1999 PONTIAC Montana

We purchased our 1999 Montana in February of 2002. The vehicle had 49K miles on it at the time of purchase and unfortunately we made the mistake of not purchasing the extended warranty. (Who would have thought that later on down the road we\’d be sorry that we didn\’t?) 2 or 3 days after bringing it home from the dealership, while driving down a local highway the low coolant light came on so we took it to our personal mechanic immediately (we were only minutes from his shop.) When we told him what was going on he opened the oil filler cap under the hood and diagnosed the problem right away. The intake gasket leaked causing Dex cool to seep into the oil. From there we took the van up the road to the dealership where we purchased it and we insisted that they fix the problem at their cost. The service department manager told us to drive it home and bring it back in a few days, but he could not guarantee that the work would be covered under the 30 day limited warranty that we were given. We refused to drive the vehicle another inch until it was fixed properly, threatened to give the vehicle back if they didn\’t pay for the repairs, and insisted that they set us up with a rental until the work was completed. After butting heads with them for

This car has been problems for me since 2000 until present.I am very dissatisified with it. I depend on this car faithfully in transporting my kids to and from school.When I first purchase this van I inform everyone how much I like it. Now what can I tell them with all the problems that I’ve had with it. I would rather have a quality minivan to support my family needs. Than to continue spending monies that are not readily available to me. I feel that pontiac should be responsible for some of the cost if not all of the cost. And inconviences that it has cause me and my family.

THERE IS A DEFECTIVE INTAKE GASKET ON 3.4L ENGINES THAT ARE INSTALLED IN MANY OF THE GM MODELS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY NUMEROUS REPAIR SHOPS AND A SERVICE MANAGER AT A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP THAT HE REPLACES ABOUT 1 OR 2 A DAY AND CAN’T BELIEVE THAT GM HASN’T BEEN FORCED INTO A RECALL. THERE HAS BEEN 2 TO 3 UPDATES SINCE 1999 IN AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT PROBLEM. THE NEW PART # THAT WAS INSTALLED IN MY ENGINE IS 89017279. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE AGAINST GM IN THIS MATTER?? I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE ROYAL RUNAROUND BETWEEN GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THE VAN FROM IN APRIL 2003.

There are so many repairs..It would take me a month to gather them all. The biggest ones were the head gasket and the lower intake gasket. 1600.00 and 763.43The windshield leaked from the first rain the car encountered…it took 3 trys to get it to stop leaking all the time.2 different CO detectors were replaced….for approx. 600.00 in repair costs.

The temperature guage keeps bouncing back from normal to overheating in a matter of minutes and it was leaking coolant. The water pump was suppose to be the problem, we replaced it but it keeps getting very hot. Now they are saying it may be the thermostat.

The last 4 cars I have owned have been GM vehicles. I have tried hard to be loyal, when in Dec. 1998, my 1992 Olds Achieve blew it\’s head gasket at 86,665 miles. A defect that was so common on Quad-4 engines in these vehicles that many were recalled to be fized, before 75,000 miles……I didn\’t know until after….by 11,000 miles!! The total job cost me $1681USDIn any case, I had another 92 Bonneville which ran fine, until the day I donated it. I did purchase a 1999 Montana Van and another Bonneville (1995) over the last 3 years. In Dec. of 2002 the lower intake manifold gasket was replaced on my Montana with only 55,000 miles on it, cost of $388. Then this past January, I was driving my 1995 Bonneville and my head gasket blew. So $1633 dollars later, it turned out the problem was caused by a plastic upper intake manifold that burned out in the opening for the EGR check valve. As I have found out on multiple web sites, it seems that on the 3.8L series II engines, that their have been many problems when GM changed from a die cast aluminum part to this plastic plenum tub. The plastic tub burns 1-2 holes around the EGR check valve, where the water jackets are, thus failing and causing coolant to fill in the upper intake and then be sucked into the engine. It seems that GM is well aware of this problem, but has not recalled any parts. Again, this was my 2nd blown head gasket, but since the car was a 1995 I was upset, but figured that nothing could be done. Not 10 days later the 1999 Montana, with only 79,000 miles on it, blew the head gasket (this a 3.4 liter engine) Another $1400 later, and I determined enough was enough. 3 different engines in 3 different cars, was no fluke. That is when I found out on the internet, that there were all these different issues people were having with GM engines. I have spend approximately $5200 fixing this issues over the last couple of years. I want retribution!! GM either needs to own up to their mistakes and make good, or lose yet another life long customer, his wife and their 3 kids!!!! I purchase 1 car every 2-3 years, replacing as we go. Over the next 30 years that is another 10 – 15 cars, plus what cars I need for my kids, as they are approaching driving age. GM is giving up $400,000+ in future sales, not because they made a bad engine, but because they were not professional enough to stand up, admit they failed and fix the issues. Based on a margin of 10%, they are giving up $40,000 in future profits, for $5000 in repairs now!! Make good, and I\’ll keep purchasing GM products. Do nothing, and Toyota, Honda and Nissan are looking better and better.Jason and Carla Herbst of Macedon, NYVIN# 1GMDX03E5XD121030 – 1999 MONTANAVIN# 1G2HX53L3N1250873 – 1995 BONNEVILLEVIN# 1G3NL54D6NM460061 – 1992 OLDS ACHIEVA

On vacation from Michigan To Flordia engine fail due to slow coolant leak undetected due to highway speeds. When car slowed down complete overheating and fail. Left Car in Kentuckey and rented car to get home. Had car towed home later that next week. Auto Mechanic here said Mainfold/Head gasket fail and possible other engine problems due to severe overheating

My wife and I own a 1999 Pontiac Montana. In September of 2002 (~53000 miles)we noticed that the low coolant light came on. So we added coolant. Then again in November the light came on again so we contacted our personal mechanic since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. He told us that the plastic upper intake manifold and the gasket was bad. He told us that this was a common problem with this type of engine. He said that GM dealers in the area told him that it was due to the manifold being made of plastic and the fact that GM uses DEXCOOL coolant, which eats up the plastic and the gaskets. He also told us that because of this some of the coolant spilled into the engine oil. The cost of the repairs were $392.57. We now will have a good chance of spending $2000 – $2500 on a new engine because of the coolant in the engine oil. We did call the dealer who sold us the van and they told us to call Pontiac. We did call the Pontiac Customer Service Center in Michigan and filed a complaint. They told us that they have never heard of such a problem. We feel that GM should stand behind these problems. Please respond. Thanks

My 99 Montana (70,030 miles but never a problem) failed on us about 15 miles east of Hagerstown MD while returning to Pittsburgh from Ocean City on 7/13/2003. The short story is that the engine failed with little prior warning and had to be replaced. There was a catostrophic failure of the intake manifold gasket (I have it as well as photos). The leaking coolant mixed with the engine oil and the resulting emulsified combination resulted in a ruined engine in a very short time. The engine had new oil because I changed it on 7/5 at 69,000 miles as specified in owner’s manual prior to leaving Pittsburgh. I still have the old oil in my garage and it is in good condition. I had the van towed 180 miles to my dealer, The Power of Bowser, so that they could tell me that there’s nothing they or GM can do for me. The local GM service rep looked at it on 7/17 and said no goodwill warranty as did the the people at Pontiac customer relations. (1-800-PMCARES should be 1-800-WESAYNO). The people GM "empowers" to make these decisions are not technically trained such that they can even understand what happened and yet they make the decision that it’s tough luck. I wouldn’t be so upset about this situation if I had done something that contributed to the failure of the engine. But, I’m a fanatic, I change my oil every 3k and do all the other stuff that’s recommended in the owner’s manual. There is no way that a competently designed and manufactured engine should experience the type of failure that the engine in my Montana had. I’ve had no choice but to have the engine replaced at a cost of $4,100. I just paid it off in May. The fact that GM has internally recognized a problem with the gasket via internal service bulletins and didn’t give their customers this information is malpractice as far as I’m concerned. I’d be in jail if I did this in my work. We pursued action with the BBB autoline but, were turned down for an arbitration hearing based on the mileage.

Lower intake manifold gasket leaking coolant into engine. Damage to engine unknown at this point.

Lower intake manifold gasket leaking coolant internally and externally. Had to repair myself (no money for shop) The thing that really hurts me is the fact that GM is so ridiculously high priced for the parts that they screwed up. I had to pay over $90 for a intake manifold gasket at autozone. Give me a break. Bottom line they dont care about you they dont care about me they just care about how there going to compensate themselves. I called GM several times and they have said that my problem is a first to them. GM is a powerful american company that can do whatever they want. But they are going to have to do it with your money because I\’ve given them my last cent.

lower intake gaskets failed and 9 monts later the cam shaft broke. my wife needs to have a dependable car to drive my daughter around in, not a $26,000 nightmare.

Leaking lower intake manifold gasket. Hard to say how much to date has been internal, but has never dripped on garage floor until this week. I list milage failure at 38,000 miles because that is when I first noticed coolant level dropping with no visable leaks. Current mileage is aprox 60800 miles. I have had to add coolant since June of 2001. 3.4L V6

Leak developed in the lower intake manifold. I found several loose intake manifold bolts and tightened them and that helped a little, but I could only get to 2 of the bolts. I have investigated the problem and find that there have been many failures on the 3.4L and 3.8L V6 engines due to a defective plastic gasket used in the engine. Some relate the problem to the use of Dex Cool coolant used in GM cars and trucks. Some dealers in Canada have been replacing the gaskets with a newer, non-plastic gasket and installing new manifold bolts with thread lock sealant for a $100 fee. No dealers in the USA have following suit to my knowledge. The cost of this repair was quoted to me at about $880.00.

Intake manifold leaking coolant into the engine oil on my 3.4 liter engine. After complaining to Pontiac & the BBB, GM offered to pay 50% of the repair cost. Faulty oxygen sensor & leaking fuel pressure regulator oh December 16, 2003. Since original complaint, keyless remote failed on 7/15/03 & seat belt pretensioner failed causing airbag light to go on, July 28, 2003

Intake manifold gaskets on this vehicle have failed resulting in engine coolant leaking and mixing with the engine oil. This car was purchased new and serviced by a single GM dealer. The gasket leak was first noticed by the dealer\’s service department on 11/10/2005 at 26,269 miles and again on 2/26/07 at 28,818 miles. The repair cost was estimated by the dealer to be $900. Upon checking the dealer\’s service records it was also noted that though the oil had been changed regularly, the coolant was never changed. We contacted General Motors and they set up a Service Request No. 71-490846443, and after some time declined to provide any assistance in this repair. We then filed a complaint with the Consumer Affairs Department of Fairfax County, Virginia. Mr. Roy Seger of the Consumer Affairs Department contacted General Motors, but they again declined any assistance. We hope that you can help us with this problem.

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED AT AROUND 15000 MILES AND AS IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY DEALER MADE REPAIRS AT NO COST TO US. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED AGAIN AT AROUND 51500 MILES AND DEALER ONLY PICKED UP COST OF PARTS.

Intake manifold gasket at 70k miles was leaking coolant internally and externally. Was a problem that has gotten worse from about 45k miles. Finally got replaced when i noticed it leaking internally. Freedom battery died on me at around 71k miles. Power window on driver side and also passenger side sometimes doesnt work.

I had a local GM dealer repair the intake manifold gasket on our 1999 Pontiac Montana in Dec. 2002. We had to have the water pump replaced also and have the cooling system flushed at the same time. The cost of those repairs was in the range of $1,000 and was done in a very satisfactory manner by the dealer. The service manager knew exactly what was wrong as soon as I described the symptoms. He seemed to have seen a lot of the same problems from other owners. Our car began to lose coolant and then the oil began to look orange and finally the coolant was dripping on the ground. These problems began about 70,000 miles. We are the second owners of this van and bought it from the repairing dealership as a program, used vehicle with 20,000 miles on the odometer. I have saved all our receipts for the aforementioned repairs in hope that GM might have a recall for these problems. In my opinion, the fault lies with Texaco and others who made and manufactured the DexCool coolant used by GM. Judging from the information on the internet, it seems other manufacturers have run into problems with this coolant (Catapillar, Cummings Diesel.)

HEAT & ENGINE LOW COOLANT LIGHT ON;HEATER BLOWER INOP AT SOME SPEEDS(REPLACE INTAKE GASKET AND BLOWER FAN RESISTORPAINT PAINT BUBBLED ON HOODTRANSMISSION HARSH SHIFTING (FAULTY PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID)WHEEL NOISE IN BEARING (REPLACE WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLY)BRAKES A.B.S LIGHT ALWAYS COMES ON(LOOSE WIRES;DISCONNECTED WIRE FAULTY SENSOR)ONGOING PROBLEMNOT FIXED(REAR WIPER MOTOR;PASSENGER MIRROR KEEPS SHIFTING;NO HEAT CONTROL IN POSITION HALF WINDOW HALF FLOOR

first my intake manifold started leaking causing the van to overheat. It was repaired immediatly. Then 6 months later the engine went out at a light and would not start. both our repair shop and the dealer said the engine needed to be replaced. I was told at the repair shop that the engine has most likely been damaged by the faulty gm parts including the intake manifold gasket leaking. It was estimated to be $5200 to repair. I still have not had it repairws. It is now Non-op

Engine.Poor gasket/coolant design allowed coolant to leak into engine causing cam bearings to sieze causing my cam shaft to break. Vehicle is still 1,500km away at a dealership who is currently replacing with new engine. My cost= engine+labour+extra week holiday for being stranded+plane ticket to return home {and to fly back to pick it up once everything is repaired}I checked the internet on a hunch and was absolutly amazed at the extreamly high amound of people having the same problem. The smacks of a bad design/ insufficient testing/ and cover-up on GM’s part even with their bullitens for this available on the internet.

Engine: Intake manifold gasket leaking. I followed thru with a complaint to the BBB and to Pontiac’s 800 number. I was told I needed to have the van diagnosed at a GM dealer before anything could be done by Pontiac. My dealer Quality Pontiac in Cocoa, Florida looked at the van and agreed the intake manifold gasket was leaking (November 2002). Qualityinformed me it would be about $500 to repair. A phone call to Pontiac’s 800 # put pressure on the dealer and they performed the work for $100 plus extra for a coolant flush. the total was around $180. Supposedly the work came with a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. I think the van had 58000 miles on it when this work was performed. Looking back I have a feeling it started leaking earlier. Today we have 70500 miles on the van and the check engine light is coming on. The codes indicate that engine Cylinder 5 is misfiring. We had new spark plugs put in and will now try new spark plug wires. If that doesn’t fix it then we may need to putin new fuel injectors.My complaints to date with this vehicles are: 1. Original tires wore out at 24000 miles $500 2. Battery died in the first two years. $0 3. Drivers side seat belt retractor failed $ 156 – Airbag light came on. 4. Intake manifold gasket failed $180 5. Sliding power door module failed 4 times. $0 6. Front Brakes drums warped at ~35000 miles $250. Front rotors cut and pads replaced. 7. Windshield buzzed from the day we bought it (2 years) and took us threatening the Lemon Law to get it fixed.

engine-low coolant light evaluated and found to have faulty intake gasket-repaired, would like GM to cover under recall, service manager stated "it happens alot more often than GM wants to admit in the 3.4 and 3.8L engines in searching recalls, noted several petitions with same complaint.Steering–hard left turns at low speeds, evaluated and service dept (GM) stated no current recalls for the ’99 Montana, the recall ended with the ’98 Transports. The same problem seems to have continued, would like GM to extend the recall to cover the ’99 Montana’sNovember 1, 2003 Update:low coolant light came on and Ihad it inspected at Harry’s Pontiac, 819 Patton Ave. Asheville, NC 28806 on Jan 07,2003. They recommended replacing the lower intake gaskets and did so on the 8th. The cost was $442.00, gasket KI $49.46, coolant $30.00, cleaner $4.67, sealant-R $11.79, seal $3.68, oil filter $5.31, oil $9.00, and gasket $47.40. There was also tax and a 10% charge for shop supplies/waste disposal for$15.00. Milage was 54,530. We purchased the van in Sept 1999. We traded the van in June, feeling the Montana didn’t have a good track record after all of the repairs we’d made. (Transmission problems while still under warranty, air bag light came on intermittently, identified as an open circuit in the passenger seat belt pretensioner difficulty making left hand turns at low speeds.)

cracked intake valve

Coolant light coming on and noticed coolant always missing from coolant recovery tank. Took vehicle to local GM dealer and after testing found that the intake manifold and head gaskets were leaking. After very little research on the internet I found alot of people are having the same problem. I contacted GM for assistance and was essentially told I was on my own they would pay nothing. GM acted as if I was the only one having the intake/head gasket problem. I have an Uncle and a friend of mine that live in the same town I do that own a Pontiac Montana and both have had the same gasket problem. They both contacted GM and were told the same thing I was told. I feel like GM should acknowledge the problem with there 3.4 V6 engines, stand behind there product and pay for these repairs. I have always been an avid GM supporter but this really is begining to change my way of thinking.

At roughly 2K miles, the transmission was replaced. Then again at 28K miles, another replacement. Both were covered under warranty, but I tried to get the local dealer and GM to buy it back since it was untrustworthy for my family. The most my threats could do was get an extended 60K/$0 deductable warranty out of GM. Then at 56.5K miles, the intake manifold gasket problem got me. This also resulted in a water pump replacement.

As appears to be common with the engine in this vehicle, the intake gasket failed causing Dexcool to leak into the engine and thus contaminating not only engine oil, but causing failure of critical internal components due to the fact that Dexcool deteriorates/weakens certain metals, etc. In our case, the vehicle’s engine completely failed while driving 60 mph on a 6 lane expressway with no prior indication of problems. GM is aware of the problem but refuses to take any responsibility for its inferior design! A recall should be begun immediately. Without quick, calm reaction my preganant wife and two children could have been rear-ended and severly injured or killed. How would GM deal with the publicity of that lawsuit!

The air bag light stayed on. consumer took vehicle to the dealer on five occasions, where they replaced the harness, and the plug. the air bag light was still on.*ak

Without prior difficulty or warning, the struts failed, and the hatch dropped on the consumer's head, knocked her to the ground and caused a severe neck injury. the struts were replaced at the consumer's expense. *jb scc

The brake lamp switch connection was loose causing the abs light to illuminate. nlm

The rear passenger suspension system has failed and the tire is sitting on the tire-well. the frame appears to be loose due to rust and has caused the spring coil to pop out and wobble uncontrollably. i was driving when this incident occurred and it would begin to "fish tail" around 40mph or when i would hit bumps, make turns or switch lanes.

Airbag light came on and transmission shift lever moves but does not engage transmission. *tr

I had an accident where a car fish tailed in front of me slid directly in front of mine. i hit the other car while going 40 mph, it was a t*bone collision. my front air bags deployed at the time of collision. after getting out of the vehicle i noticed that the passenger side air bag was laying in the front passenger seat with the air bag still inflated. i do remember that for a long time before today the red airbag light was on. i thought this would cause the air bags not to work. i do have pictures of the damage, and the defect with the air bag. *tr

It seems that the this particular make and model has known problems with the cooling system. on a family trip to virginia the car started to overheat and i stopped the vehicle. when parked red fluid was visible under the car and upon testing was found out to be coolant leak. car was towed to pa and mechanic reported loss and replacement of radiator/hoses and lower intake manifold (gasket) a labor intensive work costing about 1700 to fix all the issue with this over heating. *tr

Electrical components and rear light failure including breaks an turn signals.*tr

1. events unknown 2. cooling system failure, all the time, undriveable 3. unable to correct failure. *tr

First the driver's side window stopped working, then the tail lights just went out on the 99 pontiac montana. they were just working and then on my way home they just stopped working. i replaced all bulbs and they still aren't working. went to see a technician and he says it is an electrical problem. after that the radio display flickers in and out when the brake is pushed on. i've searched to see if i could find an answer as to why this happened and there are many websites with the same complaints as i have stated here with the same problems. *tr

Vehicle spontaneously caught fire while stuck in snow drift. fire was all consuming - fire truck had to come out it out - just shell of van was left. we were able to get out as fire was slow to take off. fire started in engine compartment. fire chief said we would never know cause as no engine compartment remains. *tr

Dealer sold me a pontiac montana minivan and i only had it for 2 weeks, and it won't start, it had a carfax report that said it was in a car accident, this was not told or revealed to me by the dealer. now i am stranded without a car to get around and no warranty was given. i ask for a warranty the salesman said it only comes with financing. *tr

Two separate gasket problems on my 1999 pontiac montana mini van. the most recent was today in aug. of 2008 the local garage told me that my vans lower intake manifold gasket needed replaced for about $700. the problem was noticed when my temperature light came on and after filling radiator i saw water leaking underneath vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 pontiac montana. while driving 15 mph, the sliding passenger side doors on both sides of the vehicle occasionally open. the contact stated that the doors were not the electric doors that were recalled; however, she is experiencing the same failure. the manufacturer was notified, but has not yet responded. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 125,000.

I have a 1999 pontiac montana in which we bought almost 2 years ago from a used car dealership. around may we took our 8 yr. old son to a baseball game and when we went to take our then 16 month old son out from the passenger side and it came completely off track....it's passenger side sliding door {not electric} has came off track while driving around a corner and going over bumps,at least 8 times and counting. it is having problems exactly like the electric, it comes completely off track and has to be put on. my 2 year old son had been sitting on that side, what happens if he was to fall out? now the driver side sliding door is starting to have problems. please contact me asap to fix the problem free of charge, or i will have to get a lawyer. thanks *tr

Every year, a week or two after turning on the heat in the van, the heater stops blowing warm air. while sitting at idle the temp gauge rises extremely high. every year the dealer has fixed the problem. this year they are telling me that i need a new engine! after researching online, here and at respected sites such as edmonds.com it seems to me like these problems should have been addressed long before i even bought my van so many years ago!!!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 pontiac montana. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began to overheat. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they replaced the head gasket. the dealer stated that coolant leaked into the engine. the contact was responsible for the repairs, which totaled $1,800. one week after a routine maintenance repair, the mechanic stated that the vehicle was operating normally; however, the failure recurred. the mechanic also stated that this type of failure should not have recurred. the contact mailed a complaint to the company and has owned the vehicle for two years. the approximate failure mileage was 121,000 and current mileage was 131,000.

When driving at highway speed (60mph or greater) the wiper will over run the windshield when initially turned on. this is resulting in destroying the blade and creating a safety problem. it has happened for several years but the gm dealers tell me they have never heard of this problem. i was told by a former bosch (current manufacturer) vice-president that when bosch purchased this manufacturing line from ut automotive, they noticed the problem and advised g.m. of the issue. g.m. chose to do nothing. while my car is older, this issue has been present even when the vehicle was newer. i am reporting it now because it is getting worse. *tr *updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 pontiac montana. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. the manufacturer stated that his vin was not included in nhtsa recall # 02v027000 (air bags:frontal). the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer. the current mileage is 146,000 and failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 pontiac montana. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle jerked and the check engine light illuminated. the mechanic stated that the manifold gaskets should be replaced. the mechanic replaced the manifold gaskets, water pump, thermostat, and sealer. two years later, the failure recurred. the mechanic flushed the transmission. approximately a year and a half later, the failure recurred for the third time and the mechanic flushed the transmission once more. ten months later, the vehicle began jerking again. the mechanic replaced the radiator cap and flushed the transmission, but the failure continues to occur. the current mileage is 138,000 and failure mileage was 63,000.

