2001 Pontiac Montana from North America - Comments

I have purchased a used 2001 and have some of the issues that seem pretty common. Manifold gasket, AC fixed before I bought it (whew).

Now my brake lights and cruise don't work so I'm going to try some of the suggestions above. Thank you for your input, I'm no mechanic, but will try to fix it myself.

I read the above post about the knocking sound (which I have also) and have some info regarding that.

I took it to Canadian Tire and was informed that it is the transmission and I was told that it is very expensive to fix (2G's+) and even if fixed, no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. Apparently it does not harm the transmission and basically, live with it, if you can.

I was given a technical service bulletin which states.

(ahem)

"The clunk noise that owners sometimes may hear may be the result of a buildup of freeplay (lash) between the components in the driveline."

"Because all of the components in the driveline have a certain amount of lash by design, changing driveline components may not result in a satisfactory lash reduction."

"While some owners may find the clunk noise objectionable, this will not adversely affect durability or performance."

I drive with my fingers and toes crossed.

Bill.

We bought our 01 Montana new and almost immediately started having problems. The first being the rear lights burning bulbs all the time. I took the rear lights off and repaired myself with new harnesses and a manual from the auto parts store. Have not had problems with the rear lights, but I do burn a lot of headlight bulbs and fog light bulbs. The A/C stopped working when the warranty expired. Still have not fixed it. Started leaking coolant about the same time the A/C broke. I replaced the hub assemblies once and am going on my second fuel pump. The passenger side window switch has been repaired once. I found the driver side wiper arm was coming off and would not work properly. Most of my interior bulbs are gone. The passenger sliding door is hard to close and sometimes will not open. I should have never strayed from Ford. My 88 Mustang has 211000 miles, my 01 Ford E250 work van has 289000 miles and my Ford F250 Super Duty has 358000 miles and have not had as much trouble as I've had with the Montana with only 156000 miles on it. I will drive it until it dies and will be buying another Ford. I strayed and am now paying alimony, lots of alimony. Oh and my temperture gauge is no longer working.

2002 montana bought in Feb of 06, 14 days later Head gasket went.

2 weeks later windshield leaked.

3 months later caliper siezed up.

Have the T/C and ABS light on all the time. (need wheel bearing)

Wipers just broke today. I can't wait to get rid of this POS.. Will never buy another GM product.

I also have a 2001 Montana that has 77,000 miles. My air bag light has been on for 2 years and they say it is a sensor in the driver seat, seat belt. Fixed it, but still on.

The horn honks whenever it feels like it, even when I am out of the car.

Passenger sliding door is very hard to open.

Rear hatch does not latch unless slammed very hard.

One day while driving a window went down and would not go up. It was some relay thing in the dash board.

Now my gas gauge doesn't work. I just keep track of my mileage.

Gears seem to slip when in drive.

Once it wouldn't start, found out it was some chain thing in the stirring wheel that made the van think it was in drive.

When I stopped suddenly, my daughters belt unlatched and she flew into my seat. I made the dealership replace all the seat belts.

My gripes aren't as bad as some of you have.

I am an owner of a 2001 Pontiac Montana. I have also had many problems with my van, much worse to where I have landed up in the urgent care. I was getting check ups from a neurologist because I kept getting dizzy, almost to black out when I was driving. I kept researching over the internet entering all of my symptoms and found that it may be a possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. I took it into an emmission test and they advised me that I had to immediately take my vehicle into the dealership because there was an unknown code but yes, that was probably why I was feeling dizzy when I was driving. I had almost passed out several times, my husband had the symptoms and my children were getting headaches. So now my van is at the dealership and they said it would cost over $1100 to get fixed, some sort of valve needed to be replaced and yes there were fumes that were coming in through the vents and that would cause dizziness. I told him that I could not afford that so he recommended that I wash down the engine with a degreaser for the meanwhile. Of course we have the same listing of problems, maybe a short in the headlights, a/c and heater not working properly, driver window does not work, temperature gauge does not work, sensors have had to be replaced... So if anyone has any advice because this is not just a vehicle problem I have outstanding medical bills because of this vehicle. If anyone has the same situation please contact me tanclifgar@yahoo.com. I think these problems need to be resolved some how, maybe we need to get an attorney to help us out.

I own a 2001 Montana which I purchased a year ago, with 68,00 miles. Problems I have encountered are fuel gage which is caused by sending unit in fuel pump. Purchased one on E-bay for $100.00 and paid $150.00 in labor. Drivers side window intermittenly hangs up. Blown bulbs front and rear. Defective gas cap.

After reading your comments have decided to trade/sell this vehicle before water pump, intake manifold and or head gasket goes.

Thank you for your comments. I am not a lawyer but it seems the fuel pump sending unit attached to the float in the pump is the most defective part and should be a recalled item under Lemon Law. For some 40 years I have been driving I never had a fuel gage become defective. Good luck to all.

Purchased a 2001 Montana one week ago today... on my husband's way home from work today the front end seized up and the steering wheel would not turn... gas gage is broken... if I had found this site before we purchased we would have left it at the dealers and bought something else...

Never had a problem with a GM vehicle before... owned a 1994 Grand Prix for years before the body rotted and was not safe to drive... but this one is giving me cause for concern every time I take it out on the road!