1998 Pontiac Bonneville

CONSUMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS MENTIONED IN NHTSA RECALL 04V09000: VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3800 V6 (L36) ENGINES AND CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, THE REGULATORS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER THAN USUAL RATE OF FUEL LEAKS. A LEAK CAN ALLOW FUEL TO ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THROUGH A VACUUM LINE. DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT DUE TO VIN# WONT FIXED FREE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED. THEN, ENGINE STALLED. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK WHEN VEHICLE STALLED, STEERING AND BRAKES WERE LOST. WHEN VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP, IT WAS FOUND THAT A FAULTY PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT HAD LEAKED AND ALLOWED COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE, WHICH CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL. *LA

VEHICLE WAS OPERATING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS, VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED. TWO BLOCKS FROM MY DESTINATION, THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH, ALMOST LIKE IT WAS SPUTTERING. I PARKED THE CAR IN THE HOPES IT WOULD START,THE BACKFIRE THAT I NEVER HEARD, NOT ONLY BROKE THE NOSE OFF THE STARTER, BLEW A HOLE IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND FILLED THE ENGINE WITH ANTIFREEZE. LUCKILY FOR ME I HAD SHUT THE CAR OFF BEFORE ANY MAJOR DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE TO THE ENGINE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM. MONDAY CAME AND I THEN WENT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM FIX THIS VEHICLE I HAD JUST PURCHASED ONLY 3 MONTHS PRIOR, THEY LOOKED AT IT AND GAVE ME A $700 ESTIMATE, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THIS IS A DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH TEMPORARY TRANSPORTATION WHILE WAITING FOR THE REPARS TO BE DONE. I ASKED THAT THEY PUT THE OLD PARTS THAT HAD BEEN REPLACED INTO THE TRUNK FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY ME. HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS ON THE INTERNET ONLY TO FIND THIS A MORE COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE THAN HAD BEEN IMAGINED. WHY MUST SOMEONE DIE BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS DEFECT WITH THIS VEHICLE???*AK

PURCHASED USED 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE IN JANUARY, 2002 WITH 56, 000 MILES FROM GM DEALERSHIP. CAR WAS GM CERTIFIED. ABOUT 6 MONTHS LATER WITH 65,000 MILES DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGE I NOTICE THE COOLANT WAS A LITTLE LOW. GOING BACK TO DEALER I PURCHASED GM LONG LIFE ANTIFREEZE AND BOTTLE OF GM SEALANT. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF ANTIFREEZE LEAK ANYWHERE. COOLANT LEVEL MAINTAINED FROM THAT TIME. ON APRIL 30TH, 2004 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY BEGAIN TO MISS FIRE SEVERLEY AND QUIT RUNNING WITHIN SECONDS. THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING AND NO POWER BREAKS. THE ENGINE HAD HYDROLOCKED. ALL CYLINDERS WERE FULL OF ANTIFREEZE. THE CAR NOW HAD 115,000 MILES. I REMOVED THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD TO FIND IT FULL OF ANTIFREEZE. THE HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL AROUND THE EGR TUBE HAD FAILED ALLOWING SUPER-HEATED AIR TO MELT THE GASKET AREA AROUND THE ADJASCENT WATER JACKET ALLOWING COOLANT TO FLOW INTO THE MANIFOLD CAUSING THE HYDROLOCK. I REPLACED BOTH UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLDS AND GASKETS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED UNITS FROM THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD GM WAS AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND HAD REDESIGNED THE PARTS AGAINST THIS FAILURE. THE CAR IS NOW RUNNING FINE. WHILE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED, THE SUDDEN POWER FAILURE CERTAINLY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THE FAILURE BEGAN AT 65,000 MILES AND WAS TEMPORARILY FIXED WITH THE COOLANT SEALANT I PUT IN IT AT THAT TIME AS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALER'S PARTS PERSON. ALL PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE WAS LEAKING COOLANT ONTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS COULD RESULT IN ENGINE FAILURE. *AK CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY HER FRIEND THAT HER VEHICLE WAS ON A LIST OF POTENTIAL ENGINE FAILURES FROM COOLANT LEAKING BY GENERAL MOTORS (GM). CONSUMER WENT TO A GM DEALER AS SOON AS SHE LEARNED THE NEWS, AND SHOWED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WHICH WAS REPLACED. *LA