Total Complaints
10 filings
CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500 · model year
10 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002CHEVROLETEXPRESS 1500 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 EXPRESS 1500 is tires with 2 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2002 EXPRESS 1500, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
10 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| TIRES | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 1 |
| SEATS | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 |
| VISIBILITY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
EQUIPMENT
CERTAIN HONEYWELL FRAM RACING BRAND HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 25, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, AND SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES LIST ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FILTERS ARE MARKED WITH A DATE CODE A61451 THROUGH A72571 SEQUENTIALLY. THE DATE CODE AN
REAR SEAT BELTS FAIL TO LOCK MY VEHICLE IS A CONVERSION VAN BUILT BY DEBUT IN SAGINAW MICHIGAN. RECENTLY MY GRANDCHILDREN NOTICED THAT THE REAR SEAT BELTS FAILED TO LOCK. THOSE BELTS ARE ON THE SEAT/BED UNIT. THE SEAT BELTS HAVE THE NAME ATWOOD MOBILE PRODUCTS ON THEM. I INSPECTED THE SEAT BELTS AND DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC COATING ON THE MALE END OF THE BELT PREVENTED THE MECHANISM FROM PROPERLY LOCKING IN PLACE. I CUT ENOUGH OF THE PLASTIC COATING OFF TO ALLOW THE ENDS TO PROPERLY LOCK IN PLACE. THEY WORK FINE NOW. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY BE MANY MORE VANS WITH SEAT BELTS THAT DO NOT PROPERLY LOCK IN PLACE.
TIRES HAD MORE THAN 50% TREAD LEFT. RIGHT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY STARTED SHAKING THE VEHICLE. DETERMINED BELT HAD BROKE. TIRE DEALER ALSO SAID OTHER FRONT TIRE WAS GOING BAD. A FEW MILES LATER ON A BUSY HIGHWAY READ TIRE SPLIT OPEN . PERFORMANCE TIRE OF TOPEKA AND COOPER TIRE COMPANY WOULD NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENT FOR AN OBVIOUS DEFECT. (3 OUT OF 4 TIRES BREAKING WITHIN A WEEK). *TR
Mileage: 105,000
BRAKES FAILED WITH NO WARNING. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BRAKE LINES BURST DUE TO RUSTING.
Mileage: 105,235
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY BOTH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A PLASTIC INTAKE GASKET LEAK. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE CONTACT HAD NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000.
Mileage: 50,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE VEHICLE HAS COOPER COBRA RADIAL TIRES, SIZE P255\70R15 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED WITHOUT WARNING ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE TIRE WAS CHANGED AND THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO HIS DESTINATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT TIRE COMPANY REPLACED THE TIRE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS CONTINUOUSLY LOW. THE FAILURE MILEAGE, VIN, AND DOT NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN.
SIDE DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE WELL UNLESS DOOR IS SLAMMED. THIS IS BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR HAS MADE THE DOOR LEAN DOWNWARD. *TR
Mileage: 37,000
DRIVERS SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR VIBRATES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE LEARNED TO LIVE WITH IT BUT I'VE HAD THE PROBLEM SINCE LATE 2002, WHEN THE CAR WAS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. *TR
Mileage: 10,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. THE SEAT BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE SEAT TO THE TRACK CONSTANTLY BREAK, WHICH CAUSES THE SEAT TO BECOME OFF TRACK. THE SEAT HAS BEEN REPAIRED TWICE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTS. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT OFFERED ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37,474. UPDATED 02-19-08 *BF
Mileage: 26,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1500. IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, THE CONTACT NOTICED A LEAK IN THE BACK OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AS A RESULT, HE HAS TO CONSTANTLY ADD ANTIFREEZE TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,400 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
Mileage: 28,000
TWO WEEKS AGO OUR 4 YEAR OLD 1500 EXPRESS VAN, A CONVERSION VAN, DEVELOPED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE STICKER PRICE WAS OVER $55,000. THE MILEAGE IS 42,000 MILES. WHEN THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE OVER $3,000, IT PROMPTED ME TO CALL GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE RESULT WAS APPROXIMATELY $500 OFF OF THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR, OR A $1,000 BUY OUT TO BE APPLIED TO A PURCHASE OF A NEW GM VEHICLE. THE REASON WE DECIDED TO PURCHASE OUR SECOND CHEVY VAN WAS BECAUSE WE HAD VERY GOOD LUCK WITH OUR 1998 VAN. I USE THE WORD LUCKY INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT EITHER YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A GM PRODUCT WORK SATISFACTORILY, OR YOU END UP WITH AN UNREASONABLE PROBLEM/COST. OUR CURRENT VAN HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM HAVING DIED ON COUNTRY ROADS AT 39,000 MILES. THE COST OF THAT REPAIR WAS OVER $600. TODAY, AS I MENTIONED, WE WERE LOOKING A REPAIR COST OF OVER $3,000. ALL PROBLEMS INCURRED WITH NORMAL USAGE (NO TOWING, ONLY LONG TRIPS, AND REGULAR 3000 MILE OIL CHAN
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.