Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-74
Air conditioner condenser developed a leak at 52000 miles. This is a very expensive part to replace fairly early in a car's life span. It is a dealer part, and we were quoted $600 for that particular repair.
Seats are not very well covered. For a vehicle marketed as rugged, you would think the fabric used on the seats would be more substantial. They are fraying badly in spots, under normal use.
Also the design of the seat means the outside edge of the bottom seat cushion itself is pinched between the occupants leg and the plastic trim on the side of the seat when entering or leaving the seat. Lots of wear at that point. Invest in seat covers early to avoid this particular problem.
The carpet around the fold down rear seats (Which we don't use much) has started to peel away. By that I mean the carpet backing appears to still be secure against the floor, but the softer fuzzy top layer is clumping and peeling. Looks like dry rot.
The plastic interior trim and dashboard seem to be easily scratched, especially the tailgate and door panels. Surface scratches are very visible on the light gray plastic.
The seal around the top of the windshield worked it's way loose. It made a flapping noise loud enough to make me pull over and check for a something caught in a wheel, or to see if I was dragging a pedestrian I hadn't noticed before. Easily fixed by myself and a tube of trim adhesive, but a few moments of panic at interstate speeds.
Original battery lasted exactly 3 years. Just long enough to cost full price to replace. Battery was very difficult to change due to it's location in the engine compartment. Gave no warning before it went bad either. Just would not start one afternoon.
Loose gas cap causes a "Check engine soon" light. Easily tracked down and reset by someone from an auto parts store.
The overall experience with the car has been good, until the air conditioner issue. Alabama in July with no A/C is no fun, no matter what you are driving. I have also spoken to 3 or 4 other people who have had the same condenser problem with this vehicle.
The handling is nimble, acceleration is lively, has a very responsive shifting. Passing gear is darned impressive. The car does what you tell it to, when you tell it to.
The interior is well laid out and the front seats are comfortable.
Driver controls are perfectly designed and laid out. You also have a commanding view of the road. The red instrument lighting takes a little getting used to, but is well done. I do have my doubts about the rather dinky looking electric side mirror adjustment knob, compared to the overall thick, substantial look of the rest of the vehicle, but so far, no problems. It is the only part of the car I handle very gingerly.
Your own turn signals are distracting. They are aimed so high, you could land aircraft.
Interior road noise level is reasonably good, considering you are rolling on truck tires. Factory CD player/radio sound great. Very easy to carry on normal conversation at highway speeds.
Interior space is good. Lots of legroom, even in the back for tall riders, though the rear seats only recline as much as coach class airplane seats.
Fuel economy has been surprisingly good for a vehicle of it's size and performance. We are averaging 26 miles per gallon on a roughly 50/50 mix of highway and city driving.
The only things we have had to do to it so far (58,000 miles) are front tires, brakes on all 4 wheels, a couple of signal bulbs, and the air conditioning, as previously mentioned. We have regular maintenance (Oil and air filters, oil changes) at a chain oil change shop every 3,000 miles. We use non-synthetic oil, and regular unleaded gas.
We have also found that this car has not retained it's value very well. It has a lot of miles on it, but the current value is about 60% of what we paid for it 18 months ago.
On the good side, it will never get stolen. It's too recognizable. Especially in yellow.
I have had the same problem with the condenser. We have over 60,000 miles on ours and we were quoted $700 to fix the problem. They should send out a recall on these!
My daughter has a 2001 Aztek. Most of the problems have been minor, until now. Her condensor now has an unexplained leak. The dealer first told her the compressor was leaking and it would cost about $1500 to repair. I had her take it to my father (a former mechanic) for a second opinion. No leaks were found on the compressor, but the condensor is dripping oil. The dealer has told us that parts and labor will come to about $1300 - $1800. I have found numerous complaints of the condensor leaking on several different web sites. A parts person told my brother that they didn't have any condensors in stock and had trouble keeping them on the shelf because this is such a common problem! What does it take to get a recall!!
I am glad that I found this forum. This has given me an idea of what to expect when I take my 2001 Aztek in to get the A/C checked out tomorrow. A recall sure would be nice, especially at 56000 miles. This vehicle is still new as far as I'm concerned. I still have three and a half more years of payments. The only repair manual I managed to find on the internet costs $129.00 I am realizing quickly this SRV may be more than I bargained for.{more trouble than I bargained for}
I bought a 2002 Aztek and at first it was great. Lots of room, handled well.
To date we have had 7 different problems (surprisingly not with the AC).
The transmission went at around 20k
Intermittent loss of power (the engine dies while driving) has been worked on 3 times now (new radio, new computer, new ignition and new fuel pump).
