1998 Pontiac Bonneville

ENGINE (INTAKE MANIFOLD) IS DEFECTIVE. LEAKING COOLANT INTO ENGINE. THIS IS THE SECOND 1998 BONNEVILLE V-6 WE'VE HAD THIS HAPPEN WITH. THE FIRST ONE THE ENGINE HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED, SINCE IT WAS BURNING COOLANT IN THE ENGINE AND INTO THE SURROUNDING AIR. THIS BONNEVILLE IS CURRENTLY BEING LOOKED AT AND WILL NEED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD REPLACED, POSSIBLE THE ENTIRE ENGINE AS WELL. PONTIAC ISSUED TECHNICAL SALES BULLETIN 01-06-01-007 IN JULY 2001 KNOWING THEY HAD THIS PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD RECALL THIS BADLY DESIGNED ENGINE THAT CAN CAUSE ENGINE LOCKUP AND COOLANT SMOG RELEASE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.*AK

ON 8/25/2000 HAD TO HAVE MY WATER PUMP REPLACED($536.91). PICKED UP CAR WENT 11 MILE IT QUIT HAD TO BE TOWED BACK TO PERFORMANCE PONTIAC. INFORMED AT THAT TIME THE PLENUM FAILED COST OF THAT JOB INCLUDING TOWING AN RENTAL ($830.80). ON 3/20/2002 CAR QUIT HAD TO BE TOWED IN TO PERFORMANCE PONTIAC AGAIN. CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM THE PLENUM FAILED AGAIN. WHEN I CALLED GM PONTIAC DIVISION THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE OF THE CAR. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IS THE ISSUE. IT'S A $31000. I TRAVEL FOR A LIVING AND HAVE THE UPMOST RESPECT FOR MY VEHICLE. I HAVE ALL MY RECORDS OF MY MAINTENANCE THAT WOULD AMAZE YOU. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN OVER 3000 BEFORE EACH OIL CHG. TIRES ARE ROTATED EVERY 5000 MILES. TRANSMISSION OIL CHGS HAS BEEN DONE TWICE. BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED TWICE PREMATURELY TO PREVENT SERIOUS DAMAGE TO OTHER PARTS. I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH RECORDS THAT SHOW TO THE PENNY WHAT I'VE SPENT ON GASOLINE FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR. I AM CONVINED THAT IT IS NOT A MILEAGE ISSUE AND TOTALLY CONVINCED THAT THIS IS NOT A RESULT OF ANY NEGLIGENCE ON MY PART. I WAS TOTALLY TURNED OFF BY THE ATTITUDE OF PONTIAC CONCERNING THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PART. I CAN ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH TESTIMONIALS FROM BUSINESSES THAT I USE TO SERVICE MY VEHICLE TO WHAT A FANACTIC I AM ABOUT PREVENTITVE MAINTENANCE. WAITING ANXIOUSLEY FOR YOUR REPLY. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. NICK LEOGRANDE. *AK

FOR THE THIRD TIME (18K MILES, 79K MILES, 129K MILES) THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAS FAILED AND ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO LIQUID LOCK BY FILLING WITH COOLANT. FIRST INCIDENT COVERED BY WARRANTY, SECOND COST ME $1,000 AND NOW PONTIAC IS WILLING TO SPLIT THE COST OF THE THIRD REPAIR. I CONTEND IT IS A DESIGN DEFECT, AND SHOULD COST ME NOTHING.*AK

AFTER NOTICING ENGINE RUNNING HOTTER THAN NORMAL, CHECKED RADIATOR - COOLANT LEVEL WAS LOW, NOTHING IN OVERFLOW RESERVOIR. ANTIFREEZE AND WATER ADDED TO FILL, RESTARTED CAR - IDLED ROUGH THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STARTED BLINKING. ADDED ADDITIONAL WATER AND ANTIFREEZE WHEN RADIATOR WAS AGAIN LOW AND RESERVOIR EMPTY, THEN CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER WHO STATEED IT IS "HYDRO-LOCKED" DUE TO MELTED PLENUM ALLOWING COOLANT INTO CYLINDERS. ENGINE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED OR COMPLETELY OVERHAULED. COMPLAINT MADE WITH PONTIAC, NO REPONSE YET. FOUND SEVERAL OTHER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REGARDING SAME ISSUE ON THIS SITE...ALSO FOR GRAND PRIX, BUICK LESABRE, PARK AVENUE AND CHEVROLET MALIBU.*AK

A HOLE OR DEFECT IN THE PLENTUM (PART # 17113136) OF THE MANIFOLD ALLOWED COOLANT TO BE SUCKED INTO THE PISTONS CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND STARTER. AFTER DISCOVERING THE DEFECT, THE PART WAS TAKEN TO A GM DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THIS PART HAS BEEN REPLACED OVER 13 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR DUE TO A HOLE OCCURRING IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE ALLOWING COOLANT TO BE SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE. GM HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART AND HAS REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. THE ORIGINAL DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND RELUCTANTLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED THIS PART OVER 20 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR.

CAR HEATED UP. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN TO COOL. ANTIFREEZE WAS LOW AND ADDED WITH NO EVIDENCE OF A LEAK. CAR WOULD NOT START AND WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT COOLANT HAD BEEN SUCKED INTO THE PISTONS DUE TO A HOLE OR DEFECT IN THE PLENTUM (PART# 17113136) OF THE MANIFOLD. AFTER DISCOVERING THE DEFECT IN OUR PART WE FOUND THAT THIS PART HAS BEEN REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES WITH THE EXACT SAME DEFECT BY TWO DEALERSHIPS IN OUR AREA IN THE PAST YEAR. AFTER CONTACTING PONTIAC/GM WE HAVE RECEIVED NO HELP FOR DAMAGES ($1,500.00) CAUSED BY THIS DEFECTIVE PART AND THEY HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF HAVING A RECALL PER MR. RAFIAT JIMOH, CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER. CAN A REPORT BE OBTAINED OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES THIS PART PLENTUM #17113136 HAS BEEN REPLACED IN GM CARS IN THE PAST YEAR?*AK