NHTSA Complaint #10010767 — 1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE

I HAD MY VAN IN THE SHOP BECAUSE MY HEATER QUIT WORKING. THE THERMOSTAT WAS CHANGED. WHEN I GOT THE VAN BACK THE HEATER DIDN'T WORK AND BY THE NEXT MORNING THE COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. THEIR WEREN'T ANY EXTERNAL LEAKS NOTED. I TOOK IT BACK INTO THE SHOP AND HE RAN SOME CHECKS AND HE STATED THAT IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND THAT THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY. HE ALSO SAID THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MOST GM ENGINES. NOW MY VAN IS PARKED AND I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE IT. IT IS KNOCKING REAL LOUD AND I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO THE VAN EVENTUALLY CATCHING ON FIRE. MY VAN HAD BEEN IN THE CHEVROLET SHOP SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AND IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH. I WAS TOLD THAT THE LIGHT WAS ON BECAUSE THE GAS CAP WASN'T ON TIGHT. MY VAN IS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY AT @ 82,000 MILES. I HEAR THAT THE GASKET IN QUESTION IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER DO THE EXCESS AMOUNT OF GM VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *NLM