1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Complaints

THE REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT WORK. THE LATCHES ARE MIXED, THEY DO NOT GO TOGETHER. THEY HAVE GM ON THE BELTS.*AK

WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. CONSUMER HAD TO USE FORCE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE CONSUMER NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE BUT THERE WERE RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME RACK AND PINION. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT PRODUCED AT THE PLANT OF THE RECALLED CARS. *NM

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TOWARDS THE LEFT, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK-UP, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *LA

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OR THE PLEMIUM WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THE THING WORE OUT AND ALL OF MY ENGINE COOLANT WENT INTO THE FUEL CYLINDERS AND LOCKED MY MOTOR DOWN I WAS HEADED TO MACON GA FROM DOUGLAS,GA GOING TO THE HOSPITAL WERE THEY HAD TRANSFERED MY BROTHER AND HERE I AM IN PERRY,GA BROKE DOWN BECAUSE PONTIAC PUTS A PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD ON A MOTOR I FEEL LIKE PONTIAC SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS PART BEING REPLACED. I ALSO HAVE TROUBLE WITH MY CAR SURGING BETWEEN 35 AND 55 MILES PER HOUR THIS IS THE SORRIEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWED AND I HAVE OWNED 2 GRAND PRIXS BEFORE THIS CAR BUT LIKED THE BODY STYLE OF THE BONNEVILLE AND I RHOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD CAR BUT BOY WAS I WRONG I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST,2002 AND HAVE SPENT ENOUGH MONEY ON REPAIRS ON IT THAT I COULD PROBABLY DONE PAID FOR ANOTHER GRAND PRIX.AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SIGHT I FEEL THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THEM FOR THE TRANSMISSIONS AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLDS BECAUSE THEY ALL SEEM TO BE RELATED TO ME .PEOPLE PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR THERE CARS AND STILL HAVE TO PUT MONEY IN REPAIRS ITS JUST NOT FAIR .*AK

1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE RACK& PINION STEERING THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED WHEN TURNING TO THE LEFT ONLY. TURNING RIGHT WAS STILL FUNCTIONING WITH POWER ASSIST. THE PROBLEM INCREASED OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO WHERE THE CAR WOULDN'T TURN LEFT AT ALL (EVEN MANUALLY). COMPLAINT WAS MADE TO DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS MANUFACTURER WITH ABSOLUTLELY NO RESOLUTION.

MY CAR SURGES ALL THE TIME AND THE CRUISE CONTROL GETS STUCK ON IT I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVROLET PLACE THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION GONE IN IT. BUT I STILL DRIVE IT I BELIEVE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM MYSELF. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN SEPT OF 2002 AND IT WAS DOING IT WHEN I GOT IT. BUT IT WAS A BUY AS IS DEAL SO THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT. BUT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVROLET PLACE THEY ALREADY HAD THE CAR ON FILE BUT WOULD NOT TELL ME WHAT THE FILE SAID ABOUT THE CAR. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE STALLED DUE TO A CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS REPLACED. *AK THE CRACKED GASKET ALLOWED WATER TO LEAK INTO THE CYLINDER'S. *NM

WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN POWER STEERING WENT OUT. ALSO, THIS OCCURRED WHEN VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECTS AS THE PONTIAC, GRAND PRIX WHICH WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE WITH DEXTROL COOLANT IS CAUSING CONSTANT TROUBLE. THE LATEST IS HAVING TO REPLACE THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD TO THE TUNE OF $598.18. WHY IS THIS PIECE PLASTIC, BUT THE PIPE GOING INTO IT IS METAL? THE DEX COOL IS DETERIORATING ALL RUBBER SEALS. *LA

I PAID THE STATED AMOUNT TO REPLACE A COMPONENT REFERRED TO ME AS A "PLENNUM". THE SYMPTOM MY CAR WAS HAVING WAS, IT WAS OVERHEATING. IT IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND IS MOUNTED ON THE TOP OF THE 3800 ENGINE. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THAT THE DAMAGE HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. THE FAILED PART HAD LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE. A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER HAVING THE PLENNUM REPLACED, MY CAR BROKE DOWN. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THE LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE FROM THE PLENNUM HAD CAUSED PREMATURE FAILURE OF A "ROD BEARING" IN THE ENGINE. THE COOLANT I'M TOLD ATE AWAY THE BEARING LUBRICANT. I AM TOLD MY ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT IS AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I AM NOT A CAR MECHANIC BY ANY MEANS AND SUSPECTED NOTHING, AND WAS TOLD NOTHING. I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT MAN MADE PRODUCTS WEAR OUT AND NEED REPLACING. THIS TO ME SEEMS TO BE A POOR ENGINEERING FLAW THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO FIX. I DID NOT INCLUDE THE $2000.00 ENGINE REPLACEMENT IN MY TOTAL REPAIR COST ABOVE. THE PLASTIC PLENNUM PART, BY THE WAY, WAS REPLACED WITH ANOTHER PLASTIC PART. I TOLD THE DRIVER THAT WAS RETURNING ME HOME WHILE THE PLENNUM WAS BEING REPLACED, THAT I WAS INTENDING TO TRADE MY BONNEVILLE IN ON A MONTANA MINIVAN THIS SUMMER. HIS REPLY TO ME WAS THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE MONTANA, AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE 3800 ENGINE. IT SEMS CLEAR TO ME THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM HERE THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.