Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 91-105, 106-120, 121-123
I bought my 1997 Trans Sport in August. I did not take the time to check it out thoroughly. I left for vacation the next day and found that I was loosing water and gaining oil. I had to have the intake and head gaskets replaced. I thought everything was fine. Two weeks ago my son was driving it when it lost oil pressure and power. After checking I found that the cam is broken. I wish I had checked the web before buying this vehicle. I do not expect these kinds of problems at 85,000 miles. I am going back to my 1991 VW Vanagon. It has 95000 miles and runs great. Why can't American car companies get it right?
I am replacing my engine and selling this vehicle to a die-hard GM FAN! Back to VW I go.
We purchased our 1999 Montana in February of 2002. First let me begin by saying "What the hell were we thinking?" The vehicle had 49K miles on it at the time of purchase and unfortunately we made the mistake of not purchasing the extended warranty 2 or 3 days after bringing it home from the dealership, while driving down a local highway the low coolant light came on so we took it to our personal mechanic immediately (we were only minutes from his shop.) When we told him what was going on he opened the oil filler cap under the hood and diagnosed the problem right away. The intake gasket leaked causing Dex cool to seep into the oil. From there we took the van up the road to the dealership where we purchased it and we insisted that they fix the problem at their cost. The service department manager told us to drive it home and bring it back in a few days, but he could not guarantee that the work would be covered under the 30 day limited warranty that we were given. We refused to drive the vehicle another inch until it was fixed properly, threatened to give the vehicle back if they didn't pay for the repairs, and insisted that they set us up with a rental until the work was completed. After butting heads with them for 1/2 hour or so, we were sent on our way in a rental and we were told that we would be hearing from them in a few days. 4 days later we received the phone call from the dealership telling us that they had replaced all 12 lifters, the water pump, and the upper and lower intake gaskets and that we could come and get the van at any time. We were pleased to know that when we got there, the paperwork/receipt that we were given at the time of pick up said "NO CHARGE, Warranty work". 10 months later on the 26th of December of 2002 we ventured out to do some after Christmas shopping/gift returns. We got two blocks from our house when the oil light came on, heard a loud metallic clunk and before I could do anything, the engine died. Tried to push the vehicle home on a sheet of ice and got it here, but we were unable to maneuver it into the drive so we called a tow and had them take it up to our old faithful friend, Mr. mechanic. The next morning he called to see why our van was sitting on his lot. Told him that we hoped he could tell us after looking into it. An hour later he called us back with the bad news. Cam shaft failure at 59,000 miles. At this point we decided to do some on-line research. This was one of the 1st websites that we found and after reading the posts listed here, among others from other sites, we were sure that if we reported the problem to the dealership, we might be able to get some relief through them. Boy were we wrong again! They didn't seem too eager to help us at all. They proposed that they replace the cam shaft only and the out of pocket cost for such work would run us about 25 hundred dollars. That came with a 12 month warranty. What a joke! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when you have an internal engine component snap in two, theres a good likelihood that there are metal shavings floating around inside the oil/pan/engine housing and that the possibility of other unseen damages that also had incurred when the cam snapped were relatively good. Therefore we turned down the dealerships proposal and went straight to the Pontiac Corp. They too were not in any way interested in helping us fix the problem and insisted that it was the owners responsibility to do whatever was necessary to make it right even though this was obviously a manufacturers defect. We choose to go the route of a brand new GM engine which cost us 4,000 dollars total with labor through good old faithful Mr. mechanic. (the new engine has a 3 year/50K mile warranty) We got the van back in early January of 2003 and within a couple of weeks while on a 2 and a half hour road trip, the transmission started up shifting violently. We managed to nurse the vehicle back home and immediately took it to a local transmission specialist, expecting to pay out the nose for a complete transmission overhaul. Fortunately the mechanic at the shop told us that he could diagnose the problem just by hooking it up to a computer. He was able to tell us that the transmissions computer codes were showing that it was stuck in over drive and that all he would have to do to resolve the problem was reset the codes back to zero. Needless to say that seemed to work, but only for about 2 weeks and then suddenly after making my way home from a local grocery