On 3, june, 2011, the right passenger sliding door on our 2001 chevrolet venture minivan would not latch on the back latch, resulting in the door only being partially, and dangerously latched by only the front latch. Sometimes it won't latch on the front latch either. This is not a power sliding door; but I've seen several recalls for failed latches on the power sliding doors. We have called, gone to junk yards to no avail, and dealerships say they do not have the parts to repair the latch. This is a safety concern, as the door could come off during travel, or worse, fly open during motion, placing the middle seat passenger at risk of falling out of a moving vehicle. For safety, door latches are something that should be fail safe in automobiles. One dealership said it would cost over $220.00 to repair, if they could get the parts. If??? The car only has 152k miles. In light of the recalls for the power sliding door latches failing, I would think gm would honor the failure of the door latches on the manual sliding doors. This just happened out of the blue, with no problems prior to the failure. It just quit latching. Thank you.
2001 Chevrolet Venture: doors won't lock, open or latch
6 of the 222 complaints about the 2001 Chevrolet Venture describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 3
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
On two occasions when the automatic sliding door was opening passengers in the seat by the door got their arm caught in the door as they were sitting in the seat and the door was sliding open. Both passengers sustained pulled ligaments from getting their arm caught and jammed in the door as it opened. There is no safety mechanism to stop the door opening should someone get caught in it as it opens. Also, the electronic door opened while we were in a car wash. I had to accelerate and leave before the car wash was done because it was shooting water into the van.
Vehicle has an oning electrical problem that caused the automatic door locks and control panel cluster to malfunction. The vehicle has also stalled without warning. This could possibly be caused by water leaking into the vehicle through the luggage rack where it connects to the vehicle per a service dealer.
While closing the sliding door, it broke. *ak when the consumer pulled the door handle to open the door, it had come back to the point that the consumer was unable to release it and the resistance did not make it stop, the consumer was still in her seat belt and due to such force not being able to release the door, the consumer broke her arm above the wrist. *scc *jb pe04064.pco
We have had the auto slider door (rt side) fail 3 times. The first time in nov 2001, the door would not close, so my wife had to drive with the door open to take to the dealer 15 miles away. The mechanism was hanging out the outside track! The second failure occurred aug 9, 2002 when the door would not open. Took it to the dealer, and picked it up aug 10 around 10am. The door was opened/closed about 7 times between aug 10 and morning of aug 13, when the door failed again and could not be opened! I contacted gm customer service on aug 9 and again aug 13th. We have also had ongoing problem with seat belt at seat behind rt side psr seat. We had total failure and the part was on back order for over 2 months! Finally, a mechanic said he took part from a lot vehicle and replaced it. About a month ago the belt began working intermittently. We took it in aug 9 for seat belt as well, and of course, the part is once again on back order. This vehicle has serious safety questions concerning this sliding door and seat belt. Inablility to get in/out of this vehicle when necessary is a great concern and risk to my family.
This accident happened in a rental car through national car rental in ft. Lauderdale, fl. My wrist was broken in this incident which I believe was caused by the automatic motorized door which was slow to kick in and by the large handle/lever on the door which you must pull to engage the motor. I was a passenger in the back seat on rt. Side by automatic motorized sliding door strapped into my seat belt. We were parked and ready to get out. I grabbed lever to open the door. Lever is supposed to engage the motor but the motor did not start so I pulled back some more and it opened about another foot or so and still did not engage the motor. On the third pull the motor suddenly engaged but the position of my hand around this large lever and the fact that my elbow was backed against the back of the seat, it was impossible to extricate my hand. The door, with my hand around the lever, dragged backwards until it snapped my wrist in half. I incurred a right distal radial fracture and being right handed and an artist and art teacher it has been difficult to say the least. I feel that the design of the sliding door handle is a hazard and should be considered for a recall. Other automatic sliding doors on other minivans tend to have a button or a small handle that would not catch the hand and drag it backwards causing injury. I wondered if I was the only person to whom this happened. The rental company had chevy inspectors check the door and said it worked fine but for the entire trip the door never engaged the motor without great stregnth and several pulls. It was very sluggish. Thank you for your time. I know it is just a minor injury but it happened to me and I do not want this to happen to anyone else. Pe04064.pco
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 2001 Chevrolet Venture door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2001 Chevrolet Venture?
6 of 222 owner complaints about the 2001 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 2001 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 2001 Chevrolet Venture
Overheating 17Check engine light 11Wipers 11No deployment 8Stalling 7Fuel leak 6Slipping 6Fuel gauge 5Headlights 5Seat belt 5Tire blowout 5Transmission failure 5
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