1999 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

MY 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA HAS HAD PERSISTENT PROBLEMS WITH A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WHERE ANTIFREEZE IS REQUIRED TO BE ADDED EVERY FEW WEEKS. THE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS REPLACED BY A GM DEALERSHIP AT 65,000 MILES, BUT SHORTLY AFTER BEGAN TO LEAK AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOW AT 99,000 MILES HAS HAD A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE, AND AN ESTIMATED $5,000 REPAIR. I BELIEVE THE ENGINE HAS CEASED AS A RESULT OF THE FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. *NM

DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED SHE APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THE ENGINE HAD FAILED. *JB

DT: CONSUMER'S WIFE FILLED GASOLINE TANK UP IN RICHMOND AND DROVE HOME 125 MILES AND THE TANK RAN ALMOST EMPTY. THIS WAS A 26 GALLON TANK. THE EMERGENCY/LOW FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN SHE GOT HOME THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FORM THE CAR. CONSUMER TURNED ON THE IGNITION AND THERE WAS IMMEDIATE GUSHING OF GASOLINE AT THE CONJUNCTION OF WHERE THE PLASTIC AND METAL FUEL LINES MET RIGHT UNDER THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT. DID NOT TAKE VEHICLE TO A DEALER BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED. CONSUMER JACKED CAR UP AND REMOVED THE INTERMEDIATE LINE AND THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE WAS SLIGHTLY MELTED. THE METAL LINE WAS CORRODED AND RUSTED. THE FITTINGS WERE MELTED AND DISINTEGRATED. ALL THREE LINES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONNECTIONS WERE SNAPPED ON CORRECTLY. WHEN THIS WAS ALL COMPLETED CONSUMER TESTED IT BY TURNING ON THE IGNITION. WHEN IGNITION WAS TURNED ON STARTED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND THE GASOLINE GUSHED OUT A FOOT TO THE RIGHT SIDE. DISCOVERED THERE WAS RUST AND A HOLE IN THE METAL SUPPLY LINE GOING TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS LINE CAN NOT BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM HAS TO BE PURCHASED. THIS IS A 6 YEAR OLD AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *AK

MY PONTIAC MONTANA HAD A FUEL INJECTOR GO BAD AT 76,000 MILES. THERE REPAIR SHOP WHO DID THE LABOR AND REPAIR SAID THEY HAVE HAD VENTURES AND OLDS VANS DO THE SAME THING. THIS SHOP IS A MASTER MECHANIC CERTIFIED. *NM

DURING A REGULAR OIL CHANGE MY MECHANIC DISCOVERED OIL IN THE ANTI-FREEZE. HEAD GASKETS WENT OUT. MY MECHANIC STATES THEY HAVE SEEN IN ALMOST EVERY 3.4 PONTIAC MONTANA MINI VAN THAT AROUND 80,000 MILES THERE IS OIL IN THE ANTIFREEZE WHICH INDICATES A HEAD GASKET MALFUNCTION. TOOK MECHANIC 3 DAYS TO FIX MY VAN TO A COST OF $1212.83 PLUS I WAS WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR 3 DAYS. AT ABOUT 79,000 MILES THE WHEEL BEARING WENT OUT. NOW THE SLIDER PASSENGER DOOR WON'T OPEN OR WON'T CLOSE AT TIMES. *JB

