We bought the van used from a dealership about a year ago. The van was fine at first but a couple of months after we bought the van the fuel gauge fluctuated. The fuel gauge was at half, it went to empty then full and back to half, all in one motion. I thought it was odd but never had a fuel gauge do that to me before. After that the fuel gauge would fluctuate periodically but would always go back to were it was before it fluctuated. We figured as long as it went back to were it was before it fluctuated then we would just deal with it. Boy, were we stupid for thinking that it wasn't going to get worse. It eventually got worse and now it reads full(but its not) and just out of nowhere goes to empty and the fuel light comes on. Just last week the fuel gauge read empty, we put $50 worth of fuel in the van. The gauge read full, we did some running around town(we live in a small town) so we couldn't have used much fuel. We went home and was going to leave again a few hours later and when we started the van and got down the road, the fuel gauge went to empty immediately. Its frustrating that the fuel gauge doesn't display correctly. My wife usually drives the van and I don't want her to run out of gas and get stranded somewhere. I've been reading a lot about this problem on the internet and I was just wondering how many people does it have to affect to warrant a recall by gm? Does someone have to get hurt or killed before something gets done? Have always bought gm vehicles(never had any issues) but it doesn't make any sense if gm knew about the problem and decided to do nothing. Now were stuck paying 3 more years on a van that doesn't operate properly. We don't have the money to trade it in for something else and don't have the money to get it fixed. Very frustrating!
2004 Chevrolet Venture electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 37 of 37, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The speedometer started acting sporadic not registering speed accurately then stopped working all together also the gas gauge does not register at all since the problem began .the low fuel light does operate as of right now.I have read that alot of venture owners have this problem it is avery expensive repair 500 just for the parts.
We have a 2004 venture. The speedometer started being erratic for a time, followed by the temperature gauge, and the gas gauge. Now none of them work. The speedometer is stuck on 45 MPH, the gas is over full (straight down) but sometimes moves around at the bottom, but it generally has nothing to do with whether or not I have put gas into the van. The temperature gauge points down and to the left. None of the cluster has worked in over 2 years. I don't understand why this has not been recalled considering the amount of people that I have heard had the same issue.
February 2009 - beginning of instrument cluster panel failure - gas gauge not functioning. Have documentation at mileage 72,512. Consequence - forced to fill up at every gas purchase and track mileage until time for next fill up for over two years. Never knew for certain how much gas was in the tank - very stressful. November 2010 - continuing cluster panel failure - speedometer malfunctioning until completely out by january 2011. Consequence - unable to tell speed - unwilling to drive the vehicle long distances and full concentration required to judge speeds by other traffic. Taken in march 2011 to local dealer, [xxx], for replacement of cluster panel at my expense of over $550.00 - before I agreed to pay for the repair they assured me that they would flag the old panel for diagnosis into the reason gauges failed as they would be sending it to gm to be rebuilt and resold. They would not give the old one to me unless I paid them for it. The report that I was consequently given of the cause for gauge failures was that the speedometer was stuck at 100 MPH and gas gauge was stuck on empty. I wrote a letter to gm executive and was advised that they would be reimbursing me for no part of the repair cost. I was also told that they had no way of tracking my old panel as I was told by the dealer. I had done extensive research into defective stepper motors and class action lawsuits resulting in partial recalls and knew that they were performing a cover up of other models that were effected. That is why they were not cooperative in determining the cause of my gauge failures. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2004 chevrolet venture temperature gauge suddenly reads hot. The gauge will not reset. The engine is not hot or running hot. No history of front damage. Van was purchased new and I am the only owner. Problem just started 2 weeks ago during a 5 hour trip. 96,479 miles. Will also complain about water in the head lights. Started around 45k. Have burnt out several bulbs. Poor design, but will known problem for gm.
2004 chevrolet venture. Temperature gauge stopped working, was giving erratic readings, the needle dropped to the bottom of the guage. The needle now operates in reverse, like a mirror image if it was working properly. About a month later, the speedometer gauge stopped working, the needle dropped to the bottom right and stayed there. Currently speed and temp. Gauge not working. Fuel gauge is still operational.
Gas gauge and temperature gauge do not register at all on my 2004 chevy venture. Had fuel pump replaced as I thought that was initial problem, but then I was told I had an instrument cluster problem.
