1999 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

AFTER HAVING MY VEHICLE SERVICED TO CHANGE THE OIL AND REPLACE THE AIR FILTER, I WAS DRIVING HOME A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER. I HAD JUST EXITED FROM I-70 ONTO HIGHWAY 59 NORTH, WHEN I ACCELERATED TO PASS A SLOW MOVING PICKUP TRUCK. WHEN I PUSHED DOWN ON THE PEDAL IT DID NOT RETURN TO THE NORMAL POSITION BUT REMAINED COMPLETELY OPEN. I WAS NOW DRIVING ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WITH CONSIDERABLE TRAFFIC AND MY ACCELERATOR WAS TO THE FLOOR GOING SOMETIMES AT SPEEDS OF 80 TO 90 MILES AN HOUR. AFTER HAVING MY DAUGHTER CHECK TO SEE IF THE PEDAL WAS STUCK, I MANAGED TO GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED BY ALTERNATING BETWEEN DRIVE AND NEUTRAL AND THEN PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONCE I HAD REACHED A PLACE WITH ENOUGH ROOM. THE VAN WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP IN BRAZIL, INDIANA AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE AIR FILTER WAS REPLACED A CLAMP HAD NOT BEEN POSITIONED CORRECTLY AND HAD CAUSED THE LINKAGE TO BE STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. EVEN AFTER ADVISING ANOTHER OIL SERVICE CENTER THIS CLAMP WAS AGAIN POSITIONED INCORRECTLY THE NEXT TIME THE AIR FILTER WAS CHANGED. LUCKILY, WE HAD CHECKED THIS BEFORE ANOTHER INCIDENT COULD HAPPEN. *AK

LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASGET AT 44,000 MILES. WAS FOUND BY DEALER WHEN IN FOR NORMAL SERVICE. TOLD THEY LOOK FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS OUT OF WARRANTY SERVICE EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 3.4L ENGINE. *AK

AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR ON PASSENGER DOOR OPENED BY ITSELF WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH. NEITHER THE DRIVER NOR PASSENGER TOUCHED THE DOOR OR DOOR SWITCH. THIS WAS ON A SMOOTH ROAD GOING STRAIGHT. THE DOOR LATCH SYSTEM WAS REPLACED DUE TO RECALL ON 8/28/02. *AK

1999 POTIAC MONTANA - MANIFOLD FAILURE, COOLANT LEAK. A COSTLY AND APPRANTLY FREQUENT PROBLEM. *AK

ON THE MORNING OF MAY 21, 2003 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:25 A.M. EST, MY PREGNANT WIFE OF NINE MONTHS, AND TWO CHILDREN AGES 3 AND 6 WERE DRIVING OUR 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA MINIVAN SOUTHBOUND ON US-131 IN THE GRAND RAPIDS, MI AREA. AT APPROXIMATELY MILE MARKER 85 THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DIED FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND WITH NO APPARENT WARNING. SHE WAS TRAVELING 60 MPH IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF A 6 LANE STRETCH OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE S-CURVE IN THIS AREA. WITH NO POWER TO THE VEHICLE SHE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SAFELY MANEUVER THE VAN ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC AND EXIT AT FRANKLIN STREET. WITH THE HELP OF A STATE TROOPER WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE (WHICH WAS BLOCKING THE EXIT RAMP) TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL IT COULD BE TOWED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION BY A QUALIFIED GM DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN THE FOLLOWING DAY, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE COMPLETELY FAILED DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH A FAULTY INTAKE GASKET WHICH ALLOWED DEXCOOL COOLANT TO SEEP INTO THE ENGINE AND DESTROY CRITICAL COMPONENTS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A PROBLEM THAT IS MORE THAN COMMON ON VEHICLES WITH THE SAME ENGINE AS OURS. GM HAS BEEN AWARE OF FOR SOMETIME, BUT HAS FAILED TO CORRECT VIA RECALL OR OTHER MEASURES. HAD MY WIFE NOT BEEN SWIFT AND CALM IN HER CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT A SERIOUS AND POSSIBLY FATAL ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED GIVEN THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT. VEHICLES TRAVELING AT 60+ MPH COME OUT OF A BLIND CURVE JUST BEFORE THIS LOCATION AND WOULD HAVE BEEN UNLIKELY TO STOP IN TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE THAT A STATE TROOPER WAS ON THE SCENE AND DOCUMENTED THE INCIDENT AS WELL. *NLM

CAR WAS TAKING ON WATER FROM RAIN STORMS LEAKING THROUGH BODY ROOF AREA THROUGH THE CONTROL PANEL ON THE CEILING OF VEHICLE AND DRIPPING WATER RAPIDLY TO FLOOR TRAVELING DOWN THE WINDSHIELD MOLDING ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW TRIM ON INSIDE OF DOORS. SENT IN TO BE FIXED UNDER 36,000. WARRANTY. STILL LEAKING SAME THING... TOLD TOO HARD TO FIND LEAK. OPENED FILE WITH GMAC97471426. OWNER WILL REOPEN FILE WHEN SERVICE CAN TAKE CAR IN FOR FURTHER REVIEW. *NLM

THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR DID NOT LOCK WHEN THE CONSUMER PUSHED THE AUTOMATIC KEY CONTROL BUTTON. *JB *TS

WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT RETURN WHEN OFF, THEY RUN BUT STAY UP WHEN OFF. *JB

I'VE EXPERIENCED THE WELL KNOWN (THOUSANDS AFFECTED) INTAKE GASKET LEAK ON GM'S 3.4L ENGINE. AT 75K MILES, EXPERIENCED LOW COOLANT, TOPPED OFF, BUT NO PUDDLES. AT NEXT OIL CHANGE, FOUND OIL TO BE MILKY-BROWN AND REEK OF COOLANT. DEALER SERVICE CONFIRMED INTAKE GASKET LEAK AND REPAIRED AT COST OF $700 INCLUDING FOULED OXYGEN SENSOR. PONTIAC "CUSTOMER SERVICE" WAS NO HELP AND WAS SOMEWHAT EVASIVE WHEN I ASKED IF SHE HAD BEEN INVOLVED WITH ANY OTHER INTAKE GASKET PROBLEMS. WHEN I ASKED WHY GM WOULD REDESIGN THE GASKET, CHANGE COOLANT MANUFACTURERS, AND HAVE A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF THE NEW GASKETS, SHE SAID SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF THESE ISSUES AND I SHOULD QUESTION MY INFORMATION AS IT WAS NOT FROM GM. HER FINAL ADVISE, "SAVE YOUR RECEIPT, YOU NEVER KNOW." I AM SO CONSOLED. THERE MUST BE PRESSURE APPLIED TO FORCE GM TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. *NLM

MY 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA VAN'S INTAKE CRACKED AT BETWEEN 50,000 AND 60,000 MILES. IT COST $600.00 TO REPLACE. TWO GM MECHANICS HAVE ADMITTED THERE IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THESE INTAKES. WHY IS NOTHING BEING DONE ABOUT THIS?*JB