AI Damage1999 Chevrolet Venture: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Chevrolet Venture filed 349 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 349
- involving a crash
- 22
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 33% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 10% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 4% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 114 complaints (33% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 40 complaints (11% of all), 12 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 36 complaints (10% of all).
- Visibility: 32 complaints (9% of all).
- Powertrain: 30 complaints (9% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.4 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 12 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 349 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 114 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 40 | 12 | 0 |
| Structure | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 30 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Equipment | 9 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The seat belt was worn, and the airbag warning light was not illuminated prior to the incident. A police report was taken and pictures were available. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop, and was deemed totaled. Updated 1/26/2007 -
Just a couple of months after this repair which cost me over $1,000.00 my car suddenly stalled in heavy traffic on route 22 on my way to work. I managed to get it to the shoulder before it stopped rolling despite losing power and called my mechanic.
1 inch of sludge in engine, lost of coolant, the engine pinging and knocking, steering and brakes locked up which caused the accident while driving. We changed the oil pump, oil connecting rod, spark plugs, spark plug wires, coils and still engine is broken. Started with coolant in the oil.
While driving at 45 mph vehicle in front of consumer's vehicle came to a complete stop, causing it to rear end the other vehicle. Upon impact, driver seat track and anchorage came unattached.
Consumer called complaining about the back middle seat belt. She states that the past saturday nov.09.2002 she was almost involved on a front collision and her child was seating on the back middle seat on a car seat and when she step into the brakes the seat belt unbuckle and the child was thrown into the front of the…
I bounced off wall, and got knocked into it again. The inpack was so bad, it knocked my engine out, but yet not neither one of my airbags popped. I would really like to know why?
Purchased 1999 venture and after a couple thousand miles air bag light illuminated. Dealer was notified and mechanic stated there was a malfunction with air bag sensors and wiring harness. Dealer replaced belt, safety front (buckle side).
Another vehicle struck driver on side of consumer's car, and seatbelt behind passenger didn't hold ccs or child in place, seat flew backwards, and child landed on hands and knees. Jack for changing tires also came out of compartment in back of truck.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,157 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Venture has 195 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 349, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Chevrolet Venture?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, structure. Total complaints: 349. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (7%), airbag warning light (6%), knocking, grinding or other noise (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Chevrolet Venture?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Chevrolet Venture from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
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 2026-11-05.