2000 Pontiac Montana

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT 72,000KMS (45,000) MILES AND SHORTLY AFTERWARD NOTICED THAT COOLANT NEEDED TO BE TOPPED UP OCCASIONALLY OVER THE SUBSEQUENT SIX MONTH PERIOD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CRANKCASE, BUT THERE WAS A POOL OF COOLANT COLLECTING EXTERNALLY UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AFTER SOME ON-LINE INVESTIGATING, I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER, INQUIRING AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS LIKELY THE INTAKE GASKETS AND SOMETIMES THE GASKETS "GET OLD AND DRY UP" BUT THAT IT WAS NOT OVERLY COMMON. THEY QUOTED ME APX $800 TO REPAIR. ($350 FOR THE INTAKE GASKETS AND "NUMEROUS" OTHER GASKETS THAT WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT PLUS LABOUR). I POLITELY COMMENTED THAT I WAS BAFFLED HOW A 3 YEAR OLD PLASTIC GASKET COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS "OLD AND DRIED UP". I SUBSEQUENTLY HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACE THE GASKETS USING THE NEWLY ISSUED VERSION OF THE GASKETS FOR A TOTAL OF APX $450. (HE HAD COINCIDENTALLY RUN INTO THE SAME PROBLEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR ON ANOTHER GM V-6 PRODUCT, BUT APPARENTLY THE COOLANT LEAKAGE WAS INTERNAL AND TOO LATE TO SALVAGE THE ENGINE). MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR ON MY VEHICLE WAS APX 86,000 KMS (54,000 MILES). HE CONFIRMED THAT UPON REMOVAL THE ONLY EVIDENCE WAS EXTERNAL LEAKAGE. I HAVE ANOTHER 10,000KMS ON THE VEHICLE SINCE REPAIR AND NO LEAKAGE IS APPARENT AT THIS POINT.

MY PARENTS BOUGHT A 2000 MONTANA VAN IN NOVEMBER OF 2002. IT SEEMS TO BE LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. THE LOCAL GM DEALER WHERE THEY PURCHASED IT, SAYS IT IS THE INTAKE MANIFIOLD GASKETS. FOR $2,500 THEY COULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE MATTER UP WITH THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP, AND SHOWED HIM A COPY OF A GM SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE GASKET MATERIAL AND ASKED HIM WHAT THEY WOULD DO ABOUT IT. HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT BUT COULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING. AN UPDATE IS THAT HE SAID THAT GM WOULD POSSIBLY COVER 99.9% OF THE BILL. THE REASON HE GAVE WAS THAT THE ORIGIONAL OWNER OF THE VAN PURCHASED IT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT REGULARILY SERVICED THERE AND THEY HAVE ALL THE SERVICE RECORDS. THE VAN HAD 97,000 KM WHEN MY PARENTS PURCHASED IT, SINCE THEN THEY HAVE ONLY ADDED 1000KM, MY PARENTS ALSO FIGURED IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE DAY IT WAS PURCHASED. I AM NOT SURE IF THE DEALER DID AN INSPECTION, YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD AND A LEAK WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND.THE VAN IS BEING REPAIRED AT THE MOMENT, SO WE WILL SEE WHAT COMES OF THIS.

MONTANA VAN WAS TAKEN IN FOR OIL CHANGE AND ASKED TO TOP UP COOLANT SINCE WE WERE GETTING THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT. OIL WAS CHANGED AND COOLANT TOPPED UP....NO MENTION OF A LEAK. A WEEK LATER, THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN SO WE TOOK IT IN. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WAS APPROX. $1000, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WE WOULD, HOWEVER, HAVE TO PAY APPROX. $200 FOR AN ENGINE WASH AND FLUSH - GM SAID THEY DON'T PAY FOR THIS. THEY HAVE KEPT THE VAN AND WILL PROVIDE A RENTAL REPLACEMENT. HAVEN'T RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE ON HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO REPAIR THE VAN.

MY 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA STARTED TO SHAKE AND VIBRATE IN THE FRONT END BETWEEN 50-65 MPH. WITH 66K MILES AND DRIVEN MAINLY INTERSTATE, SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING WITH THE FRONT SUSPENSION. FOUND BOTH OUTER TIE ROD ENDS WORN OUT WITH EXTREME PLAY. ONLY THE TIE RODS WERE WORN, NOTHING ELSE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. PONTIAC AND MY DEALER SEEM TO THINK THAT TIE ROD WEAR AT 66K IS NORMAL WEAR! ITS HARD TO BELIEVE WHEN I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL BRAKES. I AM JUST GLAD THAT THE TIE RODS DID NOT SEPARATE SINCE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTEROUS. OTHER GM MINI VAN OWNERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE OBVIOUS PREMATURE TIE ROD WEAR. ITS TIME TO START SHOPPING FOR MY THIRD SET OF TIRES. AT 68K I AM ALSO USING COOLANT, SO I BETTER TAKE A NUMBER AND HAVE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED. THANKS GM, I WISH YOUR QUALITY AND CUSTOMER NO SERVICE MIRRORED HONDA OR TOYOTA!

