This Montana was a lemon and easily the worst vehicle I have ever owned. After having it in my possession for 3 days I returned the vehicle back to the dealership for a full refund. The dealer was very good and was embarrassed and actually admitted a big fat lemon should be placed on the window. He is sending it to an auction. He tried to up me to a 2004, but I said no thanks, due to General Motors downspiraling repuation. I bought a 2003 KIA Import. After 25 years my GMC (and Ford) days are over. Phil Edmonstons "Lemon Aid Guide" is a must read.
My 2002 Montana problems;
* Corrosion on hidden areas was immense. The struts had excessive rust. Very dangerous!
* side door lock failed.
* windshield wipers did not work properly.
* rad had slow leak.
* tranny cooler had slow leak.
* drivers side power window started to bind when in my short posession.
* Interior lights only worked when they felt like it.
* drivers side seat started to vibrate on drive home, pulled over and proceeded on and the vibration ceased.??
* Some Instrument bulbs were not working.
* I think AC freon may have need charging.
I believe Corrosion was the root to many of the problems, but based on the Lemon aid Guide...dont buy the Montana or any North American made van.
You purchased a four year old van with 77,000 miles on it. Did you purchase it from a used car dealer or from a GM dealer? Did you have it inspected by your mechanic before you bought it? Did you expect that any type of vehicle having this mileage would be faultless? Sounds like it was an off lease or rental vehicle that wasn't maintained.
If you think owning a Kia is going to be better, then you're in for a surprise. As far as you recommending no one buy North American built vans, you need to get your facts straight. Both Honda and Toyota also manufacture vans here in North America.
I owned a 2002 Kia Sedona, one of the worst automotive purchases I've made. I needed every inch of the warranty and then some. You should have read some of the Kia reviews here before you bought it. I just traded mine and bought a North American built GM van, a Montana SV6.
The Montana may not be the perfect van, but it was far less than a Toyota or Honda and believe it or not, they break down as well. I only put 120,000 kilometers on my Kia Sedona in four years of ownership and believe me, it was in the dealership for numerous warranty and after warranty repairs during that time. I too got caught up in the ceap price / waranty marketing offered by Kia.
What really upset me about my Kia Sedona was the cost of parts. The alternator failed at 2,000K's out of warranty, the dealer wanted $1,100 to replace it. The dealer charged $42 for an air filter element, $18 each for spark plugs and at it cost $1,300 to have the 96,000 kilometer timing belt service done. An air filter element for the Montana cost $9, spark plugs cost $4 each and I don't have to replace the timing belt.
From now on I'll buy GM and be proud of it. I live in Canada where the climate can be very harsh. Extremes in temperature and environment take their toll on vehicles. GM vehicles can take the abuse just like A Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford or Chrysler. There isn't a mechanic in the land who can't repair one and parts are readily available and cheap.
Good luck with your Kia, you'll need it.
It sounds like you got the van I traded in on my Honda. I feel sorry for you if you did, because it was the worst vehicle I ever owned. Hondas (and Toyotas) are in a league of their own and don't break down or have the problems as the Montana.
I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana and It is a wonderful vehicle. I have owned a Ford Windstar and a Plymouth Voyager, and my Pontiac by far is better than both. I have had a few problems with mine myself, but what do you expect when you buy used? Its obvious that the prior owner didn't take care of the one you had. You could've had it checked out by a mechanic of your choice. As far as Kia, good luck. Doesn't it make you wonder how well they are made if they sell so cheap? Did you read the fine print of your warranty? Your choice is your choice, but don't undersell GM because of your misfortune.
"Hondas (and Toyotas) are in a league of their own and don't break down or have the problems as the Montana."
My folks own an '03 Montana with about 40k miles on it. No problems to report except routine maintenance. Guess that blows your "theories" out of the water.
I have owned my 2002 pontiac base model since new, never had any issues- runs great at 81,000 km? Could poor maintenance be a problem on buying used?
I own a 2002 Montana and I can honestly say it's the worst vehicle EVER.. I bought it new and it's been in the garage so many times I lost count... I was unaware of the lemon law then (wish I knew then what I know now) but I could have used the lemon law for at least 3 major problems... it is in the garage again right now (thank goodness I bought the extended warranty on this vehicle) for a head gasket problem along with a gas tank problem and arm bushing problems... very disappointed in this vehicle.
My 2002 montana has been wonderful. The intake gasket was replaced at 36,500 miles, the AC condenser has a hole
in it caused by factory stress mounting, and my front brake
calipers are not releasing properly. I only have 58,000 miles on this gem. I think this one is a keeper!!! Or maybe I'll trade it in for a new GM - 72 hour sale is going
on right now - great incentive to buy another GeM.
Sorry to hear that the Montana has been a bad experience for you. I had to add a comment due to the follow-up comments posted here and the coincidence that I bought a 2002 Kia Sedona and my cousin bought a 2002 Pontiac Montana. We bought ours with the intention of avoiding seemingly all too common horror stories about North American minivans. He bought his feeling apprehensive about the short time Kia had been in North America back in 2002.
We both bought upper end vans (Sedona EX & Montana EXT) and neither of us (thankfully) have had any major problems with our vans and don't regret our purchases. Looking at his van, I think that the Montana has better exterior aesthetics and it beats the Sedona hands down in terms of fuel economy. He checked mine out and he believes it has a superior ride and driving feel to it, with better amenities and conveniences.
