2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. THE CONTACT SMELLED BURNING MOTOR OIL COMING FROM THE ENGINE. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE DEALER DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. HE WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WILL ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V118000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,290 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 38,300.

WATER PROBLEMS: 1) WATER DRAINING FROM WINDOWS INTO INTERIOR SOAKING FLOORBOARDS. THIS IS DUE TO THE RUBBER CAULKING THAT ATTACHES A PLASTIC SHEET ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOORS THAT DIVERTS THE WATER DOWN THE DOOR PANEL. THE CAULKING ULTIMATELY FAILS. OUT OF WARRANTY, I TOOK OFF THE INTERIOR DOOR PANEL AND RE-CAULKED THE PLASTIC SHEETING WITH SILICONE. IT HAS SOLVED THIS PROBLEM, AT LEAST FOR NOW. 2) TRUNK. STILL LEAKS. HAVE UNPLUGGED THE WEEP HOLES IN THE TRUNK LID, WHICH HAS LESSENED THE PROBLEM. *TR

2002 BONNEVILLE: ALL 4 DOORS/WINDOWS HAVE BEEN RE-SEALED MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE RAIN WATER FLOWS DOWN THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDOWS, THEN FLOWS INSIDE THE DOOR, AND THEN FLOWS INTO THE CAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR DOOR, CAUSING SOAKED CARPETING (PUDDLES) AND MOLD. SUN-ROOF MECHANICAL LINKAGE HAS CRACKED AND BROKEN OFF IN PLACES. I BET I USED THE SUN-ROOF ONLY 10 TIMES BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. SUNROOF NOW CLOSES CROOKED. DEALER COST ESTIMATE TO FIX = $1200. ALL 4 POWER WINDOW UNITS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND NOW DOORS RATTLE; RIGHT PASSENGER DOOR TRIM FALLS OFF ROUTINELY. WIPER FLUID MOTOR WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. CRUNCHING SOUND WHEN I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. ALL OF THESE ISSUES STARTED OCCURRING SHORTLY AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, OIL LEAKS ONTO THE VALVE COVER MANIFOLD. SMOKE APPEARS UNDER THE HOOD AND THE CONTACT SMELLS BURNING OIL. WHEN THE HOOD IS LIFTED, HE CAN SEE THE OIL ON THE VALVE COVER MANIFOLD. THE CONTACT MUST CHECK THE OIL LEVEL MONTHLY. HIS NEIGHBOR INFORMED HIM THAT THERE MAY BE A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO COLANDREA PONTIAC IN NEW YORK AND THEY STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER A RECALL, AND WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $300- $500 TO REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,895.

WARNING LIGHTS FOR ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, BRAKES, AND TRACTION CONTROL COME ON AND OFF RANDOMLY. ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FEATURE IS DISABLED WHEN LIGHT IS ON. BRAKE PERFORMANCE IS GREATLY REDUCED SOMETIMES WHILE WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON. TRACTION CONTROL DOES NOT FUNCTION WHEN LIGHT IS ON. DEALER SAID GM HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR CORROSION IN A WIRING HARNESS PLUG LEADING TO THE WHEEL ROTATION SENSOR. DEALER STATED REPLACEMENT WIRING HARNESS WAS $500. DEALER TRIED CLEANING CONTACTS ON PLUG AND APPLYING CONDUCTIVE CORROSION PREVENTING. DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ANTI-LOCK FEATURE IS DEACTIVATED, TRACTION CONTROL DEACTIVATED, AND BRAKE PERFORMANCE IS REDUCED. DEVELOPED PROBLEM IN DECEMBER 2006. *TR

THIS IS THE THIRD STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT ON THIS VEHICLE IN 110,000 MILES AND IS DUE TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. CLUNK NOISE CONTINUALLY RETURNS ALONG WITH NOTICEABLE PLAY IN STEERING CONTROL SHORTLY AFTER EACH REPLACEMENT. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO DANGER OF STEERING FAILURE, BUT I'M NOT CONVINCED. THESE PARTS ARE OBVIOUSLY WEARING WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FAILURE ON SOME LEVEL IF NOT FATAL. LET'S GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THESE POORLY ENGINEERED STEERING COMPONENTS, PLEASE! *TR

