2000 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA HAS COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE THROUGH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM TODAY WHEN I CHANGED THE OIL. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED YET. AT ABOUT 50,000 MILES I HAD TO START ADDING A LITTLE COOLANT TO THE RESERVOIR WITH EVERY OIL CHANGE, BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO NOTICE THE WATER IN THE OIL. NOW, WITH NEARLY 80,000 MILES THE LEAK IS BAD ENOUGH THAT THE COOLANT LIGHT RECENTLY CAME ON. *NM

AFTER TWO RECALLS FROM GM OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. DEALER AVOIDS REPAIRS. RIGHT ELEC. SLIDING DOOR RECALLED FOR HAZARDOUS INSIDE HANDLE. COULD BRAKE FINGERS. NO CORRECTION WAS BEEN ATTEMPTED. DEALER AVOIDS ORDERING PARTS SO REPLACEMENT CAN'T TAKE PLACE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP PROPERLY. THE CONTACT DID THE REPAIR WORK AND FOUND THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAD DISINTEGRATED AND THE REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS WERE LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. THE FRONT BRAKE PAD FELL OFF OF THE STEEL BACKING PLATE. THE PAD ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE. THESE WERE ORIGINAL GM PARTS. ALSO, THE ABS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE CONTACT DETERMINED THE CONNECTORS WERE DIRTY. UPDATED 2/21/2006 - *NM

VAN HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT IS APPARENTLY EXTREMELY COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT COST ME ABOUT $800 TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE AT A LOCAL MECHANIC. IT WOULD HAVE COST MORE THAN $1200 TO HAVE IT DONE AT THE DEALER. SHAME ON GM FOR NOT ISSUING A FULL RECALL FOR THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT! *JB

2000 PONTIAC MONTANA 3.4 LITER NUMEROUS COOLANT LEAKS AT INTAKE AREA AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. ALSO COOLANT COOLER ALLOWED OIL TO GET IN TO THE COOLANT SYSTEM. I RETORQUED INTAKE AND ALEVIATED PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 10,000 MILES AND THEN CAME BACK. ENDED UP HAVING DEALER REPLACE INTAKE GASKETS AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT GM HAD REDESIGNED THE GASKETS BECAUSE OF AN EPIDEMIC OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THE DEALER DESIGNATED 1 MECHANIC TO SPECIALIZE WITH THIS DEFECT AND I TALKED TO THE MECHANIC AND HE INGFORMED ME THAT HE HAD DONE THIS SO MUCH THAT HE COULD DO THE WOKK IN ABOUT 3 HRS VERSUS THE ORIGINAL 6 TO 7 HOURS IT TOOK HIM THE FIRST TIME HIS QUOTE "YOU DO IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE AND YOU GET VERY EFFICIENT". GM SHOULD HAVE RECALLED AND MADE GOOD ON THE REPAIR. IN THE LAST 20 YEARS I HAVE BOUGHT 6 NEW GM VEHICLES AND I AM VERY DISSAPPOINTED THAT THE DEALER/CORPORATE WOULD NOT MAKE GOOD ON THE REPAIR. IT COST ME $550.00 FOR DEALER REPAIR. I WANT TO BE REIMBERSED FOR THE REPAIR COST FOR THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT GM CHOSE TO IGNORE OTHER THAT MAKING SURE THAT THE NEWER MONTANAS (3.4L) HAVE THE NEW DESIGNED GASKETS.

1.) THERE WAS NO PRIOR INDICATION THAT A FAILURE WOULD HAPPEN. 2.) FUEL PUMP FAILED. CONSEQUENCES: ENGINE STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WOULD NOT START OR RUN WHICH LEFT US STRANDED BY THE ROADSIDE - THIS WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED AT 36,000 MILES AND 3 YEARS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE ON 12-24-2002. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 56,500 MILES AND 5.5 YEARS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE ( ON 7-26-2005, ON 8-8-2005, ON 8-9-2005, ON 8-11-2005) AND AGAIN THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START NOR RUN. 3.) FOR THE FIRST INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL SERVICE STATION WHERE THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED ( I MAY STILL HAVE THE OLD PUMP ). FOR THE SECOND INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED REPEATEDLY (3 TIMES) TO A DEALER FACILITY BECAUSE THE FUEL PUMP WOULD ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NO START CONDITION THE FIRST TIME. THE SECOND TIME IT WOULD NOT START FOR THE MECHANIC SO HE DIAGNOSED IT AND DECLARED THAT THE FUEL PUMP RELAY SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT. AFTER RECEIVING THE VEHICLE AND DRIVING IT THE CAR WAS PARKED AND IT WOULD NOT START WHICH RESULTED IN MY WIFE AND KIDS HAVING TO WALK HOME. I WENT TO THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED FOR ME SO I DROVE IT BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NO START CONDITION. WE RECEIVED THE CAR BACK AND THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD NOT START AND WAS TOWED BACK TO THE REPAIR FACILITY AND THIS TIME WOULD NOT START FOR THE MECHANIC WHO THEN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT. *JB

