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2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 problems

The most common problem on the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 is brakes, typically around 50,000 miles. It has 1.8 times the complaints of a typical Express 3500 model year.

Typical year1.8x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
16
Recalls
0
Service bulletins
91
Worst area
Brakes

The worst 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Brakes
    5
  • Fuel system
    4
  • Steering
    4
  • Body
    2
  • Driver assistance
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Brakes
    5
  • Fuel system
    4
  • Steering
    4
  • Body
    2
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Tires
    1

Recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 91

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 91 bulletins for the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500

What 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Apr 11, 2016 · Brakes · 43,997 miles · HI

2004 chevrolet express collins school bus while driving at 15 MPH on an inclined rural country road attempting to brake noticed pedal extended to the floor and was stopped by further down shifting and applying emergency brake. Informed by repair shop the right front hydraulic line rubbed through the metal brake line causing the failure. Failure mileage 43,997.

Filed Sep 4, 2015 · Tires · 120,187 miles · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express 3500 equipped with toyo open country h/t tuff duty tires, size: lt245/75/r16 tires. While driving 65 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise and the rear driver side tire blew out. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that all four tires had cracks and needed to be replaced. In addition, multiple parts needed to be replaced. The tires were replaced, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was 120,187 and the tire failure mileage was 25,982.

Filed May 28, 2014 · Body · 25,000 miles · CT

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express 3500. The contact stated that the passenger and driver side door hinges were fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

Filed May 23, 2014 · Brakes · 128,000 miles · UT

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express 3500. The contact stated while driving down a mountain road approximately 45 MPH the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle began to vibrate excessively and the brake discs overheated. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000. Updated 08/11/14*lj updated 08/18/2014

Filed Nov 21, 2013 · Fuel system · 130,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express 3500. The contact stated the fuel filler neck tube was corroded, causing fuel to leak when refueling the vehicle. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v388000 (fuel system, gasoline) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2013 · Steering · 200,000 miles · MI · fire

On june 08, 2013 my husband had parked the van along side the road - he was out of it working. The vehicle was not running - when a coworker noticed smoke coming from the van. The coworker ran over to the van and seen that the fire was in the steering column. Within minutes the entire van was on fire. My concern is that this van had been having issues with something security. All of the gauges would shut down and it would display "security " on the dash. I personally had contacted our local chevy dealer to inquire about this problem and how to take care of it. The local dealer suggested a new key made at the dealership using the VIN numbers. This made no difference as it happened again. This time my husband went to a dealership in norwalk, ohio inquiring about the problem - they had no idea what the solution was either. My concern is that the dealerships have no idea what the "security" is or how to fix it......also I am wondering if this "security" issue is the reason that I lost my van to the fire on june 08, 2013. I contacted gm but they blew me off saying I had owned the vehicle too long to get any money for my loss. These vans are designed to carry lots of people and if my family had been in this vehicle at the time of the fire there would not have been enough time to get everyone out safely and that worries me greatly.

Filed May 3, 2013 · Fuel system · 39,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express 3500. The contact stated that the fuel tank pipe was severely rusted and was leaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Jul 2, 2012 · Fuel system · 170,000 miles · IN

Gasoline and gasoline vapor was escaping from the fuel filler pipe leading to the fuel tank on a 2004 chevy express van 3500 series. The filer pipe was rusted through. There was a seam on the pipe where the rust through occurred. Gasoline was dripping from this hole during gasoline fill up and vapors were entering the passenger compartment. We had it replaced by a certified mechanic because it was a potentially explosive situation, according to the mechanic. This was reported to gm. There was no recall on this part, so gm refused to pay for the cost of the replacement part and labor. The replacement part is now plastic. So gm must have recognized the problem (but failed to recall) and changed the pipe to a rust-proof material.

Filed Apr 10, 2012 · Fuel system · 104,000 miles · WI

Dangerous as gas tank rusted through on top and left side after only rougly 100,000 miles.

Filed Aug 20, 2009 · Brakes · 66,445 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cargo express van 3500. While driving 45 MPH he had attempted to brake and noticed that the brake pedal extended to the floor and the vehicle could only be stopped by manually down shifting the gears. The dealer informed the contact that the coolant line rubbed through to the brake line. There was a burning smell prior to the failure in the front axle area of the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 66445.

Compare the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500

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Questions about the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500

Is the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 reliable?

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500, 1.8 times a typical Express 3500 model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500?

Brakes, with 5 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles. Next is fuel system (4).

How many recalls does the 2004 Chevrolet Express 3500 have?

No recalls on record.

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