1999 Pontiac Montana

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002 (~53000 MILES)WE NOTICED THAT THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. SO WE ADDED COOLANT. THEN AGAIN IN NOVEMBER THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN SO WE CONTACTED OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. HE TOLD US THAT THE PLASTIC UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD AND THE GASKET WAS BAD. HE TOLD US THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF ENGINE. HE SAID THAT GM DEALERS IN THE AREA TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS DUE TO THE MANIFOLD BEING MADE OF PLASTIC AND THE FACT THAT GM USES DEXCOOL COOLANT, WHICH EATS UP THE PLASTIC AND THE GASKETS. HE ALSO TOLD US THAT BECAUSE OF THIS SOME OF THE COOLANT SPILLED INTO THE ENGINE OIL. THE COST OF THE REPAIRS WERE $392.57. WE NOW WILL HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF SPENDING $2000 - $2500 ON A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE OF THE COOLANT IN THE ENGINE OIL. WE DID CALL THE DEALER WHO SOLD US THE VAN AND THEY TOLD US TO CALL PONTIAC. WE DID CALL THE PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER IN MICHIGAN AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THEY TOLD US THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM. WE FEEL THAT GM SHOULD STAND BEHIND THESE PROBLEMS. PLEASE RESPOND. THANKS

I HAD A LOCAL GM DEALER REPAIR THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON OUR 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA IN DEC. 2002. WE HAD TO HAVE THE WATER PUMP REPLACED ALSO AND HAVE THE COOLING SYSTEM FLUSHED AT THE SAME TIME. THE COST OF THOSE REPAIRS WAS IN THE RANGE OF $1,000 AND WAS DONE IN A VERY SATISFACTORY MANNER BY THE DEALER. THE SERVICE MANAGER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG AS SOON AS I DESCRIBED THE SYMPTOMS. HE SEEMED TO HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THE SAME PROBLEMS FROM OTHER OWNERS. OUR CAR BEGAN TO LOSE COOLANT AND THEN THE OIL BEGAN TO LOOK ORANGE AND FINALLY THE COOLANT WAS DRIPPING ON THE GROUND. THESE PROBLEMS BEGAN ABOUT 70,000 MILES. WE ARE THE SECOND OWNERS OF THIS VAN AND BOUGHT IT FROM THE REPAIRING DEALERSHIP AS A PROGRAM, USED VEHICLE WITH 20,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I HAVE SAVED ALL OUR RECEIPTS FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED REPAIRS IN HOPE THAT GM MIGHT HAVE A RECALL FOR THESE PROBLEMS. IN MY OPINION, THE FAULT LIES WITH TEXACO AND OTHERS WHO MADE AND MANUFACTURED THE DEXCOOL COOLANT USED BY GM. JUDGING FROM THE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS OTHER MANUFACTURERS HAVE RUN INTO PROBLEMS WITH THIS COOLANT (CATAPILLAR, CUMMINGS DIESEL.)

LEAKING LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. HARD TO SAY HOW MUCH TO DATE HAS BEEN INTERNAL, BUT HAS NEVER DRIPPED ON GARAGE FLOOR UNTIL THIS WEEK. I LIST MILAGE FAILURE AT 38,000 MILES BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN I FIRST NOTICED COOLANT LEVEL DROPPING WITH NO VISABLE LEAKS. CURRENT MILEAGE IS APROX 60800 MILES. I HAVE HAD TO ADD COOLANT SINCE JUNE OF 2001. 3.4L V6

MY 99 MONTANA (70,030 MILES BUT NEVER A PROBLEM) FAILED ON US ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF HAGERSTOWN MD WHILE RETURNING TO PITTSBURGH FROM OCEAN CITY ON 7/13/2003. THE SHORT STORY IS THAT THE ENGINE FAILED WITH LITTLE PRIOR WARNING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, I HAVE IT AS WELL AS PHOTOS. THE LEAKING COOLANT MIXED WITH THE ENGINE OIL AND THE RESULTING EMULSIFIED COMBINATION RESULTED IN A RUINED ENGINE IN A VERY SHORT TIME. THE ENGINE HAD NEW OIL BECAUSE I CHANGED IT ON 7/5 AT 69,000 MILES AS SPECIFIED IN OWNER'S MANUAL PRIOR TO LEAVING PITTSBURGH. I STILL HAVE THE OLD OIL IN MY GARAGE AND IT IS IN GOOD CONDITION. I HAD THE VAN TOWED 180 MILES TO MY DEALER, THE POWER OF BOWSER, SO THAT THEY COULD TELL ME THAT THERE'S NOTHING THEY OR GM CAN DO FOR ME. THE LOCAL GM SERVICE REP LOOKED AT IT ON 7/17 AND SAID NO GOODWILL WARRANTY AS DID THE PEOPLE AT PONTIAC CUSTOMER RELATIONS. (1-800-PMCARES SHOULD BE 1-800-WESAYNO). THE PEOPLE GM "EMPOWERS" TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS ARE NOT TECHNICALLY TRAINED SUCH THAT THEY CAN EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED AND YET THEY MAKE THE DECISION THAT IT'S TOUGH LUCK. I WOULDN'T BE SO UPSET ABOUT THIS SITUATION IF I HAD DONE SOMETHING THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. BUT, I'M A FANATIC, I CHANGE MY OIL EVERY 3K AND DO ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT'S RECOMMENDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THERE IS NO WAY THAT A COMPETENTLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED ENGINE SHOULD EXPERIENCE THE TYPE OF FAILURE THAT THE ENGINE IN MY MONTANA HAD. I'VE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED AT A COST OF $4,100. I JUST PAID IT OFF IN MAY. THE FACT THAT GM HAS INTERNALLY RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM WITH THE GASKET VIA INTERNAL SERVICE BULLETINS AND DIDN'T GIVE THEIR CUSTOMERS THIS INFORMATION IS MALPRACTICE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. I'D BE IN JAIL IF I DID THIS IN MY WORK. WE PURSUED ACTION WITH THE BBB AUTO LINE BUT, WERE TURNED DOWN FOR AN ARBITRATION HEARING BASED ON THE MILEAGE.

INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE OIL ON MY 3.4 LITER ENGINE. AFTER COMPLAINING TO PONTIAC & THE BBB, GM OFFERED TO PAY 50% OF THE REPAIR COST. FAULTY OXYGEN SENSOR & LEAKING FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR OH DECEMBER 16, 2003. SINCE ORIGINAL COMPLAINT, KEYLESS REMOTE FAILED ON 7/15/03 & SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED CAUSING AIRBAG LIGHT TO GO ON, JULY 28, 2003

ENGINE: INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. I FOLLOWED THRU WITH A COMPLAINT TO THE BBB AND TO PONTIAC'S 800 NUMBER. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO HAVE THE VAN DIAGNOSED AT A GM DEALER BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE DONE BY PONTIAC. MY DEALER QUALITY PONTIAC IN COCOA, FLORIDA LOOKED AT THE VAN AND AGREED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING (NOVEMBER 2002). QUALITY INFORMED ME IT WOULD BE ABOUT $500 TO REPAIR. A PHONE CALL TO PONTIAC'S 800 # PUT PRESSURE ON THE DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED THE WORK FOR $100 PLUS EXTRA FOR A COOLANT FLUSH. THE TOTAL WAS AROUND $180. SUPPOSEDLY THE WORK CAME WITH A 12 MONTH 12000 MILE WARRANTY. I THINK THE VAN HAD 58000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED. LOOKING BACK I HAVE A FEELING IT STARTED LEAKING EARLIER. TODAY WE HAVE 70500 MILES ON THE VAN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS COMING ON. THE CODES INDICATE THAT ENGINE CYLINDER 5 IS MISFIRING. WE HAD NEW SPARK PLUGS PUT IN AND WILL NOW TRY NEW SPARK PLUG WIRES. IF THAT DOESN'T FIX IT THEN WE MAY NEED TO PUT IN NEW FUEL INJECTORS. MY COMPLAINTS TO DATE WITH THIS VEHICLES ARE: 1. ORIGINAL TIRES WORE OUT AT 24000 MILES $500 2. BATTERY DIED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS. $0 3. DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED $ 156 - AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. 4. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED $180 5. SLIDING POWER DOOR MODULE FAILED 4 TIMES. $0 6. FRONT BRAKES DRUMS WARPED AT ~35000 MILES $250. FRONT ROTORS CUT AND PADS REPLACED. 7. WINDSHIELD BUZZED FROM THE DAY WE BOUGHT IT (2 YEARS) AND TOOK US THREATENING THE LEMON LAW TO GET IT FIXED.

AT ROUGHLY 2K MILES, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THEN AGAIN AT 28K MILES, ANOTHER REPLACEMENT. BOTH WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I TRIED TO GET THE LOCAL DEALER AND GM TO BUY IT BACK SINCE IT WAS UNTRUSTWORTHY FOR MY FAMILY. THE MOST MY THREATS COULD DO WAS GET AN EXTENDED 60K/$0 DEDUCTABLE WARRANTY OUT OF GM. THEN AT 56.5K MILES, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET PROBLEM GOT ME. THIS ALSO RESULTED IN A WATER PUMP REPLACEMENT.

1999 PONTIAC MONTANA EXPERIENCED NO HEATING. GARAGE STATED COOLANT HAD SLUDGE AND WAS FLUSHED AND RECHARGED. AFTER DRIVING 10 MILES TO HOME, COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AND STEAM ROLLED OUT UNDER HOOD. FOUND AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING IN NUMEROUS PLACES. GARAGE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN MANY OF THESE. COOLANT CAP STATES COOLANT GOOD FOR 150,000 MILES. ONLY 49,000 MILES ON VAN.