FaultScore report
Owners have filed 15 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Chevy VAN with NHTSA between 1998 and 2014. The largest single group is the engine & cooling. Across this model's run it ranks 5 of 6 worst.
FaultScore 48/100
Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Chevrolet Chevy VAN.
How this is worked out15
Complaints
1
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
100,000 mi
Median mileage at failure
Half of reported failures happened before this
0%
Failed under 36,000 miles
Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Median failure at 100,000 miles
Median failure at 66,887 miles
Median failure at 159,000 miles
1 crashes, 0 fires
Median failure at 159,000 miles
Median failure at 60,000 miles
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL CAME OFF. *AK WHEEL HUB BROKE AND ROLLED UNDER THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED ALL BALL JOINTS.
NHTSA complaint #878874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
HOOK STICKING OUT OF RIGHT DOOR, CAUSING INJURIES.
NHTSA complaint #533639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
ENGINE
MY HUSBAND WROTE A LENGTHY LETTER DETAILING THE PROBLEM AND EVENTS AROUND THE TIME WE WERE FORCED TO TRADE OUR VAN FOR A TAHOE IN JULY/AUGUST 2001. I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 40 NEAR CROSSVILLE, TN, WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT LEAVING ME WITH LITTLE CONTROL AND BARELY ABLE TO MOVE IT SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE. IT WAS TOWED TO THE CHEVY DEALER IN CROSSVILLE, WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. AFTER MULTIPLE EVENTS LATER THE SAME TYPE INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING ON A CROWDED TALLAHASSEE, FL, ROAD WHILE WE WERE ON VACATION. THEIR CHEVY DEALER TRIED TO FIND THE PROBLEM BUT COULDN'T EITHER. WE DROVE IT HOME ON BACK HIGHWAYS TO OUR TOWN OF TULLAHOMA,TN, VERY CAREFULLY, BUT IT STALLED OUT AGAIN 50 MILES FROM HOME. THE CHEVY DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO STAND BEHIND IT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT QUITE 3 YEARS OLD, AND INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. WE WERE FORCED TO TRADE OUR VAN, AND THE DEALERSHIP SOLD IT TO SOMEONE ELSE IN THAT DANGEROUS CONDITION. THAT'S WHY MY HUSBAND REPORTED IT TO YOU AT THAT TIME; WE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO BE HURT OR DIE FROM THE PROBLEM. THE IGNITION SHUTTING OFF, LIKE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY OTHER GM CARS, IS EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO OUR VAN. NOW I BELIEVE GM HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR A LONGER TIME. I JUST HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT IT HAS BEEN TRACED BACK TO 2001; IT MUST BE EVEN OLDER THAN THAT. I CAN PROVIDE THE VIN # WHEN WE GET BACK TO TN AS MY HUSBAND IS WORKING A JOB IN FL RIGHT NOW. ALSO, WE DROVE ANOTHER GM VAN THE DAY BEFORE WE PURCHASED THE CHEVY VAN AND IT DID THE SAME THING ON THE WAY HOME FROM A TRIP TO FRANKLIN, TN, THEREFORE WE RETURNED IT, AS THE GM DEALERSHIP COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. YES, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME AND I AM THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE!
NHTSA complaint #10569027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
MY VAN STARTED MAKING A STRANGE CRUNCHING SOUND. I WAS TOLD BY A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS CRACKED INSIDE. IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
NHTSA complaint #10551148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
I HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR IN MY CHEVY VENTURE 97 I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I CAN RECOVER MY COST. I HEARD THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FILED A YEAR AGO REGARDING THIS.
NHTSA complaint #10265133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE SERVICE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE COMPUTER IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE REAR WHEELS AND WAS PRODUCING FALSE FAILURES CAUSING THE ILLUMINATION OF THOSE WARNING LIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, IT WAS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WHEN THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES COULD FAIL. THE ANTILOCK BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT NO CORRECTIONS WERE MADE TO THE COMPUTER.
NHTSA complaint #10157700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE SERVICE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE COMPUTER IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE REAR WHEELS AND WAS PRODUCING FALSE FAILURES CAUSING THE ILLUMINATION OF THOSE WARNING LIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, IT WAS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WHEN THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES COULD FAIL. THE ANTILOCK BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT NO CORRECTIONS WERE MADE TO THE COMPUTER.
