Comments: 1-15, 16-19
June 2001 - The power sliding door unlatch actuator was replaced as part of a recall.
June 2001 - The right front daylight running light worked only intermittently. The dealer could not duplicate the problem.
June 2001 - The left rear brake light was burned out. The dealer replaced the bulb, lamp assembly, and the left turn signal.
July 2001 - The right front daylight running light stopped working. The dealer replaced the lamp assembly.
February 2002 - The right brake light stopped working. The dealer replaced the bulb.
February 2002 - The Low Coolant light stayed on all the time. The dealer performed a dye test and replaced the radiator cap.
February 2002 - The driver side seat warmer stopped working. The dealer replaced the seat cushion.
February 2002 - There was a loud squeal when the steering wheel was turned. This was caused by a fluid leak.
April 2002 - The airbag light stayed on for one week then it went out. The dealer replaced the right front seat belt buckle.
April 2002 - The right turn signal was flashing very quickly. The right front turn bulb was replaced.
September 2002 - Once again, the right turn signal was flashing very quickly. Once again, the right front turn bulb was replaced.
April 2, 2003 - There was an oil leak caused by a bad intake manifold gasket.
April 2, 2003 - Once again, the right turn signal was flashing very quickly. Once again, the right front turn bulb was replaced.
April 23, 2003 - A piece of door trim fell off. The dealer glued it back on.
April 23, 2003 - Yet again, the right turn signal was flashing very quickly. Yet again, the right front turn bulb was replaced.
April 23, 2003 - The airbag light came on intermittently while driving. The dealer replaced the drivers seat belt buckle.
April 2004 - For the fifth time, the right turn signal was flashing very quickly. For the fifth time, the right front turn bulb was replaced.
April 2004 - The air conditioner stopped working. The dealer replaced the compressor clutch and recharged the system.
May 2004 - The glove box door fell off. The dealer wanted $200 to repair it. ($100 for the parts and paint, $100 for the labor). Needless to say, the door is still off.
November 2004 - For the sixth time, the right turn signal was flashing very quickly. For the sixth time, the right front turn bulb was replaced.
November 2004 - Some suspension part was leaking which was causing poor handling. The repair was $350.
In addition to these problems, there have been numerous intermittent electronic gremlins. The radio lights fade out sometimes, the compass says we are headed "C", the check engine light stays on for a week after an oil change, and the hits keep coming.
This van has been riddled with electrical problems since day one. Two of my neighbors have the same year/make/model and they too have similar problems.
Having said all that, the problems have been more of a nuisance than anything else. The van has always started and gotten us where we needed to go. Despite the problems, it has never stranded us.
Whatever you do, don't buy one.
We have had nothing, but problems with our 1999 Montana. The sliding glass door never has worked right. You name it it's been broke. It's my last GM carI will purchase.
Our 1999 Pontiac Montana also has had a continuous stream of electrical problems. The problems originally appeared to be related to the intake of water into the tail light lenses. The bulbs would burn out because they were swimming in water. I got tired of replacing burned out light bulbs and paying for the replacement of tail light assemblies, so I drilled holes at the bottom of the lenses so the water could drain out. We have regularly had problems with all the various warning lights and with the turn signals operating faster than normal as well. The dealer claimed that changing the seat belt assembly would fix the problem because this is what the codes showed. We went elsewhere (because the Pontiac dealership was being shut down within the next week so there would not be any guaranty on the work). I took it elsewhere and there was no discussion about the seat belt assembly, instead I was told that I needed to change two sensors (temp/coolant sensors). After changing both sensors I still have the same electrical problems, especially when it rains. I just recently noticed that my headlights are filling with water when it rains. When it rains it pours.
Our van has now developed intermittent hesitation while driving and trying to accelerate, but only in the morning, and after it rains. I am convinced that this is part of the myriad electrical issues that are intrinsic to this vehicle and the poor sealants used on light assemblies.
Oh, and by the way we have also replaced the manifold gaskets 3 times; unfortunately, only one of those times was under warranty.
We are replacing our manifold gasket for the 2nd time... an $800 fix each time. Where is the recall?
I own a used car lot and these vans are a constant headache for me as well. I frequently see wipers not returning to the usual spot after shutting off, and airbag lights coming on for no reason. Warning lights on the dash seem ongoing. I'll avoid them at the auction as though a plague is coming.