Intake manifold gasket failure fried the 3.4l v6 engine. replacement engine is showing the same problems. *jb

I was jacking up my 1999 pontiac montana using the car jack, and the screw on the jack stripped out, dropping the van. there was no damage as i was still lifting the vehicle, but under the correct circustances it could be a sever accident.*ak

Tl* - the contact owns a 1999 pontiac montana. the contact stated that on the passenger's side of the vehicle the bracket , big steel bar - universal joint, which holds the axle in place broke right in the center, and the wheel went right under the bumper and almost flipped the vehicle over. universal joint sheared off, letting the axle rip through harness sensor hub, steel brake line, shocks, muffler, rubber insulators, and the rear coil springs were found on the ground. the contact was pulling out of a school parking lot driving 2 mph and in the middle of a turn when this happened. the contact has pictures of the incident. the contact filed a claim with the manufacturer ,and the manufacturer denied any responsibility. the current and failure mileage were both 12700.*ak

Driving the van i noticed the vehicle started to over heat. i turned it off and waited 1 hour for it to cool down. started it up again after filling the radiator, with the engine running i made sure the coolant was at the correct level. within 5 min the car overheated again and this time it died before i could turn it off. i have been told it would be best to replace the engine at 4100.00 for that. i searched the internet and found out there are many other van owners with the same problem. they used a rubber seal without steel so that it coolant leaks into the engine and mixes with the oil, and dries out the camshaft and then it breaks. in canada there is already a class action lawsuit for this reason. they (manufacture) know there is a problem but wont say that it is there fault. i am also looking to find someone to take the case as i currently have a lswn ornament due to i don't have the 4100 to replace the engine. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, there were noticeable water puddles on the floor of both the driver and passenger sides. there was also a noticeably foul smell coming from the interior carpets. the manufacturer was notified, who referred the contact to a service dealer. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the air conditioner drain elbow was missing. there were no repairs made. updated 10/25/06. *jb

My van showed no sign of having anything wrong with it. then on the way home from work it died at a light. it made awful noises and would not start. i towed it first to one repair shop and it was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. then i towed it to the dealer for a second opinion and was told the same thing. i was told at the repair shop that an engine with only 79,000 miles should not go out like this and it was due to the failure of gm parts. it still has not been repaired a year later. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated, while driving in heavy rain at 50 mph., the wiper blades on the windshield collided with each other. the driver side blade/assembly was torn from the wiper arm and the passenger blade/assembly was twisted out of position for proper operation. updated 07/25/06. *jb

No injuries yet. when i get into my minivan and start the engine, the air bag light comes on sometimes. if i turn off the engine and move the seat a little then restart the van it will sometimes go out. i have gone to several web sites and there are many people experiencing this and they have said that the air bag wires goes under the seat that is why when you move the seat it will some times correct it. *jb

Coolant leak and gasket failure on a 1999 pontiac montana 3.4 l engine. i have had to replace the water intake gaskets twice on this m.v. they fail approx. every 80,000 miles. *jb

First of all the drivers door panel inside comes off and gets stuck making it very hard to open the door. august 2005 i had to replace the head gaskets due to leaking antifreeze into the engine. march 2006 i have to do the same thing again. the technician said these vans are known for this . i guess that's what i get for buying america>>>?? *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked antifreeze was observed on the ground below the front end of the vehicle. an independent repair shop replaced the intake gasket and head gasket on two separate occasions. the problem returned following both repairs. updated 06/07/2006. *ak *ts

Failure of engine in 1999 pontiac montana at 101,000 miles due to leaky head gasket causing engine to overheat. this was after repairs for gasoline leak in engine due to failure of intake manifold gasket. all maintenance was done as per manufacturer's recommendations at dealership of purchase. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while an independent mechanic was performing a routine oil check, it was determined the intake manifold was bad and needed to be replaced. the mechanic informed the contact this was the fourth vehicle within one week with the same engine size that had a bad intake manifold.

My 1999 pontiac montana has had persistent problems with a faulty intake manifold gasket where antifreeze is required to be added every few weeks. the manifold gasket was replaced by a gm dealership at 65,000 miles, but shortly after began to leak again. the vehicle has now at 99,000 miles has had a catastrophic engine failure, and an estimated $5,000 repair. i believe the engine has ceased as a result of the faulty intake manifold gasket. *nm

Dt*: the consumer stated she applied the accelerator, the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop. the mechanic checked the vehicle and determined the engine had failed. *jb

Dt: consumer's wife filled gasoline tank up in richmond and drove home 125 miles and the tank ran almost empty. this was a 26 gallon tank. the emergency/low fuel light illuminated. when she got home there was a strong odor of gasoline coming form the car. consumer turned on the ignition and there was immediate gushing of gasoline at the conjunction of where the plastic and metal fuel lines met right under the front driver's seat. did not take vehicle to a dealer because warranty expired. consumer jacked car up and removed the intermediate line and the fuel supply line was slightly melted. the metal line was corroded and rusted. the fittings were melted and disintegrated. all three lines had to be replaced. the connections were snapped on correctly. when this was all completed consumer tested it by turning on the ignition. when ignition was turned on started the high pressure fuel pump and the gasoline gushed out a foot to the right side. discovered there was rust and a hole in the metal supply line going to the engine compartment. this line can not be purchased separately, the entire system has to be purchased. this is a 6 year old and cannot be driven due to this problem. *ak

My pontiac montana had a fuel injector go bad at 76,000 miles. there repair shop who did the labor and repair said they have had ventures and olds vans do the same thing. this shop is a master mechanic certified. *nm

During a regular oil change my mechanic discovered oil in the anti-freeze. head gaskets went out. my mechanic states they have seen in almost every 3.4 pontiac montana mini van that around 80,000 miles there is oil in the antifreeze which indicates a head gasket malfunction. took mechanic 3 days to fix my van to a cost of $1212.83 plus i was without a vehicle for 3 days. at about 79,000 miles the wheel bearing went out. now the slider passenger door won't open or won't close at times. *jb

I have a 1999 pontiac montana with a 3.4ltr engine. after 40,000 miles i began have fuel injector malfunctions. on august 4, 2004, after several injector cleanings, i decide to have all the injectors replaced with oem gm injectors. unfortunately this did not cure the problem since i have later discovered, the oem injectors for gm's 3.4ltr engines have an inherant defect - the magnet that is used to open and close the injector is very weak. when ever the injector encounters small dirt particles the injector remains shut, therefore causing the cylinder to misfire. since august of 2004, i have had my van in the shop seven times to have the injectors cleaned. i have an appointment to have my injectors cleaned again next week. i have notified general motors pontiac customer service department, spoke to 4 represenatives and they claim since the van is out of warranty they can not assist me in resolving this problem. i might add, that their attitude is very cavalier and matter-of-fact. the safety issue: the malfunctioning of the injectors creates a sever loss of acceleration power. on two recent occassions, my wife was attempting to cross a 45mph hwy and was nearly hit broadside by an oncoming auto. the van lost power halfway into the intersection. this problem is intermittent so you are unware of when it will occur. i spoke to two mechanics who say the injector issue is chronic on the 3.4ltr gm engines. they do not see this same problem with other makes of vehicles. please help me to get gm's attention before i have to attend my wfe or 16 year daughters funeral or my wife and children loose their father in an automobile accident. thank you for your attention to this matter.

The air bag light stayed on. consumer took vehicle to the dealer on five occasions, where they replaced the harness, and the plug. the air bag light was still on.*ak

Right sliding door opened while driving,and all mechanisms were inoperable. took vehicle to pontiac dealership, and they stated that it was nothing they could do but put a new harness on because it was not a gm problem.*ak

Consumer complained about a transmission problem. when changing gears transmission had a hard shift. when starting from one gear to another there was a winding noise that could be heard when the vehicle was in motion. *ak consumer felt there should be a recall on vehicle. *ak

Head gasket leaking on 1999 pontiac montana, 80,000 miles, $700 to repair. *jb

The intake manifold cracked causing the engine not to function. *jb

On feb. 3 of 2004 we purchased a used 1999 montana. the low coolant light was coming on so we took it back to the dealer. they "couldn't find anything wrong" but it was low on coolant. i checked this web site and found many complaints about manifold gasket failure around 60,000 miles. our van had less than this so we kept our eyes open to why this light kept coming on and even asked the dealer to make sure it wasn't leaking antifreeze into the engine. they said it was low but there was no leak. then in feb of 05 we had to replace the water pump and one week later a new noise started, so we took it back to a mechanic who found antifreeze leaking into the engine, $800 later it seems to be working fine. why can't pontiac be made to fix this obvious problem. we no longer have dex-cool for antifreeze!! the low coolant light had come on intermittently for the whole year we owned it and finally we found a good mechanic who knew exactly what the problem was, the dealership--lithia ford of boise--had "no idea". it would have been under warranty if they had fixed it last year. leaking intake manifold gasket caused engine problems. *nm

Power sliding door wont shut. when the button is pushed it opens back up, especialy in cold weather, but it also occurs in the warmer weather.*ak number of failures is at least 20 but more than likely more.

Vehicle i experienced problems with the automatic sliding door. owner was making a left turn and suddenly the automatic sliding door opened . owner contacted the manufacturer, who said that recall repairs were already done on the vehicle. however, the problem recurred. *ak

We have 1999 montana with appox. 57,000 miles and the intake gasket has failed. i have been a di-hard pontiac/gmc buyer all my life, but after my last two vans we decided to purchase a ford. i had nothing but trouble with my 1996 transport and traded it for our 1999 montana. i love my montana, but the carbon knocking in embarrassing and now we are being charged over $600.00 for a problem that gm knows exists. i was about to purchase another vehicle in the gm family until this week. they are offering $1500 in "loyalty cash" we have been loyal! where is gm's loyalty!!! my next car will most like be a non-gm model thanks to gm's loyalty!!!!!*ak

We have only had our van a year. we have had problems since we got it. one thing after another. first coolant leaking, electrial problems, intake gasket leaking. replaced 11/05. motor failed 1/05. door mailfunction.*ak

The consumer states the intake manifold has malfunctioned. as a result the coolant leaks into the oil and the consumer is now concerned that the engine could fail. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide additional information. *nm

I owned a 1999 pontiac montana van. on the december 19, 2004 around 2300 hours my grandson was driving the van on the us 31 bypass in south bend in. he was headed westbound around 50 to 55 miles per hour. it had rained and snowed some then it froze. a car in front of my grandson spun out of control, and he panicked and hit the brakes, and spun out into the concrete median dividing wall. there was considerable damage to the front of the van. radiator was shoved into the block with fender, hood and bumper damage. one thing that didn't happen was the air bag did not go off on the drivers side or passenger side of the vehicle. there is a apparent defect in the system. the van has 35,330 miles on it. the insurance company deemed it totaled, and it will be or was salvaged. my grandson had minor injuries to his knee ,and a seat belt abrasion to the left side of his neck.*ak thank you

We have a 1999 pontiac montana that we purchased new from a local dealer in south bend in. i noticed oil and antifreeze going down and took the van to a garage. he said that pontiac should make the repairs because the leak was caused by a manifold gasket problem i took it to the local dealer and talk to him about repairs. at first he said the repairs would be around $1500.00. i told him that it would be cheaper to buy another vehicle. he said probably. a real smart aleck. i told him that there was, at that time, 30,0000 miles on the vehicle. he talked to the manager and they came up with a price around $600.00. i told them to do it. the final price was just under $400.00. now i find that it is leaking a little again and the water pump is leaking, too. i had a private garage change the water pump and probably won't get the manifold gasket replaced at this time. i also had the brakes checked and found that the rear wheel cylinders were leaking. that is another cost on this 1999 pontiac montana van. the drivers door needs a repair to some of the mechanism in the window and it will cost around $500. i have heard that this window problem is common with these vehicles. i have reached the point of getting rid of the van and going to something besides a gm product. the van has 32,000 miles on it now and i shouldn't be seeing all of this high dollar repairs on it. *ak