MY MONTANA HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT USED AT A CERTIFIED GM USED CAR LOT AT LINDSEY CHEVEROLET. IT HAS BEEN BURING THROUGH AT LEAST 2 QUARTS OF OIL OR MORE WITH-IN LESS THEN 700 MILES. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED FOR LEAKS BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY. THERE IS NO SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE OR TAIL PIPE. THERE IS NO LEAKS ON THE ENGINE ANYWHERE OR AT THE OIL PAN. THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE BROWSED THE WEB AND HAVE FOUND OTHER OWNERS THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2000 PONTIAC MONTANA. I DO NOT HAVE THE KIND OF MONEY TO SPEND ON OIL LIKE IT IS GOING OUT OF STYLE. IS THERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM OR CAN ANYONE ELSE HELP ME.

LOOSING COOLANT, COOLANT IN OIL. PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS AFTER REPAIR ON 04-01-03, 24,535 MILES. CURRENT MILEAGE 26,000. EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED $301.21 OF THE REPAIR. ROWAN PONTIAC/GMC DID NOT WANT TO HONOR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE RENTAL CAR, ZERO DEDUCTIBLE, OR THE REPAIR ITSELF.

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT AROUND 44000 MILES. DEALER SAID THE "LIP SEAL" FAILED INSIDE TRANSMISSION, AFTER TAKING IT IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR DIAGNOSIS. WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH REPAIR COST. ENDED UP HAVING IT REPAIRED AT AAMCO. A/C IS CURRENTLY OUT ON THE LOW SETTING (#1). NOT YET REPAIRED. JUST REPAIRED THE COOLING SYSTEM. DEALER SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL LEAK. VAN KEPT GETTING LOW ON COOLANT, HAD TO KEEP FILLING IT UP, HOWEVER NEVER SAW A LEAK. DEALER SAID PROBLEM WITH THE MANIFOLD, AND COOLANT WAS LEAKING THRU AND BEING EVAPORTATED, THEREFORE NO TELLTALE LEAK. COST $600 TO REPAIR (AT 53,000) MILES. I HATE THIS VAN. THIS IS THE WORST ONE I'VE HAD. UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.

ENGINE - VEHICLE WAS LEAKING COOLANT THROUGH INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET INTO ENGINE. INTAKE MANIFOLD NEEDED TO BE RESEALED. PONTIAC ASSISTANCE IS REFUSING TO HELP AT THIS TIME. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE V6 AND GM IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. EMISSION - SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP FAILED AT 33025 MILES AND WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS PUMP FAILED AGAIN AT 44000 MILES, JUST 8 MONTHS LATER AND COST 160.00 FOR LABOR. EMISSION PUMPS SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 8 MONTHS. POWER WINDOW - DRIVERS SIDE POWER WINDOW MOTOR FAILED 9/2002 AT 38500 MILES. FAULTY WIRING CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 12528 (N/C).

OUR MONTANA PONTIAC VAN HAD PROBLEMS FROM THE START. WE PURCHASED IT AS A USED VEHICLE FROM A GM DEALER AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. HOWEVER WITHIN THREE WEEKS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE WE STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. WE HAD THE STARTED REPLACED THREE TIMES, WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT STRUTS, REPLACE THE BRAKES TWICE, WE HAVE A NOISE IN THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE-NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN AND WE HAVE IT WORKED ON FIVE TIMES NOW, THEN YESTERDAY THE SIDE PASSENGER SLIDE DOOR OPENED IN A TURN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC - WE DO NOT HAVE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS. THE CONTROL PANEL DID NOT SHOW THAT THE DOOR WAS AJAR. HOWEVER BECAUSE WE REQUIRE EVERYONE TO WEAR SEATBELTS THE CHILD DID NOT FALL OUT BUT IT COULD HAVE HAD A TERRIBLE RESULTS HAD WE NOT MAKE IT A RULE IN OUR VEHICLE. I LOVE THE ROOM THE VAN PROVIDES HOWEVER, THESE PROBLEMS THAT KEEP POPPING UP ARE GETTING TIRESOME.