NEW MARCH 2000. VAN ALWAYS RECEIVES REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE FOLLOWING IS A HISTORY OF REPAIRS: 4/00 WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT RETURN TO CLOSED POSITION - DEALER FIXED. 12/03 (37,179 MI) TPS SENSOR BREAKING DOWN CAUSING IDLE TO SURGE - DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, COMPLETED REPROGRAM ($255.14) 12/03 (37,182 MI) AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON - DEALER REPLACED RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE UNDER WARRANTY (LABOR $134.51). 12/27/03 (37,555 MI) WAS IN COLLISION (OTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AS I WAS COMING DOWN SMALL OVERPASS, HE WAS CITED). MY VAN SUSTAINED $4,500 IN FRONT END DAMAGES, HIS CAR WAS TOTALED. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO ONE INJURED. 5/04 (40,983 MI) REAR HATCH WOULD NOT STAY UP - DEALER REPLACED BOTH HATCH PROPS ($258.73) 7/04 (43,437 MI) VAN WAS "SHIFTING" HARD, WOULD NOT PICK UP SPEED CORRECTLY. DEALER REPLACED PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID, FLUSHED TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED FRONT BRAKE PADS AND MACHINED ROTORS ($986.48). 12/04 (48,284 MI) VAN WOULD NOT START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. KNOWN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED BATTERY, CHECKED OIL LEAK. ($114.90). 4/05 (51,646 MI) LOW COOLANT LIGHT /CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. SAME INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED INTAKE GASKETS, THERMOSTAT, SPARK PLUGS AND FILTER, AND OIL PUMP SHAFT 0-RING. CORRECTED AIR BAG LIGHT ($791.03) 6/05 PURCHASED NEW TIRES AND WERE TOLD NEEDED ALL NEW TIE RODS. WE WENT ON VACATION JULY 9, 2005 (OHIO TO VIRGINIA AND BACK). CONCERNED THAT THE VAN SHOOK TERRIBLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES ON LONG DOWNGRADES THROUGH WV AND VA. WE WERE TOWING NOTHING. THE VERY NEXT DAY, AFTER RETURNING HOME, THE VAN WOULD NOT START CONSISTENTLY. 7/05 (56,533 MI) TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER CRASHED. SAME INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED ECM, CRANK SENSOR, IGN MODULE AND MACHINED FRONT ROTORS WHICH IF YOU REMEMBER WERE JUST DONE IN JULY OF 2004 ($982.02). AFTER RESEARCHING THE TRACK RECORD OF PONTIAC MONTANA, HAVE FOUND THAT MANY CONSUMERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *NM

WELDING AT THE BASE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT SEPARATED IN MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA VAN. THE VEHICLE HAD NO ACCIDENT, EVENT LEADING TO THE FAILURE IS UNKNOWN. BASE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT IS MOVING WITH THE SEAT, THERE IS A 1/2 INCH GAP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR AT THE WELDING. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO PONTIAC DEALERSHIP WHERE IT HAS BEEN INSPECTED. WHILE THEY COULD NOT GIVE AN EXPLANATION WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE, PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE THINKS IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE SUCH A DEFECT IN A 5 YEAR-OLD VEHICLE DUE TO FATIGUE OF METAL...

THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGED ITSELF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS UNDERGOING A REGULAR, NON-EMERGENCY STOP. THIS MADE THE STOPPING DISTANCE INCREASE SEVERELY AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BY CAUSING ME TO RUN INTO ANOTHER OBJECT. EVIDENTLY, THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE FOR THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE TEMPORARILY DISCONNECTED THIS CONTROL TO PREVENT THE MALFUNCTION FROM OCCURING AGAIN.

DT: CONTACT STATES THE GAS GAUGE IS READING FULL AT ALL TIMES. IT DOESN'T SHOW THAT GASOLINE TANK IS EMPTY UNTIL THE VEHICLE RUNS OUT OF GAS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE DEALER. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE VEHICLE HIT 50,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 58,000 MILES. *AK