1999 pontiac montanna minivan. the transmission repeatedly slams / hammers into gear. resolution is to stop van and restart vehicle, most times this stops it untill it starts acting up again. this can happen 7 times in a 50 mile trip or only once. this is dangerous to have to stop in heavy traffic to do this. the power door is also a problem. will not shut properly, have to close 3 times before it will finally close.*ak

The consumer noticed the passenger side power sliding doors were in operative. the sliding door did not latched properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the consumer that the power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly needed to be replaced. please provide further details. *jb

My 1999 montana started leaking antifreeze rapidly. two different service centers stated it was a worn gasket in the lower intake. repairs came to $604. know this has been a problem for many vehicles with the 3.4 engine. i noticed the leak at 72,000 miles but have had to add coolant many times over the last 2.5 years.*ak

Vehicle overheated on highway- with kids in car en route to family outing.*ak

Intermittently transmission will shift very rough and hard, and transmission emits a whining noise. once it starts, it continues until the vehicle is turned off and resets. it appears to be happening when the temperature of the vehicle increases to about 210, but it's not consistent. also had intake manifold gaskets replaces for $700.*ak

While driving transmission does not shift properly in cold weather. transmission was replaced three times; however, the problem recurred. *ak

While driving 35 mph srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that air bag sensor needed to be replaced. *ak

During a routine unloading of groceries from my rear lift door the left side handle support snapped off as i was pulling it down to close it shut.this handle is located on the rear door of the pontiac montana. apparently the cheap plastic base could not support my normal pulling effort to shut the rear lift door. my effort to pull downward and the subsequent breakage of the door handle plastic base support caused a small abrasive cut on my right hand knuckle. i do not abuse my vehicle. this was a normal motion a vehicle owner would take in order to attempt to close the rear liftgate on a minivan. the plastic handle support part was obviously made of poor materials. *ak

Low coolant icon lit up on dash at 15000 miles.dealer said intake manifold gasket failed and it was replaced under warranty. at 51500 miles low coolant icon lit up on dash. dealer said intake manifold gasket failed and it was replaced at a cost of 503.00 dollars to myself. *la

Engine. poor gasket/coolant design allowed coolant to leak into engine causing cam bearings to sieze causing my cam shaft to break. vehicle is still 1,500km away at a dealership who is currently replacing with new engine. my cost= engine+labour+extra week holiday for being stranded+plane ticket to return home {and to fly back to pick it up once everything is repaired} i checked the internet on a hunch and was absolutly amazed at the extreamly high amound of people having the same problem. the smacks of a bad design/ insufficient testing/ and cover-up on gm's part even with their bullitens for this available on the internet.

Heat & engine low coolant light on;heater blower inop at some speeds(replace intake gasket and blower fan resistor paint paint bubbled on hood transmission harsh shifting (faulty pressure control solenoid) wheel noise in bearing (replace wheel hub assembly) brakes a.b.s light always comes on(loose wires;disconnected wire faulty sensor)ongoing problem not fixed(rear wiper motor;passenger mirror keeps shifting;no heat control in position half window half floor

While driving at any speed abs light appeared on the dashboard. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and dealer sis not resolve the problem. *ak

Engine: intake manifold gasket leaking. i followed thru with a complaint to the bbb and to pontiac's 800 number. i was told i needed to have the van diagnosed at a gm dealer before anything could be done by pontiac. my dealer quality pontiac in cocoa, florida looked at the van and agreed the intake manifold gasket was leaking (november 2002). quality informed me it would be about $500 to repair. a phone call to pontiac's 800 # put pressure on the dealer and they performed the work for $100 plus extra for a coolant flush. the total was around $180. supposedly the work came with a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. i think the van had 58000 miles on it when this work was performed. looking back i have a feeling it started leaking earlier. today we have 70500 miles on the van and the check engine light is coming on. the codes indicate that engine cylinder 5 is misfiring. we had new spark plugs put in and will now try new spark plug wires. if that doesn't fix it then we may need to put in new fuel injectors. my complaints to date with this vehicles are: 1. original tires wore out at 24000 miles $500 2. battery died in the first two years. $0 3. drivers side seat belt retractor failed $ 156 - airbag light came on. 4. intake manifold gasket failed $180 5. sliding power door module failed 4 times. $0 6. front brakes drums warped at ~35000 miles $250. front rotors cut and pads replaced. 7. windshield buzzed from the day we bought it (2 years) and took us threatening the lemon law to get it fixed.

Coolant light coming on and noticed coolant always missing from coolant recovery tank. took vehicle to local gm dealer and after testing found that the intake manifold and head gaskets were leaking. after very little research on the internet i found alot of people are having the same problem. i contacted gm for assistance and was essentially told i was on my own they would pay nothing. gm acted as if i was the only one having the intake/head gasket problem. i have an uncle and a friend of mine that live in the same town i do that own a pontiac montana and both have had the same gasket problem. they both contacted gm and were told the same thing i was told. i feel like gm should acknowledge the problem with there 3.4 v6 engines, stand behind there product and pay for these repairs. i have always been an avid gm supporter but this really is begining to change my way of thinking.

Engine-low coolant light evaluated and found to have faulty intake gasket-repaired, would like gm to cover under recall, service manager stated "it happens alot more often than gm wants to admit in the 3.4 and 3.8l engines in searching recalls, noted several petitions with same complaint. steering--hard left turns at low speeds, evaluated and service dept (gm) stated no current recalls for the '99 montana, the recall ended with the '98 transports. the same problem seems to have continued, would like gm to extend the recall to cover the '99 montana's november 1, 2003 update:low coolant light came on and i had it inspected at harry's pontiac, 819 patton ave. asheville, nc 28806 on jan 07,2003. they recommended replacing the lower intake gaskets and did so on the 8th. the cost was $442.00, gasket ki $49.46, coolant $30.00, cleaner $4.67, sealant-r $11.79, seal $3.68, oil filter $5.31, oil $9.00, and gasket $47.40. there was also tax and a 10% charge for shop supplies/waste disposal for $15.00. milage was 54,530. we purchased the van in sept 1999. we traded the van in june, feeling the montana didn't have a good track record after all of the repairs we'd made. (transmission problems while still under warranty, air bag light came on intermittently, identified as an open circuit in the passenger seat belt pretensioner difficulty making left hand turns at low speeds.)

Cracked intake valve

My wife and i own a 1999 pontiac montana. in september of 2002 (~53000 miles)we noticed that the low coolant light came on. so we added coolant. then again in november the light came on again so we contacted our personal mechanic since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. he told us that the plastic upper intake manifold and the gasket was bad. he told us that this was a common problem with this type of engine. he said that gm dealers in the area told him that it was due to the manifold being made of plastic and the fact that gm uses dexcool coolant, which eats up the plastic and the gaskets. he also told us that because of this some of the coolant spilled into the engine oil. the cost of the repairs were $392.57. we now will have a good chance of spending $2000 - $2500 on a new engine because of the coolant in the engine oil. we did call the dealer who sold us the van and they told us to call pontiac. we did call the pontiac customer service center in michigan and filed a complaint. they told us that they have never heard of such a problem. we feel that gm should stand behind these problems. please respond. thanks

I had a local gm dealer repair the intake manifold gasket on our 1999 pontiac montana in dec. 2002. we had to have the water pump replaced also and have the cooling system flushed at the same time. the cost of those repairs was in the range of $1,000 and was done in a very satisfactory manner by the dealer. the service manager knew exactly what was wrong as soon as i described the symptoms. he seemed to have seen a lot of the same problems from other owners. our car began to lose coolant and then the oil began to look orange and finally the coolant was dripping on the ground. these problems began about 70,000 miles. we are the second owners of this van and bought it from the repairing dealership as a program, used vehicle with 20,000 miles on the odometer. i have saved all our receipts for the aforementioned repairs in hope that gm might have a recall for these problems. in my opinion, the fault lies with texaco and others who made and manufactured the dexcool coolant used by gm. judging from the information on the internet, it seems other manufacturers have run into problems with this coolant (catapillar, cummings diesel.)

My 99 montana (70,030 miles but never a problem) failed on us about 15 miles east of hagerstown md while returning to pittsburgh from ocean city on 7/13/2003. the short story is that the engine failed with little prior warning and had to be replaced. there was a catastrophic failure of the intake manifold gasket, i have it as well as photos. the leaking coolant mixed with the engine oil and the resulting emulsified combination resulted in a ruined engine in a very short time. the engine had new oil because i changed it on 7/5 at 69,000 miles as specified in owner's manual prior to leaving pittsburgh. i still have the old oil in my garage and it is in good condition. i had the van towed 180 miles to my dealer, the power of bowser, so that they could tell me that there's nothing they or gm can do for me. the local gm service rep looked at it on 7/17 and said no goodwill warranty as did the people at pontiac customer relations. (1-800-pmcares should be 1-800-wesayno). the people gm "empowers" to make these decisions are not technically trained such that they can even understand what happened and yet they make the decision that it's tough luck. i wouldn't be so upset about this situation if i had done something that contributed to the failure of the engine. but, i'm a fanatic, i change my oil every 3k and do all the other stuff that's recommended in the owner's manual. there is no way that a competently designed and manufactured engine should experience the type of failure that the engine in my montana had. i've had no choice but to have the engine replaced at a cost of $4,100. i just paid it off in may. the fact that gm has internally recognized a problem with the gasket via internal service bulletins and didn't give their customers this information is malpractice as far as i'm concerned. i'd be in jail if i did this in my work. we pursued action with the bbb auto line but, were turned down for an arbitration hearing based on the mileage.

As appears to be common with the engine in this vehicle, the intake gasket failed causing dexcool to leak into the engine and thus contaminating not only engine oil, but causing failure of critical internal components due to the fact that dexcool deteriorates/weakens certain metals, etc. in our case, the vehicle's engine completely failed while driving 60 mph on a 6 lane expressway with no prior indication of problems. gm is aware of the problem but refuses to take any responsibility for its inferior design! a recall should be begun immediately. without quick, calm reaction my preganant wife and two children could have been rear-ended and severly injured or killed. how would gm deal with the publicity of that lawsuit!

Leaking lower intake manifold gasket. hard to say how much to date has been internal, but has never dripped on garage floor until this week. i list milage failure at 38,000 miles because that is when i first noticed coolant level dropping with no visable leaks. current mileage is aprox 60800 miles. i have had to add coolant since june of 2001. 3.4l v6

At roughly 2k miles, the transmission was replaced. then again at 28k miles, another replacement. both were covered under warranty, but i tried to get the local dealer and gm to buy it back since it was untrustworthy for my family. the most my threats could do was get an extended 60k/$0 deductable warranty out of gm. then at 56.5k miles, the intake manifold gasket problem got me. this also resulted in a water pump replacement.

Intake manifold leaking coolant into the engine oil on my 3.4 liter engine. after complaining to pontiac & the bbb, gm offered to pay 50% of the repair cost. faulty oxygen sensor & leaking fuel pressure regulator oh december 16, 2003. since original complaint, keyless remote failed on 7/15/03 & seat belt pretensioner failed causing airbag light to go on, july 28, 2003

There is a defective intake gasket on 3.4l engines that are installed in many of the gm models. i have been told by numerous repair shops and a service manager at a chevrolet dealership that he replaces about 1 or 2 a day and can't believe that gm hasn't been forced into a recall. there has been 2 to 3 updates since 1999 in an attempt to correct problem. the new part # that was installed in my engine is 89017279. is there any recourse against gm in this matter?? i have been getting the royal runaround between gm customer service and the dealership i bought the van from in april 2003.

While driving 15 mph, the vehicle transmission would shift gears without warning. this would cause a distraction to the consumer. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. please provide more information. *nm

While driving the srs light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. also, steering wheel locked while driving. consumer was unable to unlock the steering wheel. consumer had vehicle towed to dealer, who replaced the belts and other parts. *ak

The passenger sliding door will not unlock either manually or by remote. therefore everyone must go through the driver side sliding door. i have three small children which is why i chose a remote controlled sliding door for my family. this has been a huge inconvenience to deal with. it will not unlock at all. *ak

Intake manifold gasket leak. needed replacement after loss of coolant into oil. evedently a common defect. $700. transmission problems at 24k miles. dealer fixed. at 79k miles needed replacement for $3300. *ak

On march 27, 2004 my wife noticed the brake pedal feeling stiff on our 1999 pontiac montana. the following day the "brake", "abs" & "tcs" lights came one. i checked all the brake shoes, calipers etc and found them to be in good order. after having a diagnostic conducted it was explained the abs and brake modules had failed. i am concerned with these two systems failing simultaneously.*ak

I have noticed my coolant level is down very often with the "low coolant" light coming on, as well. according to my gm dealer the lower intake manifold is leaking coolant from my 99 montana with about 60k miles. dealer has indicated the repair of this gasket to be over $700 which is outrageous. i have owned about 12 cars in my lifetime and not one has had a problem leaking coolant out around the intake manifold gasket. after reviewing other complaints on the nhtsa website, it is obviously a defect in this model engine and consumers should be reimbursed, if not fully, then partially for the repairs. a $700+ repair bill is way too much to expect the consumer to pay out for this defect. *ak

1999 pontiac montana vin [xxx] good weather good road condition. while attempt to accelerate a bit at about 60 mph the car began to accelerate on its own as though the cruise control was on. tapped the brakes and made sure the cruise control was off but continued to accelerate. put it neutral and the acceleration stopped. problem kept repeating and didn't necessarily stop when in neutral. then while car was in neutral and coasting at about 50 mph car switched into park on its own and stalled. restarted car and got it over to the shoulder and turned it off. tried to restart but the engine raced furiously. called for a tow truck. the tow truck operator turned on the car and put it neutral to position it to winch it up the flatbed. the car put itself in drive and raced up the flatbed which was at a steep slope until it struck the front frame of the flatbed and the driver could turn it off. this was very scary. someone could have been killed.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I had to have the engine replaced on my 1999 pontiac montana. there were only 53,000 miles on it at the time. the reason for replacing it was because of a problem with the cooling system that caused "gunk" to build up and eventually ruin the engine.

The last 4 cars i have owned have been gm vehicles. i have tried hard to be loyal, when in 1998, my 1992 olds achieve blew it's head gasket at 79,000 miles. a defect that was so common on quad-4 engines in these vehicles that many were recalled to be fized, before 75,000 miles......i didn't know until after....by 4,000 miles!! the total job cost me $1700usd. i did purchase a 1999 montana van and another bonneville (1995) over the last 3 years. in dec. of 2002 the lower intake manifold gasket was replaced on my montana with only 55,000 miles on it, cost of $388. then this past january, i was driving my 1995 bonneville and my head gasket blew. so $1633 dollars later, it turned out the problem was caused by a plastic upper intake manifold that burned out in the opening for the egr check valve. as i have found out on multiple web sites, it seems that on the 3.8l series ii engines, that their have been many problems when gm changed from a die cast aluminum part to this plastic plenum tub. the plastic tub burns 1-2 holes around the egr check valve, where the water jackets are, thus failing and causing coolant to fill in the upper intake and then be sucked into the engine. it seems that gm is well aware of this problem, but has not recalled any parts. again, this was my 2nd blown head gasket, but since the car was a 1995 i was upset, but figured that nothing could be done. not 10 days later the 1999 montana, with only 79,000 miles on it, blew the head gasket (this a 3.4 liter engine) another $1400 later, and i determined enough was enough. 3 different engines in 3 different cars, was no fluke. that is when i found out on the internet, that there were all these different issues people were having with gm engines. i have spend approximately $5200 fixing this issues over the last couple of years. i want retribution!! gm either needs to own up to their mistakes and make good, or lose yet another life long customer, his wife and their 3 kids!!!! *ak

Front/rear seat belts did not retract back to the locking position. consumer was unable to wear the seat belt while driving/riding in the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.*ak

Intake manifold failed at 35,888 miles. dealer advised they were not aware of this problem. veh out of warranty due to age. *ak

At 54k miles the intake gasket required replacement on a 1999 pontiac montana with a 3.4l engine. had been told that it had been leaking coolant outside the engine block for some time. local certified mechanic performed gasket repair stating that he has replace many gaskets on the general motors 3.4l engines. more than he could count. the bolts holding the two pieces of the engine together with the gasket between are finger tight in most cases. i have obtained a presentation from gm powertrain explaining why gaskets leak on the 3.4l engine. presentation suggests modifications to the gasket and to bolt torque settings. i was told by the above mentioned mechanic that there is a more robust gasket for the repair along revised torque settings for the bolts and suggested application of loctite to the engine bolts to prevent them from backing out.

Van shifts hard and often makes a loud "clunking" noise. dealer recommends ~ $1100 in repairs to the transmission, several non-dealer repair shops recommend rebuilding the transmission for ~ $1400. problem started several months ago and now seems relatively severe with the service engine soon light now on consistantly. problem seems to go away if the van is shut off for a small length of time. another transmission problem and yet no recall. red

The headlight lens covers came off both headlights. during inclement weather, water got inside the headlights, causing the bulbs to stop working. dealer determined that vehicle needed new headlight assemblies. *ak

The driver's side wheel bearing was making a grinding noise due to a lack of grease on the bearing. the dealer was contacted. *ak *sc *jb

1999 pontiac montana experienced no heating. garage stated coolant had sludge and was flushed and recharged. after driving 10 miles to home, coolant light came on and steam rolled out under hood. found air intake manifold gasket leaking in numerous places. garage said they have seen many of these. coolant cap states coolant good for 150,000 miles. only 49,000 miles on van.

Transmission shifts hard, late at times. radio/cd screen is garbled loose srs connectors power lock problems sliding door problems *la

Vehicle comes equipped with side air bags which are located in the front seat backs. the padding wasn't properly designed when manufactured. as a result, seat cover material is ripping, which will eventually leave the box containing the side air bag exposed. also, at 33,000 miles the head gasket developed a leak and destroyed the engine motor. *ak

Lower intake manifold gasket and water pump leaking dexcool coolant. dealer reports oil pressure switch, oil pump drive o-ring, and both valve covers leaking oil. don't know if these oil leaks are due to gasket & seal damage from dexcool coolant. *la

The outside edge of the seat frame on driver and passenger side had a protruding edge made of metal that sticks out about 7 inches and is very sharp. the metal has tore through the material of the seat. the consumer feels this could be deadly in a side collision. *nlm

The driver's side seat belt stuck in the holster due to the belt fraying on both sides to release the belt from being stuck in the holster. *ak *sc *jb

Complete engine failure and radiator slude on 1999 pontiac montana as a result of dex-cool coolant

I have just taken in our 99 montana and have learned that i have an engine gasket leak. this will be the 2nd gasket leak the engine has incurred. the first one was a head gasket and this most recent gasket is a lower intake. the reason this concerns me is that i had a dear friend have an automobile issue where he had to pull over on the side of the highway. it happened to be friday with heavy traffic. too make a long story short, while he went out for repairs his vehicle was rear ended while on the side of the road and he lost his first son and his second son had brain damage. the reason i bring this up is because i've been lucky as far as catching these gasket issues in their early stages of failure. i could have been that guy stuck on the highway with a gasket that has failed, not once but maybe twice. it seems obvious that gm has a serious gasket issue with this particular engine and are not concerned about their customer's families safety. *jb

Consumer stated that while driving at 65 mph and without warning subframe fell to ground, causing and accident. dealer notified. *ak

The treads separated on all four tires within 200 miles of each other which caused them to blow out. the dates of occurrences: 8/5/2003, 8/9/2003, and 8/10/2003. *ak *scc *jb

I have a 1999 pontiac montana that the coolant light came on and noticed water missing from coolant recovery tank. this had happened before so i took the vehicle to a local gm dealer. after they tested it i was told that the intake manifold and head gaskets were leaking and would need to be replaced at a cost of $1540.39. after doing a small amount of research on the internet i found hundreds of websites of people having the same problem with this vehicle. i contacted gm for assistance and i was told that my vehicle was out of warranty and they were not aware of this type of problem from anyone else. i know two other people that own pontiac montana's in the town i live in that have had the same problem. they both called gm and were given the same story i was told. with as many people having this problem with the same type engine/vehicle i feel like gm should stand behind there product and pay for this repair.*ak

Transmission quit running while driving on interstate with no warning. *ph

I took my 1999 pontiac montana in for an oil change and was told that i have an intake manifold gasket that is leaking. i was told that if it was not repaired serious engine damage could result. i have 63,000 miles on the vehicle and believe that this is not normal wear and tear but rather a factory assembly defect or poor design. *ak

While driving 65 mph the intake manifold gasket failed and allowed coolant to mix with the engine oil. this caused the engine to overheat and shut down. the consumer found out that the manufacturer was aware of the problem and redesigned the gasket. chevrolet owners with 3.8l engines were notified of the potential failure, but owner of gm vehicles with 3.1l and 3.4l engines were not contacted. *ak *ph *nlm

My 1999 pontiac montana overheated. there were no signs other than my wife mentioning a funny smell. had to replace both intake manifold gaskets and have the cooling system flushed. he claimed dex-cool causes this problem. *ak

Gmc knew of a problem with leaking manifold intake gaskets. i recently had the problem, paid over $600 to have it repaired, and a few weeks later, the engine blew...costing me close to an additional $3500. i contacted gm before the repairs were done, and they refused to help me.*ak

After having my vehicle serviced to change the oil and replace the air filter, i was driving home a couple of days later. i had just exited from i-70 onto highway 59 north, when i accelerated to pass a slow moving pickup truck. when i pushed down on the pedal it did not return to the normal position but remained completely open. i was now driving on a two lane highway with considerable traffic and my accelerator was to the floor going sometimes at speeds of 80 to 90 miles an hour. after having my daughter check to see if the pedal was stuck, i managed to get the vehicle stopped by alternating between drive and neutral and then pulling to the side of the road once i had reached a place with enough room. the van was towed to the dealership in brazil, indiana and it was determined that when the air filter was replaced a clamp had not been positioned correctly and had caused the linkage to be stuck in the open position. even after advising another oil service center this clamp was again positioned incorrectly the next time the air filter was changed. luckily, we had checked this before another incident could happen. *ak

The engine caught fire and all we can say is that 3 weeks prior to that, the car was worked on by the dealer to fix a colant leak between the intake maniful and the cylinder head. we drove the car up on a steep hill, the car was parked and 2 or 3 minutes later we were informed that our car's engine was on fire. abd the car wsa totalled.*ak

Automatic sliding door on passenger door opened by itself while driving at 40mph. neither the driver nor passenger touched the door or door switch. this was on a smooth road going straight. the door latch system was replaced due to recall on 8/28/02. *ak

1999 potiac montana - manifold failure, coolant leak. a costly and apprantly frequent problem. *ak

Leaking intake manifold gasget at 44,000 miles. was found by dealer when in for normal service. told they look for this problem. this is out of warranty service even though this is a common problem on the 3.4l engine. *ak

Car was taking on water from rain storms leaking through body roof area through the control panel on the ceiling of vehicle and dripping water rapidly to floor traveling down the windshield molding on the inside of the window trim on inside of doors. sent in to be fixed under 36,000. warranty. still leaking same thing... told too hard to find leak. opened file with gmac97471426. owner will reopen file when service can take car in for further review. *nlm