I HAVE A 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH A 3.4LTR ENGINE. AFTER 40,000 MILES I BEGAN HAVE FUEL INJECTOR MALFUNCTIONS. ON AUGUST 4, 2004, AFTER SEVERAL INJECTOR CLEANINGS, I DECIDE TO HAVE ALL THE INJECTORS REPLACED WITH OEM GM INJECTORS. UNFORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT CURE THE PROBLEM SINCE I HAVE LATER DISCOVERED, THE OEM INJECTORS FOR GM'S 3.4LTR ENGINES HAVE AN INHERANT DEFECT - THE MAGNET THAT IS USED TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE INJECTOR IS VERY WEAK. WHEN EVER THE INJECTOR ENCOUNTERS SMALL DIRT PARTICLES THE INJECTOR REMAINS SHUT, THEREFORE CAUSING THE CYLINDER TO MISFIRE. SINCE AUGUST OF 2004, I HAVE HAD MY VAN IN THE SHOP SEVEN TIMES TO HAVE THE INJECTORS CLEANED. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE MY INJECTORS CLEANED AGAIN NEXT WEEK. I HAVE NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, SPOKE TO 4 REPRESENATIVES AND THEY CLAIM SINCE THE VAN IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY CAN NOT ASSIST ME IN RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM. I MIGHT ADD, THAT THEIR ATTITUDE IS VERY CAVALIER AND MATTER-OF-FACT. THE SAFETY ISSUE: THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE INJECTORS CREATES A SEVER LOSS OF ACCELERATION POWER. ON TWO RECENT OCCASSIONS, MY WIFE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS A 45MPH HWY AND WAS NEARLY HIT BROADSIDE BY AN ONCOMING AUTO. THE VAN LOST POWER HALFWAY INTO THE INTERSECTION. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO YOU ARE UNWARE OF WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. I SPOKE TO TWO MECHANICS WHO SAY THE INJECTOR ISSUE IS CHRONIC ON THE 3.4LTR GM ENGINES. THEY DO NOT SEE THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER MAKES OF VEHICLES. PLEASE HELP ME TO GET GM'S ATTENTION BEFORE I HAVE TO ATTEND MY WFE OR 16 YEAR DAUGHTERS FUNERAL OR MY WIFE AND CHILDREN LOOSE THEIR FATHER IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

THE AIR BAG LIGHT STAYED ON. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON FIVE OCCASIONS, WHERE THEY REPLACED THE HARNESS, AND THE PLUG. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS STILL ON.*AK

RIGHT SLIDING DOOR OPENED WHILE DRIVING,AND ALL MECHANISMS WERE INOPERABLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO PONTIAC DEALERSHIP, AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BUT PUT A NEW HARNESS ON BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A GM PROBLEM.*AK

ON FEB. 3 OF 2004 WE PURCHASED A USED 1999 MONTANA. THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT WAS COMING ON SO WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY "COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG" BUT IT WAS LOW ON COOLANT. I CHECKED THIS WEB SITE AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE AROUND 60,000 MILES. OUR VAN HAD LESS THAN THIS SO WE KEPT OUR EYES OPEN TO WHY THIS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND EVEN ASKED THE DEALER TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T LEAKING ANTIFREEZE INTO THE ENGINE. THEY SAID IT WAS LOW BUT THERE WAS NO LEAK. THEN IN FEB OF 05 WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP AND ONE WEEK LATER A NEW NOISE STARTED, SO WE TOOK IT BACK TO A MECHANIC WHO FOUND ANTIFREEZE LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE, $800 LATER IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE. WHY CAN'T PONTIAC BE MADE TO FIX THIS OBVIOUS PROBLEM. WE NO LONGER HAVE DEX-COOL FOR ANTIFREEZE!! THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT HAD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE WHOLE YEAR WE OWNED IT AND FINALLY WE FOUND A GOOD MECHANIC WHO KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, THE DEALERSHIP--LITHIA FORD OF BOISE--HAD "NO IDEA". IT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER WARRANTY IF THEY HAD FIXED IT LAST YEAR. LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET CAUSED ENGINE PROBLEMS. *NM

POWER SLIDING DOOR WONT SHUT. WHEN THE BUTTON IS PUSHED IT OPENS BACK UP, ESPECIALY IN COLD WEATHER, BUT IT ALSO OCCURS IN THE WARMER WEATHER.*AK NUMBER OF FAILURES IS AT LEAST 20 BUT MORE THAN LIKELY MORE.