1998 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT Complaints

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP WHEN CONSUMER TURNS VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. CONSUMER SAID THAT HE DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTICE CONCERNING STEERING.

I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT HAS JUST BEEN REPLACED. ALSO MY STEERING WHEEL IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEN I AM MOVING FROM A STOPPED POSITION. DT

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVERS SEAT BROKE MOVING WILDLY FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WILL FIX IT ON CONSUMERS OWN POCKET ALSO STATED THAT WENT TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER SEAT HIM SELF AND WAS TOLD THAT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT TYPE OF VEHICLES. TS

BOTH HEADLIGHT PLASTIC COVERS FELL OFF AND THEY ARE NOT COVERED BY MY WARRANTY OR INSURANCE. *JB ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*******769764

WHILE DRIVING HEARD A NOISE, VEHICLE VIBRATED/JERKED, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED, MECHANIC INDICATED REAR END BAR BROKE, AND WHEEL SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE.*AKJLG

REAR DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK, AND HORN WILL NOT WORK WHEN VEHICLE WAS OFF, CAUSING A PASSENGER TO BE LOCKED INSIDE OF VEHICLE, AND WAS UNABLE TO NOTIFY BYSTANDERS. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

SINCE 1973, I'VE DRIVEN A SERIES OF 8 CARS (ABOUT 20-24,000 MILES PER YEAR) IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER, AND NEVER HYDROPLANED UNTIL PURCHASING TRANSSPORT IN 1998. I'VE HYDROPLANED 3 TIMES IN IT, IN SHALLOW WATER, BUT MANAGED TO GET CONTROL OF CAR AND AVOID ACCIDENTS. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED WITH THE IDEA OF GIVING IT TO MY DAUGHTER AS A USED CAR WHEN SHE TURNED 16 IN 2001. (WE HAD GIVEN OUR SON THE FAMILY CARAVAN WHEN WE BOUGHT THE TRANSSPORT.) BECAUSE OF THE TRANSSPORT'S TENDENCY TO HYDRPLANE, WE DID NOT FEEL IT WAS SAFE TO GIVE AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER, SO WE BOUGHT A DIFFERENT USED CAR FOR HER INSTEAD. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE TRANSSPORT TO BEACH ON SATURDAY AND HYDROPLANED ON A 4-LANE HIGHWAY AT BOTTOM OF A HILL, SPINNING, GOING BACKWARDS ACROSS MEDIAN, AND ENDING UP IN FAR LANE FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC. MIRACULOUSLY, DESPITE LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRAFFIC, NO ONE HIT OUR CAR AS IT CROSSED 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. MY SISTER HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY MOM'S TRANSSPORT HYDROPLANING WHEN SHE DROVE IT ON A TRIP. SHE WAS SO SCARED SHE ACTUALLY STOPPED TRAVELLING AND SPENT NIGHT IN HOTEL BEFORE REACHING HER DESTINATION. COULD THIS BE A DESIGN FLAW OR A PROBLEM WITH STEERING OR WHAT? BOTH CARS HAD GOOD TIRES (STEEL-BELTED RADIALS), NOT ONES THAT CAME ON VEHICLE, AND WE HAD JUST HAD OUR CAR INSPECTED THE WEEK BEFORE MY HUSBAND LEFT FOR THE BEACH. HAVE YOU HAD OTHER REPORTS, OR HAVE TESTS BEEN DONE RE THIS? THE OTHER MINIVAN WE HAD, THE CARAVAN, DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.*AK

I PURCHASED MY MONTANA NEW IN 1998. I HAVE HAD GOOD SERVICE, EXCEPT FOR A PREMATURE BATTERY FAILURE, UP UNTIL NOW. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING THE HEADLIGHT BULB WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS DEGRADING TO THE POINT THAT THE LENS WAS DETACHING FROM THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY. NOW I KNOW THAT THIS VEHICLE IS 4 YEARS OLD BUT THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE LAMPS TO FALL APART. WHAT GOOD IS RUST THROUGH WARRANTIES IF THE BONDING MATERIAL HOLDING THE PARTS TOGETHER FAIL PREMATURELY? I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. ABOUT 2 YEARS AFTER I PURCHASED MY MONTANA I NOTICED A FOGGING INSIDE THE HEADLAMP AFTER DRIVING THROUGH RAIN. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT WAS NORMAL FOR THAT TYPE OF HEADLIGHT. NOW, LOOKING BACK, I BELIEVE THAT THE SEAL WAS ALREADY DETERIORATING. --- I DO BELIEVE THIS IS A MATERIAL DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS, IF THE LENS FALLS OFF DURING RAIN OR SNOW. I HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A PURPOSELY DESIGNED IN DEFECT AND I BELIEVE THAT GM WOULD WANT TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, EVEN IN AN OLDER VEHICLE. --- THE RESPONSE BACK FROM GM WAS THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAULT AS FOLLOWS: -- ALTHOUGH WE DO UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION, OUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT A DEFECT ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY PROCESS GENERALLY MAKES ITSELF APPARENT QUITE EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER A VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, MANY FACTORS SUCH AS USAGE, OWNER MAINTENANCE, AGE AND WEAR, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE VEHICLE THAT ARE BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE MANUFACTURER. -- I BELIEVE THIS IS A MATERIAL ISSUE, THE MATERIAL USED SHOULD HOLD UP FOR 10+ YEARS UNDER NORMAL USAGE. THIS MATERIAL MUST HAVE STARTED DETERIORATING AFTER TWO YEARS, WHEN I FIRST NOTICED FOGGING IN THE HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLY. I KNOW THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM.*AK

AFTER THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED FOR THE POWER SLIDING DOOR, THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED. PER-PONTIAC RECALL, THEY SIMPLY INSTALL A NEW UN-LATCH ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY TO THE POWER SLIDING DOOR. WHICH IS ONLY A ONE TIME PERFORMANCE. NHTSA#01V067000 THE CONSUMERS CONCERNS OTHER CONCERN WERE WITH THE VOLUME BUTTON ON THE RADIO, THE LEFT FRONT WINDOW/, AND THE BRAKES. *SCC

CONSUMER STATES THE INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT TOP LATCH CAN BE UNDONE IF TUGGED ON. DEALER CONTACTED.*JB THE REPLACEMENT ORDERED HAD THE SAME DEFECT AS THE ORIGINAL. PONTIAC STATED THE LATCH IS FOR POSITIONING AND IS NOT REQUIRED TO LATCH SECURELY. *JG