1998 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT Complaints

MY VEHICLE WAS REAR-ENDED WHILE I WAS STOPPED. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE, HOWEVER THE 3RD ROW RIGHT SIDE SEAT'S FRONT LATCHES BECAME UNHOOKED FROM THE FLOOR AND THE SEAT WAS LEFT IN A RECLINED POSITION. THE BACK FLOOR LATCHES WERE STILL SECURED. IF A PASSENGER OVER 5' HAD BEEN SEATED IN THIS SEAT, THEY WOULD HAVE STRUCK THE REAR DOOR WITH THEIR HEAD. *JB

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLAMP FELL OFF - LITERALLY JUST DROPPED RIGHT OFF OF IT - I HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS, SITTING AT A LIGHT, THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PASSING AUTO - I STOPPED, LOOKED, THINKING IT WOULD BE THE BLINKER, AND KEPT GOING- ONLY TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE COVER TO THE HEAD LIGHT! THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM, FROM WHAT WE'RE FINDING AND NO JUNK/SALVAGE YARDS HAVE ANY - AND THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING - THEY'RE GONE BEFORE THEY GET THERE, JUNK HEADLAMP! THESE AND THE GRANDAMS! THIS VAN HAS ONLY 50K MILES ON IT! NOT LIKE IT'S GOT A TON OF MILEAGE!*AK

THE VEHICLE CROSSED OVER THE CENTER LINE STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 50 MPH AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *MR *SC *JB

COMPLAINT ON REPAIR ISSUE ON 1998 PONTIAC TRANSPORT VAN. *PH (NAR) THE CONSUMER ENGINE WAS LOW ON COOLANT AND COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AREA WHICH CAUSE A MALFUNCTION IN THE ENGINE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *CB

A BRACKET THAT SECURED THE REAR AXLE BROKE. *PH WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE CONSUMER REAR AXLE MOVED TO THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER WHEEL AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE REAR QUARTER PANEL BRING THE VEHICLE TO AND ABRUPT STOP. THE CONSUMER FELLS THAT VEHICLE HAD A FAILED COMPONENT AND GM SHOULD REIMBURSE THEM FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS. * CB

ENGINE WAS LOSING COOLANT AND HAD A TICKING SOUND WHEN BROUGHT INTO GM DEALER. REPAIRS INCLUDED REPLACEMENT OF HEAD GASKETS AND INTAKE GASKET. COOLING SYSTEM ALSO HAD TO BE FLUSHED AND REFILLED. MILEAGE QUOTE ABOVE WAS ACTUALLY 110927 KM AND REPAIR COSTS WERE CAN$1965.

THE AIR CONDITIONING MAY HAVE NEVER WORKED, WE HADN'T TRIED IT UNTIL 10 MTHS AFTER BUYING THE VAN. THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AND WE BROUGHT THE VAN TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID THE REPAIR WOULD COST 800.00. HE ADDED STOP LEAK, WHICH WORKED TEMPORARILY. THE PROBLEM HAS JUST REOCCURED AND WE HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE VAN SINCE. THE ABS LIGHT HAD COME ON IN AUGUST, WE HAVE FULL USE OF THE BRAKES, JUST OUR ABS IS NOT WORKING. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX THIS. IN NOVEMBER OF 2001, OUR FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WAS CROSSING A BUSY HWY. HERE IN WINNIPEG, AND THE VAN JUST DIED AND CAME TO AN ABRUPT HALT. I PHONED A DEALER IN WINNIPEG (VICKOR CHEV OLDS) AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THIS HAPPENS, SOMETIMES THE FUEL PUMP WILL WORK FOR A WHILE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL MALFUNCTION FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE PHONED THE USED CAR DEALER AUTO TOWN IN WINNIPEG THAT WE BOUGHT THE VAN FROM AND THEY FELT AWFUL, AND OFFERED TO COVER THE LABOR IF WE PAID FOR THE PART. THE PART ALONE WAS 400.00

PROB #1 - INTAKE LEAKING - NEEDS INTAKE MANIFOLD GASTKET REPLACEMENT. LOCAL DEALER WILL NOT PAY FOR. PROB #2 - I HAVE LOST TWO HEADLAMP LENSE COVERS IN THE PAST YEAR - DEALER SAID THIS HAPPENS "A LOT!, AND THAT IT WAS PROBABLY A PROBLEM WITH THE ADHESIVE" I HAD TO REPLACE TWO COMPLETE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES TOTALLING OVER $200.00

THE THIRD-ROW SEATS WERE KNOCKED OUT OF THEIR ANCHORS WHEN A FORD ESCORT HIT MY VAN IN THE REAR. I WAS STOPPED TO TURN WHEN I WAS HIT. THE ESCORT WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 45 MPH, AND MY REAR BUMPER TOOK THE FULL FORCE OF THE IMPACT; AFTERWARDS, I NOTICED THAT BOTH THIRD ROW SEATS WERE OUT OF THEIR ACHORS AND LAYING BACK TOWARDS THE REAR GLASS. THE REPAIR SHOP WAS ONLY ABLE TO RE-SEAT ONE OF THE SEATS; THEY HAD TO ORDER A FRAME FOR THE OTHER ONE. THE COST OF THE NEW SEAT FRAME WAS $650.00. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO MY VAN EXCEEDED $3,400.00. THE SEAT FRAME WAS THE SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM. MY WORRY IS THAT IF MY CHILDREN HAD BEEN WITH ME, SERIOUS INJURY COULD HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE SEATS COMING OUT OF THEIR ANCHORS. SECONDLY, THE SEAT BELTS ARE ATTACHED TO THE SEATS INSTEAD OF THE FLOOR, SO THESE ARE USELESS IN A REAR COLLISION. IF THE SEATS COME OUT THE SEATBELTS GO WITH THEM. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF BOTH THE SEATS AND THE SEATBELTS, I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH PUTTING ANYONE IN THE THIRD ROW. THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT THE 1998 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT IS VERY UNSAFE WHEN IT COMES TO COLLISIONS.

DRIVER\\'S POWER WINDOW WAS INITIALLY SLOW TO CLOSE, AND THEN WOULDN\\'T CLOSE ALL THE WAY. EVENTUALLY, IT BEGAN CLOSING ERRATICALLY, WITH THE GLASS ASKEW. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY POWER WINDOW CONTROL MODULE; THE PART IS APPROXIMATLEY $450 AND THE LABOR IS $250. GM HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR THE PART, DUE TO LACK OF WARRANTY HISTORY ON THE CLAIM. THEY DO HAVE AN OUTSTANDING SERVICE BULLETING FOR AN ALLIED PROBLEM, OF STICKY WINDOW TRACKS, WHICH PROBABLY LED TO THE INITIAL SLOWNESS OF THE WINDOW CLOSING. THAT PROBABLY LED TO A FAILURE OF THE MODULE IN QUESTION. IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE MONEY, I TRIED HAVING IT REPAIRED AT A LOCAL AUTO GLASS REPAIR FACILITY, HOPING THEY COULD JUST REPOSITION THE WINDOW. THEY CAME BACK WITH THE SAME DIAGNOSIS. CURIOUSLY, THEY INDICATED THAT THEY CONTACTED AT LEAST 20 SOURCES FOR THE WINDOW MODULE, AND THAT THEY WERE TOLD THE PART IS ON A NATIONAL BACK ORDER. AND YET GM DENIES A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART!