2002 Pontiac Montana from North America - Comments

We have a 2002 Pontiac Montana - one problem after another.

Now it is just dieing, the battery has been replaced, headlights fog up fill with water, mechanic told us head gasket getting ready to blow, drivers power window very slow going up and down, wipers are junk they do whatever they want.

Knew people that just traded in the same van and it was nickel and diming them to death just like ours, another friend bought same van and replaced lots of things on it within 2 months of purchase.

I will never buy another Montana ever. It looks good but repairs are ridiculous.

Oh and just replaced the calipers; they were leaking, A/C doesn't work, right this very moment it is setting in a parking lot because we already paid one tow bill yesterday, and thought we got it fixed, just for it to continue doing the same thing, in the middle of a busy intersection I might add ,and at night.

Hopefully can get it going to trade this piece of junk. Never again.

2002 Pontiac Montana, 165,000 miles. I am the only owner. Very reliable service. Front wheel bearings have been replaced twice. Traction System OFF light came on at 155,000 miles, and cruise control broke at same time. Then rear brake lights went out and mechanic cleaned out the 2 rusted rear light circuit boards, which made everything work again. Mechanic told me that rusty circuit boards are common for Montana and will have to be replaced next time it rusts up for $250.

I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana with 167,000 miles on it. I bought that van almost a year ago, and so far I had to replace the water pump, the rear brake light circuit board, and the fuel pump. The van drives great, and although those replacements (in less than a year) were very annoying, I did purchase it used and it does have high miles. Although I will say that I also own a 1994 GMC Safari conversion van with almost 200,000 miles and it has NOT need as many repairs as the Montana. Overall the Montana is cute and drives great, but does have issues.

I own a 2002 Pontiac Montana that I bought in 2005. Compared to other vehicles I've owned, I consider it to be a bit of a lemon but now that I read some of the other horror stories, maybe I'm actually lucky.

Shortly after I bought it, the power locks stopped working then mysteriously started again. Then the rear suspension started making an an asthmatic wheeze. The dealer said he could replace them (for about $800) or I could live with it. I still live with it. The gas gauge needle moves about whimsically - I've seen it go from full down to empty (with the beeping alarm) back up to 3/4 full within a minute. To fix it would mean pulling the gas tank and replacing the sender (at a cost of $600) so we reset the odometer each time we fill the van.

Last year, at 49,000 kilometers, it needed brake work to the tune of $550. This year, the fuel economy went into the toilet. That set me back another $500 for cleaning the fuel system and upgrading engine firmware. Now the air conditioning quit and GM wants another $1250 to replace the condenser. And this is on top of all of the regular maintenance work.

The A/C problem was the last straw. I've sourced an aftermarket condenser at a third of the cost of the GM part and I'm looking for a mechanic. The van won't be back to the dealership.

This van has been well maintained and has only 60,000 kilometers. I won't be buying another GM product.

We have just purchased a 2002 Montana extended van.

It has 118000 k's on it the first week we had it the ac went than the passenger side window would not work. Also the van has a squealing noise when you are driving sometimes. Now that I have read some of these comments it sounds like a wheel bearing. I wish I had of read these comments before we purchased.It sounds like we bought a lemon.

I thought it would be a good van as I see so many on the road. We also had the brakes done the transmission flushed. The engine light came on the second week we had it as well.

The noise is worrying us now. We have had all the issues repaired waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

Bad choice of used car.

I've had a 2000 Pontiac Montana since 2001. I think I've experienced 9 out of 10 of the problems others have complained about.

Engine light stays on (but I have a tool to make it go off for a while). DexCool ate through gaskets - expensive repairs. Fuel gauge is shot.

Also had some electrical wiring problem that made the van cut off suddenly and usually start back up. Pontiac told me it was three different things before they discovered it was the electric wiring. They charged me $89 for first diagnosis, and insisted on charging again for second. Probably because I fixed one issue myself for about $25 when they wanted over $250.

Headlights take in water and the little bulbs break when they're hot and get splashed with cold water.

I don't use the "required" DexCool anymore. But now the heater core hoses are shot. A plastic connector just broke off inside one hose. When trying to get the connector off, I saw that the other side was cracked and I broke on off (easily) the other side of the hose connection. They use some weird connectors that I haven't figured out how to release. Most likely other hoses are toast.

If only it qualified for the Cash for Clunkers waste of my tax money I'd get rid of it in a second. Hey, I don't agree with the program, but if they're spending my tax dollars I'd get something out of it if I could. Sure, it's good for the dealerships and manufacturers, but nothing's free. My kids will still be paying for it when I'm gone.