store run, the violent up shift mysteriously reappeared. We attempted to contact the dealership that we purchased the vehicle from once again to let them know the extent of hassles we had encountered with this van in the whole year that we had owned it. They were merciless and could have cared less about our concerns. Nor did they offer in anyway to seek help for us via the Pontiac/GM Corps. By this time we were ready to pull our hair out with frustration and decided to take revenge. That's when we decided to do what we felt we had to do and we painted lemons and the dealerships name all over the vehicle with tempera paints. After we finished our art work, we proudly displayed it by parading up and down the strip on which the dealership is located during business hours as we obnoxiously blew the horn, yelled and waved out the windows to people out on their lots looking to purchase new vehicles from them. We were given the thumbs up by by-passers and we received a lot of attention otherwise. We tried to make some more noise by contacting the local television news crews, but unfortunately we never received a response from them and therefore we were unsuccessful. After a second trip into the transmission specialist, (with the lemons still in place) he explained that he would have to do a complete overhaul since he couldn't figure out why it had returned with no tell tale sign of any code disruption on his diagnostic computer. The overhaul cost us 2,000 dollars and another week without our vehicle while it sat in the shop. The work that the mechanic did came with an 18 month warranty. Sadly enough the overhaul didn't fix the problem and after about 6 more visits back to the transmission specialist (we went back to him ONLY because our funds had run low due to my husband being laid off from his job and knowing that since it was under warranty through this specialist, it wouldn't cost us anything to have it fixed once and for all no matter what it took to do so) it had to be sent to another GM dealership for further diagnostics. (I'd like to add here that we made sure we kept up with the lemon artwork on the vehicle during this time) The transmission specialist was baffled and nearly as frustrated as we were with it. Come to find out, the transmission wasn't the problem from the get go. The dealership replaced what's called the ignition control module, located in the steering column and like magic, it was as good as new. Within a couple of days of getting the vehicle back in our procession, we received a phone call from the service manager that was in charge at the dealership where we purchased our van. He insisted to know why our vehicle was seen at another dealership by the GM factory representative with lemons and their name painted all over it! (laugh) I almost choked, but was happy to explain to this gentleman over the phone that I was very dissatisfied and thoroughly disgusted by their customer service antics, with the vehicle itself, and sickened with the fact that we had poured about 6,000 dollars worth of repairs into a vehicle that we expected to be dependable and trustworthy. By the time I got off of the phone with him he was pretty much begging me to remove to artwork for obvious reasons. I explained to him that I would be happy to do so as soon as they reimbursed us the 6,000 dollars or even a portion of money that we put forth in repairs. It shouldn't surprise you that his reply was "I'm sorry, we cannot do that." It is now mid November of 2003 and we're coming up on our 2 year anniversary with this lemon in our procession. I am very sorry to say that as I sit here and type this, our van sits in the driveway, yet again, a dead horse. The diagnosis this time...? The alternator is shot at 69,000 original miles. The cost for just the parts alone? Re manufactured alternator: $370.00 ($110.00 core). The good news? Well, my husband is getting called back to work this coming Monday after being laid off since January and within a couple of weeks, we should be able to afford to get it fixed. I don't even dare ask "what's next?" because the simple fact is, I don't want to know. One thing is for certain. I will NEVER purchase another GM again!
Other minor problems as follows
* Power slider rubber weather stripping loose and falling off
* brakes (still) squeak after having new rotors and pads put on
* drivers side seat showing severe wear and tear
* cup holders between front captain seats broken
* on board air compressor not working properly
* heater fan deflector sticks in place and slams open/closed when changing from defrost to vent
* rubber seal around outside of windshield bubbled up causing wind/road noise. (no leaks detected as of yet)
* Outside temperature/thermometer not reading properly (even after calibration)
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to e-mail me at RyanWendy3@aol.com.
I was wondering if any of you had a door fall off?
We have a 2000 Montana, and already had the head gasket go, 2 of the 'firing coils', and now the door fell off. Driver side slider, one of the rollers broke off the back hinge.
The first 2 items we payed $100. each for since we purchased the extended warranty. They asked us to bring it in, and then they can call the insurance to see if it is covered.
