Faults:

Few mechanical problems, but the interior design was not well thought out.

Bad Placement:

1. Cup Holder in front of CD player. Potential for injury.

2. Door lock button right next to driver's knee.

3. Front Passenger leg room is non-existent.

4. Cruise Control and Windshield wipers are conjoined on the turn signal lever, thus you may try to put on the cruise, and get the wipers instead.

General Comments:

It has enough room inside for anything I've ever needed to move.

I like that the seats can be removed so easily.

Faults:

I have a 99 Astro Van.

It has had 3 driver side window motors, 2 passenger side motors, and 2 sets of power mirror motors.

The vent control switch had broken 3 times under the hood, due to the engine heat cracking the plastic vacuum line.

It wears tires at 30000 miles, and they're not cheap tires; I buy name brand.

The air conditioning line rubbed on the cylinder head, leading to the rear air unit, and all the coolant leaked out; what a pain that was to change.

Oh yeah, did I mention GM replaced the entire rear differential and axles, plus bearings and races; 2100 dollars.

Rust in the cooling system continues to be a problem; at this very moment it is sitting in my driveway awaiting a water pump and thermostat and heater core flush.

The engine runs great; if you hit the gas it runs very fast, it is just all the other components that are just complete junk.

General Comments:

But believe it or not, I still generally like it somewhat; it does not have one spot of rust on her and it sits outside year round. Once I get the water pump done, I'll keep her another two years. What do I have to lose now?

Faults:

Severe drive line problems at 20,000 miles.

Constant problems with the All Wheel Drive system, driveshafts, sensors, encoder motors etc.

Poor fit and finish. Interior parts began falling off as we left the dealer lot.

Excessive wear on front brake pads and tires-poorly designed system.

General Comments:

I liked the idea of a van based on a truck frame. Because the overall quality of the vehicle was so poor, I will never know if the concept was a good one.

Faults:

No real problems so far.

The passenger side window motor is dying.

General Comments:

Not the best for handling, but a surprisingly peppy acceleration for the size of the engine. Drive with a light foot and gets decent gas mileage. Great for trips, but doesn't handle well at highway speeds.

Faults:

We we first got the van we had the driveline/AWD shudder. There was a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) regarding it and GM changed the transfer case fluid to a synthetic. After that, we have had no problems with the van. Just normal maintenance, oil, tires, brakes.

General Comments:

Great van, lots of room for family of 5. Nice cruiser on interstate. Its built on the old Chevrolet S10/Blazer platform and shares the engine and AWD. No leaks, uses little to no oil, tires always wear evenly. 20MPG on interstate. Its boxy and not much to look at, but, it sure knows its place. Goes in snow better than my Subaru (probably due to weight). Rear AC is highly recommended and works very good. Wish GM had factory installed TV and wireless headphones for it. Supposedly 2004 is the last year, so, get one now!

Faults:

Both power widow motors failed.

The water pump started leaking @95000mi

alternator@ 75000mi.

General Comments:

This van is not "mini" its very roomy inside. It can tow 6500lbs, from the fact that it's built on a truck platform, has a powerfull v6 and enough weight to tow safely. The brakes are too weak for this size of vehicle. G.M. should have detected this shortcoming. But the great thing about this van is, it's not a car, dosen't handle like one, can fit more people than one and will never ride like one. Car drivers should look elsewhere. As always ROUTINE MAINTENANCE is the key to longevity.