I bought my 97 venture a year ago, ended up getting a recall notice about 3 months later for the rear door handles. Brought to dealer to have fixed, to find out other recalls weren't fixed. I had the steering recall done. Well now not even a year later and it needs to be replaced again. I have 4 children under 6 yrs old and this vehicle is a safety hazard, im afraid to travel in it!! Every turn be it right or left I feel the steering kind of pop and stick its scary I think gm needs to reevaluate its so called family safe vehicle and reimburse all of us owners!!
1997 Chevrolet Venture: doors won't lock, open or latch
14 of the 431 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Venture describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
Consumer complained about a multitude of problems: 1. Headlights came on and off intermittently; 2. When hitting a bump in the road, headlights came on; 3. Engine overheated due to leaking radiator , and 4. Electrical problems, such as ignition and power door locks malfunctioned regularly. *ak the vehicle was hard to start. The door panels were loose. The windshield leaked. The anti theft alarm malfunctioned. Rear window washer malfunctioned.
On 12/12/01, the door would not stay closed under power. The manual override switch located on the header had to be used and the door closed manually. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on 12/19/01 to have the campaign repair performed. This was done but the dealer said the inside door lock was broken due to the bad actuator that was replaced under the campaign and that I needed to call chevrolet. Later that evening, the outside door handle fell off. Chevrolet (ref. # co6273409) was called and today, over 2 months later, michael glenn of chevrolet said that it was the owner's responsibility to have the door repaired. Yesterday, 2/27/02, the door popped open while driving down the highway even though the doors were locked and power was removed from the side door.
While driving at 20mph the passenger sliding door opened while in motion . It came completely off the track and also caused damage to the moulding inside the van it also frightened my 2 year old who was seated at the door. Fortunately, she was secured in her child safety seat door was in the locked position and the child safety lock was engaged.chevy denies there is a problem with the van. This matter is a severe safety issue. It should be corrected before some is seriously injured or gets killed.
Door locks automatically locked when door closed. This has happened on many occasions. Problem is intermittent, but very dangerous. Consumer's children have been locked in vehicle sometimes with keys inside vehicle. Dealer said nothing because they've had no other complaints. Manufacturer kept referring consumer to dealer.
Power door locks lock and unlock on their own, whether vehicle is on or off, uncontrollably. Has happened before. At that time, lock code mode was reset. However, this time not able to reset. Worried about locking children in van with keys in ignition.
While driving on an incline or hill, vehicle will roll. The dealer has attempted to repair vehicle several times , but the problem still exists. Also, automatic sliding door shuts on passengers when they are getting in/out of vehicle. Also, sliding door locks on its own. The dealer repaired vehicle. Manufacturer has been notified.
Door locks would not release when starting vehicle. Also, horn & lights would go off. Then the locks would go up/down on their own. Have been to dealer several times for locking problem.
During moments of high excelleration, entering freeway, van loses power - gains power - loses power causing lurching and places me in peril from traffic.....driver's door locks sporatically (at an ever increasing rate) and system had an episode of lock/unlock/lock in fast succession over a period of 20 minutes. The doors left my mother (72) and me (disabled) in a locked van and the lock/unlock buttons on both sides were disabled and did not work.
Power door locks malfunctioned, causing doors not to unlock, which resulted in occupants becoming trapped in vehicle. Cause unknown.
All power windows and doors will not unlock, trapping the occupants inside vehicle. Power windows or doors cannot be manually operated. Cause unknown. Vehicle taken to dealer multiple times, but problem still exists. *ak
Power side door lock failed.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
- Risk
- If a passenger uses the interior handle to open the power sliding door and holds onto the handle while it is being opened by the motor, the passenger's arm may be pushed into the seat back or armrest and a wrist or lower arm injury may result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for appearance reasons. Note: before the vehicle is serviced, gm advises owners to not use the interior door handle to open the door. The driver can open and close the door from switches at the driver's position or by using the remote key fob. The driver should tell passengers to use the switch located in front of the door to open or close it. The driver should use the override switch to prevent operation of the power door by children or by others who are not familiar with its use. The owner notification letter mailing will be conducted in phases with the first phase beginning on may 31, 2005. The second phase mailing began on july 18, 2005. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Phase 2 began on july 18, 2005. Phase 3 (final phase) began on august 24, 2005, to all remaining customers. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668; or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537.
Recall number 04V597000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v‑067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors assembled in january through april 2001. These vehicles have inadequate front welds. If a front weld fails, the actuator can jam in the unlatched position and, when the sliding door closes, it will not be latched.
- Risk
- If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface. An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on october 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 01V264000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but may not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
- Risk
- An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v‑264. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 01V067000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Venture door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture?
14 of 431 owner complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Venture (3%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture?
There are 3 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture
Headlights 55Overheating 21Steering lock-up 17ABS 15Wipers 15Stalling 13Engine failure 12Power steering loss 11Loss of power 9Grinding brakes 8Transmission failure 8Fire or smoke 7Tire blowout 7Seat belt 6Fuel pump 5
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