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1999 Pontiac Montana problems

The most common problem on the 1999 Pontiac Montana is engine and cooling, typically around 61,139 miles. It has 2.9 times the complaints of a typical Montana model year.

Typical year2.9x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
235
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
79
Worst area
Engine
Typical repair
$3,500

The worst 1999 Pontiac Montana problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 1999 Pontiac Montana

Airbag light 17Overheating 16Engine failure 10Door locks 8Stalling 8Seat belt 7Wipers 7ABS 6Transmission failure 6No deployment 5

Recalls 5

Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latchReported December 22, 2004 · 717,302 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Risk
If a passenger uses the interior handle to open the power sliding door and holds onto the handle while it is being opened by the motor, the passenger's arm may be pushed into the seat back or armrest and a wrist or lower arm injury may result.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for appearance reasons. Note: before the vehicle is serviced, gm advises owners to not use the interior door handle to open the door. The driver can open and close the door from switches at the driver's position or by using the remote key fob. The driver should tell passengers to use the switch located in front of the door to open or close it. The driver should use the override switch to prevent operation of the power door by children or by others who are not familiar with its use. The owner notification letter mailing will be conducted in phases with the first phase beginning on may 31, 2005. The second phase mailing began on july 18, 2005. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Phase 2 began on july 18, 2005. Phase 3 (final phase) began on august 24, 2005, to all remaining customers. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668; or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537.

Recall number 04V597000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontalReported January 25, 2002 · 1,730 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain passenger vehicles and mini vans, the driver's air bag inflator modules could produce excessive internal pressure. In the event of a crash that would trigger a driver's air bag deployment, the increased internal pressure can cause the inflator module to explode.
Risk
Metal and plastic debris could cause severe injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver air bag module. Owner notification began february 1, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737.

Recall number 02V027000 · Recall details

Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latchReported August 21, 2001 · 248,737 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v‑067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors assembled in january through april 2001. These vehicles have inadequate front welds. If a front weld fails, the actuator can jam in the unlatched position and, when the sliding door closes, it will not be latched.
Risk
If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface. An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on october 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.

Recall number 01V264000 · Recall details

Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latchReported March 8, 2001 · 477,011 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but may not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
Risk
An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v‑264. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.

Recall number 01V067000 · Recall details

Steering: gear box: shaft sectorReported April 12, 1999 · 59 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger mini vans. The left and/or right front lower insulator to cradle center metal sleeve is collapsed, which can result in loss of clamp load in the joint. If the clamp load is reduced or lost, the bolt can be lost or broken and the joint can separate.
Risk
If not repaired, separation of the opposite side joint could occur resulting in steering shaft separation.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the left and right front lower cradle-to-suspension insulators and the attaching bolts.

Recall number 99V071000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 1999 Pontiac Montana

Defect investigations

Power-sliding doorOpened September 17, 2004, closed December 22, 2004

Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's chair seat back creating a risk of injury (other seating configurations have ample seat to door clearance to avoid entrapment of the lower arm).among the 103 total reports, there were 102 alleged injuries including arm/wrist, thumb and shoulder injuries.a count of injuries reveals that 76 injuries were a fractured or a broken arm/wrist requiring an immobilizing cast for four-to-six weeks.all injuries involve the right side power sliding door.the left side power sliding door is on far fewer vehicles, but more importantly, it produces less force.gm notified the agency by letter dated december 21, 2004, that it will recall model year 1997 though early 2005 gm u-van vehicles equipped with a right side power sliding door and with 2nd-row bucket seats or captain chairs (the federal safety agency recall #04v597).as part of the recall remedy, gm will replace the door handle with a flush mounted handle that will prevent an occupant from grasping the handle with the palm between the handle and door panel (thumb up orientation) and thus eliminate the potential for arm/wrist entrapment.this investigation is closed.

PE04064

Rear axle trailing arm failureOpened April 23, 2003, closed January 12, 2004

On november 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on april 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue. The trailing arm design in these vehicles has been used in the u-van from my 1997 through the present.the gm analysis concluded that the subject trailing arms could crack or buckle if they were damaged during assembly, pre-delivery handling, or subjected to certain service related abuse conditions such as improper towing or jacking.analysis of odi and gm data has identified 19 incidents of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles.there have been no new reports to odi or gm in the last 12 months and only one new complaint in the last 21 months. Due to the low complaint rate and the absence of a continuing trend in reported failures, a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. For additional information, see the attached closing report.

