1999 PONTIAC MONTANA Complaints

ENGINE: INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. I FOLLOWED THRU WITH A COMPLAINT TO THE BBB AND TO PONTIAC'S 800 NUMBER. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO HAVE THE VAN DIAGNOSED AT A GM DEALER BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE DONE BY PONTIAC. MY DEALER QUALITY PONTIAC IN COCOA, FLORIDA LOOKED AT THE VAN AND AGREED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING (NOVEMBER 2002). QUALITY INFORMED ME IT WOULD BE ABOUT $500 TO REPAIR. A PHONE CALL TO PONTIAC'S 800 # PUT PRESSURE ON THE DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED THE WORK FOR $100 PLUS EXTRA FOR A COOLANT FLUSH. THE TOTAL WAS AROUND $180. SUPPOSEDLY THE WORK CAME WITH A 12 MONTH 12000 MILE WARRANTY. I THINK THE VAN HAD 58000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED. LOOKING BACK I HAVE A FEELING IT STARTED LEAKING EARLIER. TODAY WE HAVE 70500 MILES ON THE VAN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS COMING ON. THE CODES INDICATE THAT ENGINE CYLINDER 5 IS MISFIRING. WE HAD NEW SPARK PLUGS PUT IN AND WILL NOW TRY NEW SPARK PLUG WIRES. IF THAT DOESN'T FIX IT THEN WE MAY NEED TO PUT IN NEW FUEL INJECTORS. MY COMPLAINTS TO DATE WITH THIS VEHICLES ARE: 1. ORIGINAL TIRES WORE OUT AT 24000 MILES $500 2. BATTERY DIED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS. $0 3. DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED $ 156 - AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. 4. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED $180 5. SLIDING POWER DOOR MODULE FAILED 4 TIMES. $0 6. FRONT BRAKES DRUMS WARPED AT ~35000 MILES $250. FRONT ROTORS CUT AND PADS REPLACED. 7. WINDSHIELD BUZZED FROM THE DAY WE BOUGHT IT (2 YEARS) AND TOOK US THREATENING THE LEMON LAW TO GET IT FIXED.

AT ROUGHLY 2K MILES, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THEN AGAIN AT 28K MILES, ANOTHER REPLACEMENT. BOTH WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I TRIED TO GET THE LOCAL DEALER AND GM TO BUY IT BACK SINCE IT WAS UNTRUSTWORTHY FOR MY FAMILY. THE MOST MY THREATS COULD DO WAS GET AN EXTENDED 60K/$0 DEDUCTABLE WARRANTY OUT OF GM. THEN AT 56.5K MILES, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET PROBLEM GOT ME. THIS ALSO RESULTED IN A WATER PUMP REPLACEMENT.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT STUCK IN THE HOLSTER DUE TO THE BELT FRAYING ON BOTH SIDES TO RELEASE THE BELT FROM BEING STUCK IN THE HOLSTER. *AK *SC *JB

VAN SHIFTS HARD AND OFTEN MAKES A LOUD "CLUNKING" NOISE. DEALER RECOMMENDS ~ $1100 IN REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION, SEVERAL NON-DEALER REPAIR SHOPS RECOMMEND REBUILDING THE TRANSMISSION FOR ~ $1400. PROBLEM STARTED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND NOW SEEMS RELATIVELY SEVERE WITH THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT NOW ON CONSISTANTLY. PROBLEM SEEMS TO GO AWAY IF THE VAN IS SHUT OFF FOR A SMALL LENGTH OF TIME. ANOTHER TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND YET NO RECALL. RED

1999 PONTIAC MONTANA EXPERIENCED NO HEATING. GARAGE STATED COOLANT HAD SLUDGE AND WAS FLUSHED AND RECHARGED. AFTER DRIVING 10 MILES TO HOME, COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AND STEAM ROLLED OUT UNDER HOOD. FOUND AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING IN NUMEROUS PLACES. GARAGE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN MANY OF THESE. COOLANT CAP STATES COOLANT GOOD FOR 150,000 MILES. ONLY 49,000 MILES ON VAN.

THE HEADLIGHT LENS COVERS CAME OFF BOTH HEADLIGHTS. DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, WATER GOT INSIDE THE HEADLIGHTS, CAUSING THE BULBS TO STOP WORKING. DEALER DETERMINED THAT VEHICLE NEEDED NEW HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. *AK

LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND WATER PUMP LEAKING DEXCOOL COOLANT. DEALER REPORTS OIL PRESSURE SWITCH, OIL PUMP DRIVE O-RING, AND BOTH VALVE COVERS LEAKING OIL. DON'T KNOW IF THESE OIL LEAKS ARE DUE TO GASKET & SEAL DAMAGE FROM DEXCOOL COOLANT. *LA

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD, LATE AT TIMES. RADIO/CD SCREEN IS GARBLED LOOSE SRS CONNECTORS POWER LOCK PROBLEMS SLIDING DOOR PROBLEMS *LA

THE TREADS SEPARATED ON ALL FOUR TIRES WITHIN 200 MILES OF EACH OTHER WHICH CAUSED THEM TO BLOW OUT. THE DATES OF OCCURRENCES: 8/5/2003, 8/9/2003, AND 8/10/2003. *AK *SCC *JB

VEHICLE COMES EQUIPPED WITH SIDE AIR BAGS WHICH ARE LOCATED IN THE FRONT SEAT BACKS. THE PADDING WASN'T PROPERLY DESIGNED WHEN MANUFACTURED. AS A RESULT, SEAT COVER MATERIAL IS RIPPING, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LEAVE THE BOX CONTAINING THE SIDE AIR BAG EXPOSED. ALSO, AT 33,000 MILES THE HEAD GASKET DEVELOPED A LEAK AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE MOTOR. *AK