IllustrationEMAIL FM DONALD MARK (NY) *PH. A DEFECTIVE PART CALLED PLENUM CAUSED PROBLEMS IN THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A RECALL TO BE ISSUED. *JB SCC
1998 Pontiac Bonneville
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Bonneville years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
40–25K
1325–50K
5050–75K
2975–100K
18100–150K
3150K+
117 reports with mileage · 160 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 194 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports28 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
277 reportsTHE CONSUMER COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE CONSUMER TRIED TO GET THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. *SCC *NLM REFERENCED IN EA02-030
WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED AND CAUSED THE MOTOR TO SEIZE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *NLM
PLENUM PART NUMBER 17113136 FAILED HAVE INCURRED $511.78 IN DAMAGES THROUGH GM'S NEGLECT TO ADMIT TO A DESIGN PROBLEM AND THEIR FAILURE TO DO A VOLUNTARY RECALL, CAR STILL DOES NOT RUN PROPERLY AND WILL END UP COSTING MORE MONEY TO CORRECT. *JB
WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, IT CUT OFF. THIS WAS DUE TO A FAILED INTAKE MANIFOLD. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND PART WAS REPLACED.*JB
PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED. $1500 REPAIR DUE TO POOR DESIGN. ENGINE STALLED DUE TO COOLANT LEAKING ONTO ENGINE CYLINDERS. HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH INCLUDING WEB SITES LIKE CARREVIEW.COM WHERE OVER 10% OF ALL COMMENTS ON THIS CAR (GOOD OR BAD) COMPLAINED ABOUT INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEMS. RECALL SEEMS IN ORDER.*JB
PLASTIC MANIFOLD MELTED CAUSING COOLANT TO FLOW INTO THE PISTON CHAMBER. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR MALFUNCTION WITH THIS PART AND SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO GM'S ATTENTION TO BE RECALLED WITH A BETTER SOLUTION THAN A PLASTIC MANIFOLD.*JB
THE UPPER INTAKE ON THE VEHICLE, LEAKED ANTIFREEZE. *JB
THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED. *JB
I OWN A 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE WITH 87,000 MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY. LATE ONE EVENING MY CAR SUDDENLY LET OUT A CLOUD WHITE SMOKE AND STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. I ASSUMED THAT WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MANUAL SUGGESTED "A TANK OF BAD GAS" OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SERIOUS. AFTER HAVING MY CAR TOWED …
Read full complaint
I OWN A 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE WITH 87,000 MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY. LATE ONE EVENING MY CAR SUDDENLY LET OUT A CLOUD WHITE SMOKE AND STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. I ASSUMED THAT WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MANUAL SUGGESTED "A TANK OF BAD GAS" OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SERIOUS. AFTER HAVING MY CAR TOWED TO MY DEALER, I WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN MY DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD CRACKED AND COOLANT HAD INFILTRATED MY CYLINDERS. THIS "MINOR" REPAIR ENDED UP COSTING $1836 AFTER REPLACING THE MANIFOLD, GASKETS, HOSES, AND THERMOSTAT. I DO NOT HAVE MUCH TRUST IN MY VEHICLE NOR THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER WHO KNOWS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MY YEAR AND MODEL OF CAR AND DOES NOTHING TO WARN OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR TO REPLACE A MANUFACTURER MISTAKE. *JB
Official recalls
104V090000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery
Feb 24, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER 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. IF THE ENGINE DOES NOT START WHEN CRANKED, THE FUEL FROM THE LEAKING REGULATOR AND A MISTIMED SPARK CAN CAUSE A BACKFIRE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE BACKFIRE CAN RUPTURE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE RUPTURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CAN DISPLACE A FUEL LINE, PULLING AN INJECTOR OUT OF PLACE, AND CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND POSSIBLE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH IMPROVED DIAPHRAGMS. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASED MAILINGS. PHASE 1 BEGAN ON JUNE 30, 2004, AND PHASE 2 BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA02030 · Engine Compartment Fires
Opened Oct 22, 2002 · Closed Mar 9, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery; Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Fuel System, Gasoline
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
PE02050 · Engine Compartment Fires
Opened Jun 13, 2002 · Closed Oct 22, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.