NHTSA Complaint #10286848 — 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE

OUR 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE'S INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAS FAILED, ALLOWING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE OIL. WE STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH IT IN JANUARY 2007. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WE TOOK IT IN TO OUR MECHANIC. HE CHECKED THE COOLING SYSTEM AND FOUND THE THERMOSTAT WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IT WAS REPLACED. IN JUNE 2008, WE NOTICED A LOSS OF COOLANT. WE TOOK IT IN TO OUR MECHANIC AGAIN. HE DID A COOLANT SYSTEM CHECK AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG, REPLACED POSSIBLE LEAKING HOSE. ONCE AGAIN WE WERE LOSING COOLANT. WE TOOK INTO OUR MECHANIC AGAIN (THIRD TIMES A CHARM). COULD FINE NOTHING WRONG WITH COOLING SYSTEM, DID DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND A LEAK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. WE HAD NO WARNING, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NO OVER HEATING SINCE EARLIER TIME. THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THE COOLANT WAS GOING INSIDE THE ENGINE, NO OUTSIDE LEAKING TO WARN US. THE CAR STALLED AND DIED ON US, LUCKILY IT WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT IF I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY GOING 65. IT HAS BEEN PARKED AT MY HOUSE, NON-OP WITH DMV. GM HAS ADMITTED TO ME DURING MORE THAN ONE CALL THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR SOME TIME, BUT REFUSE TO FIX IT. THEY SAY THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE NHTSA TO PUT OUT A MANDATORY RECALL BEFORE THEY WILL FIX ANY PROBLEMS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE 3.1LL AND 3.4L V-6 ENGINES WERE PUT IN ALL BODY TYPES AND DIFFERENT GM MAKES AND MODELS. NOW SOME V-8'S AND NEWER MODELS ARE COMING DOWN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO INTERNAL MEMO'S FROM GM, THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2000. DEX-COOL SEEMS TO BE THE CULPRIT. IT IS A KNOWN PLASTICIZER (SOFTENS PLASTIC) AND IS CORROSIVE TO ALUMINUM. THE GASKET ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND THE SOME OF THE MANIFOLDS AND OR PARTS ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM. DEX-COOL DEGRADES HOSES, GASKETS AND ALSO RUSTS ALUMINUM, CAUSING A SLUDGE TO BUILD UP INTO THE ENGINE. WHY WOULD ANY ONE PUT THIS CORROSIVE MATERIAL INTO AN ENGINE ON PURPOSE? *TR