Faults:

1st month the rear axle broke off.

@60,000 miles transmission died.

Intake head manifold replace, leaking coolant.

GM knows about the defective transmission they put in all 1999 to 2002 GM and CHEVY products. They sent all dealers the notification, but did not let their customers know. The service bulletin # 00-07-30-002A.

My local dealership will not offer any help. I do not recommend any GM product.

General Comments:

The Montana sucks - it should be called the money pit.

Faults:

Water pump leak, Intake manifold leaking coolant, Transmission shifts hard, and the Third Cylinder misfiring.

General Comments:

I will never buy another GM vehicle. This van has been nothing, but problems. I can't even remember when there was not some issue that we have had to deal with.

When it does run, it runs well with great gas mileage on the highway.

Faults:

Major transmission problem at ~54,000 miles required a $2300 overhaul. Car was shifting very rough. Claimed is was caused by a small part, that later caused the damage. Took 3 visit back to the dealership for them to repair it.

Leaking Intake Manifold Gasket at 69,000 miles resulting in an $1100 repair. This engine model (V6 3.4 liter) is plagued by this problem, and many owners report this "unusual" problem. GM is aware, but refuses recall.

Automatic right side sliding door functions intermittently, refusing to close and latch. After $240 in repairs, the motor fully fails, resulting in another $200 in repairs. After all this, it still works only intermittently and is returned to dealership for 1 week. Finally, it almost works again.

Leaking Head Gasket at 78,000 -- dealer wants $2100 to repair it, but I have had enough.

General Comments:

It is unfortunate that GM is unwilling to admit the issues with this engine, transmission, and automatic door. The web is full of other reports of these problems. The problems span multiple years, so ALL Montana's are to be avoided in my opinion. It is a shame because the vehicle (when it runs) rides and handles well, and is a very functional family vehicle.

Faults:

Intake Manifold Gasket 105,000

New Plugs and Wires 105,000

New Radiator 110,000

Front Brake Pads and Rotors 110,000

Water Pump 105,000

New Wheel Hubs 115,000

New Struts 115,000

New Drive Shafts 115,000

Camshaft Sensor 155,000

New Coil Packs 155,000.

General Comments:

A very good design which has poor execution and reliability. I don't understand why GM can't do better than this. Attractive design, good driving characteristics, roomy, fun to drive, economical and utilitarian. Poor quality components.

This is the 2nd Montana we've owned. The first (2000) we bought new and kept for 3 years (55k miles). We had no real problems.

In a budget crunch I bought a 1999 for $6,000 off EBay (High Mileage, $105,000). Overall, I'm happy. I paid so little for the van that the $3,000 in repairs have been worth it (we've put 50,000 miles on the van).

On the good side, the van has never left us stranded. On the bad side, there have been a lot of repairs. I have a lot of experience working on cars and have been able to identify most of the problems pretty readily.

This car's motor is challenging to work on. It's shoehorned into the engine compartment so that even routine maintenance is challenging. For instance, to change the rear three spark plugs, you must take the two front engine mounts apart and use a ratcheting strap to rotate the engine forward. Even then, they're very difficult to get to. With practice, it gets easier to work on, but you'll need a mechanic who has experience with these vans. Otherwise, the mechanic will likely become frustrated and not do a very good job.