17th Jul 2004, 10:48
I have a 2000 Pontiac Montana with numerous electrical problems. Soon after I got it the air bag light came on. The dealership said they had to replace the controller or some expensive part, but they didn't have it in stock. When I drove away, the airbag light turned off. It stayed off for a year and then came back on. It turned out that a loose connector under the seat was the problem. But then other weird electrical problems occurred. The gas gage goes crazy sometimes, the ABS light stays on (a mechanic said there's nothing wrong with the ABS, the light just stays on. Now the brake lights don't work - the running lights, turn signals, backup lights and 3rd brake light all work fine. Also, when it rains the cruise control stops working and it shifts like the transmission is going to fly out through the grille. Oh, and half the radio display is dark. Other than that, it's OK. Are there any non-union built cars out there?
19th Jul 2004, 07:49
My mom has a 1998 Pontiac Transport 3.4l with 75k miles. The van, without any notification, quit running as she drove down the road; both she and my six year old son were stranded. I picked them up and tried to start the vehicle - it sounded like a bucket of bolts had been dumped into the motor. I disassembled the motor to find the cam shaft had broken between the intake and exhaust lobes of cylinder #4. The two inner bearings looked as if they had not been oiling properly in many many trips. Bearing #3 actually spun in this process. I've seen many write-ups on this problem since this incident three weeks ago and I have to wonder what the problem truly is. Since bearings one and four looked pretty good - I would guess that the design in the oiling system is suspect. In any case, I will never own another GM product even though my dad worked for GM for thirty five years.
20th Dec 2004, 11:54
I have a 99 Montana! We replaced the intake gasket. Transmission shifting hard, an independent had to replace two trans sensors. Problem fixed, dealer said need a new trans. Several months later we replaced the whole engine. The van stalled on the interstate going 70 mph. It would not start. With my 5 kids in the van and on the I was not going anywhere the Ohio state police stopped to help. Could not get it jump started. They called my wife. When she got there with 2 sets of 2/O cables and 15 min at high RPM's it started. Sounded like a thrown rod. Took it in and the crank was broken. A new motor from Jasper and it runs great. That was in June 2003. Now we are having electrical problems. Just great I still owe another year on this van!
23rd Dec 2004, 12:48
Wow! I wish I had seen all the comments before I bought my 2000 montana. I would not have bought it, My van has 74000 miles and the intake is leaking in to my water. I called gm and they told me they couldn't help with the bill. Now they did say if it is ever recalled I can be reimbursed for the bill. I also have the radio lights half lit, the air bag light coming on, all the lights flickering. After my two phone calls to gm I told the guy if he don't pay for my van to be fixed I will never buy another gm vehicle again. He told me he would write it down. So there you have it buy gm vehicles and pay all the repairs yourself. Maybe if everyone who has of has had the intake problem, would call say that if gm don't recall this ongoing bad gasket we won't buy gm cars anymore. Midas just called while typing said he could do the work for under $500. the dealer wanted almost $700. I wonder if if pay more for good van upfront will it save me money on repair later. Can you say Honda? MERRY CHRISTMAS to me and my repair bill.
2nd Sep 2005, 21:51
I own a 1999 Pontiac minivan. At 68,000 miles I had to replace the intake gasket, water pump, circuit board (ABS light and none of the brake lights were working) 12 lifters, and now the oil pressure light is coming on when I stop. I spent $2,300 on it a thousand miles ago. Any suggestions? I am a single Mom, living paycheck to paycheck and have no more money. I spent my entire savings on getting the van fixed.
11th Sep 2005, 18:55
Thanks for the advice on my 1999 Montana minivan... I do hear a ticking sound in neutral. I can't believe I have no money to even buy a new car. I have depended on friends driving me around for 2 weeks. Is there any way the mechanics would have seen this, or known it would happen when I had the water pump, lifters, intake manifold gasket changed??
26th Oct 2005, 22:21
I feel lucky that my 98 transport with 350,000 km is still running. Had the antifreeze leak since 70,000 and just put in stop leak. Now it is really leaking bad, but not as bad as the roof around the windshield. All I have done is regular maintenance and I am just going to drive it till it stops. Sounds like it is not worth fixing. My 10 year old Toyota with 500,000 km I had before, was better, and still worked fine before I bought this GM garbage. Time to go back to Toyota.
4th Mar 2006, 09:36
We have a Pontiac Montana and have been told we have an antifreeze leak which will require the intake manifold being replaced. Apparently, this is a fairly common problem with this vehicle. My question is "Once it is fixed, does this solve the problem?" My second question is whether or not anyone has had any luck getting GM to pay for part of this. Apparently there was a memo sent out to dealers about it, but since it is not a safety issue, they are not being very supportive in paying for it.
4th Mar 2006, 22:05
We too own a 1999 Pontiac Montana and encountered the antifreeze leak problem and manifold replacement. We did not ask GM to pay for the repair as our warranty was outdated. However, in only two short months after repairing the manifold problem the engine seized. We have stored the Montana in hopes of finding a "good" engine for it. I love the style and room the Montana affords us. It drives well and I love it. Until the antifreeze problem we had not encountered any problems with it at all in performance or repairs. I hope you don't encounter the problem with the engine seizing as we did, but don't delay the repair as we feel this contributed to it. We too were told it was not a major problem or safety issue.
8th Jul 2004, 10:54
I was wondering if any of you had a door fall off?
We have a 2000 Montana, and already had the head gasket go, 2 of the 'firing coils', and now the door fell off. Driver side slider, one of the rollers broke off the back hinge.
The first 2 items we payed $100. each for since we purchased the extended warranty. They asked us to bring it in, and then they can call the insurance to see if it is covered.
After the last work, they told us the 'tie rods' on the front are bad, and may be a safety hazard, not covered, the rear wheel brake seals are bad, one leaks, so it is covered, one seeps so it is not covered, and a bunch of other stuff that would have pushed our bill to over $1200.00.