AI DamageChevrolet Truck M/L VAN reliability: problems, complaints, recalls
Summary for the Chevrolet Truck M/L VAN across 1 model years: 166 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 166 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Equipment 74% of all complaints
- 2 Visibility 11% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 2% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 2% of all complaints
- 6 Parking brake 1% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 1% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 1% of all complaints
- Equipment: 123 complaints (74% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 19 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (2% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (2% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 166 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 123 | 6 | 0 |
| Visibility | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Brake failure on june 21 2017, caused accident same accident on november 17 2017 and again on september 1 2019. I have had the truck in shop to be fixed numerous times... Abs sensor in front right wheel was supposedly bad. It did not fix problem bc 3 rd accident happened weeks after.
Driver side airbag did not deploy during crash. Vehicle impact was on the front. A fatality occurred during this crash. (passenger in other vehicle) point of impact was front of silverado into passenger side of other vehicle.
2012 malibu loses power steering and esc light comes on. Very dangerous. Don't think 2012 malibu is covered under recall 15356, but it should be . People will die ... Probably already have.
Windshield wipers will stop working when they have been on for more then 5 to 10 minutes. I have friends who have had the same problem with different year models.
I know of several owners thus affected, and they have had to have their cars towed. Gm has known about this problem but has refused to issue a recall and fix the protential problems; they are handling each one individually to save money.
Replacing intake gaskets for 2nd time. 1st time at 55000 mi, 2nd at 85000 mi. Not aware of engine damage as of yet. Numerous complaints on this situation. Gm should be responsible for defect. Consumers need gov't to step in to pressure gm into resolving this situation.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.