We bought our 2002 Montana thunder in January 2007 the only problems are the low oil pressure light comes on and dings at you when you turn too sharp or while slowing from high speed eg. coming off highway, other than that there may be a brake light bulb issue one melted, I'm going to try LED Bulbs.
We have had nothing, but problems with our montana. We paid too much for it and now we cannot trade it because we owe too much. Our lights are always burned out and the air condition is always leaking in the van. The back windows never did open and we are always have noises that are unexplained.
It sounds like most people have had trouble with light bulbs. Although this is an annoyance, these are things that you can easily address yourselves without the cost and inconvenience of having a mechanic fix it. Changing light bulbs only involves a screwdriver, after all.
When you get the old bulb out, just spray some WD-40 in the socket to displace the water moisture, and even take a piece of steel wool to wipe out any rust.
The guy with the idea of drilling a hole in the bottom of the light assemble, that was a good one. Also for the people with water filling up the assembly, try sealing it with a gasket of blue Permatex to keep the water out.
Really, folks, these are minor problems that are surmountable.
I have owned a 1999 Montana for 3.5 years, and have replaced the headlight bulbs (they should be done in pairs), the passenger side parking lamp bulb, and the passenger side brake light bulb.
Our fuel gauge will swing wildly, or show a full tank when it gets below half a tank. That's usually a good thing for both drivers to discover together, rather than get stranded thinking the other driver filled the tank...
The outdoor temperature display is often wildly inaccurate. My wife and I get a kick out of the "Ice" warning on hot summer days.
Just recently, the HVAC fan started blowing high with no key in the van, while no one had been near it for several hours. I pulled the high-speed hvac breaker to stop it, and we just don't use the fan on high (5) for the moment. This also happened on a friends 2003 Suburban, so I suspect it to be a known issue with GM.
I'm wondering if it all may be related to a bad ground connection. I found this review while googling Montana electrical gremlins.
We've had fairly minor issues mechanically over the period we've owned it.
We've had to replace a wheel bearing.
Also, the typical intake manifold gasket, which I've done on several vehicles I've owned. It would be nice if GM acknowledged thier screwup and recalled or fixed the intake problem free.
The motor is not powerful, but it's adequate and can tow a 1000lb camper trailer as well. The van's handling is excellent.
Other than those bizarre glitches, the van has been excellent, and my wife will not give it up.
I bought my 99 Pontiac Montana in January of this year.. A mistake I will not be making again. In 24 hours, my front right blinker, ALL inside dome lights, and ALL automatic locks went out. And NONE of my fuses are blown. We checked... twice........... I have strange, unexplained noises, my husband thinks I'm crazy. And this morning, I went to roll up my window on the drivers side, guess what... IT Doesn't ROLL UP. My other window does. Are there any recalls on this kind of stuff? If anyone knows PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I am getting tired of hearing complaints about the Pontiac Montana.
We bought a 1999 used with 20K miles on it and I have found that trouble with these vehicles only exists in one of four general areas:
1. Anything between the front of the front bumper and the rear of the rear bumper, and
2. Anything between the bottom of the wheels and the top of the luggage rack.
3. Anything electrical, and
4. Anything mechanical.
I hope this helps anyone starting to trouble-shoot problems with their GM piece of crap.
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We just pre-emptively replaced the notorious gaskets that allow coolant to spray onto the cam-shaft (great quality control GM) and have been told that my 98 Grand Prix GTP has the same issue. It is sad that our family will never again trust an American car manufacturer… Not just because of these issues mind you, but because of the overall faulty engineering of the vehicles coupled with the "So what" attitude once the consumer walks out the door of the dealership. The cavalier attitudes of the billionaire suits in these corporations not only screwed their companies out of a future, but also the American workers that can only work with what they are given.
I too have experienced the disappointment of the Pontiac Montana. At 60,000 miles:
The front wheel bearings had gone bad, (I was actually told this was normal at that many miles).
Brake lights and turn signals have burned out frequently.
The rear door leaks which shorted out the rear hatch dome.
Several warning lights are on at all times.
The fuel gauge is useless.
Driver side window rolls up with great difficulty.