The rear hatch bound up and would not open (not with a key not with the remote... maybe with a hammer?)
Currently I'm trying to cancel my lease and return the car. I won it in a lottery I wouldn't go to pick it up.
I have an '02 Aztek. Replaced the A/C. Replaced the front tires with less than 39,000 miles on them. Just yesterday it died while I was driving, so I guess I'm due for another expensive trip to the mechanic.
I have looked everywhere, and have had no evidence of a 2000 Aztek. Pontiac's first Aztek was in 2001, according to Kelley Blue Book. When I fell upon this site, I was so confused lol, weird eh?
Well I purchased mine in May ’03. I just got around to taking it in to get the darn hatch fixed. It has been broken for about 3 or 4 months. When you press the button on the fob or on the console it clicks the latch, but the hatch does not open. It requires that you pull up on the hatch while pressing the release a few times. My fiancé can’t open it at all and I can only open it as long as I’m not carrying anything and can pry it. They replaced the bumpers on the hatch, but we’re still waiting for the struts to come in. (Surprise, they are out of stock, I wonder why???) Something tells me though that this is not going to resolve the issue. After bringing it in, I was informed that the brakes were also in need of repair. Apparently GM has a “Silent Recall” (a.k.a. Tech Bulletin) out there for the brakes, but no official recall so in other words, they aren’t telling anyone that there is a problem unless you bring it in.
2001 Aztek Rear hatch won't open. A/C condenser went out at 52000 miles. CD player won't work. Good gas mileage though.
We have a 2001 AWD Aztek with a little under 50,000 miles on it and until yesterday had had no really MAJOR problems with it. That ended when the the a/c cut out last weekend and the Pontiac dealer told we it would cost $1,277.61 to fix it! This is just 3.5 months after our warranty expired!
Now that I am seeing that I am not alone in this a/c problem I intend to press for a warranty extension to cover these repairs.
2001 Aztek - I had the same problem with the AC condenser going at 62000 miles. Also had trouble with hatch not working properly and all brakes needing to be replaced.
I will be definitely writing to Pontiac about the AC problem.
I have a 2002 Aztek and also ran into the AC problem. I work for a company that sells radiators and AC condensers (convenient, huh), so I started to look into it. It seems like this particular condenser, which was also used in other vehicles like the Chevy Venture and the Oldsmobile Silhouette, was manufactured with only one spot weld on the bracket. This is fine for a while, but soon the vibration of the vehicle breaks the spot weld, causing a freon leak. New condensers are only a couple of hundred bucks, but the labor and installation is estimated at 3-5 hours and can be costly. There most certainly should be a recall. We have trouble keeping replacement parts for these in stock they are so popular... we got seven in this morning and they are already sold out.
I purchased my 2001 aztek and loved the looks interior roominess, but then I have had nothing, but problems. We start with a/c leaking into car which was fixed after 3 trips to dealer then after all the leaking into my vehicle it destroyed the wire harness to say the least we are at 73,000 miles and transmission is slipping power steering fluid is leaking and a/c isn't working and at this time it is again broke down as it will not start maintenance was done faithfully to this vehicle I am inclined to believe these vehicles are lemons and maybe if we would contact our attorney generals and address this as a large group pontiac may do something to rectify the problem with there owners.
This really appears to be a class problem. If enough of us get together we may be able to force Pontiac to consider taking care of the problem. AC condenser weld had broke on my AZTEK also. Total price quoted to fix from a reputable dealer is $945.00 with parts included. Parts when condenser goes are the condenser, dryer and an orifice. Plus 2 lbs of freon. The labor costs are the killer. Parts being less than $400.00.
Wake up Pontiac...
I have a 2001 Aztec and am in the process of taking it in to get the a/c condenser fixed, price quote is 1050.00... I have 55,000 miles on it and just wanted to let others know that this seems to be a very common problem with this sport recreational vehicle. hope this helps someone make an informative decision.
I purchased My 2001 Pontiac Aztek on Ebay. I also needed to replace the condenser at 50,000. I work for a repair shop so the cost was not so bad... ac delco makes this condenser aftermarket. Don't be STUCK going back to the dealer and paying those ridiculous costs. My main problem is the plastic body siding. It is dry and turning white. Does any one else have this problem. I treat it every time I wash it with a high quality vinyl protectant, but after a couple of weeks its back to looking bad. I am considering having it painted... any suggestions out there?? One other thing, the temp. gauge tends to read pretty high on a warm day at idle with no ac on. When I use the ac, the fans are automatic so the temp stays mid range as it should. This bothers me, being that the hotter that engine runs the lower the life.