NHTSA complaint #10157700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE SERVICE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE COMPUTER IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE REAR WHEELS AND WAS PRODUCING FALSE FAILURES CAUSING THE ILLUMINATION OF THOSE WARNING LIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, IT WAS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WHEN THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES COULD FAIL. THE ANTILOCK BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT NO CORRECTIONS WERE MADE TO THE COMPUTER.
NHTSA complaint #10157700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
PURCHASED USED VAN FROM ORIGINATING DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOW MOTOR FOLLOWING MY PURCHASE. THE DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW HAS BEEN EXHIBITING FAILURE FOR OVER A YEAR. IT NOW IS ALMOST TOTALLY USELESS AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE WINDOW IS PUT DOWN, ITS MOTION SLOWS TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY A 3RD OF THE WAY DOWN AND WILL GO NO FURTHER AND IT WILL NOT GO UP. SEVERAL MINUTES HAVE TO PASS BEFORE THE I AM ABLE TO GET THE WINDOW TO START GOING BACK UP. IT TAKES SEVERAL WAITING PERIODS BEFORE THE WINDOW WILL GO UP ENOUGH TO CLOSE. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THIS PART REPLACED.
NHTSA complaint #10152679 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
MY 1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN DEVELOPED A SHIFTING PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES EXTREMELY ROUGH SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, AND ONLY PRODUCES THE RAGGED SHIFTS AFTER THE VAN HAS THOROUGHLY WARMED UP, AS WHEN ON A 2 HOUR TRIP. IT ALSO TURNS ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT, WITH A P1870 ERROR CODE STORED. MY CHEVROLET DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS NEEDING A NEW "VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY" IN THE TRANSMISSION. COSTS 1,000 WITH LABOR. AROUND TOWN AND SHORT TRIPS, ALL SHIFTS ARE NORMAL AND GOOD. HERE'S THE HOOKER - THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WILL NOT PASS THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS TEST, IF THERE ARE ANY ERROR CODES OR "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" INDICATORS. THE VAN HAS NOW FAILED THE EMISSIONS TESTING 3 TIMES, SO IT NOW APPEARS THAT I WILL BE FORCED TO DIG UP $1,000 JUST TO PASS THE EMISSIONS TEST. OF COURSE A TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEM REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EMISSIONS, BUT GM SAW FIT TO TURN ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ANYWAY.
NHTSA complaint #10131434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MY 1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN DEVELOPED A SHIFTING PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES EXTREMELY ROUGH SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, AND ONLY PRODUCES THE RAGGED SHIFTS AFTER THE VAN HAS THOROUGHLY WARMED UP, AS WHEN ON A 2 HOUR TRIP. IT ALSO TURNS ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT, WITH A P1870 ERROR CODE STORED. MY CHEVROLET DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS NEEDING A NEW "VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY" IN THE TRANSMISSION. COSTS 1,000 WITH LABOR. AROUND TOWN AND SHORT TRIPS, ALL SHIFTS ARE NORMAL AND GOOD. HERE'S THE HOOKER - THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WILL NOT PASS THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS TEST, IF THERE ARE ANY ERROR CODES OR "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" INDICATORS. THE VAN HAS NOW FAILED THE EMISSIONS TESTING 3 TIMES, SO IT NOW APPEARS THAT I WILL BE FORCED TO DIG UP $1,000 JUST TO PASS THE EMISSIONS TEST. OF COURSE A TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEM REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EMISSIONS, BUT GM SAW FIT TO TURN ON THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ANYWAY.
NHTSA complaint #10131434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
ELECTRIC WINDOW NOT WORKING, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS,BRAKE LIGHTS SHORTS.
NHTSA complaint #10116530 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T WORK, VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR, ABOUT 800.00 DOLLARS THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW, I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED AGAIN!!
NHTSA complaint #10116542 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL PUMP/SENSOR UNIT FAILED DUE TO EXPOSED WIRES AND FRICTION BETWEEN PUMP WIRE AND ANOTHER WIRE. THE PUMP WAS SHORTED OUT ELECTRICALLY. FUEL TANK WAS NEARLY FULL. ITEM REPLACED BY INDEPENTANT MECHANIC AND DEFECTIVE PART RETAINED BY ME.
NHTSA complaint #10057051 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL CAME OFF. *AK WHEEL HUB BROKE AND ROLLED UNDER THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED ALL BALL JOINTS.
NHTSA complaint #878874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
HOOK STICKING OUT OF RIGHT DOOR, CAUSING INJURIES.
NHTSA complaint #533639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER FOUND ON INSIDE OF AIR FILTER AND FILTER WET.
NHTSA complaint #531061 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.