EA03005

Shoulder harness clipOpened February 11, 2002, closed August 2, 2002

PE02017

Air bag inflatorOpened June 11, 2001, closed August 26, 2002

EA01014

Air bag tear during deploymentOpened November 3, 2000, closed January 11, 2001

PE00045

Unexpected opening of sliding doorOpened July 25, 2000, closed October 22, 2001

There is no summary currently available

SQ00014

Traction controlOpened February 16, 2000, closed April 20, 2001

RQ00006

Technical service bulletins for the 1999 Pontiac Montana 79

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 79 bulletins for the 1999 Pontiac Montana

What 1999 Pontiac Montana owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Nov 18, 2016 · Steering, Suspension · 135,600 miles · MI

The rear passenger suspension system has failed and the tire is sitting on the tire-well. The frame appears to be loose due to rust and has caused the spring coil to pop out and wobble uncontrollably. I was driving when this incident occurred and it would begin to "fish tail" around 40mph or when I would hit bumps, make turns or switch lanes.

Filed Apr 8, 2014 · Airbags, Transmission · 96,700 miles · IN

Airbag light came on and transmission shift lever moves but does not engage transmission.

Filed Feb 4, 2013 · Airbags · 260,375 miles · OH · crash

I had an accident where a car fish tailed in front of me slid directly in front of mine. I hit the other car while going 40 MPH, it was a t*bone collision. My front air bags deployed at the time of collision. After getting out of the vehicle I noticed that the passenger side air bag was laying in the front passenger seat with the air bag still inflated. I do remember that for a long time before today the red airbag light was on. I thought this would cause the air bags not to work. I do have pictures of the damage, and the defect with the air bag.

Filed Jun 4, 2012 · Engine · 168,000 miles · PA

It seems that the this particular make and model has known problems with the cooling system. On a family trip to virginia the car started to overheat and I stopped the vehicle. When parked red fluid was visible under the car and upon testing was found out to be coolant leak. Car was towed to pa and mechanic reported loss and replacement of radiator/hoses and lower intake manifold (gasket) a labor intensive work costing about 1700 to fix all the issue with this over heating.

Filed Feb 16, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · KY

Electrical components and rear light failure including breaks an turn signals.

Filed Jan 22, 2011 · Engine · 160,000 miles · MI

1. Events unknown 2. Cooling system failure, all the time, undriveable 3. Unable to correct failure.

Filed Jul 28, 2010 · Brakes, Electrical · 178,280 miles · CA

First the driver's side window stopped working, then the tail lights just went out on the 99 pontiac montana. They were just working and then on my way home they just stopped working. I replaced all bulbs and they still aren't working. Went to see a technician and he says it is an electrical problem. After that the radio display flickers in and out when the brake is pushed on. I've searched to see if I could find an answer as to why this happened and there are many websites with the same complaints as I have stated here with the same problems.

Filed Dec 21, 2008 · Engine · 113,000 miles · MI · fire

Vehicle spontaneously caught fire while stuck in snow drift. Fire was all consuming - fire truck had to come out it out - just shell of van was left. We were able to get out as fire was slow to take off. Fire started in engine compartment. Fire chief said we would never know cause as no engine compartment remains.

Filed Aug 10, 2008 · Electrical · 105,455 miles · MO · crash

Dealer sold me a pontiac montana minivan and I only had it for 2 weeks, and it won't start, it had a carfax report that said it was in a car accident, this was not told or revealed to me by the dealer. Now I am stranded without a car to get around and no warranty was given. I ask for a warranty the salesman said it only comes with financing.

Filed Aug 8, 2008 · Engine · 81,718 miles · FL

Two separate gasket problems on my 1999 pontiac montana mini van. The most recent was today in aug. Of 2008 the local garage told me that my vans lower intake manifold gasket needed replaced for about $700. The problem was noticed when my temperature light came on and after filling radiator I saw water leaking underneath vehicle.

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Other model years

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Questions about the 1999 Pontiac Montana

Is the 1999 Pontiac Montana reliable?

Owners have filed 235 complaints about the 1999 Pontiac Montana, 2.9 times a typical Montana model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1999 Pontiac Montana?

Engine and cooling, with 100 complaints, typically around 61,139 miles. Next is airbags (32).

How many recalls does the 1999 Pontiac Montana have?

5 recalls, covering latches/locks/linkages, air bags and steering.

What year does the Pontiac Montana have bad engine?

The Pontiac Montana model years with the most engine complaints are 1999 (100 complaints), 2000 (72 complaints) and 2001 (38 complaints).

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