First of all, what hasn't gone wrong with this car??
First - the knobs and controls of the car are very poorly made. The gas cap has broken, the control for the lumbar for the drivers and passenger seat has broken, and the rear view mirror has fallen off several times.
The sunroof which came installed from the factory has leaked since the day the warranty expired. The ceiling liner is stained from 2 years of leakage.
The brakes only last about 10,000 miles, and then I need new brake jobs. A new set of tires only lasts about 20,000 miles on the car.
The two front window motors have both gone bad. The windows start to rattle and then they just fall inside the door. The whole motor needs to be replaced.
The door locks do not work. I have to open the window to use my key to unlock the door from the outside.
The bumper panel is lopsided, and cannot be hooked back into place.
The back hatch does not pop open without having to continue lifting it and pushing the unlock button.
Ready for the good stuff? As of today, I have a leak in the: Water Pump, the Condenser, the compressor, and an oil leak in the Intake Manifold. All total, about $2500 to fix.
I have had several go arounds with the car overheating. There have been coolant leaks galore!
Also, the special DEX antifreeze coagulates, and hardens, causing the car to overheat. You must drain the antifreeze and flush the engine.
I have put about $8,000 of maintenance into this car over 3 years.
This car is a disaster. First of all, I paid $25000 for it, brand new. It has sunroof, multi-CD changer, and 4 captains chairs, the tent attachment, and the drawers in the back.
The best part of the car is the storage room overall. No car matches it. But, I'd have been much better off renting trucks for the $$ I've spent.
The worst part about this car is the rapid and total depreciation. You better love this car, because you cannot trade it in, nor can you sell it. After 3 years, no dealer will pay me more than $3500 for the car. I still owe $15,000 on it.
It never handled well, performance was average. I bought it to camp in the NC mountains, and it ran hot over the mountain driving the first month I owned it.
The vinyl and interior of the car is cheap and cheesy. It scratches easily and looks very worn after 3 years.
Overall, if I can save anyone from the impulsive decision of buying this car, my experience won't be half as bad. At this point if I had GAP coverage on my insurance, it would be in the bottom of a canal somewhere very far away!! Don't do it!
I have a 2001 Aztec. Not the GT package. I had to replace the brakes every 10,000 miles and wore thru tires at 22,000. Fixed the problem by purchasing the GT rims and tires to fit. I have gone 40,000 miles with no need for brakes and my tires look excellent.
The gas cap has broken on me twice, once about 3 months of ownership the second after 2 1/2 years of the first replacement.
The front passenger door doesn't seal and "whistles" on the highway. I have had door aligned and re-aligned - no solution.
Factory CD player overheats and display goes out on severe temperature days (very hot or very cold days).
70,000 mile tires with proper rotation last only about 45-50k miles.
Gas gauge does not read correctly. Will be very odd on days show FULL and takes 17 gallons (manual states it's a 13 gal. tank.)
Paints clear coat is peeling in upper door posts.
Would not start in park had to be in neutral (car is an automatic!). Replaced some module and alternator.
Other than gas cap car was GREAT until 100k miles, Hmmm that's when the Warranty ENDED go figure.
2001 Pontiac Aztek paid 18k and 3yrs later is worth about 5k trade in and 6-7k private party. I OWE ABOUT 11k!
This is a typical PONTIAC AZTEK and it must have been made on a Monday or Friday if you know what I mean.
FOR SALE: 2001 Pontiac Aztek, Black with tent package, reese hitch and towing package, factory cd, 105k miles standard options FAIR - Good condition Asking about 11k
BONUS: Free Blender, Toaster or Coffee Maker with purchase.
Contact tony at tonydeemer@aol.com.
The 2002 aztek I got has similar issues with heating problems... the mechanic had to take apart the whole engine and change a bunch of parts because it had a water leak and even after it was fixed it still overheats.
I bought a 2001 aztek gt about 8 months ago. 2 months later the ac need to be replaced. I also replaced the front brakes. The car had about 72G on it when I got it. It now is pushing 85G. Considering the miles, the repairs to date really haven't been bad, and the car is very cool looking. The GT interior is really nice (nice leather, and tunes, with heads up F16 type display on windshield). I am very happy with it, and would recommend it as a used car. Now if only I can figure out how to use the roof rack. I am in the process of buying a used owner's manual on ebay, but in the meantime, I would appreciate any info on how to adjust the racks. I have a canoe that I would love to put up there this coming weekend, but the two racks are pushed way to close together.
Thanks, Tina (Florida)
DON'T BUY IT!!! I have replaced brake pads, tires, air conditioner condenser, rocker arms, intake gaskets, water pump, blinker bulbs, battery, just to name a few things in the three years I have owned it, and it still overheats!
Wow, you had to replace blinker bulbs, brake pads and tires?
What a lemon!
I bet you had to buy gas and oil for it too!
If enough people email Pontiac, they will look into a possible recall. They told me if there is a recall, and you already paid to have the problem fixed, they will reimburse you.
Yeah, good luck with that write-in campaign.
GM has announced that the Pontiac brand is going to be history. I doubt they are hoping for repeat customers at this point.
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