Have had to replace window controls on driver side
...that's all I can think of for now.
My advice is avoid GM products all together; there are other companies that have a reputation of producing quality vehicles, why risk all these problems with GM.
1999 Pontiac Montana.
I'm only commenting on a couple items, not to complain, but to assist. I have my issues and complaints, but just don't want to pile on here.
First: The headlights leak and gather moisture (to the point of 1-2 inches of water inside them).. I tried drilling holes and this drained the water, but did not solve the moisture problem. I tried using sealant around the O-ring of the bulb, but it still did not solve it. I finally solved the problem by buying a new headlight assembly ($120) per light and the moisture was still a problem. So I dried it out with a hair drier and then put CPVC cement (glue) around the entire edge of the light assembly where the light is glued together. It solved the problem fully. The problem here was that from the factory the lights do not come sealed and water goes right into them, causing the light bulbs (hot) to get wet and blow.
Second: Mysterious noises: We had a terrible rattle that we could not explain nor find for well over two years. Finally.. my daughter pinpointed the sound over her head in the back seat and upon stopping I found that the luggage rack tightening screw was loose. I tightened it and we've never had any mysterious noises since.
There are many other issues, I just don't have the answers for them.
We bought a brand new Montana in 1999.It wasn't long before the electrical problems began to start up. The traction control/ABS lights go on & stay on. It was diagnosed as a faulty sensor. GM decided to house this sensor in the wheel bearing, so the entire bearing had to be replaced to change the sensor...3 times so far. Now it goes on and stays on and goes out and stays out. I give up. The radio at times just starts up on it's own... without the car running. Most the time the radio just shows bunches of crazy letters, frozen. The air bag light continued to go on and twice we've replaced wiring under the plastic step plate into the van. Great place to put sensitive wiring. The wipers have a mind of their own. They stop mid windshield if they feel like it. The locks on the sliding doors stopped working a long time ago. And the newest kick is... the car will lock itself-drivers side... all by itself. Don't leave the keys in the car... you may be locked out.
Given all this... the van has been a workhorse for our family. We still have it and continue to maintain it. It always starts & we will keep it until it dies. GM screwed up big time in the 90's. The new cars coming out are better engineered and getting good reviews. GM has to fight back with good cars, or they will lose out to the Japanese real soon.
We own a 99 Pontiac Montana, with 130,000 miles and have had numerous problems. Our intake gaskets have had to be changed. Our water pump has been replaced twice in two years. It's ABS brakes light will not go off and mechanics have tried to clear it. It sputters every time we stop at a light or stop sign. It recently has been getting extremely hot, and shutting down by itself. I have tried to get the sliding doors recalled because they have came off track and open while driving down the road!!! It is not the electric sliding, but the manual sliding doors. NEVER AGAIN will I buy any GM product, every time we do it is nothing, but problems!!!
Beware!!!
Purchased a used 1999 Montana 2 years ago, and it is only the 2nd domestic vehicle I have owned has to be the worst investment I have made in my adult life!
I purchased it at or around 97k miles and at the price purchased, I expected some routine work to keep it in the road, but is has became a money pit!
Before it reached 100k miles, It had a major coolant leak that traveled through the engine, and transmission. it stayed in the shop (Pontiac dealership) for about a week. $1500+.
The A/C ran OK for a year and now the compressor is out.
The electronic gremlins: Over the course of time, the check engine lamp comes on (emissions) the airbag and seat belt lights some one intermittently airbag.
The TCS & ABS have been on solid after I had my breaks worked on (I assume the TCS never worked since I have owned it.
The headlamps had heavy condensation (noted this problems in my previous mini van (95 Dodge Caravan) and I drilled holes in the bottom to let air in. not moisture build up since.
The Montana vision power interface a week after it was used on a weekend road trip.
The LED display on the compass/temp/trip meter burned out at or around the same time I lost the video unit. to my best knowledge, the two units are not tied in on the same circuit.
The newest headache is the transmission. the problem seems to be within the vacuum module (?) because it will not shift in between gears and is basically in neutral. and of course it failed on me 35 miles from home yet it ran fine the 40 of so miles going out that day!
Unless you are buying a used Montana van for spare parts or some scientific experiment, I would not wish the problems I have has with this vehicle on my worst enemy!