After the last work, they told us the 'tie rods' on the front are bad, and may be a safety hazard, not covered, the rear wheel brake seals are bad, one leaks, so it is covered, one seeps so it is not covered, and a bunch of other stuff that would have pushed our bill to over $1200.00.
I have a 2000 Pontiac Montana with numerous electrical problems. Soon after I got it the air bag light came on. The dealership said they had to replace the controller or some expensive part, but they didn't have it in stock. When I drove away, the airbag light turned off. It stayed off for a year and then came back on. It turned out that a loose connector under the seat was the problem. But then other weird electrical problems occurred. The gas gage goes crazy sometimes, the ABS light stays on (a mechanic said there's nothing wrong with the ABS, the light just stays on. Now the brake lights don't work - the running lights, turn signals, backup lights and 3rd brake light all work fine. Also, when it rains the cruise control stops working and it shifts like the transmission is going to fly out through the grille. Oh, and half the radio display is dark. Other than that, it's OK. Are there any non-union built cars out there?
My mom has a 1998 Pontiac Transport 3.4l with 75k miles. The van, without any notification, quit running as she drove down the road; both she and my six year old son were stranded. I picked them up and tried to start the vehicle - it sounded like a bucket of bolts had been dumped into the motor. I disassembled the motor to find the cam shaft had broken between the intake and exhaust lobes of cylinder #4. The two inner bearings looked as if they had not been oiling properly in many many trips. Bearing #3 actually spun in this process. I've seen many write-ups on this problem since this incident three weeks ago and I have to wonder what the problem truly is. Since bearings one and four looked pretty good - I would guess that the design in the oiling system is suspect. In any case, I will never own another GM product even though my dad worked for GM for thirty five years.
I have a 99 Montana! We replaced the intake gasket. Transmission shifting hard, an independent had to replace two trans sensors. Problem fixed, dealer said need a new trans. Several months later we replaced the whole engine. The van stalled on the interstate going 70 mph. It would not start. With my 5 kids in the van and on the I was not going anywhere the Ohio state police stopped to help. Could not get it jump started. They called my wife. When she got there with 2 sets of 2/O cables and 15 min at high RPM's it started. Sounded like a thrown rod. Took it in and the crank was broken. A new motor from Jasper and it runs great. That was in June 2003. Now we are having electrical problems. Just great I still owe another year on this van!
Wow! I wish I had seen all the comments before I bought my 2000 montana. I would not have bought it, My van has 74000 miles and the intake is leaking in to my water. I called gm and they told me they couldn't help with the bill. Now they did say if it is ever recalled I can be reimbursed for the bill. I also have the radio lights half lit, the air bag light coming on, all the lights flickering. After my two phone calls to gm I told the guy if he don't pay for my van to be fixed I will never buy another gm vehicle again. He told me he would write it down. So there you have it buy gm vehicles and pay all the repairs yourself. Maybe if everyone who has of has had the intake problem, would call say that if gm don't recall this ongoing bad gasket we won't buy gm cars anymore. Midas just called while typing said he could do the work for under $500. the dealer wanted almost $700. I wonder if if pay more for good van upfront will it save me money on repair later. Can you say Honda? MERRY CHRISTMAS to me and my repair bill.
I own a 1999 Pontiac minivan. At 68,000 miles I had to replace the intake gasket, water pump, circuit board (ABS light and none of the brake lights were working) 12 lifters, and now the oil pressure light is coming on when I stop. I spent $2,300 on it a thousand miles ago. Any suggestions? I am a single Mom, living paycheck to paycheck and have no more money. I spent my entire savings on getting the van fixed.
Assuming your oil level is OK, an oil pressure light that comes on when the engine is idling means the engine's main or big-end crankshaft bearings are seriously worn.
At 67,000 miles, with proper oil and filter changes as part of your routine maintenance every 5,000 miles this should not be happening.
There is a possibility that the sending unit is faulty and comes on at a lower pressure than it should.
If you hear a ticking or knocking noise when you rev the engine in neutral, then you are due for some major, expensive, repairs.
There is no alternative.
