2000 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. COULD SMELL BURNING COOLANT TURNS OUT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS CRACKED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK. PAID $900 IN REPAIRS. CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS AND THE WILL NOT DO ANYTHING AT THIS TIME. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL CAR. THIS HAPPENED AT 71,000 MILES. *JB

REAR BRAKE-LIGHT SUB ASSEMBLY HOLDS BRAKE LIGHT BULBS. EVIDENTLY WHEN USED IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC IN METROPOLITAN AREAS SUCH AS NEW YORK METRO AND LOS ANGELES, BULB HEATING MELTS THE BULB HOLDING SUB- ASSEMBLY DIRECTLY RELEASING THE BULB CONTACTS AND CAUSING BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE. BULBS CONTINUE TO TEST OK!!! ISUAL INSPECTION REVEALS MELTED PLASTIC. WRONG PLASTIC FORMULA. *AK

I WON A 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA AND I NOTICED OVER THE PAST YEAR THAT I WAS LOOSING A LITTLE ANTI-FREEZE OVER TIME. THE RATE INCREASED OVER THE PAST MONTH UNTIL THE "ENGINE OVERHEATED LIGHT" CAME ON. WHEN TAKEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING AND I WAS LOOSING ANTI-FREEZE THROUGH THE GASKET. THEY ALSO SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR GM 3.1 AND 3.4 LITER ENGINES. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA AND HAVE HAD A COOLANT LEAK PROBLEM. MY VAN HAS ONLY 66K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN IN 2 TIMES FOR COOLANT LEAKS. ON 11/26/04 I HAD A COOLANT LEAK AND HAD TO HAVE LOWER MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED. ON 12/2/04, LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE INTERIOR AND NOW HAVE BAD HEATER CORE. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS OF THE SAME EXACT CAUSE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND SHOULD BE COMPENSATED BACK WHAT I PAID OUT.*AK

MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH A 3.4 LITRE ENGINE WAS LEAKING FLUID ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT THE INTAKE GASKET WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. HE REPLACE THE INTAKE GASKET AND BOLTS. THE TOTAL COST WAS $674.94. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH GM V-6 ENGINES.*AK

NOTICED THAT COOLANT HAD TO BE ADDED EVEN THOUGH NO APARENT LEAK OR OVERHEATING ON MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER IT WAS AN INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK AND WOULD COST $970 TO FIX. I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL ENGINE EITHER DUE TO THE DEX COOL COOLANT OR THE GASKET. IF THIS SIN'T FIXED, IT COULD LEAD TO BEING STRANDED OR STUCK IN A DANGEROUS LOACATION.*AK

AT 26,000 MILES MY VAN STARTED LEAKING COOLANT, ALOT OF IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP NEARBY AND THE MECHANIC TOOK A QUICK LOOK AND SAID IT WOULD NEED THE ENGINE PULLED AND ALL THE RUBBER RINGS OR GASKETS IN THE ENGINE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WERE LEAKING AND IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. HE SAID THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH BETTER QUALITY ONES BECAUSE THAT WAS THE REASON THEY WERE LEAKING, THAT THEY BROKED DOWN QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY WERE INFERIOR. AND ALL THIS WOULD COST ME AROUND $1,000. UPDATED 07/24/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *AK

LOWER INTAKE GASKET FAILED. MDEALERSHIP REPAIRED AT MY COST SHORTLY AFTER, THE CAM SHAFT BROKE. I WILL NOT PAY TO FIX. *AK

WHEN DRIVING ANY SPEED REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT AND SEPARATED. CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND CHANGED THE TIRE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. FIRESTONE, INSIGNIA, 21570/R15. *AK

I READ OF YOUR INVESTIGATION IN AUTOMOTIVE NEWS. MY 12 YR OLD DAUGHTER'S WRIST WAS BROKEN LAST SUMMER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE DOOR OF OUR 2000 MONTANA. SHE GRABBED THE HANDLE FROM INSIDE AND AS THE DOOR MOVED OPEN IT BENT HER WRIST BACKWARD. IT DIDN'T STOP, DESPITE THE RESISTANCE. IT WAS BROKEN IN THE GROWTH PLATE AND DID NOT REQUIRE A CAST BUT WAS SPLINTED FOR 2 WEEKS. *JB PE04064.PCO