1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Complaints

DRIVING AN SUDDENLY VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN, SPEED MAKES NO DIFFERENCE.STARTS BACK WITH NO PROBLEM. THIS IS A REGULAR PROBLEM, ALSO HAPPENS WHEN IDLING...MAKES FOR A VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION. HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY SURFACE STREETS, TURNING, ACCELERATING, EVEN WHEN BRAKING.THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN IT WOULDN'T START AND NO DOCUMENTATION OR INVOICES AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE TO TUG ON IGNITION WIRES. POSSIBLE REASON-IGNITION SWITCH UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL SECTION IS BAD. THIS VEHICLE HAS A CONSOLE, PLAN ON GETTING NEW IGNITION SWITCH.

THE CAR LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. IT WOULD JUST QUIT AND I WOULD HAVE NO BRAKES OR STEERING AND ALL GAUGES WOULD SHUT DOWN. SOMETIMES IT WOULD LOSE POWER AND THEN IT WOULD COME BACK ON WHILE I WAS STILL DRIVING CUTTING IN AND OUT REPEATEDLY. IT HAPPENED A LOT WHEN I WAS IDLING AT A CORNER AND THEN WOULD START THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. IT WOULD QUIT GOING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T START AFTER DRIVING IT A SHORT DISTANCE. AFTER IT SAT FOR A FEW MINUTES, A FEW HOURS OR SOMETIMES OVERNIGHT IT WOULD JUST START LIKE THERE WASN'T ANY PROBLEM WITH IT. IT DIDN'T SPUTTER OR ACT LIKE IT WASN'T GETTING GAS OR ANYTHING, IT JUST WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING AND HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF ALL POWER. WE TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY COULD NEVER REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND DIAGNOSTICS DIDN'T SHOW ANY PROBLEMS THAT WOULD CAUSE THIS ISSUE. I ASKED A COUPLE OF TIMES IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS AND THE SERVICE GARAGE SAID NO. I FINALLY QUIT DRIVING THE CAR BECAUSE I WAS TIRED OF BEING STRANDED AND WITH TAKING MY CHANCES WITH IT LOOSING POWER DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY OR THROUGH INTERSECTIONS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY RECALLING SOME GM MODELS FOR BECAUSE OF AN IGNITION SWITCH SPRING BUT BONNEVILLE AREN'T ON THE RECALL LIST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE BATTERY AND CHECK OIL SENSORS. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000.

IN EARLY NOVEMBER MY CAR (97 BONNEVILLE SSE) BEGAN EXPERIENCING TROUBLE STARTING. IT RARELY STARTED RIGHT UP BUT REQUIRED SEVERAL TRIES TO START. OCCASIONALLY I COULD SMELL GAS AFTER IT WAS STARTED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE IAC VALVE WAS REPLACED BUT THAT CHANGED NOTHING. AFTER SEVERAL MORE WEEKS OF THE ISSUE GETTING WORSE I SCHEDULED IT FOR SERVICE ON DEC 22. THE SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF DEC 18; THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE GARAGE DEC 21. ON DEC 22 THE CAR WAS "FIXED". WITHIN 24 HRS I KNEW THE STARTING ISSUE WAS NOT FIXED. I HAD TO START IT MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY TIME & COULD OFTEN SMELL GAS. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE GARAGE PAID ATTENTION TO THE REASON THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR SERVICE & INSTEAD FIXED THE IMMEDIATE ISSUE. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE GARAGE DEC 26 BUT HAD TO LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH THE GAS ATTENDANT AS THE SERVICE DEPT WAS CLOSED. ON MON DEC 28 I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR FOR WORK. THE ENGINE CRANKED 1-2 TIMES THEN I HEARD A VERY LOUD "BANG" UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE STEERING WHEEL. SMOKE POURED FROM UNDER THE HOOD ALMOST INSTANTLY. THE SMOKE RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED AND CHANGED COLOR. FIRE COULD THEN BE SEEN BENEATH THE ENGINE & ENGULFED A MAJOR PART OF IT WITHIN 2-3 MINUTES. ALTHOUGH THE FIRE DEPT ARRIVED LESS THAN 4 MIN AFTER THE FIRE STARTED, THE ENTIRE ENGINE WAS DESTROYED. *TR

I HAD A 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY IN MICHIGAN, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SUDDENLY CAUGHT ON FIRE. I WAS NOT SPEEDING, AND MY CAR WAS PERFECTLY SERVICED AND MAINTAINED. BY THE TIME THE FIRE SERVICE GOT THERE, THE WHOLE CAR BURNT DOWN. IT TOOK LESS THAN 20 MINUTES FOR THE WHOLE CAR TO GET BURNT BEYOND RECOGNITION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING RADIATOR FLUID. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE LEAK. A YEAR AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAN CONNECTED TO THE HEATER AND AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING. THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE INTERMITTENTLY UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE DEFROST AND SUDDENLY, THE FRONT WINDOW CRACKED. THE DEALER HAS NOT DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT DOES EXIST. THE HEATER FAN ALSO FAILED TO OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,000. UPDATED 11/10/09 *BF UPDATED 11/13/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS PLASTIC INTAKE PARTS, WHICH INCLUDE THE UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDERGOING A ROUTINE TUNE-UP, SHE NOTICED ANTIFREEZE ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD BOOMING NOISE SIMILAR TO A BACKFIRE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE CONTACT COULD SMELL FUEL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AFTER PLACING FUEL INTO THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURES DESCRIBED ON THIS YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL VEHICLE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 EVENFLO INFANT CARRIER, MODEL NUMBER 25800402 (NA). THE SEAT WAS MANUFACTURED IN MAY OF 2006. THE CONTACT FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS ON INSTALLING THE CHILD SEAT IN HER 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CHILD SEAT FELL OVER WITH THE CHILD STRAPPED IN THE SEAT. THE CHILD SUSTAINED MINOR BRUISING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED , BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE. THE FAILURE TYPE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING AND MY AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. THE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR AWHILE THEN OUT OF NO WHERE MY AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND FILLED MY WHOLE CAR WITH SMOKE AND POWDER. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING PRIOR TO THE AIR BAG EXPLODING NOR AFTER. I SUFFER FROM CUTS AND BURNS ON MY RIGHT ARM AND STOMACH. I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED IT. I HAVE NOT DROVE THE CAR SINCE THEN BECAUSE I CANNOT DISCONNECT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE CAR WILL NOT START WITHOUT THE FUSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK AND THE VEHICLE SPED INTO FULL THROTTLE. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO REVERSE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE CONTAINED NO WARNING INDICATORS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WHEN THE MECHANIC STARTED THE VEHICLE, IT WAS STILL AT FULL THROTTLE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. *AK