Pontiac trans sport 1998 --exterior lighting:headlights visibility extremely poor. Own vehicle since 2005.
1998 Pontiac Trans Sport: headlights failing or too dim
27 of the 227 complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 27
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 69,309
- recalls
- 0
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
- 20031
- 19991
- 199827
- 199732
- 19962
- 19941
- 19911
What owners say
Dt*: the consumer stated the exterior plastic housing on the front headlights turned yellow. The years of direct sunlight tarnished the clearness of the cover. The manufacturer was contacted and recommended the contact purchase new housings for the headlights. *jb
I have never had any accidents in my 1998 montana. I've had to replace the headlights 2 times on the right, and once on the left. The front lens on the lights seem to just fall off. These parts are $100 or more. Why are the poorly assembled and have there been other complaints?
Failing of air conditioner 2x within a 1 year time frame. Resulted in buying 2 new air compressors and parts. Left front headlight continues to fog resulting in buying new one every couple of months. Constant electrical problems, ie., navigator,windows (rear and front),cd player. Had to replace the radiator 2x within 2 month period. This van drives good but it "nickle and dimeing" us to death. I hate it. Every month or even every week its always something!!!!! It's hard to make our monthly payment due to all of the expenses we are shelling out for this vehicle. I litterally pray for our van. We have three children and we needed all the room we could get but, I will never own another mini van again.
Where do I start? Same complaints as all other pontiac minivan owners. Since original purchase in 1998, headlight assembly faulty, ABS warning light malfunction, air bag warning light malfunction, and malfunctioning (still) passenger automatic sliding door. Recently had head gasket replaced due to antifreeze leak, as well as front left wheel hub. This is the worst (and most costly) vehicle I have owned with respect to maintenance.
Headlight lens fell off. Drivers side replaced twice. Currently, both needed to be replaced at cost of $150.00 for each for headlight.
Rh headlamp lense fell off. Vehicle never involved in accident. The lense just fell off. Vehicle no longer under warranty. Upon investigating replacement, found out that this is a common problem. No salvage yard has any used available, however they are willing to sell new ones at a price between $100 - $165. I was told that gm wants $250 for the replacement. I also understand that gm is aware of this problem and has done nothing to correct it. This can be seen just by the number of complaints showing up in this website.this could be a serious problem if the light(s) failed at night. It defintely is an expensive problem for the consumer.
Drivers side headlamp fell off - literally just dropped right off of it - I had no idea what it was, sitting at a light, thought it could have been a passing auto - I stopped, looked, thinking it would be the blinker, and kept going- only to find out it was the cover to the head light! This is an ongoing problem, from what we're finding and no junk/salvage yards have any - and they all say the same thing - they're gone before they get there, junk headlamp! These and the grandams! This van has only 50k miles on it! Not like it's got a ton of mileage!
Prob #1 - intake leaking - needs intake manifold gastket replacement. Local dealer will not pay for. Prob #2 - I have lost two headlamp lense covers in the past year - dealer said this happens "a lot!, and that it was probably a problem with the adhesive" I had to replace two complete headlamp assemblies totalling over $200.00
Headlight lens has fallen off due to poor seal and no screws. This is now the second headlight that this has happened to on this van. In addition, we had a 1997 transport and both headlight lenses fell off that one as well. After months of complaining and letter writing, pontiac corrected the other 3 headlights at no cost but will not do so with this one. This is clearly a product defect and judging by the numerous other complaints on this site for the same problem, it is a common problem.
I own a 1998 pontiac transport, bought new, and has 80000 miles on it. Was just told that the intake is leaking, ans will need manifold gasket replacement. Was told that there have been numerous reports of this happening. Alled local pontiac dealer (matthews pontiac, vestal, ny 607‑798‑8000) and they confirmed this, and that there is a new and improved gasket, but they wouldn't help with the cost of replacement. Also reported that my headlamp lenses have been lost (lost 2 in one year) and had to replace entire headlamp unit at my own cost. Dealer said this is common also, and they believe it was a problem with the adhesive!! They will not help with that one either.
Defective headlamp assembly- the left headlight lens came off the headlight assembly. The dealer says that this is a common problem. The gmc customer service people also know of the problem,but say that not enough complaints have been filed to warrant a recall. This is bull. Also the plastic on the lens crystallizes,causing reduced light output from the headlamp.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport?
27 of 227 owner complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport (12%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
Door locks 12Overheating 12ABS 9Airbag light 9Stalling 7Steering lock-up 7No deployment 6Engine failure 5
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