a common problem due to a coolant that the manufacturer used. On July 2, 2005 the head gasket failed suddenly, vehicle had 75,000 miles. This was two weeks after a garage had done a 75000 mile check up on vehicle. Well over $40000 was spent. He did further research on the internet to find many other complaints on this issue. He felt this wa a safety issue, and it was endangering the life of his family. He contacted manufacturer, and was told that they would call him back, after not being called back by the manufacturer and him calling manufacture often back they finally made him an offer of a discount on something. …
I have a 1998 Chevrolet Venture with 82,651 miles. The vehicle would slowly dissipate coolant, which I replenished as needed. Then a major coolant leak occurred at the engine block. Barnard Chevrolet of churchville, ny 14428 repaired the lower and upper intake manifold gaskets, and the rear head gasket. Each had detiorated from the dex cool, causing the leakage. The dealership refused any customer assistance, despite my providing them with technical service bulletin #03-06-01-010. Although the dealer provided a complete and professional repair, I believe that evidence is quite clear that the dex cool coolant and the gasket materials used by GM results in a defective product, and that GM must pay for these repairs. I also believe that that NHTSA has a responsibility to the American consumer to hold GM accountable. …
I had my van in the shop because my heater quit working. The thermostat was changed. When I got the van back the heater didn't work and by the next morning the coolant reservoir was empty. Their weren't any external leaks noted. I took it back into the shop and he ran some checks and he stated that it was the intake manifold gasket and that the coolant was leaking internally. He also said that this was a common problem with most GM engines. Now my van is parked and I can't even drive it. It is knocking real loud and I am afraid to drive it because I have found out that this problem can lead to the van eventually catching on fire. My van had been in the Chevrolet shop several times for the engine light coming on and it was running rough. I was told that the light was on because the gas cap wasn't on tight. My van is just out of the warranty at @ 82,000 miles. …
Engine complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 111 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1998 Chevrolet Venture, 27% of the model year's 409 complaints. The component named most often is engine (29 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Chevrolet Venture engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.