Notorious intake manifold gasket failure at 89000.
Water pump & serpentine belt replaced at 89000.
Tie rod end replaced at 70000.
Driving/fog lamp burned out at 70000; cannot easily be replaced by owner and requires front wheel and fender liner removal to do so.
Suspension bushing replaced at 70000.
Clunking in front end during third year of ownership; dealer couldn't diagnose and problem disappeared.
Air bag warning light has appeared intermittently since new; dealer has reset several times. I ignore it now.
Factory stereo volume control is finicky; volume sometimes goes up when turned down.
Tachometer sometimes stops functioning.
Driver's seat replaced during second year of ownership after plastic piece wore through the fabric from underneath.
Fortunately I keep an eye on fluid levels and caught the coolant leaks (manifold gasket, water pump) before the thing ran dry and could damage the engine.
This van was a pleasure to own for the first four years or so, despite the nagging faults noted above, as it is comfortable and handles well for a van. However after 70000 kilos it has become a maintenance nightmare, costing us over $2000 this year alone.
In my opinion the intake manifold gasket fault merits a class action lawsuit.
My advice to TransSport/Montana owners: get rid of it as soon as the warranty is up. I wish I had.
General Motors has lost a customer... for good.
How do you own a 1999 Trans Sport? Its last year was 1998; it was replaced by the Montana for 1999.
Firstly, I too have a 1999 Pontiac Trans Sport. The word "Montana" does not appear anywhere on my vehicle, or its documentation.
Head gasket, tie rod ends, wheel bearing. All under 100,000 miles.
Intermittent unusual road noise that nobody can diagnose, fuel gauge doesn't work, digital readout on radio doesn't work, seat belt ratchets are weak, rear door strap broke, rear window wiper doesn't work, passenger door power lock bezel won't stay in its socket, ongoing windshield wiper problems, noisy fan on low speed, spare tire jack collapsed under the weight of the vehicle.
If that isn't enough. The heated side mirror on the passenger door "exploded" recently. The vehicle was not moving, and suddenly, with quite the sound, the mirror came flying out of its housing, shattering as the force sent it into the passenger side window. The shattered mirror was left hanging by the wires. Good thing there wasn't anyone in the passenger seat with the window down.
Would I buy another? Not a chance. Will I buy GM next time? Not likely. I have a second vehicle which is GM, and I am not happy with it either.
To the person who commented about the switching of Trans Sport ot Montana... in 97 It was Trans Sport with the Montana pkg if you wanted it. 98 same thing. 99 You could chose to purchase the Trans Sport (typically not a well optioned out, but there are a few exceptions on the road) and the Montana was a separate name plate. 2000 model year it was just the Montana name. I have sold many of these vans (registered car dealer) and I find they are hit and miss vans. Some are great and stay that way for a long time and others are just junk. Hence I give extended warranties on all these types of vans I sell for the customer's sake.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site