2000 Pontiac Montana

NEW MARCH 2000. VAN ALWAYS RECEIVES REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE FOLLOWING IS A HISTORY OF REPAIRS: 4/00 WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT RETURN TO CLOSED POSITION - DEALER FIXED. 12/03 (37,179 MI) TPS SENSOR BREAKING DOWN CAUSING IDLE TO SURGE - DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, COMPLETED REPROGRAM ($255.14) 12/03 (37,182 MI) AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON - DEALER REPLACED RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE UNDER WARRANTY (LABOR $134.51). 12/27/03 (37,555 MI) WAS IN COLLISION (OTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AS I WAS COMING DOWN SMALL OVERPASS, HE WAS CITED). MY VAN SUSTAINED $4,500 IN FRONT END DAMAGES, HIS CAR WAS TOTALED. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO ONE INJURED. 5/04 (40,983 MI) REAR HATCH WOULD NOT STAY UP - DEALER REPLACED BOTH HATCH PROPS ($258.73) 7/04 (43,437 MI) VAN WAS "SHIFTING" HARD, WOULD NOT PICK UP SPEED CORRECTLY. DEALER REPLACED PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID, FLUSHED TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED FRONT BRAKE PADS AND MACHINED ROTORS ($986.48). 12/04 (48,284 MI) VAN WOULD NOT START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. KNOWN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED BATTERY, CHECKED OIL LEAK. ($114.90). 4/05 (51,646 MI) LOW COOLANT LIGHT /CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. SAME INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED INTAKE GASKETS, THERMOSTAT, SPARK PLUGS AND FILTER, AND OIL PUMP SHAFT 0-RING. CORRECTED AIR BAG LIGHT ($791.03) 6/05 PURCHASED NEW TIRES AND WERE TOLD NEEDED ALL NEW TIE RODS. WE WENT ON VACATION JULY 9, 2005 (OHIO TO VIRGINIA AND BACK). CONCERNED THAT THE VAN SHOOK TERRIBLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES ON LONG DOWNGRADES THROUGH WV AND VA. WE WERE TOWING NOTHING. THE VERY NEXT DAY, AFTER RETURNING HOME, THE VAN WOULD NOT START CONSISTENTLY. 7/05 (56,533 MI) TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER CRASHED. SAME INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED ECM, CRANK SENSOR, IGN MODULE AND MACHINED FRONT ROTORS WHICH IF YOU REMEMBER WERE JUST DONE IN JULY OF 2004 ($982.02). AFTER RESEARCHING THE TRACK RECORD OF PONTIAC MONTANA, HAVE FOUND THAT MANY CONSUMERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *NM

SRS BAG LIGHT STEADILY ON AND SEAT BELT LIGHT MAN ON DASH CHIMES FOR NO REASON AND BLINKS ON/OFF. TOOK IN TO PONTIAC 6/18/04, THEY FIXED WIRING HARNESS THAT DAY (UNCLEAR ON INVOICE) WE JUST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN MAY 2004. A FEW WEEKS LATER WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOOK IT BACK IN, JUST TO HEAR THAT IT WAS A CLUSTER THIS TIME, THEY CLAIM THEY'RE WERE TOYS UNDER THE SEAT AND A PLUG WAS BROKEN BUT THE ONLY TOYS IN THERE WERE LITTLE HOT WHEELS. SO, THEY PUT IN A NEW CLUSTER AND HERE WE ARE THREE WEEKS LATER AND I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SEAT BELT MAN LIGHT AND THE SRS BAG LIGHT ON THE DASH. PONTIAC WILL LOOK AT IT AGAIN, THEY SAY, BUT I CANNOT SEE THAT ONE PART AFTER ANOTHER NEEDING TO BE REPLACED EVERY TWO WEEKS AND THE OUTCOME IS ALWAYS THE SAME WITH THE SAME ITEM DEFAULTING(SEAT BELT GUY LIGHT/SRS AIR BAG LIGHT ON DASH STAYS ON).*AK

AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THIS INDICATES THAT AIR BAGS WILL BE INOPERATIVE IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. DEALER CONTACTED, CANNOT FIX PROBLEM.*AK THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR THE SAME REPAIR APPROXIMATELY EIGHT OR NINE TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP HAS DONE EVERYTHING PER GENERAL MOTORS. THIS VEHICLE WAS A PROGRAM VEHICLE. THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT 4000 MILES WITH THE GM OWNER BEFROE IT WAS SOLD TO THE CONSUMER. *JG

WE WERE INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON JULY 5, 2001 IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION WHICH KILLED MY HUSBAND IMMEDIATELY AND MY SON DIED TWO DAYS LATER DUE TO HEAD INJURIES. I WAS INJURED WITH RIB FRACTURES/ LOW BACK SPINAL FRACTURES AND MY LEFT LEG REQUIRED SURGERY. I AM UNABLE TO BEAR WEIGHT ON MY LEFT LEG FOR APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS. A CAR WAS GOING EAST ON I-40 AND I WAS GOING WEST. IT CROSSED THE MEDIAN TRYING TO MISS A LADDER THAT HAD FALLEN OUT OF ANOTHER VECHICLE AND IT HIT US HEAD-ON. AIRBAGS DID NOT INFLATE UPON IMPACT. FRONT PASSENGER DID INFLATE AFTER WE WERE REMOVED, AND VAN CAUGHT ON FIRE. MY SON MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE AIRBAGS HAD INFLATED SINCE THE CAR WENT DOWN THE SIDE OF MY VAN. WE ALL HAD OUR SEATBELTS ON. MY SON WAS ONLY SEVEN YEARS OLD. *AK

THE VAN HAS HAD MULTIPLE AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILURES AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. GM REFUSES TO REPURCHASE THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A HISTORY OF ABS AND AIR BAG FAILURES. THE GM DISTRICT MANAGER ADMITTED THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CENTRAL COMPUTER SYSTEM ON THE 2000 MONTANA. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ORIGINAL COMPUTER SYSTEM AND THE REPLACEMENT ALSO FAILED. WE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIR BAG FAILURES. WE WILL NEVER KNOW IF THEY WORK UNTIL WE NEED THEM. AT THAT POINT IT'S A LITTLE LATE TO DISCOVER THAT THEY DON'T WORK. DO MONTANAS HAVE A HIGH RATE OF AIR BAG FAILURES DURING ACCIDENTS?