Mid may 2011...I purchased a 2001 pontiac montana from an older woman (70-80's). She had purchased the vehicle new and she lived near tuscon, arizona. The vehicle was/is in great condition (no rust, etc.) for being 10 years old...and had only 44,000 miles on it. Since I bought the van...I put on maybe 1500 miles. Within the first month...I had a few issues...one being extremely dangerous. On thursday, june 16, 2011 as I backed out of the driveway...I noticed a weird feeling with the van...almost a squishy feel. I thought I maybe had a flat tire. I checked and it looked fine. My mom picked up my 14 month old daughter later that day with my van...and as she was making a left hand turn from a stop sign...she said that it felt as though the back end of the van slid out from under her. She pulled over as she thought maybe she had a flat tire. That looked fine. Then she got out again and rechecked the lug nuts on the tires. Those were tight. Then she thought that perhaps she hit something in the road. As she turned the van around to check the intersection she just came through...the van wobbled horribly. Upon inspection...the trailing arm on the rear passenger side was broken clean in half. You could move the tire completely around so it could touch the all parts of the wheel well. We've taken it to a few mechanics...and all cannot figure why or how that happened. All of them have said, however, that this trailing arm seems to be pretty thin metal when you consider it's holding your tire on! And...the way it broke...it's almost as if there was a flaw from the manufacturer. Since then...we have had it welded. But...I haven't driven the vehicle much. I'm extremely hesitant with my now 15 month old daughter in the van. I'm so grateful this incident didn't happen on the freeway! It could have been a rollover. We are trying to discuss this with gm to see what they can do.
2001 Pontiac Montana body problems
13 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 25,000.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 25,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Body: door8
- Frame and members1
- Body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments1
- Body: door: hinge and attachments1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Pontiac Montana body problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Power-sliding door
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
What 2001 Pontiac Montana owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 pontiac montana. Whenever the contact would activate the air conditioner, either while driving various speeds or at a stop, only hot air would come out of the vents. The contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the air conditioner failure. Also, on both of the sliding doors, the rubber bumper falls off whenever the doors are opened or closed. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 119,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.
The vehicle's power sliding door opened when the consumer's granddaughter pressed the door button over riding the securing lock on the door. *nm *sc
The design position and force of the sliding door operation caused the passenger arm to break when attempting to exit the van. *ak consumer recommended that gm should mound the door handle pointing forward instead of up because the handle would have slipped out of the passenger while exiting the van. Also, a force sensor in the opening movement like that in the closing motion. Lastly, consumer also suggested that a warning sign should be installed on the door. *la pe04064.pco
Gas leaking under the driver seat and under the hood. Also, gas was pouring out from the motor. *la the window failed to open, the consumer is currently waiting on a new motor. The rear brakes were leaking, the tie rods had to be replaced because they were loose, the left rear stuck became stuck, when the gear was taken out of park and placed into drive and the consumer proceeded to accelerate the vehicle jerked, the engine light illuminated, the dealer determined the emission system was dragging, the driver side mirror vibrated, the bumper cover was loose. When the consumer attempted to turn the key in the ignition, the vehicle did not start, the dealer was unable to duplicate the consumer's concern. The fuel pressure regulator was leaking and the fuel filter was replaced. The vehicle would not go over 10 MPH, the vehicle shifted and then returned to normal speed. The plastic on the drivers seat was loose.
The passenger side sliding door opened while driving.
While driving, the front end of the vehicle vibrated. *jb the vehicle would hesitated when accelerated after a complete stop or when slowing. The dealer was unable to remedy the problem. The consumer requested a refund for the vehicle. Other problems are as followed: the vehicle felt as if it was going to stall when idled due to dirty injector(s), there was noise on driver side of the engine, the horn would go off by itself/dealer unable to duplicate, the cover in the rear hatch on the left side did not stay in place and reinstalled the panel door, the transmission had no reverse and grinds when placed in forward gears/removed transmission assembly and disassembled, there was clunking when in gear, the planetary gears were rounded, the transmission acted as if it wanted to take off, found a loose motor mount on the driver side and was tightened, the steering was stiff, and was noisy when turning right.
The sliding door automatically closed without the consumer pushing the button. Consumer was injured.
While driving, side power sliding door came open. Latch would not catch. Had recall 01v067000 done on door, but problem still exists. Van has been in for repair approximately 4 times. *jg
When getting into vehicle driver's side door unexpectedly fell of the hinges. Dealer replaced door which fell off again . Please give any further details.
Questions about the 2001 Pontiac Montana body
Does the 2001 Pontiac Montana have body problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the body of the 2001 Pontiac Montana, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2001 Pontiac Montana body problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 25,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Pontiac Montana body?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Pontiac Montana have the most body problems?
The Pontiac Montana model years with the most body complaints are 2000 (31 complaints), 1999 (22 complaints) and 2005 (21 complaints).
Other 2001 Pontiac Montana problems
Engine 38Electrical 20Transmission 20Fuel system 18Brakes 15Locks 11Steering 11Visibility 11Lights 10Airbags 6Suspension 5Tires 5Seats 3Acceleration 2Driver assistance 1Seat belts 1Wheels 1
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