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 1999 Chevrolet Venture owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1 inch of sludge in engine, lost of coolant, the engine pinging and knocking, steering and brakes locked up which caused the accident while driving. We changed the oil pump, oil connecting rod, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coils and still engine is broken. Started with coolant in the oil. Unsure symtoms leading up to the accident.
In January of 2002, the heat in our 1999 Chevy Venture stopped working. The van had around 50 or so thousand miles at the time. The dealer in baton rouge all-star Chevrolet could not diagnose the problem and recommended a cooling-system flush as the coolant level looked low in the reservoir. This flush was done at another shop in town. This did not correct the problem and this shop recommended I go back to the dealer. The engine was also running hot, so took it into the dealer with these problems. This dealer did around $1,000 in repairs including a water pump and thermostat. The problem was not fixed as I drove the van home. I brought it back to the dealer the next day and they looked at it and said they could see nothing wrong and would not do any more work. I then took it to another Chevy dealer (brian harris Chevrolet) in baton rouge with my problem. …
I have had numerous problems with my 1999 Chevrolet Venture which my husband purchased new for me in December 1998. Last year I experienced problems with the engine light staying on, coolant level constantly dropping no matter how often we added dex cool, and then in the spring I had to have the intake manifold replaced due to engine oil in the coolant. He told me he has had several customers with Chevy Venture and olds silhouettes with the same problem. Just a couple of months after this repair which cost me over $1,000.00 my car suddenly stalled in heavy traffic on route 22 on my way to work. I managed to get it to the shoulder before it stopped rolling despite losing power and called my mechanic. He towed me to his shop and has informed me that my camshaft is broken and he has never heard of anything like it before! …
We have a 1999 Chevrolet Venture that we purchased in dec. 2001. We did not purchase a warranty. A couple of weeks after the purchase the "check coolant" light came on and stayed on. We had to keep adding coolant. I do not work on cars and had a very sick wife, so the light was a minor stress at the time. I'd taken the car to get looked at and they said "the coolant is leaking into the engine, and the engine is going" well for a car with just over 23,825 miles on it, I was very steamed. It lasted till 47,359 miles and my wife was stranded on the road. The car was towed and sat at the Chevy dealership from sept. 9th till dec. 12th 2002. While still paying $437.00 a month payment. We had a used engine put in it by the Chevy dealership which had 20,000 less miles on it, and today has 74,000 miles on it.we paid $2,400 for this used engine. …
I have discovered coolant in the engine oil. My coolant is disappearing, and I have been forced to top it off. The engine is making ticking noises, and running roughly. I have done a quick check on the internet to see if others are experiencing this problem, and found that it seems to be a common problem, and that GM is aware of this. They have redesigned the head gasket to correct this problem, but have not offered to fix this problem on my car. Chevy denied that there is a widespread problem, and refused to help cover the necessary repair (they said that because I had around 70,000 miles it was too far out of warrantee). It cost in the range of $815 to replace the head gasket. As a side note, the air bag light turned on intermittently after I got the car back, and now is on steady. I told my next door neighbor about it, and it turned out they also had the same problem. …
The problem with my Venture turned out to be a leaking water pump based on the mechanic's diagnosis. So far, so good. Although, replacing a $300.00 water pump at 82,000 is somewhat ridiculous! The mechanic says it was due to the fact that the extended life coolant (dex-cool) doesn't perform like Chevrolet says it should, and it is the cause of many water cooling system problems. He recommends changing the ext. Life coolant every other year just like regular coolant, and judging from the look of the old coolant, I believe him! August update: I am now facing a transmission rebuild that the transmission man says is "typical" of these ventures due to a mfg. …
I noticed a smell of hot antifreeze. Also it would make a lot of noise when starting up. The thermostat never showed anything overheating. Oil didn't show anything on the dipstick. We change the oil every 3000 miles. The dealership that tore into it had said we did not change the oil ever by the looks of the internals. We bought this used 1999 Chevy Venture lt , August 2000 having 34,000 miles on it already. The previous owner bought this van in October 1998 brand new. How could a vehicle have to have a motor dropped in with only 57,000 on it and have had done everything possible to keep everything in working order. This is not our first Chevy, our whole family buys chevys. Just to brag we have 13, and all of them maintained well. One even having over 200,000 miles on it,1995 Chevy astro. Anyway, I watch the gauges very closely and never did I see anything wrong.
Intake manifold gasket of engine failed leading to dex-cool radiator fluid leakage on ground and into engine oil. Repair of intake manifold gasket, water-pump, special sealant for bolts cost consumer $807.00. The leakage of toxic fluid into environment has no estimated cost, but represents hazard to animals and environment. Chevrolet has received a high number of complaints about this problem and issued a technical service bulletin related to revised gasket, sealants, torque specifications and order of tightening bolts, but did not issue a recall. Internal damage to engines is often not determined until complete engine failure despite repair of manifold gasket. Dex-cool fluid cited in Chevrolet literature as having 100,000 mile lifespan, but fluid appears to have destructive potential to engine beginning at anywhere from 40 to 60% of this estimated lifespan.
As the weather has gotten cooler I tried to use my heating system and just got cold air. The engine temp gauge was going up but I only got cold. Then I noticed that the temp gauge kept climbing and I was afraid it was going to 'redline' and it suddenly dropped to normal and I started to get heat in the car. The problem then kept coming and going as I drove. The car is now in the shop and I am told that it is a leaking intake manifold gasket and will cost me $650 to fix. I only have 59K miles on my car. The shop owner also mentioned that he has seen 'a lot' of this problem in Chevy ventures (and other cars with the same engine) and that he had another one in his garage as we spoke. This sounds like a desing fault that GM should take ownership of. I haven't heard of a recall so I'm faced with paying so I can have a functional car.
Intake manifold gasket on the 3.4l engine in my 1999 Chevrolet Venture failed. This is a pervasive known problem with the 3.4l engine produced and sold by GM. GM has had a nationwide backorder on the gasked involved indicating redesign due to poor initial design. I had to wait 4 months for the gasket to be delivered and there were 2 other ventures in the repair facility unable to be repaired or driven due to the backorder. My cost for repair was $538. Others have had to pay over $4,000 due to engine failure. This should be investigated and GM made to conduct a nationwide recall/reimbursement of said repair costs. If you desire I will provide my repair invoice. Due to the part failure and waiting on gasket delivery and repair, I May have hidden engine damage that May surface at a later time.
Engine complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1999 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 115 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1999 Chevrolet Venture, 33% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chevrolet Venture engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1999 Chevrolet Venture, though it has 4 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 1999 Chevrolet Venture engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire 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.