Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Venture owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Venture. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was a strong odor of burning wires. The contact mentioned that while attempting to park, the turn signal lamps failed to illuminate. The contact parked and observed that the lamps were melted and the bulbs were dark. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
I have a 2003 Chevy Venture and when I purchased it, I noticed that the turn signals would start blinking real fast on the dash. When I would look at them on the outside they were blinking fine, as was the dash lights. This happened several times, so I thought that it was just the bulbs themselves. Then on March 29, 2014, I noticed a little puff of smoke come from the headlight area when my wife pulled into our driveway. I also noticed that the passenger side turn/parking light was out. I luckily had a bulb from another car to replace it, but when I took the assembly out and went to turn the connector to replace the bulb, and noticed it was hot. Thinking that something did not seem right, I let it cool down and then removed it. What I saw was the connector that holds the bulb was black and melted. It actually melted to the bulb itself. …
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Venture. He stated the brake lights were inoperable. Upon attempting to change the light bulbs, he noticed the socket and the circuit boards were melted because of irregular electric flow. The risk of vehicle crash is increased if the ability to signal intentions to other drivers is not available. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current was 72,000. The VIN was not available.
Rear main brake lights always replacing and burn out frequently with no reason now rear ended .if my kids were sitting in the back seat they May be dead right now. I hear it is a problem nation wide.
Left front headlight fills with water and fogs up the lens cover thus hindering the beam of the headlight. Water literally stands in the light so much that when you bring the vehicle to a stop with the lights on, the beam is like an ocean wave. I have returned it to the dealership but they say they all do that and there is no remedy. We have been told to drill a hole in the casing to drain the water. My vehicle was bought new in June 2003. This has been a problem from the beginning. It is getting progressively worse. Water is now standing inside the lens. What happens when the freezing temperatures come? Will my light freeze and burst? 2 of my family members also own ventures and this seems to be a problem for them also. I have noticed other ventures parked in parking lots and some of them also have a fogged up left headlight lens. I truly feel that GM should fix this problem. …
We bought our 2003 Chevrolet Venture last year and have had constant problems with the brake light which do not work 80 % of the time. The circuit boards that hold the bulbs burn up the plastic and the bulbs which causes them to not light up when I press on my brakes. This is a consistent problem and even though I have had the boards replaced twice and the connector to the boards replaced I still have the same problem. I have spent well over 500 dollars to try to correct this problem. I have read on several forums that this is a constant and consistent problem among hundreds of owners of the Chevrolet Venture of various year models, and I am sure there are more owners of this make and model out there with the same issue. One of these days I am going to get rear ended because I have no way of knowing if my brake lights are out. …
For the past 2 years, both rear brake lights continue to fail without any detectable reason. I have researched many "fixes" ranging from replacing blown circuit boards, bending prongs for better connection and greasing the connections. The dealership said replacing the bulbs would fix the issue, only to fail within the following week. An independent garage cleaned the components and bent the prongs holding the bulbs in place to give a better connection. The circuit boards have been replaced, but that didn't help either. All of these solutions have worked for 2 weeks at the longest. There is no evidence of melting components, moisture or residue within the circuit boards or brake bulb connections. I have found, if I "bang" on each brake light prior to driving it might remain working until I get to my destination. …
The headlight & turn signal assemblies on the van continued to accumulate condensation in them. This has been going on for about 2 years now. The dealer will not fix it, stating it was cosmetic, and did not interfere with safe operation of the vehicle. We took it Friday to get it inspected and it failed inspection. The cause of failure was contaminated light assemblies. We contacted the dealership from whom we bought the van, and was informed they would not do anything about it. The did admitted that they had several others with the same problem. They suggested we contact you. I removed the water from the headlight assemblies and got the van inspected again today. It did pass, but I felt certain condensation will be back again soon. I realized this May not appear to be a substantial problem, but it did interfere with the night vision capabilities. …
Tl*- the contact has a 2003 Chevrolet Venture in which he had to replace the climate control switch because the fan switch stayed only on the low position, allowing for only one setting. The contact bought the replacement part and replaced the climate control switches on his own. While replacing the switches he noticed that the old unit had melted the plastic around the wire harness. The contact also had to replaced the left rear tail light assembly because it had completely corroded which made it inoperable. The contact is looking for reimbursement for the parts. The contact spoke with the manufacturer who stated that they wouldn't be able to consider any type of reimbursement because he didn't take the vehicle to a dealer to have it repaired. The failuer and current milage were 75000 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Venture. The contact stated that the rear brake lights were not functioning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the technician advised that there was condensation and moisture throughout the front headlights and the rear brake lights. The technician stated that the headlight cover would have to be replaced but advised that the failure would continue to recur. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Headlight complaints in other Venture years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the lights of the 2003 Chevrolet Venture, 16% of the model year's 185 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Venture headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2003 Chevrolet Venture, though it has 5 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 2003 Chevrolet Venture headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 0 injuries to lights 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.