2003 PONTIAC AZTEK Complaints

SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. EVERY TIME I HAD AN OIL CHANGE I DID MENTION IT. WAS TOLD IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE GAS CAP. WATER LEAKED FROM EVAPORATOR. FOUND BODY OF WATER IN BODY PASS THROUGH CONNECTOR; CARPET WET UNDERNEATH. EVAPORATED DRAIN HOSE WAS MISSING, HOSE REPLACED. SEATS WERE REMOVED, CARPET DRIED AND FLOOR PAN AND SPRAYED CARPET WITH ODOR ELIMINATOR. DRIED WATER AND CLEANED CORROSION FROM CONNECTOR. *AK

WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC THE CONSUMER PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK. WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE VEHICLE BACK INTO DRIVE THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT MOVE. WHEN THE CONSUMER TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF THE SHIFTER COULD BE MOVED AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM ALSO OCCURED WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS WAITING TO BACK OUT OF HER DRIVEWAY. *AK *NM

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TOWARDS THE LEFT OR RIGHT, THE CONSUMER HEARD A WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. *AK *SC *JB

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED. HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE ALSO ROLLED FORWARD WHILE ON A SLIGHT INCLINE. THE IGNITION SWITCH ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE ALTHOUGH IT WAS ALREADY STARTED. THE REAR HATCH COULD NOT BE OPENED BY THE BUTTON ON THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ON AND IN PARK THE GEAR SELECTOR COULD NOT BE MOVED INTO DRIVE UNLESS THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF THEN TURNED BACK ON. THE CONSUMER HEARD A WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. AN ODOR WAS COMING FROM THE VENTS WHEN THE A/C WAS ON. *NM

TIRES ON MY AZTEK SQUEEK. I BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP. DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON PRIOR YEAR GRANDAMS. THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS PROBLEM. TO FURTHER EXPLAIN PROBLEM....TIRE BEADS RUB ON RIM CAUSING A SQUEEKING NOISE. THIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TIRE BRAND....GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A. I AM "FIGHTING" WITH THE PONTIAC DEALER AND PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY MAY REPLACE THE FRONT TIRES ONLY...IF PONTIAC APPROVES. I WAS TOLD BY SERVICE AT THE CAR DEALERSHIP THAT THIS WILL TEMPORARILY CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNTIL TIRES ARE ROTATED. THEN THE PROBLEM WILL OCCUR AGAIN WITH THE OTHER SET OF TIRES.

DIFFICULTY SEEING OUT THE REAR WINDOW DUE TO THE SPOILER AND LACK OF A WINDSHIELD WIPER. *PH THAT GAVE CONSUMER DIFFICULTY IN SEEING INCOMING VEHICLES ESPECIALLY DURING THE EVENING HOURS. *LA

ON 2/8/2004 CONSUMER STARTED THE VEHICLE AND TURNED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED OPERATING AND BEGAN TO SMOKE. THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO A MALFUNCTION IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WHICH WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. TWO WEEKS AFTER BEING REPAIRED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED TWICE DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. *AK THE VEHICLE HAD AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WIRES WERE BURNT UP MAKING A HOLE IN THE WINDSHIELD FLUID CONTAINER. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FOR MISSING WORK, STRESS, AND CAR PAYMENT. *SC *JB

WE PURCHASED OUR 2003 PONTIAC AZTEK LAST JULY (03). THIS JANUARY, THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING A HORRIBLE GRINDING NOISE WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. WE TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL GM DEALER FOR REPAIR, AND THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING HAD SEPARATED INTERNALLY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON 2/4/04. A FEW WEEKS LATER, NOISE RETURNED. THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING HAD TO BE REPLACED TODAY (3/29/04). THIS VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON IT. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID ANOTHER AZTEK WITH LOW MILEAGE HAD TO HAVE ONE BEARING REPLACED TWICE. COULD GM HAVE GOTTEN A DEFECTIVE BATCH OF BEARINGS, OR IS THERE POSSIBLY SOME DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES THE BEARINGS TO WEAR OUT ABNORMALLY QUICKLY? FOR THE MOST PART, I LOVE THIS VEHICLE, BUT THERE ARE TWO OTHER ISSUES WITH IT WHICH COULD MAKE IT LESS SAFE TO DRIVE. THE 'SPOILER' BETWEEN THE SLANTED AND VERTICLE PARTS OF THE BACK WINDOW DOES IMPAIR REARWARD VISION (I USUALLY USE THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS TO CHECK BEHIND ME BECAUSE OF THAT FACT). ALSO, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVE MORE SLOWLY, EVEN IN THE FAST POSITION, THAN MOST VEHICLES WE'VE OWNED, WHICH IMPAIRS VISIBILITY EVEN IN MODERATE RAINFALL.*AK

VEHICLE IS AUTOMATIC BUT STILL ROLLS BACKWARD IN DRIVE. DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THIS IS NORMAL. I'VE DRIVEN FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS AND NO OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE DRIVEN THAT WAS AUTOMATIC DID THIS.

2003 PONTIAC AZTEC FREELY ROLLS FORWARD(AS IF IN NEUTRAL) WHEN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS IN REVERSE, WHILE ON A GRADE, AND ALSO FREELY ROLLS BACKWARD(AS IF IN NEUTRAL) WHEN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE, WHILE ON A GRADE. DEALERSHIP AND GM CONSIDER THIS NORMAL OPERATION. MY HUSBAND AND I DO NOT WE CONSIDER THIS TO BE EXTREMELY UNSAFE FOR ANYONE WALKING OR DRIVING IN FRONT OR BEHIND US ON A GRADE WHERE YOU MAY HAVE TO STOP AND GO.*AK