12/10/2002 1,840 MILES KNOCKING SOUND FROM LT FRONT WHEEL; REPLACED BEARING STRUT 7/22/2004 24,414 MILES CLUNKING NOISE FROM STEERING SHAFT; LUBRICATED INTERMEDIATE SHAFT 10/25/2004 28,000 MILES COMPLAINED OF STEERING NOISE, DEALET DID NOTHING 2/7/2005 31,584 MILES CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURING CAR LEFT OR RIGHT; REPLACED RT ANDLT STRUT BEARINGS 9/23/2005 39,704 NOISES IN STEERING COLUMN WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL RELACED STEERING SHAFT AS GOODWILL,SINCE PROBLEM STARTED BEFORE WARRANTY ENDED. 12/20/2006 60,699 STEERING NOISES IN STEERING NOISES AGAIN, RELACED INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AGAIN OBVIOUSLY A BIG TIME PROBLEM WITH INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. MUST ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEARING STRUTS. *TR

3/13/2007 COOLANT LEAK IN LOWER AND UPPER GASKETS AT 65,600 MILES. REQUIRED REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF LOWER AND UPPER GASKETS AND UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD. EVIDENTLY A GM PROBLEM WITH GASKETS. $700 REPAIR ON CAR THAT HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF BY ORIGINAL OWNER AND ONLY DRIVER OF VEHICLE. *TR

PROBLEMS WITH WINDOW REGULATOR DESIGN. 3/30/2005 33,212 MILES, DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW SHUDDERS AND STOPPED WORKING, WOULD NOT OPEN. WINDOW REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. 3/13/2007 65,600 MILES, RT FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW, WOULD NOT OPEN, REQUIRED REPLACEMENT, COST TO REPAIR $500 8/20/2007 DRIVERS WINDOW AGAIN BARELY WORKING, AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT FOR $500. OBVIOUSLY A FLAW IF DESIGN OF WINDOW REGULATORS. POSING DANGER IF CAN NOT OPEN WINDOW. *TR

1. THE TRANSMISSION ON OUR 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE PURCHASE NEW. THE DEALER EVENTUALLY SENT THE CAR TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP BUT THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED INTERMITTANTLY EVEN AFTER MANY COMPLAINTS. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, SHUDDERS ON ACCELERATION AND SHIFTS ERRATICALLY. IT WILL SLIP AND THEN SOMETIMES SHIFT HARD. 2. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP AND THEN SHUDDER AS WE ARE PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. WE HAVE ALMOST BEEN T-BONED SEVERAL TIMES. IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE LATELY AND I FEAR THAT ONE OF THESE TIMES WE WILL BE KILLED BY THIS PROPLEM. I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT GENERAL MOTORS KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND ACTUALLY ISSUED A BULLETIN #0O-07-30-002B IN JULY OF 2002. THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS AS WE REPORTED THE EXACT SYMPTOMS TO THE DEALER SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE. 3. THE DEALER SENT THE CAR TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP THAT FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION AND CHANGED THE FILTER. IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND ANY CAR WITH THE 4T65E TRANSMISSION POSE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES AND TO HIGHWAY SAFETY AS YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN FAILURE WILL OCCUR. EACH OF THE DOZEN OR MORE TIMES WE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM CODES. GM'S INTERNAL BULLETIN SUGGESTS THAT THEY REPLACE THE PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID, CHECK LINE PRESSURE TO SPECIFICATIONS, CHECK TO SEE IF CORRECT ELECTRICAL SIGNAL FROM PCM IS BEING TRANSMITTED AND RECEIVED, ACCESS PC SOLENOID VALVE CONTROL TEST ON THE SCAN TOOL, AND REPLACE VALVE BODY. NONE OF THESE THINGS WERE DONE AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS GOTTEN WORSE CREATING EVEN MORE DANGER. PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE VEHICLE WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD.