2000 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

DRIVER SIDE REAR STRUT/SHOCK MOUNT, PART OF THE INNER WHEELHOUSE ASSY., RUSTED AT A WELD AND CRACKED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, NOT SURE WHEN IT HAPPENED BUT IT HAS BEEN LIKE THAT FOR A LONG TIME. THE CRACK IS RUSTED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE CRACK IN BOTH DIRECTIONS UNTIL THE RIPPED PART STARTS WHERE THE PART FINALLY FAILED. THEN IT RIPPED OUT DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. VAN HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED. TOOK IT TO THE GM DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE PART, BODY SHOP THAT FIXED IT SAID THE SAME THING. AFTER THREE MONTHS AND MANY PHONE CALLS TO THE DEALER (S) WE HAVE FINALLY GOT IT TO THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE CALLING IT A PRODUCT LIABILITY. TOOK A GM REP. TO TAKE THE TIME TO COME AND SEE IT. ORIGINALLY THEY DID NOT BOTHER SINCE THEY WERE ORIGINALLY CALLING IT A WARRANTY ISSUE AND WERE BLOWING US OFF. THE GENERAL MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL HOWEVER. AFTER HE LOOKED AT IT HE REOPENED THE CASE, BUT THEY DONT SEAM TO BE VERY HELPFUL AT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ORGANIZING THIS WHOLE THING. AND NO ONE THERE RETURNS PHONE CALLS. I HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF HIGH QUALITY DIGITAL PICTURES, AND STILL HAVE THE PART. *NM

RECENTLY A NUMBER OF GM CAR/VANS HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE 3100 ENGINE. A GREAT NUMBER OF THEM HAVE A "LOW COOLANT" INDICATION WITH THE RESULT BEING A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH A COST OF $700 TO $1000. IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH A 3.4 LITER ENGINE. I HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED IN JANUARY OF 2003 BECAUSE THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING OUT. IT COST ABOUT $600 TO DO THIS. I RECENTLY CHANGED THE OIL ON FEBRUARY 29, 2004 AND NOTICED COOLANT IN THE OIL AGAIN. I AM NOW WORKING WITH THE MECHANIC AGAIN TO FIX THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THERE IS A QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEM AT GM REGARDING THEIR MANIFOLD GASKETS. I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. A FRIEND OF MINE OWNS A 2003 GRAND AM WITH A 3.4 LITER AND THEY HAD TO HAVE THEIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED TWICE. MY BROTHERS RICH AND STEVE ALSO OWNED GM TRUCKS THAT NEEDED THE INTAKE GASKETS REPLACED.*AK

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED ON MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA AT 109,000 MILES. MY DAUGHTER HAS A 2001 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH ABOUT 47,000 MILES AND SHE NEEDS TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ALSO. SOUNDS LIKE THE GASKET MAY HAVE BEEN SUBSTANDARD. *AK

GAS GAUGE FLUCTUATED AND ANTIFREEZE LEAKING. DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND WIRING HARNESS FOR FUEL ASSEMBLY WAS CORRODED DUE TO EXPOSURE TO MOISTURE - REPAIR BILL $1400. *JB

MY SON HAD HIS EAR HURT WHEN THE AUTOMATIC VAN DOOR TRIED TO CLOSE ON IT. I DID CALL THE MANUFACTURE AND COMPLAINED. *CB

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT 72,000KMS (45,000) MILES AND SHORTLY AFTERWARD NOTICED THAT COOLANT NEEDED TO BE TOPPED UP OCCASIONALLY OVER THE SUBSEQUENT SIX MONTH PERIOD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CRANKCASE, BUT THERE WAS A POOL OF COOLANT COLLECTING EXTERNALLY UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AFTER SOME ON-LINE INVESTIGATING, I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER, INQUIRING AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS LIKELY THE INTAKE GASKETS AND SOMETIMES THE GASKETS "GET OLD AND DRY UP" BUT THAT IT WAS NOT OVERLY COMMON. THEY QUOTED ME APX $800 TO REPAIR. ($350 FOR THE INTAKE GASKETS AND "NUMEROUS" OTHER GASKETS THAT WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT PLUS LABOUR). I POLITELY COMMENTED THAT I WAS BAFFLED HOW A 3 YEAR OLD PLASTIC GASKET COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS "OLD AND DRIED UP". I SUBSEQUENTLY HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACE THE GASKETS USING THE NEWLY ISSUED VERSION OF THE GASKETS FOR A TOTAL OF APX $450. (HE HAD COINCIDENTALLY RUN INTO THE SAME PROBLEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR ON ANOTHER GM V-6 PRODUCT, BUT APPARENTLY THE COOLANT LEAKAGE WAS INTERNAL AND TOO LATE TO SALVAGE THE ENGINE). MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR ON MY VEHICLE WAS APX 86,000 KMS (54,000 MILES). HE CONFIRMED THAT UPON REMOVAL THE ONLY EVIDENCE WAS EXTERNAL LEAKAGE. I HAVE ANOTHER 10,000KMS ON THE VEHICLE SINCE REPAIR AND NO LEAKAGE IS APPARENT AT THIS POINT.

MY PARENTS BOUGHT A 2000 MONTANA VAN IN NOVEMBER OF 2002. IT SEEMS TO BE LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. THE LOCAL GM DEALER WHERE THEY PURCHASED IT, SAYS IT IS THE INTAKE MANIFIOLD GASKETS. FOR $2,500 THEY COULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE MATTER UP WITH THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP, AND SHOWED HIM A COPY OF A GM SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE GASKET MATERIAL AND ASKED HIM WHAT THEY WOULD DO ABOUT IT. HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT BUT COULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING. AN UPDATE IS THAT HE SAID THAT GM WOULD POSSIBLY COVER 99.9% OF THE BILL. THE REASON HE GAVE WAS THAT THE ORIGIONAL OWNER OF THE VAN PURCHASED IT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT REGULARILY SERVICED THERE AND THEY HAVE ALL THE SERVICE RECORDS. THE VAN HAD 97,000 KM WHEN MY PARENTS PURCHASED IT, SINCE THEN THEY HAVE ONLY ADDED 1000KM, MY PARENTS ALSO FIGURED IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE DAY IT WAS PURCHASED. I AM NOT SURE IF THE DEALER DID AN INSPECTION, YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD AND A LEAK WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND.THE VAN IS BEING REPAIRED AT THE MOMENT, SO WE WILL SEE WHAT COMES OF THIS.

I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF IT IS NORMAL FOR THESE TO GO AS SOON AS THE WARRANTY IS OVER. THE PAINT, I ARGUED WITH THE DEALER AND THEY FINALLY AGREED TO PAY FOR IT. THE ABS BRAKES WENT JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY, THEY WON'T HELP ME THERE. THE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT LOCK AUTOMATICALLY. NO PRICE FOR REPAIR YET.

MONTANA VAN WAS TAKEN IN FOR OIL CHANGE AND ASKED TO TOP UP COOLANT SINCE WE WERE GETTING THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT. OIL WAS CHANGED AND COOLANT TOPPED UP....NO MENTION OF A LEAK. A WEEK LATER, THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN SO WE TOOK IT IN. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WAS APPROX. $1000, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WE WOULD, HOWEVER, HAVE TO PAY APPROX. $200 FOR AN ENGINE WASH AND FLUSH - GM SAID THEY DON'T PAY FOR THIS. THEY HAVE KEPT THE VAN AND WILL PROVIDE A RENTAL REPLACEMENT. HAVEN'T RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE ON HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO REPAIR THE VAN.