What breaks most · 1990 to 2003 model years
Chevrolet Chevy Van problems by year
Owners have filed 86 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Chevy Van across model years 1990 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2001 for air bags complaints, 1997 for engine and cooling complaints and 1999 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 1990 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 1997, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 1990, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 861990 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200113 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 93 fires · 14 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Interior Lighting (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 10 | 3 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 11 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 13 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (3) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (2) |
What fails on the 2001 Chevrolet Chevy Van
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 23% |
3 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 15% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 15% |
2 | 1 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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When traveling 40 or more mph vehicle would sway/wander across the road severely. Vehicle been taken to dealer's shop on four occasions, and dealer was unable to correct the problem. Feel free to provide any further information. *ak
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My van started making a strange crunching sound. I was told by a local repair shop that the catalytic converter is cracked inside. It needs to be replaced.
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Vehicle skips time or misfires first told was due to spark plugs wires , then distributor gears broke and embedded in cam shaft 4000 miles later same problem now saying cam shaft bent 2800.00 to replace already spent close to 2000.00 also transmission shifts hard between 1 & 2nd was told to have rebuilt. *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Chevy Van years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 1997, 1999 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Chevy Van. The 2001 alone has 13 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Chevrolet Chevy Van problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 3 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Chevy Van problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Chevy Van complaints that include mileage is about 79,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.