Faults:

My electrical system has been going haywire ever since I got the van. The lights have been going on and off by themselves, the power sliding door pops back open when closing.

The ABS/Traction Control system went bad. Whenever traction control is engaged, the van jerks intermittently like the brakes are engaging and disengaging randomly. Turn traction control off and the van runs fine.

At 57,000 miles (right now) the head gasket blew and is going to cost $900 to fix, and that's because I know the guy who's going to fix it.

General Comments:

Stay AWAY!!! This van has had more problems than any vehicle I have ever owned.

Faults:

Engine coolant leak started 6 months ago. Diagnosed as "upper engine leak". $760.00 to repair.

Transmission "service engine light" came on within 24 hours of "upper engine leak " repair. 72,000 miles. Diagnosed as transmission. Described as a bushing that looked like it shredded. Estimated cost $1800 +. Car should be ready today. Only trailer a small light trailer for approximately less than 1,000 over last 3 years. Oil changes completed timely.

Front driver's side door locks by itself. Have to crawl in through another door. to get in.

Power side door has been fixed three times. Always seems to mysteriously bend a piece that forces the door to bounce back open. Rubber molding around same door comes unglued and falls off.

General Comments:

This car is beginning to be like a human body. Once it is opened up more and more things go wrong. For a car driven by one adult, it has not held up. My previous Silhouette was at 109,000 when I sold it and only had the U joints replaced.

Faults:

When I bought this vehicle, the driver's seat had a broken mounting bracket that had to be repaired.

From the day of ownership, the front brakes have pulsated under moderate braking conditions. This is typical of warped rotors.

At 74000 miles, the radiator developed an internal leak allowing transmission fluid to be siphoned into the engine coolant. Since transmission fluid eats rubber engine gaskets, a complete top-end rebuild was necessary. This cost $1700.

One month later, at 75000 miles, the transmission quit shifting. Moving in forward requires shifting into low gear, then manually upshifting as speed increases, but transmission shudders violently under the mildest of acceleration.

General Comments:

This vehicle is in the shop right now, awaiting an estimate for transmission repairs. I've owned several makes and models since 1976, and have never had this type of problem in even very old vehicles. This van is four years old, only slightly above average in terms of mileage, and it's falling apart at every turn. This is not only my last Pontiac, it's my last GM product. I'll never buy another.

Faults:

Interior began to show wear rather quickly. Plastic trim very cheaply made, seats made from thin fabric that does not hold up well to normal use.

At 28000 miles we had to replace all four General XP 2000 gold seal tires because the side walls delaminated. General replace tires, but we had to pay for mounting ($52.00) Service department at Sears (authorized warranty center) failed to tighten lug nuts, They came loose and damaged the lugs and one front wheel. ($180.00)

At 30000 miles coolant began leaking into engine from a bad head gasket.

At 34000 miles right rear brake wheel cylinder began to leak, ruined brake shoes which are not covered by warranty. ($35.00)

At a little more that 46000 miles the oil pump self destructed and took the rest of the engine with it. ($4000.00+)

A series of electrical problems haunted us from the very beginning. The head lights would collect water and blow the bulbs, left tail light shorted out and melted the light socket, both turn signal indicators would flash when making a right turn.

General Comments:

Over all our Montana was a real disappointment. After owning several Pontiacs including a 1989 Grand Prix which we still drive with a 146,000 miles on it, we expected more from Pontiac. Be cautious about buying one of these vans, ours left my wife and 6 year old twins stranded on I-75 for two hours when the engine went.