The temp gauge in my 2004 chevy venture shows to be hot all the time, although my mechanic says the vehicle is not overheating. Now the check brake fluid light is on and my mechanic says the brakes and brake fluid are fine. Both problems are being attributed to a possible instrument panel defecy.
The day after thanksgiving I got in my van and drove to peoria which is about 20 from the city I live in. I went shopping for a few hours and when I came back out I turned my van on and it would not heat up. I noticed the temperature gauge was past halfway heading towards hot. I sat there for about 20 minutes with everything turned off. I turned the van on again and it seems that the temperature unit was stuck and had come unstuck. I was able to drive home. Two weeks later I was driving home from work and noticed that the temperature gauge was almost to hot. I pulled over and could not get it to go down. In the end I had to have it towed and worked on. I had the temperature sensor changed, the water filter and the thermometer. I got in my van last night to find out that the temperature sensor is still reading beyond hot. I drove it not even a mile and it was saying the van was extremely hot. I have 3 little children and I'm also a single mom. What is going on with the temperature gauge? Has there been a recall on this? I'm still driving my van since I have to work and have no other options. I would like to know if my van is actually over heating or not. Help!
All 3 of my gauges are intermittently malfunctioning, starting with the temperature gauge and progressing to the fuel gauge and finally the speedometer. They give erroneous readings and often don't reset to zero when turning off the key.
I have a 2004 chevy venture van and my temp gauge and gas gauge are not working correctly, never know how much gas I really have and don't know if my van is over heating, the gauge is pointing down and won't reset to cold position. I went on line to research and found many people with the same type van with same problem with the cluster panel,I feel this should be investigated for a recall since there are so many case, and it is quite expensive to repair.
Last summer I noticed my temperature gage was going over to the hot mark while I was driving along. I pay close attention to my gauges at all times,I have 3 daughters with me at all times. I pulled over at a rest area and let it sit a while. 45 minutes later it was still on the hot as soon as I turned the key. My husband took it to our mechanic and he said the air conditioning coil may be clogged and he repaired it. Was ok for a few days and then it was right back to hot. I had the temp. Gauge sensor replaced in dec.09 and that hasn't helped.my engine is not hot but my fear is,with my daughters in the car and not knowing if or when it really is getting hot. It stays on hot even if thereis no air or heat on and it can sit in my drive for 2 days and when I start it,it goes straight to hot,and past the red part.
The temperature gauge sticks once in a while. I was told that it's something in the gauges and to replace the entire thing which was quoted at $500 installed...nope I will live with it I guess.
2004 chevy venture - gas gauge jumps wildly , gives inaccurate readings. Doesn't seem associated with the fuel pump sending unit. Appears to be electrically shorting, as when it park it will bounce up and down and it just seems as some sort of current problem.. Started 1 year ago. To know the fuel level, we track the mileage manually.
2004 chevy venture. Fuel and temp gauges showing false readings. During a long cross country drive speedo started giving false readings making it hard to drive in traffic. Gauge bounces or sticks in one position or shows incorrect speeds.
I own a 2004 chevrolet venture ls. Recently the speedometer began malfunctioning. The needle on the speedometer will jump, not return to zero when stopped, or will stay stuck at a previous speed. The speedometer is currently not working at all. I have purchased a leading repair manual and followed the troubleshooting guide which lead me to replace the vss (vehicle speed sensor). This did not fix the problem. After hours of research and speaking to several mechanics, I have found that this is a rather common defect in the actual gauge cluster. Also, I have found that there is a rather large number of venture owners that have this same issue. Because the anti-theft system runs through the speedometer, a new gauge cluster must be re-programmed by the dealer making it almost impossible to fix the problem myself at a reasonable price. I feel that because this is a very common problem with the chevrolet venture that gm should recall the defective gauges and fix the problem. Furthermore, I believe that this is a potential safety issue because the driver has no way of monitoring their speed in normal or hazardous driving conditions. Also, based on my research I have found that the speedometer is the beginning of more problems related to the other gauges such as the fuel gauge and temperature gauge. The cruise control system could be affected also because it uses information from the vss and the speedometer reading. An improper reading on the speedometer could cause a malfunction in the cruise control system resulting in an accident. I use this vehicle daily to transport my children to and from school and other family activities so safety is extremely important. Certainly I am relying on the advise and expertise of ase certified mechanics, my local chevrolet dealer, and other disappointed chevy owners. I would like chevrolet and gm to take a look at this issue, and if necessary, correct the problem. Thank you for you time and attention in this matter.
