1999 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Complaints

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE APPROXIMATELT 2.5 YEARS AGO FROM WILLIAMS CHEVY IN TRAVERSE CITY, MI I NOTICED A INTERMITTENT SNAP SOUND THAT SOUNDED TO ME LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TRACK DOWN THE CAUSE OF THIS SOUND SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED AT THREE DIFFERENT REPAIR FACILITIES AND EACH TIME I WAS ASSURED EVERYTHING WAS OK. ON 2/19/04, WE LEFT TRAVERSE CITY ENROUTE FOR TAMPA, FL. AND JUST OUTSIDE OF GRAND RAPIDS, MI I DETECTED A STRANGE INTERMITENT VIBRATION THAT CONCERNED ME. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO TRAVERSE CITY AND PARKED. UPON RETURNING FROM SUNNY FLORIDA, ON MARCH 1, 2004 A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY FOUND THAT THE LEFT REAR BALL JOINT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CONTROL ARM AND IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, UNLESS YOU TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF FROM THE VEHICLE THE PROBLEM WOULD NOT BE FOUND. PRIOR TO THE INSPECTION BY THE MECHANIC, HE TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. SINCE HE REPLACED THE BALL JOINT AND LOWER CONTROL ARM, I HAVE NOT HEARD THE SNAPPING NOISE SINCE THE REPAIR WAS MADE.

ENGINE PLENUM CRACKED. SUCKED UP COOLANT/ANTI-FREEZE , ALMOST DESTROYING THE ENGINE BLOCK. *JB

THE ENGINE'S PLENUM(SPELLING??) MANIFOLD STARTED LEAKING WATER. MY MECHANIC SAID IT HAD "WARPED". HE THEN TOLD ME THAT GM WAS HAVING QUITE A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART. HE SAID HE HAD REPLACED ABOUT 10 OF THESE SO FAR THIS YEAR. AND THAT HIS PART DISTRIBUTOR SAID THERE WAS A NATIONWIDE BACKORDER ON THIS PLENUM MANIFOLD. I CONTACTED GM AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM OR BACKORDERS ON THIS PART. WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT OTHER GM OWNERS TO SEE IF THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED. THANKS

POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CORRODED OUT OF BATTERY. PREVIOUSLY HAD PROBLEMS WITH POSITIVE TERMINAL CABLES(REPLACED IN 2001). *LA

1999 BONNEVILLE; 58,000 MILES; IT HAD BEEN STALLING INTERMITTENTLY FOR SEVERAL WEEKS -- ESPECIALLY DURING TURNS. BEFORE I COULD TAKE IT TO THE DEALER, THE CAR LOSES POWER ON HWY 63; FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. THE MECHANIC REPORTS ENGINE HAS LOCKED UP BECAUSE COOLANT HAS LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE DUE TO A KNOWN PROBLEM BY GM OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO ENGINE AND THUS DESTROYING THE ENGINE. TOTAL COSTS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, THE MANIFOLD AND DAMAGED THE STARTER AMOUNTED TO A REPAIR BILL OF $5300 AFTER A 10% EXISTING CUSTOMER DISCOUNT PLUS STATE TAXES. I CHECKED THE ODI DATABASES FOR '99 BONNEVILLE'S AND ALMOST A 1/3 OF THE 111 COMPLAINTS RELATE TO THE SAME PROBLEMS I HAD BEFORE MY CAR ENGINE WAS DAMAGED AND SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF COOLANT LEAKS INTO THE ENGINE. DOES THERE HAVE TO BE A INJURY BEFORE THE NHTSA WILL ACT? WHY DID THE RECENT RECALL FOR THE 2000 AND NEWER MODELS NOT COVER THE 1999'S WHEN GM HAS KNOWN OF THIS ISSUE OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE SINCE THE 1995/96 MODEL YEAR? PLEASE SEE MY WEBSITE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE 1999 COMPLAINTS HTTP://WWW.MISSOURI.EDU/~RYH352/2003/BONNE.HTM I, OF COURSE, WANT MY $5,300 RETURNED FROM GM. I ALSO THINK IT ONLY FAIR THAT THE RECALL EXTEND TO 1998 AND 1999 BONNEVILLE OWNERS WITH LESS THEN 100,000 MILES ON THEIR CAR AND GM REPAIR THOSE CARS FREE. *LA

WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. THE VEHICLE ROLLED ACROSS A NEIGHBOR'S YARD AND INTO A TREE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER. *NLM

THE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR FAILED WILL DRIVING. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD BEFORE STOPPING, LOST POWER BRAKES AND STEERING. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE PART, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED WITHIN 12,000 MILES. *AK *SCC *JB

THREE OUT OF THE 4 TIRES WERE OUT OF ROUND. DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED THEM TWICE, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR IS GIVING FALSE READINGS. DRIVER HAS NO CLUE TO WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE IS IN. *AK THE SHIFT INDICATOR DID NOT WORK MOST OF THE TIME. THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIVE BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY IN REVERSE THE INDICATORS WERE IN NEUTRAL BUT THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN DRIVE. *SCC. THE CONSUMER LEARNED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE MATTER, HOWEVER THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO HIS VEHICLE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. *JB

MY CAR STALLS INTERMITTENTLY, USUALLY IN TOWN WHILE BRAKING OR TURNING, OR MERELY SLOWING DOWN. IT LURCHES WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS SET AT HIGHER SPEEDS LIKE IT'S TRYING TO DIE. IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 10 TIMES (DYING) AND 5 TIMES (LURCHING) IN THE LAST 3 DAYS. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO DUPLICATE MORE THAN 1 TIME AND CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT. HAVE CLEANED TERMINALS AND REPLACED CRANK SHAFT SENSOR. *JB