On the morning of may 21, 2003 at approximately 11:25 a.m. est, my pregnant wife of nine months, and two children ages 3 and 6 were driving our 1999 pontiac montana minivan southbound on us-131 in the grand rapids, mi area. at approximately mile marker 85 the vehicle suddenly died for no apparent reason and with no apparent warning. she was traveling 60 mph in the far left lane of a 6 lane stretch of what is known as the s-curve in this area. with no power to the vehicle she somehow managed to safely maneuver the van across three lanes of traffic and exit at franklin street. with the help of a state trooper we were able to move the vehicle (which was blocking the exit ramp) to a safe place until it could be towed. upon further inspection by a qualified gm dealership technician the following day, it was determined that the engine completely failed due to a problem with a faulty intake gasket which allowed dexcool coolant to seep into the engine and destroy critical components. this is apparently a problem that is more than common on vehicles with the same engine as ours. gm has been aware of for sometime, but has failed to correct via recall or other measures. had my wife not been swift and calm in her control of the vehicle there is little doubt that a serious and possibly fatal accident would have occurred given the location of the incident. vehicles traveling at 60+ mph come out of a blind curve just before this location and would have been unlikely to stop in time. i would like to reiterate that a state trooper was on the scene and documented the incident as well. *nlm

The passenger side sliding door did not lock when the consumer pushed the automatic key control button. *jb *ts

I've experienced the well known (thousands affected) intake gasket leak on gm's 3.4l engine. at 75k miles, experienced low coolant, topped off, but no puddles. at next oil change, found oil to be milky-brown and reek of coolant. dealer service confirmed intake gasket leak and repaired at cost of $700 including fouled oxygen sensor. pontiac "customer service" was no help and was somewhat evasive when i asked if she had been involved with any other intake gasket problems. when i asked why gm would redesign the gasket, change coolant manufacturers, and have a nationwide shortage of the new gaskets, she said she was not aware of these issues and i should question my information as it was not from gm. her final advise, "save your receipt, you never know." i am so consoled. there must be pressure applied to force gm to make this right. *nlm

Intake manifold gasket failure. *nlm

My 1999 pontiac montana van's intake cracked at between 50,000 and 60,000 miles. it cost $600.00 to replace. two gm mechanics have admitted there is a huge problem with these intakes. why is nothing being done about this?*jb

Windshield wipers will not return when off, they run but stay up when off. *jb

The vehicles head gasket failed which caused the engine to be inoperative. *nlm

I had three transmissions, a cracked head because of over heating, water pump and heat sensor, oil in one cylinder, a short in the rear lights with dealer saying i (should replace the lighting structure on both sides) $200.00. abs system sensor front right side wire burned through $500.00. the $200.00 and $500.00 i have not done yet, should i wait until it's an even $1000.00 more to spend more money? there are more problems.*jb

Without prior difficulty or warning, the struts failed, and the hatch dropped on the consumer's head, knocked her to the ground and caused a severe neck injury. the struts were replaced at the consumer's expense. *jb scc

Lower intake manifold gasket leak at 54000 miles. reason is poor design. i have heard of many complaints on this problem. please help us. *jb

Our 1999 pontiac montana has just been worked on by the dealership for a leak in the lower intake manifold gasket. they charged me $795.00 to fix this last week and now it is back in the shop to fix the coolant sensor which will cost another $175.00. last night i found out there is a petition online with over 2,500 signatures on it for these same problems with their gm car. why isn't there a recall on this! *nlm

Pontiac montana presented with a low coolant light,, found to have a faulty intake gasket, (repaired for approx $700.) when asked about rate of occurrence, gm service manager stated "it happens a lot more often than gm wants to admit in the 3.4l and 3.8l engines". *jb

Vehcile is losing coolant discovered a bad iontake gasket. repairs totalled $800 by local delaership. rampant problem with this engine

Low coolant light came on intermittently. dealer stated water pump and intake gasket were leaking coolant. had to replace water pump and reseal intake at 40k miles. $1100 repair

1999 pontiac monata vehicle is similar to the 1915 others online http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1 cost $800 to repair.

I have a '99 pontiac montana with gm's infamous v6 3.4l engine. just had the intake manifold gasket job at 56.5k miles. this is a noted problem, with sudden over heating and the car stopped on my wife. also the vehicle is on its third tranmission.*jb

My wife & i own a 1999 pontiac montana. in september with 53,000 miles we noticed that the low coolant light came on. we added coolant and about 2 weeks later the light came on again. i then contacted my personal mechanic (since the vehicle was no longer under warranty). he told me that the intake manifold was bad and that this was a very common problem with this type of engine. he also told me that gm dealers told him that it was a result of the intake manifold being made of plastic and that the dexcool was eating up the gaskets and the plastic manifolds. the cost of the repair on the intake portion of the engine was $392.57. he also told us that as a result of this, coolant spilled into our engine oil. this means that we have a good chance of engine failure in the near future and would have to replace the engine. replacing the engine would cost $2000 -$2500. we did contact the dealer where we bought the vehicle and posted a complaint. they told us to contact pontiac. we did call the pontiac customer service center in michigan an filed a complaint over the phone. they claimed that they have never heard of such a thing. please respond. thanks

I own a 1999 pontiac montana and at 54,000 miles began experiencing loss of oil and coolant. i took to a repair shop and was told that my intake manifold upper and lower gaskets need to be replaced, as well as my thermostat and gasket. quote $900 for repairs.

Failure of lower intake manifold gasket on my 1999 pontiac montana. internet search provided evidence that thousands of these are failing and there has been no recall notice to date.

Consumer states that while driving and without warning the intake manifold crack causing coolant fluid to leak onto the engine. dealer notified. ts

Lower intake manifold gasket leak causing coolant/oil mix internally on a vehicle with only 41k. caught before christmas 900mi trip. would have likely caused engine to seize if not caught before trip. oil was creamy white.

Passenger's side front seatbelt failed to lock when another vehicle plowed into consumer's vehicle front end. neither of vehicle's frontal or rear airbags deployed. ph...*ak

While driving vehicle passenger front seatbelt failed to restrain the passenger upon impact, and niether driver nor passenger airbag deployed. had a front end collision. please provide any further information. ph

1999 pontiac montana- coolant in oil- leaking intake mainifold gasket and bad water pump. 75,000 miles at time of incident.

While driving, the master cylinder failed. when brakes were applied, the pedal went all the way to the floor causing extended stopping distance. the dealership replaced the master cylinder. mr *jg

After the dealer performed the recall on the vehicles sliding door the problem reocurred, this vehicle has been recalled twice for this problem. *ts *nlm

After being struck head on, the other vehicle was going 35-40mph and the airbags did not open. seatbelt was on and my face hit the steering wheel and knees hit the dash.

While driving at any speed and with no warning intake manifold cracked and was causing fluid to link out. dealer notified.-*ak

While driving vehicle will hesitate to shift gears,and will shake if suddenly stopped.dealer contacted.*ak

Consumer states that the lower cradle collapsed while driving. dealer notified and informed that the vehicle was not cover under a manufacturer recall. feel free to provide any further formation. nlm

While driving at 20/35mph consumer was involved in a head on collison and none of the air bags deployed, vehicle was totalled.*ak there were 2 injuries. *yh

Consumer's vehicle was involved in a collision. vehicle was hit from rear, and in turn collided with a vehicle in front. upon impact, both driver and passenger air bags did not deploy.*ak

Camshaft broke while consumer was driving, causing vehicle to stall out. contacted dealer. *ak

Vehicle overheated while driving 30 mph. the dealer determined that the lower intake gasket need to be replaced. per dealer 30000 of these parts are on backorder.*jb

Consumer stated antifreeze was leaking into the motor of vehicle due to the gasket material falling on the intake manifold. nlm dealer found and replaced leaking intake gaskets. *tt

Sliding door will not close. while driving door opens. took vehicle to dealer, and they wiped off a connector plate, problem still occurred. took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced the actuator. problem still exists. please provide any furhter information.*ak

Consumer reporting a crack in the intake manifold gasket, causes leaks and a knocking in the engine while driving. dealer and the manufacturer were notified at this time.*jb

Recall 02 v 027 000/air bag. a few days after the recall repairs were made, the air bag light illuminated, dealer harry robinson pontiac, forth smith, ar 501-646-8600, has inspected vehicle and determined that light illuminated because of a problem with the restraint belt retractor. *ak. consumer stated the problem has since been resolved.*jb

While driving down a hill approximately 45 mph brake pedal unexpectedly fell to the floor, and driver was unable to activate brake system. vehicle went through a red light and caused a crash. three people were injuried; 2 people in pontiac, montana received restraint related chest injuries, and 1 person in another vehicle was hospitalized with unknown injuries. vehicle has not been examined to determine cause of the brake problem. please provide any additional information / documentation. *ak

Manufacturer's recall 01013 for passenger sliding door. there are no parts available. cornforth-campball po b0x 537 puyallup wa 98371 206 845 8881 toll free 1800 573 8881. *ak

Anti skid system motor was defective had to have it replaced. contacted dealer, and the dealer stated abs fluid was not flowing into motor. *ak

Brake pedal is soft, and there's too much emphasis on brake pedal before vehicle slows down. dealer replaced both front rotors, blamed as a wear and tear.*ak

While pulling into a parking place at 1-2 mph consumer applied brakes, pedal went to floor. and vehicle hit the curb. consumer then applied brakes again, this time brakes engaged. vehicle not taken to dealer yet.*ak

Vehicle has been in dealer's repair shop over 6 times for transmission. dealer replaced transmission, and vehicle jumps and jerks.*ak

On one occasion rear glass has exploded and shattered for unknown reason. dealer was notified, and replaced window without charges. approximately two year later problem has reoccurred, and dealer refused to assist without charges to consumer. feel free to provide us with any further infomation on this matter. *ak

Consumer was traveling 55mph on highway and went to pass another vehicle, and accelerator pedal was stuck down to the floor. he was able to put vehicle in neutral, pull over to side of road, and shutdown. dealership was aware of problem. vehicle was towed to dealership. *ak while having oil changed, consumer requested to have the air filter replaced, in order to replace air filter, the throttle cable clamp was loosened to gain access to the air filter housing, it was not lined back up properly causing the sudden acceleration. *slc

While driving engine check light will come on, and transmission roughly will shift gear. vehicle at dealer, they will flush fuel injectors.*ak *slc

All of the seatbelts, particularly in the rear of vehicle do not retract. consumer has to feed seatbelt back into retractor to avoid belts from hanging out of vehicle door. when child reaches forward seat belt belt does not tighten back up around child. consumer has yet to contact the dealer. please provide any further information.*ak

Sliding door locks would stick when using remote or manual control while getting in or out of vehicle. would only be able to enter through driver/passenger door. has been to dealership 5 times. each time vehicle was repaired, but problem would reappear. alternative solution was to replace sliding doors. *ak

Windshield wipers work intermittently. while windshield wipers are in motion they begin to interlock with each other. windshield wipers have been fixed on four different occasions, but the problem still occurs. *ak

Consumer was traveling on highway and there was another vehicle on the shoulder , and vehicle pulled out and veered into consumer's vehicle, forcing it into a ditch head-on. upon impact, front and side airbags didn't deploy at all. consumer stated that were injuries. *ak

Consumer took vehicle to have master cylinder replaced on july 12th, 1999. entire car was shaking and smoking badly, dec. 06, 1999, more brake repairs. dealer said retaining clip broke, retaining clip not on. dec 14, had a low brake pedal, and emergency brakes would sometimes go to the floor , and sometimes they would not.*ak

Air bag light keeps coming on. vehicle been in dealer shop on six occasions, and problem still reoccurring. please feel free to provide any further details. *ak

When van was hit on the passenger's side, passenger's side air bag deployed, but did not inflate because of a hole in the air bag. hole in the air bag was about 2 inches wide. the van will be taken to the dealership. please provide any further information. *ak

Consumer's vehicle was traveling about 70mph in the express lane, and another vehicle crossed in front of several vehicles. consumer' s vehicle wasn't able to decrease braking distance in time to keep it from rearending the other vehicle. upon impact, front air bags didn't deploy. consumer wasn't injured. vehicle was being inspected & repaired. *ak

Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. upon impact, passsenger's airbag did not deploy. vehicle was totaled. manufacturer has been notified. *ak

When the brakes are applied pedal becomes soft, resulting in extended stopping distance. dealer has inspected the brakes several times . *ak

The van was involved in a head-on crash, traveling at 35 mph and there was no deployment of the driver's side or passenger's side air bags. van will be repaired. *ak *ml

While driving on highway/stopping or pulling off or taking foot off gas pedal, vehicle stalls. has to drive with both feet in order to keep the rpms up. contacted the dealer, and vehicle is still at the dealer. but, dealer can't duplicate the problem. *ak

Premature brake wear on one side of the brakes . dealer has replaced the rotors/ calipers, and pads several times. *ak

When front passenger's seat is forwarded on the track it becomes exposed. a child fell on the track, resulting in injury. the dealer and manufacturer notified. *ak

When starting the ignition air bag deployed in consumer's face. dealer has been contacted. *ak

While pulling into the driveway traveling at a low rate of speed, and gradually depressing on the brake pedal, vehicle suddely accelerated, causing consumer to run into a brick house. upon impact, there was no deployment of the air bags. also skid marks on the pavement showed that the brakes were being applied. consumer has contacted the dealer. *ak *ml

When making a normal stop driver will hear a click, and feel brake pedal going to floor, causing extended stopping distance. *ak

The sliding door opens by itself at any time. this happens while the engine is off. the dealer is aware of the problem. the dealer was not able to find out what was causing the problem. problem has not been corrected. please provide any further information. *ak

The van stalls or hesitates without any kind of warning. this happens while driving or taking off after a stop. the van has stalled four times since october of 1999. van is at the dealership. dealer is not able to remedy this probelm. please provide any further information. *ak

While driving a snap was felt under the accelerator, and vehicle accelerated suddenly and unexpectedly to 80mph. dealer is inspecting and will repair the vehicle. *ak

While driving car sometimes jerks and will cut off in the middle of the road. *ak

While the child opened the sliding door, child's hand got stuck in the lock, causing the child to slide down and sustain iinjuries. please provide further information. *ak pe04064.pco

Speedometer is totally inoperative . consumer cannot determine speed of vehicle, causing a safety hazard.

Driver's seat belt pretensioner failed causing the air bag light to stay on, the drivers side air bag also came out of the seat. nlm

Power sliding door module failed causing the door to be stuck in the open position. nlm

Rotors and pads were faulty causing the front brakes to make noise. nlm

The third brake light lense was cracked at the mounting point. nlm

There was a rattle or buzzing noise coming from the windshield. nlm

Front seat cover failed due to lack of padding. nlm

The radio display failed. nlm

Complete transmission failure replacement cost $2600. this was caused by an internal radiator failure, which transmission fluid into the engine coolant, destroying engine gaskets and requiring $1700 in engine repairs. that's $4300 in one month, on a four year old vehicle. note the number of transmission problems reported on this vehicle. why no recall? dt

My daughter drives this van. she had just put the baby in the car seat , walked around to get in the driver's side and the door fell off. luckily no one was standing in front of the door and she was parked. the part inside missed the baby. if she had been traveling the baby could of been hurt . the ponticac dealer said contact a local dealer. the local dealer stated we would have to pay for this ourselves. to me this is a defect. i mean how many doors fall off? we are very lucky that no one was hurt or killed. please help! what if this happens to someone else?*ak

We have been plaged with coolant leakage for some time. our intake gasket has been pegged as the cause. why should the consumer be forced to foot the bill for something that in my mind is an assembly or defect problem. noone should be having to fool with the engine on such a new vehicle. this is above and beyond any wear and tear issue.*ak

The manufacturer does not have parts available for a 1999 production vehicle. been told by my selling dealer that the part is on "national back-order" with no expected date of arrivial. was also told that the manufacturer stopped making the part due to a supplier failure. was also told that the dealeraship itself was had six vehicles waiting the same repair. i thought that the manufacturer had to have a supply of parts available for all car for at least ten years past production ending? this is a three year old car.*ak

I am just wondering when something can be addressed concerning the use of plastic in the tie rod components of the steering rack. the tie rods are failing every 15 to 20 thousand miles. it results in hammering clunks transmitted through the steering wheel, and an inability to control vehicle direction. it also makes it impossable to align the front wheels, resulting in tire ware and failure. i feel that this is a major defect with all general motors mini-vans built since adopting this new type of steering component. if the part actually snaps, the front wheels will no longer be atached to the steering wheel or each other! anybody want to guess what happens next?*ak

I went to the dealer complaining of no heat coming out of heater although the temperature gauge was normal. the service adviser said i probably had a gasket leak, opened the hood, and immediately pointed to the spot where it was leaking. it was not leaking enough to mark the pavement, it would just leak onto the motor and evaporate. obviousely he had seen this problem before. i took my van to get it fixed and a gasket could not be found in indianapolis. one dealer has 15 vehicles down waiting for gaskets and another has, i believe the number was 60 gasket sets on back-order. yet gm says that the problem is not theirs to be concerned with. my mechanic said that there is a nationwide back order list for this particular gasket, which goes on the pontiac montana, chevy venture, and oids silhouette. in one weekly paper here in central in, there are 33 montanas and silhouettes, from 1998 to 2001 listed for sale. this is a big problem. can you help?*ak

Suspension system could not support 7 passengers + luggage + fuel, without excessive bouncing, causing a reduction of speed (10-15mph) below posted speed limits. rear brakes were not fully engaging, causing unsafe stopping, especially on hills. rear brakes were adjusted manually to improve braking, but peddle is still soft. the gsvwr is not great enough for vehical capaity. i was told that this is a dry-weight rating. mud flaps both front & rear were worn off excessivily, due to boncing. sometimes it felt like i was loosing control. all suspension components were checked by dealer after return from vacation, but van still exhibits excessive bouncing and bottoming out, even with only two passengers and no luggage. at a highway speed of 70mph, the van would down-shift at every overpass, and slight headwind, during trip across the desert on i-70 to s.l.c., ut. there is no hd suspension parts for this vehicle, which should be available, if one wants to tow a boat. by the way, a reduction in passengers is required, if a boat is towed (300 lbs draw-bar wt) and 3500 lbs tow wt. this is a very under-rated. nlm

The frame had 4 breaks which 2 occurred some time ago/rusty/3rd break estimated 2/15/02 and final break 2/16/02. i was advised by a mechanic that this was a catastrophic failure and caused by manufacturer defect.*ak

We would like to express our extreme dissatisfaction with this vehicle and with the manufacurer. we purchased this vehicle new 2.5 years ago and have had to return it to the dealership on 17 different occasions to have various problems fixed: transmission replaced with 16,000 miles, airbag problems, cd player problems, intake gasket leaking, tires wearing, numerous problems! we have contacted the manufacturer and was told the first time a year ago that nothing would be done and now all they will offer us is extended warranty! we can't afford to keep taking our vehicle to the dealer and just want out from under this burden, big mistake we made!*ak

Intake manifold assembly cracked where pipe is pressure fitted into manifold, causing engine coolant to leak rapidly, coolant light came on after coolant container was over 1/2 empty. *ak

My car is 3 years old and the seatbelt pretension is causing the airbag light to come on, potentially can cause airbag to engage. past 36,000 m not covered by warranty and gm will not repair for defect. *ak

I writing to express dissatisfaction 2 major component failures occurred on a vehicle with less than 50,000 miles. the intake leak appears to be a known problem - buyer beware. i can understand disc pad wear, but not major brake system replacement/repair. the mechanic also noted excessive lifter noise; i fear this observation will lead to more major repair work. the dealer has been responsive. my complaint is intended for the manufacturere and other consumers. i will not be a good referral for prospective minivan owners - essentially my entire social base fits the demographic for minivan buyers. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Windshield wipers suddenly stopped while we were driving in a torrential 3-hour downpour. had to pull onto shoulder and drive with no forward visibility until reaching a town with a garage. this was on highway 77 in south texas, a very heavily travelled road. we were lucky to have avoided being hit from behind. the problem was that the wiper drive arm had come off the ball-shaped stud on the drive crank. one of the two 5 mm screws had come out of the clamp holding the drive arm to the drive stud. this is a serious weakness in this vehicle as a more secure locking method should be used for this clamp (i added locknuts to the screws on my clamp). this arm mounting undergoes a lot of cycles with fairly heavy alternating loading, and should be much more positively fastened than it is. i suggest that these vehicles be recalled and a better locking system added to the wiper drive arm. *ak

We have occasionally had problems with the transmission shifting hard, whining & banging into gear-this goes away if you turn the vehicle off & then back on . it occurrs at slower speeds not highway speeds & seems to happen only on short trips or longer trips with several stops. recently there was a coolant leak in the system , which a local shop "repaired" for $67 the first week of october. almost two weeks later the vehicle began running hot again & we were then told it needed a new head gasket. we had the vehicle back for a week when after getting off the highway & stopping for a red light the vehicle started to stall & the low oil pressure light came on. after parking the car & restarting it -it started making a horrible sound & we had it towed in to the nearest pontiac dealer. there we were told that the head gasket shouldnt have needed to be replaced that those engines almost never leak from the head gasket but apparantly they commonly leak from the intake valves. in addition, they said that the garage that did the head gasket did something wrong which caused a blockage in the engine & prevented oil from getting into the top of the engine. they said there were two bolts that were loose & eventually found to be sheared off & that one of the outer heades-not the cylinder heads - were cracked. i have no way of finding out what actually caused the engine failure. i found no technical service bulletins on the head gaskets or the intake valves. rif the engine had to heads a ardiastiotnetrstarting ccor. *ak

Air bag light on intermittently. twice serviced in the past year. problems still present. concerned about safety. *ak

Purchaused used (6 months old) have now owned auto for 2 years. at 38000 miles transmission starting shifting harsh at times, had to replace transmission. engine has started acting as if it is going to stall for no apparent reason. radio has been replaced 3-4 time, due to garbbled display. most recently however, i had door locks repaired, and was told that the wires to the locks were damaged due to the water intrusion caused by the air conditioning leak into the auto instead of outside the auto.*ak

Water leak will continue causing repeated problems with wiring located under floor. *ak

The air bag light came on shortly after purchase while having other electrical system problems. it has been addressed more than 3 times by the dealer, whom i will no longer take my vehicle to for work. the air bag light is still malfunctioning, along with other electrical system failures presently occuring. the air bag light causes me great concern regarding possible unwarranted deployment leading to injury or accident. *ak

My complaint is regarding the engineering of the sliding door of my van. two weeks ago my ten year old son was getting out of the van, his leg slipped in between the door and the side of the van. he receiveda severe gash that required twelve stitches to close. he was cut on the square metal plate that attaches to the bracket that the door slides on. i feel this plate needs to be engineered differently, to ensure that nobody else can be injured like this. my son is going to be scarred for life.*ak

Vehicle will drift backward when stopped on hill in drive gear(forward)and without brake being depressed. same situation will happen when in reverse gear pointing downhill when brake is let off (the vehicle will coast in forward direction). i feel the transmission should catch and prevent this motion. all other automatics that i have driven have not exhibitted this problem. *ak

Headlights do not light the road ahead when on low beam. *ak

The van has stall/hesistated in traffice while traveling 60mph. there have been 8 visits to try and correct this problem. spark plug replaced, pistons replaced, motor replaced and transmission replaced and transmission has been worked on for a second time.

I beleive that this van is un-safe for my family to drive, with the engine problems we have had.*ak (dot number: 024635 tiresize: p21570r15)

Fuel pump failed with only 43000 miles on the vehicle. repair shop said that it is very rare for a fuel pump to fail with such few miles.repair bill for problem was $705. the reason i own newer vehicles is so i do not have to spend time and money at a repair shop. with my car payment and the cost of the repair i will have spent $1055 in one month to keep up a 1999 vehicle, which is rediculous.

Traansmission shifts hard in all gears, intermitently after driving around town at slow to moderate speeds. *ak

Sidewall of tire "melted" at highway speed during hot temperature. general tire replaced tire with new model of xp2000gt. i still have 3 of the old tires on my minivan, and am leary of thier reliability. old tire tpc spec 1135ms. new tire tpc sec 1144ms. i urge gm to choose a safer tire to install as original equipment. no one was injured in the accident, but there was a definate chance of a major accendent or loss of life happening due to the tire failure. the tire did not "blow out" the actual sidewall rubber appeared to shear off and the rubber changed composition to resemble that of "bubble gum". the melted rubber coated the steel wheel as well as the plastic wheel cover. only an industrial strength bug & tar remover could clean off the melted rubber. unfortunately, i can not locate the paperwork associated with the replacement, but i did take photos of the damaged tire.( dot number: tire size: p215/70r15 )

At 28,000 miles, the general tires that came w/the vehicle were completely bald & had to be replaced. they were supposed to be 80,000 mile tires & had been rotated numerous times, the cooling system: while on vacation, the cooling system overheated. told by dealer out of town that radiator cap loose & was tightened. 3 weeks later low coolant light kept coming on & took to dealer on 8/12/00. told coolant system dirty & needed to be flushed; $100.00. also told battery that came w/vehicle was leaking acid which also ruined battery positive cable. both needed to be replaced. said out of goodwill would not charge for battery cable but charged $98 for battery. brakes started to fail @ 11,000 miles, rotors cut @ 28,000 & told rotors not under warranty because not considered safety problem. rotors still warped & need cutting. brake light socket was melted to light & was fixed by dealer early on.( dot number: acm3kmi368 tire size: p215-70r15 )

When stopping and accelerating you get a jerk and a thump like someone has hit you from behind. dealership states "after trying to fix the problem" for more then 4 times that this is due to the movement of fuel in the fuel tank and is a normal characteristic of this kind of vehicle in this model year. moreover they state that eyery vehicle in this model year has the same charecteristic. the manufacturer has backed the claim of the dealership that this is normal to get a jerk and thump when stopping and accelerating. please advise that if there is a problem with such violent movement of fuel in fuel tank and if it is a safety problem which could result in failure of part and possible fire or failure of any other part and if this is a normal characteristic of this vehicle as the dealership and manufacture states. *ak

Oil pan has heavy oil residue film which gm claims to be normal due to aluminum casting oil pan design that allows oil to seap through the oil pan. a heavy oil residue on the outside of the oil pan does not seem normal and appears to be a leak. burning oil can be smelled inside the vehicle while stopped. a file # has been opened by gm customer service to record my complaints. right hand door powered mirror is loose and loses setting when door shut. *ak

Intermittently, transmission will shift very rough and hard, and transmission emits a whining noise. once it starts, it continues until the vehicle rests. also, after driving a distance continuously of 200 miles or more, the vehicle will consistently stall at red lights or stopsigns until it has rested at least a few hours. *ak

The problem is not of a failure type, but it is excessive noise from the rear brakes. the vehicle has been looked at three times. the vehicle is going in friday the 25 of february for a road test with my husband and a technican. this is being done at otse

There is no way to turn off headlights at night, regardless of what position the headlight switch is in. the dealer said this is normal, but i think it is a safety hazard. for example, i work for the federal government (cdc), and when we turn into the parking lot we are supposed to turn off our headlights so the guard can see the parking decal and our face, and not be blinded by the headlights. i cannot do this. also, if i see someone inadvertently driving with their headlights off, i cannot flash mine off and on to signal them. thanks, cliff. *ak

When the air filter on these vehicles are changed. there is a clamp and tubing which must be moved to perform the change. if the clamp is not placed back exactly correctly, the car can slink the accelerator cable under the clamp, and cause the car to

Did not mark crash, however could not stop in time to prevent hitting curb, my mother had borrowed my car. if a car had been parked there it would have been hit. failure was due to brake line was positioned so that when the wipers were running, the arm that goes back and forth to actuate the drivers side wiper was contacting the line in a sawing motion. the line was covered with a braided shield or tube over the line and it went through both that and the brake line. i did not get a brake warning light until the brake fluid resevoir was down to 1/4 in. the brakes went from being a little mushy to none at all. had i been on a trip on a rainy day, i could have been in a very serious accident. the dealers attitude was very disappointing. there could easily be hundreds of cars out there that are accidents waiting to happen. it took them 7 working days to get a new line in and replace it. they did not even clean off the brake fluid that was sprayed in the engine area from the leak. when i asked about if they reported this problem they said that someone would look into it when they filed the warranty paperwork that no other incidents have been reported.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

All of the rear seat belts have fixed instead of flexible female receptors. because the seat belt receptors are fixed in a forward tilting position, it is impossible to get a secure fit for a forward facing toddler/booster seat. i have tried seven different seats and have failed two nhtsa safety checks. to date, the vehicle manufacturer will not recognize the problem or provide me with a solution. meanwhile i have an 18mth old toddler and an infant due in dec. that i can not safely put in my vehicle. the problem is clearly the seat belt receptor positioning,as i have tried many diffrent brand and models with similar results. the child restraints must be places so far forward in order to accomodate the forward tilting seat belt receptor that the car seat swivels side to side to such a degree that the child's safety is compromised.

The abs tcds and brake light appears on the dash and stays lit. when it does a fuse has blown and as a result i have no brake light. i do have running lights however. i have been to roper gm 9 times thus far and have been told that it was a loose wire by the brake pedal, a fuse has blown, the wrong size fuse was used (they replaced it), the pig tail that i installed to hook up my golf cart was faulty (i had a new one installed and they said that was all right) then they were going to install a new wiring harness (as yet i do not know if they did because it has only been a week since i picked it up and haven't talked to them yet but will call on monday. they also installed fuses on the brake lines and all that did was not warn me that the brake lights were not working. now that i have it back for the 9th time when i hook the trailering lights up they light up (trailer lights) without the key in the van even turned on. they evidently reinstalled this harness or fooled around with it because it worked perfectly before they got it this last time on turning, braking and running lights with the trailer. when they said they were going to install a wiring harness i took it to mean and know i am right that it was going on the van and not the pig tail. it took them 2 weeks to get the harness and they said 5 to 6 house to install it and when i got there the 8th time they decided not to install it. all in all we have been footballed around 9 times now and it still is not right. have some of the work orders but not others because they told me they couldn't give me a copy as long as the job was open and not dfinished??? *ak

I am not really sure that there is a problem, so this is really more a concern and a request for information. the vehicle appears to have adequate stopping ability, however, i have found that i am able to press down the brake pedal all the way down to the floor. i find this disconcerting because i have not owned any vehicle that displayed this behavior unless it had a problem (i.e. air in the brake lines, leaks, broken master cylinder, etc.). the service manager at the dealership assures me that the vehicle meets all the specifications prescribed in their service manual and as far as they are concerned, there is no problem. i am looking to your organization to find out if you have had similar reports and some sort of reassurance that this indeed is "normal". *ak

No summary

On april 17, 1999, my husband tried to engage his seatbelt properly, and it pulled all the way out, and wouldn't go back in. on april 29, 1999, i pulled into my driveway, let my kids out with the power door, my son tried to close it with the power switch, it wouldn't close, so he tried to close it manually, and it wouldn't budge. i tried to close it manually, and couldn't. the tow truck driver was able to get it closed, but the power still didn't work.

The rear power door opens on command,closes on command than opens by its self. it will close on command again , sometimes it will stay closed, other times it will open again. on several occasions the door tried to open as i was backing out of the drive way, being the doors lock automatically,the door becomes ajar. you then have to stop....put the vehicle in park....open the door ...close the door..hoping the door will stay closed. *ak

Temperature gauge failed. *yc

Auto sliding passenger door failed. yh

Consumer states air conditioner compressor failed. replaced compressor and other related components. this repair was made after the 36,000 mile warranty had expired on the van and manufacturer did cover the repair. *tt

Consumer states the radio display faded out, radio was replaced, however, the display still does not come up clearly. the on star system failed after unrelated repairs were made. *tt

Consumer states the engine is losing coolant and there was a loud valve train noise when started cold. dealer found leaks of the gaskets under the intake manifold. *tt

Consumer states there is a knocking noise in the engine compartment. dealer advised that the noise was normal, however, problem still exists. *tt

Consumer states speedometer stopped working twice. the instrument cluster had to be replaced both times. *tt

The coolant light illuminates. the intake gasket was leaking and was replaced. *jg

The air conditioning compressor makes noise. the compressor was replaced. *jg

Passengers electrical mirror gear was stripped and had to be replaced. *jg

The ecm was poorly grounded causing the vehicle to jerk or miss, after repair the vehicle continued to experience engine jerk and miss. nlm

The brake lamp switch connection was loose causing the abs light to illuminate. nlm

The sliding door motor has failed on 5 occasions, the door opens on its own and sometimes it will not close all the way, on one occasion the the door closed on the consumer left wrist causing a sprain, recall issued 01v-067 however repaired under warranty and repaired later for fee prior to recall, possibly related to recall. nlm

The transmission became inoperative and the pump was noisy. nlm

While driving automatic sliding door opened up, consumer took vehicle in to have it inspected and was advised there was a programming function that needed to be reporgrammed, the door worked for a few days and then it started acting up again so consumer took vehicle back to dealership and was told that vehicle needed a new motor activator, the door works fine but sometimes the buzzer goes off for no reason, dealership stated that is ok as long as door is working. *jb

The jack is not sturdy and weak, in the process of changing the tire the jack collapsed. *mjs

The vehicle hesitates while driving and makes noise due to spark plug failure. yh

The transmission failed. yh

The engine failed. yh

The driver side air bag deployed without apparent reason. yh

Anti-lock brake system motor pack failed, causing leak which resulting in total loss of brakes. on 8-23-99, the motor pack was replaced, now the brake pedal stops 1/4 inch from floor. dealer said it was normal. *yc

Poor driving performance: leans on turns, takes bumps hard, and feels like the choke bottoms out. these problems did not exist at time of purchase.

Electrical malfunction. passenger side power sliding door does not close properly, when closing with power switch the door makes 2-3 attempts before it closes. door has to be manually closed.

On november 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on april 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue. the trailing arm design in these vehicles has been used in the u-van from my 1997 through the present.the gm analysis concluded that the subject trailing arms could crack or buckle if they were damaged during assembly, pre-delivery handling, or subjected to certain service related abuse conditions such as improper towing or jacking.analysis of odi and gm data has identified 19 incidents of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles.there have been no new reports to odi or gm in the last 12 months and only one new complaint in the last 21 months. due to the low complaint rate and the absence of a continuing trend in reported failures, a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. for additional information, see the attached closing report.

On november 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on april 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue. the trailing arm design in these vehicles has been used in the u-van from my 1997 through the present.the gm analysis concluded that the subject trailing arms could crack or buckle if they were damaged during assembly, pre-delivery handling, or subjected to certain service related abuse conditions such as improper towing or jacking.analysis of odi and gm data has identified 19 incidents of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles.there have been no new reports to odi or gm in the last 12 months and only one new complaint in the last 21 months. due to the low complaint rate and the absence of a continuing trend in reported failures, a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. for additional information, see the attached closing report.

Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's chair seat back creating a risk of injury (other seating configurations have ample seat to door clearance to avoid entrapment of the lower arm).among the 103 total reports, there were 102 alleged injuries including arm/wrist, thumb and shoulder injuries.a count of injuries reveals that 76 injuries were a fractured or a broken arm/wrist requiring an immobilizing cast for four-to-six weeks.all injuries involve the right side power sliding door.the left side power sliding door is on far fewer vehicles, but more importantly, it produces less force.gm notified the agency by letter dated december 21, 2004, that it will recall model year 1997 though early 2005 gm u-van vehicles equipped with a right side power sliding door and with 2nd-row bucket seats or captain chairs (nhtsa recall #04v597).as part of the recall remedy, gm will replace the door handle with a "flush mounted handle" that will prevent an occupant from grasping the handle with the palm between the handle and door panel (thumb up orientation) and thus eliminate the potential for arm/wrist entrapment.this investigation is closed.

There is no summary currently available