Chevrolet ventures seem to have an electrical problem affecting the right side (from the driver's perspective). I've noticed a lot with the driving lights out on that side, after I started having problems with my own. I've replaced the bulb in the front as well as in the back multiple times. Within a month or so, the bulbs are blown out again. The right side blinkers don't work in the front or the back after a month or so after they're replaced. Recently, I turned on the brights and the lights went out all together. We've had this van for 4 years and this has been an ongoing issue.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet venture. While driving approximately 60 MPH on normal road conditions, the speedometer and temperature gauges displayed inaccurate readings regardless of the speed being traveled. The failures occurred without warning. An independent mechanic stated that the cause of the failure was related to the instrument panel cluster, which required replacement. The vehicle has not been repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 80,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet venture. The contact stated that the instrument cluster works randomly. The speedometer is not registering the correct speed and the dial becomes stuck at extremely low or high speeds. On occasion, the speedometer will work temporarily if the engine is turned off and restarted. The temperature gauge also works at random and does not indicate the correct temperature in the vehicle. The dealer stated that the instrument cluster was the cause of the failure. Other chevrolet models have been recalled, but not the venture. The instrument cluster has not been repaired. The contact believes the failure is due to a manufacturer defect and that they should be responsible for the repair. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet venture. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the passenger side door slid open without warning. The contact's child was seated next to the door at the time of the failure. She pulled over to the side of the road to shut the door, but it would not close. An hour later, the door was able to close. The dealer was notified and stated that the sensor board needed to be cleaned. The repairs were not performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls relating to her vehicle. The current mileage was 160,000 and failure mileage was 155,000.
Cluster gauge not working properly. First while my husband was driving it looked as if the temp. Gauge was showing it was over heating. Further evaluation showed the cluster gauge was malfunctioning. A few months later while waiting for a replacement the speedometer has also began to either stop working or jumps around as if it is also malfunctioning.
We currently own a 2004 chevrolet venture. The van has 58,000 miles at this time. The speedometer started jumping quickly on acceleration and deacceleration. From this it went to reading incorrectly and now has fallen down and will not read at all. We have not done anything to correct the problem at this time. However we were informed by a dealership that this was a problem on some of the chevrolet trucks. We were told to wait and it might be placed on a recall list.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet venture with 65000 miles. The contact stated that the circuit board was bad on both sides of the vehicle, which caused the brake lights to fail. The contact replaced the brake lights four times, and has had four different mechanics checking at the vehicle, and they advised the contact of the same problem.
2004 chevrolet, venture, 65000 miles, the coolant temperature gauge started to function erratically, then it just goes up even passed the red markings on the indicator. I have replaced the coolant temperature sending unit(sensor), the thermostat, checked all the grounding to the PCM but everything it's good. Still the temperature gauge just resets when I open and close the ignition lock. I will be taking this to the local dealership for a diagnostic on the PCM.
Dt: contact stated on 10-15-05 while driving the contact approached a stop sign , pressed down on the brake pedal and the vehicle had no brakes. The vehicle was towed to a dealership, where they replaced the master cylinder and the electrical system. The vehicle had no problems until 11-05-05 while pulling into a driveway she applied the brakes, and the brakes were not working. She had the vehicle towed to a different dealership, where they replaced the brake lines. On 11-12-05 she took the vehicle to another dealership to have it inspected, and the dealership told her the brake lines were hanging and there was no conduit on the brake lines .the dealership made the repairs .the vehicle is still under warranty.
Consumer feels that problems developed with the 2004 chevrolet venture should be covered under warranty.*mr the consumer received a recall letter on about july 1, 2005. The consumer contacted the chevrolet assistance center who informed him that the repairs should be covered under warranty. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the service manager refused to perform the repairs under warranty. Keyless entry system, no flashing light and inoperative horn were the problem the consumer complained of. Unsure which of these components was recalled.
While driving and turning vehicle stalled. Driver restarted the vehicle, and took it to the dealer for inspection. However, mechanic could not duplicate the problem.
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