1997 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT Complaints

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE HEADLIGHT COVER FELL OFF AND SHATTERED ON THE STREET. A NEW ONE IS ALMOST $200!*JB

I WAS TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO PARALLEL PARK NEXT TO THE CURB, THEN I HEARD A LOUD POP NOISE. WHEN I WENT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT IT BEGAN VERY HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL. AFTER LEAVING THE STORE AND FROM THAT POINT ON EVERY ATTEMPT I MADE TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. AFTER ARRIVING HOME I NOTICED LEAKING COMING FROM UNDER MY VAN. I CALLED THE LOCATION PONTIAC DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE MY STEERING PROBLEM AND THEY INDICATED THAT THE VAN HAD BEEN SERVICED FOR A RECALL IN FEBRUARY OF 2003 FOR THE RACK AND PINION RECALL SOMETHING RELATED TO THE STEERING. SO I CHECKED THE INTERNET FOR THE RECALL AND IT MENTIONED THE SAME EXACTLY PROBLEMS THAT I WAS HAVING NOW. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BACK AND THEY SAID THAT THE RECALL WAS ALREADY DONE ONCE. I TOLD THEM IT IS DOING THE SAME EXACTLY THING, AND WHEN I WENT TO CHECK THE STEERING ONE MORE TIME I NOTICED A HUGE PUDDLE UNDER MY VAN OF REDDISH BROWN FLUID. COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS TRANSMISSION LEAKING AND WHEN I TURN THE ENGINE ON THE FLUID CAME POURING OUT LIKE A FAUCET. I CONTACTED A TRANSMISSION SHOP TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY VAN AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE AXLE WAS PULLED OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION BY THE STEERING SYSTEM. THE MECHANIC ALSO MENTIONED THAT HE HAS DONE QUITE A FEW OF THESE SAME EXACTLY KIND OF MINI-VAN WITH THE SAME EXACTLY PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT HE KNEW EXACTLY HOW THE FIX THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE HE DOES IT QUITE OFTEN. THE REPAIR COSTED $1,800.00 DOLLARS AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME NOW I NEED TO TAKE BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPAIR THAT RACK AND PINION AGAIN. NOW THIS HAS ME VERY UPSET, I'M SO MAD ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THIS DEFINITELY SOUNDS LIKE A MANUFACTURE PROBLEM AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS. I SENT THE VAN TO KARCO TRANMISSIONS IN LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA WHERE I LIVE AND THE PHONE NUMBER IS 661-723-1164. THIS DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME, SO THIS IS WHY I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT.

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES THE RIGHT AND LEFT STEERING KNUCKLES WERE CRACKED, RIGHT WHERE THE TIE ROD KNUCKLE CONNECTS. THE CONSUMER WAS DOING AN OIL CHANGE WHEN HE NOTICED THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WAS CALLED TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS. THE CONSUMER THINKS BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM, IT HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF OLD AGE. *JB

WIFE MAKING LEFT TURN ONTO BUSY ROAD, VAN WOULD NOT RESPOND TO TO TURNING THE WHEEL. SIDE IMPACT AT 40 MILE + FROM SEMI. INJURIES SUSTAINED BY WIFE, BROKEN HIP CRUSHED LEFT ARM , FRACTURED TAIL BONE AND FRACTURED BASE OF SKULL. DAUGHTER AND FRIEND ALSO INJURED BUT RELEASED WITH MINOR INJURIES. WE DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VAN UNTIL AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THAT IS WHEN I RECIEVED THE RECALL NOTICE. NOTHING COULD BE DONE AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THE VAN HAD BEEN CRUSHED INTO A CUBE OF SCRAP METAL. I WAITED THIS LONG TO FILE A COMPLANT DUE TO LEGAL ADVICE, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE THE BIG GUY ALMOST ALWAYS WINS. WE RECIEVED NO COMPENSATION FROM GM.

THE SLIDING DOOR OPENED WITHOUT WARNING. *JB THE SLIDING DOOR ALSO WOULD NOT CLOSE UNLESS MANUALLY PUSHED. THE DOOR WOULD STILL OPEN AGAIN. *SC *JB

THE STEERING RACK FAILED ON MY 1997 PONTIAC TRANSPORT APPROX 14 MONTHS AFTER IT WAS RECALLED AND A PINON BEARING CHANGED IN THE RACK. THE ORIGINAL RECALL WAS PERFORMED IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE BEARING FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT LOCKING OF THE STEERING RACK ON LEFT HAND TURNS. THE RECALL FAILED BECAUSE THE BEARING FAILED ( 14 MONTHS AFTER IT WAS CHANGED OUT). THE FAILURE OF THE STEERING RACK COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT IF CONDITIONS WERE RIGHT. FORTUNATLY NO PERSONS WERE INJURED WHEN THE STEERING LOCKED UP

I NOTICED THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT WOULD GO ON SOMETIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS GOING THROUGH COOLANT MUCH FASTER THAN ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED. *NM I PERFORMED SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE AND DISCOVERED A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THE FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IN MODEL YEAR 1997 TRANSPORT VANS, AMONG OTHERS. THIS SERVICE BULLETIN CLEARLY INDICATES THAT THIS ISSUE A RESULT OF A POORLY DESIGNED GASKET. FURTHER RESEARCH INDICATED THAT HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH YOUR VEHICLE COULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO THE LEAKING COOLANT GETTING INTO YOUR ENGINE. THIS NOW CREATES A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF WHEN YOUR VEHICLE COULD BREAKDOWN. I TOOK THE VAN IN TO A GM DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT WAS CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INSIDE THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR ESTIMATED TO $720, FOR PARTS AND LABOR AND $130 TO PAY FOR A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR THAT WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED. I CALLED GM TO REQUEST COST ASSISTANCE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE "CAR HAS TOO MANY MILES ON IT, WE CAN'T HELP YOU NOW". I WAS GIVEN THE REASONS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT USED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD. ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FIXED, GM CLAIMED NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE. FURTHERMORE, I AM NOT CONVINCED THAT HAVING THIS FAILURE DID NOT CREATE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT WOULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT A LATER TIME.

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

I TOOK OUR 1997 PONTIAC TRANSPORT MONTANA MINIVAN INTO COVINGTON BUICK PONTIAC FOR WORK ON 8/15/02 AND THEY REPLACED THE ACTUATOR (PART NUMBER 10324035) FOR THE PASSENGER POWER SLIDING DOOR UNDER THE RECALL NOTICES FOR THAT PROBLEM. IN JUNE OF 2004, THE DOOR OPENED UP WHEN WE PULLED AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS SITTING NEXT TO IT. THE DOORS WERE ALL SUPPOSEDLY LOCKED AT THE TIME (WHICH THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY DOES WHEN YOU PUT IT IN GEAR) AND THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AT COVINGTON PONTIAC ON JUNE 17, 2004 AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND JUST CLEANED THE CONTACTS. THE DOOR OPENED UP AGAIN ON MY DAUGHTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO (JAN. 2005) WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WE ARE NOW USING THE MANUAL OVERRIDE BUTTON BUT THIS IS AN EXTREME HAZARD. I'M GOING TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER BUT I WANT THIS ON RECORD. IF THEY DID REPLACE THE ACTUATOR, THEN THERE IS SOMETHING STILL INHERENTLY FLAWED IN THE REPLACEMENT PART DESIGN FOR THIS TO BE OCCURRING NOW AFTER TWO OTHER RECALL NOTICES ABOUT IT IN 2001. *JB

THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A FAULTY HEAD GASKET. *NM THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAS HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED ON FOUR SEPARATED OCCASIONS. *TC