2002 Pontiac Montana problems
Owners have filed 161 complaints about the 2002 Pontiac Montana with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 16.1% of them — the clear leader, ahead of exterior lighting at 8.1%.
Complaints161
Crashes3
Fires1
Injuries7
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 16.1% · 26
Exterior lighting 8.1% · 13
Fuel system, gasoline 8.1% · 13
Visibility 7.5% · 12
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.8% · 11
Power train 6.8% · 11
Equipment 6.2% · 10
Structure 6.2% · 10
Severity
Of those complaints, 3 describe a crash, 1 describe a fire and 7 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 6 model years of the Pontiac Montana in this data, 2002 draws comparatively few complaints; 1999 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 14 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 60,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Intake valve failure causing coolant to leak in engine compartment. Could have led to a fire. Mechanics say this is a known problem and that gm has redesigned the intake valves that are reused in the repair. Several others in this area have had the same problems with this engine, which was used in the grand am cars as well. Searches on the web also show that many, many people have had this problem. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 65,000 miles
Catastrophic engine failure at only 104,000 miles without any warning. Probably due to dexcool but unable to participate in class action settlement because failure happened after class action deadline. This is still happening with these gm vehicles but no recall is being issued. In our case, had catastrophic engine failure in the middle of the highway, stranding us in a very dangerous position. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 104,000 miles
Intake manifold gaskets failing after the warranty period, Pontiac Montana 2002, with a cost of 700.00 Plus. Information was sent to all g.M dealers of this defect,with no recall to repair. Class action lawsuit was started in canada for this defect with many failures of this gasket or manifold itself. What can I do? This has not failed yet but will, as it is leaking now. What recourse do I have ? Engine and engine cooling · reported at 38,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…