1998 Pontiac Bonneville

INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURES ARE A KNOWN PROBLEM AT GM, AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, AT A SPEED OF APX. 65 MPH, ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY, IN THE CENTER LANE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STOP, AND LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKING THEN OCCURRES. AS SHE PROCEEDED TO TRY TO GET THE CAR OFF OF THE HIGHWAY, SEVERAL CARS SKIDDED TO STOP AS THE CAR SLOWLY MADE IT'S WAY OFF OF THE HIGHWAY. IT HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF THESE INTAKE MANIFOLDS FAILING, AND THAT IT IS A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT. THEY SEE A LOT OF 3.8 ENGINES WITH THIS PROBLEM, AND ARE DOING NOTHING ABOUT FIXING IT FOR THE CONSUMER. MY REPAIR COST ME A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS. A LOT OF TIMES, THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT IS DAMAGED BY THE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE WHEN THE INTAKE MANIFOLDS FAIL. WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF OF THE HIGHWAY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT SEVERAL CARS LOCKED UP THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID COLLISION WITH THIS DISABLED VEHICLE. WE PURCHASED THE CAR NEW, AND MAINTAIN IT MORE THAN IS REQUIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THIS INTAKE MANIFOLD DEFECT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED A LONG TIME AGO, AS I HAVE TRACED OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES HAVING THIS PROBLEM SINCE 1996, AND POSSIBLY BEFORE. IF NOTHING IS DONE, THEN SURELY DEATHS WILL OCCUR DUE TO THE SERIES OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS THAT WILL OCCUR DUE TO THIS DEFECTIVE INTAKE MANIFOLD, INCLUDING LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, STEERING AND BRAKING. DT

ENGINE WOULD NOT RUN DUE TO COOLANT IN CYLINDER/S, COST TO REPLACE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD APX. $900.00 THE TERM DEGRADE AS USED BY GM SHOULD BE DEFECTIVE AS BY ALL EXPERIENCE, AN INTAKE MANIFOLD HAS NO MOVING PARTS TO WEAR AND THE CAR WAS EQUIPPED WITH COOLANT WHICH DOES NOT NEED REPLACINGG UNTIL 150,000 MILES OR FIVE YEARS. THERE IS NO MAINTENACE THAT ANY OWNER CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. IF IT HAPPENS WHEN IN TRAFFIC AND THE ENGINE STOPPED, THERE WILL BE SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. GM DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DEFECT OR DESIGN PROBLEM. *AK

THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD HAS GOTTEN A HOLE IN IT 2 TIMES NOW. THE FIRST TIME WAS AT 83000 MILES AND RESULTED IN NEEDING A NEW ENGINE. THE NEW ENGINE HAD 16000 MILES ON IT AND AFTER DRIVING 19000 MILES THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN CAUSEING US TO REPLACE THE MANIFOLD, HEAD GASKETS, BOLTS AND STARTER. IT HAS COST OVER 2000.00 FOR THE SAME DEFECTIVE PLASTIC PEICE. THE GARAGE SAID TO GET RID OF THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS JUST GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING AND THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING AHEAD OF TIME THAT IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. WE JUST PAID THE CAR OFF AND CANT TAKE ON NEW PAYMENTS SO THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. SO SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET GM TO FIX THEIR DEFECT SO WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP GOING THROUGH THIS. WE CONTACTED THE GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AND THEY WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFECT OR PROBLEM. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY HAD RECEIVED A BULLITIN ON IT AND SAID WHAT TO CHECK BUT WOULD NOT HELP WITH THE COST EITHER. NEITHER WERE ANY HELP AT ALL. BUT THEY WERE SORRY WE WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY WHAT A BIG HELP.*AK

IT WOULD SEEM THAT AN INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAK SO SUDDEN & SEVERE THAT IT KILLS THE ENGINE AT SPEED COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A PERSON TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR. NO ADVANCE WARNING, OTHER THAN STARTING TO RUN ROUGH, THEN FILLING THE ENGINE SO FULL OF COOLANT THAT IT KILLED THE MOTOR & LOCKED IT UP, PREVENTING THE STARTER FROM CRANKING THE ENGINE OVER.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT TO HIGH. CONSUMER DROVE CAR TO A NEAR BY MECHANIC, AND THEY POURED ANTIFREEZE INTO ENGINE COMPARTMENT TO COOL VEHICLE DOWN. *AK CONSUMER STATED, WHILE HE STARTED THE ENGINE, WHITE SMOKE POURED FROM THE EXHAUST, TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, DEALER REPLACED ENGINE BUT WHILE TESTING THE ENGINE, THE SAME PROBLEM APPEARED, DEALER AWARE OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN, THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPLACED, WHICH CAUSED THE PROBLEM. *YD