Faults:

I have had my Pontiac Mini Van for 2 years now and except for normal wear and tear items such as brakes and windsheild wipers, I have not had any major problems.

But last week I had my first major problem which was my Intake Manifold Gasket on the engine wore out at 116,000 kms and caused my heater and de-frost to stop working. This is about a $400.00 job plus taxes.

My mechanic says that this is quite a common problem with the 3400 engine.

I am still in shock as my van has been so reliable except for this set back.

General Comments:

My van drives more like a car then a minivan.

The interior in the van could be a little better made as my driver's seat has already worn out.

Faults:

Transmission went at

125000km.

ABS light comes on.

ABS makes loud noise.

Windows rattle.

General Comments:

The van has a quiet ride (except the windows rattling).The stereo sounds good and it is very spacious inside yet looks compact from outside.

Faults:

I am putting $2000.00 - 3000.00/ yr in repairs into the vehicle. The transmissions in these gm products are crappy. It starts with hard shifting which they claim is the control selenoid sensor. You can only access this by taking out the whole transmission. This was replaced for over $700.00. This did not fix my problem. I took it to a transmission shop and they rebuilt the whole transmission for $3075.00 (and they gave me a deal) Gm has, but out several bulletens on this transmission, but will not take responsibility in admitting that it is a weak transmission and lets the consumer pay for it. Be aware its not only in the Montanas. The transmission is in quite a few Gm product. My air flow sensor has had to be replaced and head gasket on the engine. Other repairs have been done as well, parts that should were better than they have.

General Comments:

Other than mechanical and transmission problems has great space. 8 passenger vehicle with removable seats is nice. Built in child seat, self levelling hydraulic on the back axel for towing loads, nice dark tinted windows. gas mileage is pretty good for a minivan. coffee holders sucks, but the dashboard and driving area is nice.

Faults:

Notorious intake manifold gasket failure at 89000.

Water pump & serpentine belt replaced at 89000.

Tie rod end replaced at 70000.

Driving/fog lamp burned out at 70000; cannot easily be replaced by owner and requires front wheel and fender liner removal to do so.

Suspension bushing replaced at 70000.

Clunking in front end during third year of ownership; dealer couldn't diagnose and problem disappeared.

Air bag warning light has appeared intermittently since new; dealer has reset several times. I ignore it now.

Factory stereo volume control is finicky; volume sometimes goes up when turned down.

Tachometer sometimes stops functioning.

Driver's seat replaced during second year of ownership after plastic piece wore through the fabric from underneath.

General Comments:

Fortunately I keep an eye on fluid levels and caught the coolant leaks (manifold gasket, water pump) before the thing ran dry and could damage the engine.

This van was a pleasure to own for the first four years or so, despite the nagging faults noted above, as it is comfortable and handles well for a van. However after 70000 kilos it has become a maintenance nightmare, costing us over $2000 this year alone.

In my opinion the intake manifold gasket fault merits a class action lawsuit.

My advice to TransSport/Montana owners: get rid of it as soon as the warranty is up. I wish I had.

General Motors has lost a customer... for good.

Faults:

ABS light came on a few times in the winter; I think due to snow in the tires rather than the cold, as one reviewer suggested in an early model. However, the problem seems to have solved itself.

Brake rotors were replaced early, under warranty.

General Comments:

It handles comfortably enough; feels like a much smaller vehicle than it is. Solid amount of space. I can't imagine a costlier mini-van being worth the money. All around, a good deal.