2004 Chevrolet Express Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Express years
- More complaints than other years 10th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Express. That ranks 10th out of 31 Express model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is seat belts (3 complaints, 14%), typically at around 98,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 2 fires. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 21owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Chevrolet Express problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 3 | 14% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 14% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 14% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 10% | 148,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 10% | 15,063 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 10% | 83,950 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 10% | 129,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 5% | 34,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 5% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 5% | 205,765 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 5% | 36,117 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 5% | 33,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Chevrolet Express recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:filler pipe and cap
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with a left side cargo door, and originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Water and road contaminants may become trapped in the protective conduit that covers the fuel filler pipe and may cause the pipe to corrode.
Risk: Significant corrosion may allow fuel to leak during refueling, and in the presence of an ignition source; there is an increased risk of fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new fuel filler neck, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 1, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Seat belts
Problem: On certain full-size passenger, cargo, or cutaway vans, the front and rear seat belt buckles will not latch or will not unlatch.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the buckles and, if found to be inoperative, the entire buckle assembly would be replaced. For buckles found to be operative, dealer will replace only the upper buckle cover. The recall will be conducted in phases. The first phase mailing began during march 2006. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Service brakes, hydraulic
Problem: Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator may crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
Risk: If a separation occurred and the hood of the vehicle were open, fragments from the accumulator could cause injury to people in the immediate area. The presence of this crack or fractured surface could allow the hydraulic fluid to leak from the accumulator circuit of the booster assembly. The loss of fluid would cause increased steering and braking effort and a crash may occur without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge. The recall began on march 23, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc trucks at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift
Problem: Certain vans were built with a transmission shift cable assembly that may separate. If the cable assembly separates, the transmission shift lever position and the transmission indicator may no longer correlate.
Risk: If this were to occur, the vehicle could move in a direction not anticipated by the driver, which could result in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the transmission shift cable assembly, and if necessary, replace it. The recall began on august 19, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Seat belts:front:buckle assembly
Problem: Certain vans fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." these vehicles may have been produced with seat belt buckle assemblies containing a latch with a brittle condition that may not withstand the force requirements of the standard.
Risk: The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, which could result in injury to the occupant.
Fix: Dealers will replace the safety belt buckle. The recall beagn may 7, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Service brakes, hydraulic
Problem: Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
Risk: Consequently, the valve o-ring seal may fracture. Steering efforts may be slightly increased while braking or parking. Under certain driving conditions, a fractured seal may require a slight increase in the applied brake pedal effort to achieve the same vehicle deceleration rate as prior to the seat fracture.
Fix: Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on june 18, 2004. Owners should contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; gmc at 1-866-996-9463; or hummer at 1-866-486-6376.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Hydraulic pump failres (EA04012) — opened Apr 30, 2004, closed Feb 28, 2005, led to recall 05V005000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V388000. I have this problem. A leaking fuel line due to corrosion. I drive in the Cascade MT's of Washington state. my line now leaks excessively on fill up.
This vehicle was sold for use over US highways, as "repairable condition". After going to a mechanic shop, I was advised, because of sever rust the rear leaf spring hangers were completely rusted thru, the rear axle assembly could come off or the frame could break in half, by just going over say, a…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express. While the vehicle was stationary, fuel spilled onto the ground. It was diagnosed that the filler neck was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 148,000. Updated 04/11/2017*js
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet express. While the vehicle was parked the rear driver's side window fell out of place. The contact stated that all the windows on the vehicle were loose. There no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was…
The van was parked in my driveway stationary. It caught fire and proceeded to burn completely for unknown reasons. The website states this vin number is not included in any recalls but the vehicle type has a recall listed that states it could be a fire hazard.
Other Chevrolet Express years
← 2003 Express · 2005 Express →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Express | 0 | 3 |
| 2025 Express | 0 | 4 |
| 2024 Express | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 Express | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 Express | 13 | 2 |
| 2020 Express | 17 | 1 |
| 2019 Express | 8 | 4 |
| 2018 Express | 11 | 6 |
| 2017 Express | 21 | 6 |
| 2016 Express | 15 | 6 |
| 2015 Express | 8 | 3 |
| 2014 Express | 14 | 7 |
| 2013 Express | 22 | 8 |
| 2012 Express | 13 | 6 |
| 2011 Express | 12 | 5 |
| 2010 Express | 15 | 5 |
| 2009 Express | 10 | 7 |
| 2008 Express | 14 | 10 |
| 2007 Express | 17 | 4 |
| 2006 Express | 12 | 16 |
| 2005 Express | 23 | 8 |
| 2004 | 21 | 6 |
| 2003 Express | 59 | 10 |
| 2002 Express | 55 | 0 |
| 2001 Express | 45 | 2 |
| 2000 Express | 84 | 1 |
| 1999 Express | 68 | 1 |
| 1998 Express | 23 | 1 |
| 1997 Express | 29 | 1 |
| 1996 Express | 15 | 2 |
| 1995 Express | 1 | 0 |
See all Chevrolet Express problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Chevrolet Express?
Owners most often report seat belts, service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, seat belts, accounts for 3 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Chevrolet Express?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Chevrolet Express a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Express model years, the 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.