Things that we noted were the price difference between the two and the difference in warranties. However, being the heads of families, the thing that we felt was most important (unbeknownst to him at the time of his purchase) was the difference in safety. The Montana and Venture, prior to their recent redesign, performed horrendously in crash tests.
Overall, car ownership is largely anecdotal and the most you can do is hope for the best.
I too have a 2003 Montana, and it is a huge piece of junk! It has less than 60K miles and it has been in the shop constantly since the day I took delivery (bought it new).
It started out harmlessly enough with many squeaks and rattles. The rattle I love the most is in the DVD monitor right next to my head. I have taken it back to the dealer 3 or 4 times and each time they actually claim they fixed it, which no doubt made it worse!
Then things started to go downhill. First was an oil leak from the rear intake.
Next was the left front wheel bearing followed by faulty intake gaskets (can you say coolant leak?).
The headlights then filled with about a half inch of water, which caused them to fog up.
The engine block heater corroded, which in itself is a $10 part, however labor was $500 USD!
Then to top it all off, the rear main was installed incorrectly which caused another oil leak.
I am still making payments and paying huge repair bills at the same time. I think I should have bought a used Toyota or Honda. Now I know why the van was so much cheaper than the comparable Honda or Toyota, you pay for it in the long run. Oh and by the way, I have driven American made products everyday of my life since 1979. My Dad was a GM employee for 35 years and after the luck I have had with my 2003 Pontiac van, 1985 S-10 (engine blew up at 45K miles), and 1992 Dodge Dakota (too many problems to detail, but transmission went out at 1200 miles) even he agreed that it was time to get a Honda (2006 Ridgeline).
I own a 2001 Pontiac Montana, it is by far the worst car I have ever owned.
We too have a 2002 Pontiac Montana with the 3.8 V6. All was doing OK until it hit about 50K miles. Ironically, it has the same type of problems that other posters in this forum have. 1st was the Intake manifold gasket the dealer claimed was bad along with a AC compressor (~$2000) ca-ching!
1 month later the head gasket sprung a leak. Dealer claims not his fault he didn't catch it with the intake gasket problem, but need to rip off (literally) me and the work he did previously to replace. He wants $1700 for this. Basically told him to forget it and I'll try some BARR'S Leak. And now 2 weeks later, after I had the tires rotated/balanced and an alignment, there is a sound coming from the front tire (s). Figured it was a faulty tire or balance, but NO, the wheel bearing is shot. Really unbelievable that a car with 50K miles, a standard 3.8 that's been around a long time and the supposed testing GM does would result in these continued problems. I thought it was a fluke until I started checking feedback from other owners and forums. Looks like the same problems as well.
I have a 2001 Montana with 75,000 miles that I purchased used from a Pontiac dealer when it had 20,000 miles. The first year was fine, but then one by one things started breaking. The transmission has been worked on twice, the entire front end has been rebuilt, the gas gauge is no longer functioning properly, the ABS system has malfunctioned, the infrequently used glove box door hinge fell apart (of course you can not just buy the hinge you need to buy the whole door) and the latest is the drivers door window has stopped working (again this cannot be repaired, instead the entire inside of the door including the panel needs to be replaced as one unit at a parts cost in excess of $500). GM should be ashamed of this product.
2005 Montana SV6 bought new, it currently has 26,000 KM on it and it possess a new throttle body - 3 DVD replacements (over head) - 2 radio replacements - exterior trim pealing off ect...
Most currently the dealer has informed us that a shuddering in the front end was due to break ware and they replaced the pads and machined the rotors, under warranty, but charged us a "caliper cleaning" fee of ~$150 CDN. According to them, it is a standard procedure for GM vehicles recommended every 20,000 KM (I did confirm with GM and it's true - I guess there is a first for everything).
My concern is the next 30,000 MK and then the next 30,000 KM and so on and so on... If the vehicle need new rear pad at 26,000 KM there is a major design flaw. Not normal ware and tear.
I can safely say after a Oldsmobile Alero with the same brake issues it will be the last GM piece of c*&p we buy.
Sorry GM lovers, but the fact are the facts!
I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana I bought it used and it's great so far and you know what I doesn't matter what vehicle you buy you could have good luck and bad luck and especially with north American vehicles you deal with weather I had a 2004 Chevy aveo 5 door and I had bad luck with it and my 1992 vw golf it's the luck of the draw and especially when you buy used because you don't know if the previous ower beat the crap out of it my Montana has 152000k on it and it's still going strong and it was used when I got it. PS, I don't hate any car manufacture out there they are all good and bad so please don't put down gm unless you put down every other car manufacture.
As far as so many people having problems with their vehicles, the largest cause of problems is poor maintenance from either the previous owner or yourself. Another factor to consider is the mechanics that have done the work on the vehicle, it's incredible how few good mechanics are left out there. Find a skilled mechanic and stick with him/her and have them look at it when you buy it. I just got a 2002 Montana ext and I love it, as soon as I brought it home I had to put the brakes together properly because the mechanic that did it forgot the anti-seize compound which would have made the brakes seize later on. Keep on top of your service and take care of things yourself and any vehicle would last for years. (except Ford)