If you had bought a good 10 year old Mercury Grand Marquis or Crown Victoria you should have had less problems than you have had with this van.
Thanks for the advice on my 1999 Montana minivan... I do hear a ticking sound in neutral. I can't believe I have no money to even buy a new car. I have depended on friends driving me around for 2 weeks. Is there any way the mechanics would have seen this, or known it would happen when I had the water pump, lifters, intake manifold gasket changed??
I feel lucky that my 98 transport with 350,000 km is still running. Had the antifreeze leak since 70,000 and just put in stop leak. Now it is really leaking bad, but not as bad as the roof around the windshield. All I have done is regular maintenance and I am just going to drive it till it stops. Sounds like it is not worth fixing. My 10 year old Toyota with 500,000 km I had before, was better, and still worked fine before I bought this GM garbage. Time to go back to Toyota.
We have a Pontiac Montana and have been told we have an antifreeze leak which will require the intake manifold being replaced. Apparently, this is a fairly common problem with this vehicle. My question is "Once it is fixed, does this solve the problem?" My second question is whether or not anyone has had any luck getting GM to pay for part of this. Apparently there was a memo sent out to dealers about it, but since it is not a safety issue, they are not being very supportive in paying for it.
We too own a 1999 Pontiac Montana and encountered the antifreeze leak problem and manifold replacement. We did not ask GM to pay for the repair as our warranty was outdated. However, in only two short months after repairing the manifold problem the engine seized. We have stored the Montana in hopes of finding a "good" engine for it. I love the style and room the Montana affords us. It drives well and I love it. Until the antifreeze problem we had not encountered any problems with it at all in performance or repairs. I hope you don't encounter the problem with the engine seizing as we did, but don't delay the repair as we feel this contributed to it. We too were told it was not a major problem or safety issue.
I had my upper and lower manifold gaskets replaced in Aug on my 1997 Montana, 125,000 miles on it. Just the other day I was driving it and it started to run rough and got to where I was going, about a block away. We looked at the exhaust and knew right away that the gasket had failed again. Now it sets in the shop and hope they will honor the warranty. Since they have to tear some of the engine down, they could simply say it's a head gasket and I will need to pay for it. We will have to see how honest my mechanic is.
We have a 1999 Montana, it has 125,000.00 km on it. We noticed a while back our over flow jug would go down so we would top it up, turned out to be leaking valve gaskets, so we opted to have them replaced {out of warranty too} and also heard it was better to have head gasket replaced too incase we find out-later it was also leaking there and have to spend all that money again to have that done, so we did that costing us 1300.00 Can dollars. And a month before that we also had the selonoid replaced because trans would shift very hard at certain times, and stopping to turn it off wasn't working anymore, that cost us 1000.00 Can dollars. So now that I have read these comments and realize too today that my over flow jug looks like it needs to be topped up again, not sure if it's cuz the gaskets were replaced last week and maybe the anti-freeze wasn't as full as it should be until driven for a bit and it all worked threw or what yet as we will notify the garage today of it and see what they saw, but we have spent 2300.00 in 1 month on this van. We haven't had any other problems yet with it, but scared now of whats to come from all other experiences I am reading. And no I will go back to Dodge next time, at least they honor their warranty and there is NO deductable at all under warranty with them as I had a new Dakota and sold it private to get this van to have more room for our kids. If anyone can let me in on some things that I can look out for with the cam breaking in future or anything else serious to watch for please let me know and comment on this one. I do love the van, just have NO faith in it now and after spending that on it I don't think selling it will be worth it to us and really can't afford a new vehicle right now, our daughter is going to college next year and we are trying to help her out with that, so $ is tight right now. I would really appreciate any hints anyone can give us. Oh and yes of-course my rear wiper doesn't work either...hasn't for almost a year, but I will live with that instead of paying more on just the rear wiper...that's what my mirrors are for. We did also replace brakes too last year... the pads and roters, and my van is lady driven... I mean I drive very respectfully as I know what it's like to have an engine blow up on you, so I have never stamped it down once and always ease it up in gears etc, but guess it don't matter how nice you are to G. M vehicles, they are meant to break down and cost you major$$$ Thanks for any hints!