1998 Pontiac Bonneville

ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET FAILED WHILE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, WITH TRAFFIC MOVING AT A SPEED OF APX 70 MPH. THIS MANIFOLD AND GASKET FAILURE RESULTED IN THE ENGINE STALLING, FURTHER CAUSING A LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKING CONTROL. SEVERAL CARS SWERVED AND SKIDDED TO AVOID COLLISION WITH OUR DISABLED CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SELLING PONTIAC DEALER. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET HAD FAILED, AND THE COST OF REPAIR WAS $1,036.00. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET HAD BEEN IMPROPERLY DESIGNED, AND THAT A HIGH FAILURE RATE IS OCCURRING ON GM V-6 3.8 ENGINES. I CONTACTED GM, AND THEY WILL NOT HELP WITH THIS. THERE ARE MANY WEB SITES THAT VERIFY THOUSANDS OF OTHER FAILURES. ALSO, A GM SERVICE MANAGER THAT I SPOKE WITH AT A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND THAT MANY TIMES, THE ENGINES FAIL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM, RESULTING IN A $5,000.00 REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, AS GM IS LAUGHING AT THE PUBLIC ON THIS ONE. WHO OF US HAS THE RESOURCES TO CHALLENGE THEM, AND THEY COULD CARE LESS IF WE EVER BUY ANOTHER CAR FROM THEM.

MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I AM ABOUT TO PUT MY 4TH AND 5TH INTAKE MANIFOLD & MANIFOLD GASKET, RESPECTIVELY, ON MY 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 55 AT 70 MPH WHEN MY ENGINE DIED, BECAUSE MY MANIFOLD KEEPS CRACKING!! BECAUSE MY ENGINE DIED, IT KEPT BLOWING AND FORCING ANTIFREEZE DOWN MY INTAKE AND FILLING MY CYLINDERS WITH WATER AND ANTIFREEZE, CAUSING A VAPOR LOCK!!! THIS WAS TERRIBLE, BECAUSE WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR IN NEUTRAL GOING 70 MPH, WITH 20-25 CARS AROUND ME AND 3-5 SEMI TRUCKS, THE ENGINE WAS LOCKED UP!!!!! BECAUSE OF THIS 'VAPOR LOCK UP' OF THE ENGINE, I LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR!!! I HAD NO POWER STEERING, NO POWER BRAKES, NO CONTROL TO BE ABLE TO AVOID A 20-25 CAR PILE UP, WITH TENS TO HUNDREDS BEING INJURED!!!!!!!!! GM NEEDS TO DO A COMPLETE RECALL OF ALL 3.1, 3.4 & 3.8 V6 ENGINES MADE WITH PLASTIC MANIFOLDS AND PLASTIC GASKETS!!!! GM NEEDS TO REPLACE THEM WITH THE ALUMINUM MANIFOLDS AND RUBBER GASKETS THEY USED TO PLACE ON ALL ENGINES MANUFACTURED SINCE THESE CHANGES WHICH I BELIEVE IS 1996!!!!! NEXT, AFTER ALL THESE MANIFOLDS AND GASKET FAILURES ON MY CAR, OF WHICH I CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 2000 MILES AND HAVE DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT MY OIL CHANGES, THE ANTIFREEZE HAS EATEN MY BEARINGS AND CRANKSHAFT MAINS AND ROD BEARINGS AND MY ENGINE IS KNOCKING BADLY!!! A FAIR RESOLUTION WOULD BE FOR GM TO GIVE ME(FREE OF ANY CHARGE), A NEW ENGINE TO REPLACE THE ONE THEY DAMAGED, WITH THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS, WORKMANSHIP AND MANUFACTURING DESIGN CHANGES. IF THERE IS NO PROBLEM, THEN WHY HAS GM ISSUED A VERY EXPENSIVE TSB? TO CHANGE THE DESIGN, COMPONENT AND INSTALLATION OF THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS??????? PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED URL -HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/MOD_PERL/SIGNED.CGI?GMCNSMRS TO VIEW THE OVER 1,200 PEOPLE SO FAR THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN JUST A FEW MONTHS BY WORD OF MOUTH. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I TOO HAD A INTAKE EXHAUST MANIFOLD FAILURE !! LEAKED ANTI-FREEZE INTO CYLINDERS !! BUT MINE WAS CAUGHT IN TIME !! TOOK TO DEALER THE DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON !! INTAKE MANIFOLD REPLACED, FUEL PRESSURE SWITCH REPLACED, PLUGS AND PLUG WIRES REPLACED !! DEALER SHIP OWNER SAID "THIS PROBLEM DID NOT SURPRISE HIM" THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH OF THESE PROBLEMS DOCUMENETED ON YOUR SITE !! ARE YOU EVER GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM?? COST ME $ OVER $700.00 MIKE MILLER LAPORTE INDIANA THIS CAR ONLY HAS A LITTLE OVER43,000 MILES ON IT !!*AK

CONSUMER BOUGHT THE BONNEVILLE IN AUGUST, SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN IN REPAIR SHOP 7 TIMES. THE FIRST FOUR TIMES WERE FOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THEY REPLACED THE PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE AND THROTTLE BODY. THE REMAINING VISITS WERE FOR 4 FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURES, INJECTOR COIL FAILURES MELTED 4 SPARK PLUG WIRES. ALSO, WATER PUMP STARTED LEAKING. *AK