1st Oct 2007, 09:24
I bought a 2001 aztek gt about 8 months ago. 2 months later the ac need to be replaced. I also replaced the front brakes. The car had about 72G on it when I got it. It now is pushing 85G. Considering the miles, the repairs to date really haven't been bad, and the car is very cool looking. The GT interior is really nice (nice leather, and tunes, with heads up F16 type display on windshield). I am very happy with it, and would recommend it as a used car. Now if only I can figure out how to use the roof rack. I am in the process of buying a used owner's manual on ebay, but in the meantime, I would appreciate any info on how to adjust the racks. I have a canoe that I would love to put up there this coming weekend, but the two racks are pushed way to close together.
Thanks, Tina (Florida)
4th May 2009, 20:58
DON'T BUY IT!!! I have replaced brake pads, tires, air conditioner condenser, rocker arms, intake gaskets, water pump, blinker bulbs, battery, just to name a few things in the three years I have owned it, and it still overheats!
12th May 2009, 16:13
If enough people email Pontiac, they will look into a possible recall. They told me if there is a recall, and you already paid to have the problem fixed, they will reimburse you.
10th Feb 2010, 18:28
I have a 2001 Aztek bought used in 2004 with 44,000 miles on it. I now have 118,000 miles and up to now it has been a defect free car.
For the last 8 months I have had a continuous problem with the temp gauge going to full hot, bells ringing and then the engine looses all power. I have had the radiator, thermostat, hoses, spark plugs, plug coils (rusted out), plug cables, coolant flush, and misc items replace to cure the problem. Nothing has worked.
3 months after all the repairs the temp gauge goes to hot, bells ring, and the engine still loses power. Car is now worth 3,500 and I owe 4,000. If anyone else has had this problem and fixed it HELP!!! What did you do???
5th Mar 2010, 11:54
I bought my 2001 Aztek GT (every option except OnStar and heated seats) in 2001 and it currently has 78K on it.
There seem to be two things that go wrong on all of them.
The AC compressor is bolted on in such a way that it becomes a stressed member of the frame. Drive it over enough bumpy roads and it cracks the case. Happened to mine under warranty.
The Body Control Module (BCM) has some issues that manifest in various odd ways. If bells ring, gauges go crazy etc. that's probably the cause. In my case the back hatch would no longer open (there's no mechanical way to open it, the lock is electronic only). The BCM was replaced under extended warranty. No problems since.
Also, the back hatch was poorly designed. This isn't a repair issue as it can't be repaired. It's simply too heavy for the latch opening mechanism to consistently open. If it's below 80 degree mine will not open on the first try. Once I open it once, it will open on the first try the rest of the day.
I've bought one set of tires (even got the exact OEM Dunlops as they lasted 60k) and one brake job. And a couple of headlight and blinker bulbs.
The only real repair was the lower intake manifold gasket began to leak (or so I was told, I never saw any drips nor did the car have any performance issues). In numerous GM cars this was made out of stamped plastic (which Dexcool apparently eats like donuts) instead of the more common rubber. There was a class action lawsuit that GM settled (after annoying thousands of their customers of course) and you could get a prorated rebate. By the time I found out, I was three months out of rebate period. That cost around $600.
Other than that, the car's been great. It's a great way to camp. It hauls a ton of stuff. The heads-up display is cool. I never worry that anyone will steal it.
Every model has its lemons, and while the Aztek won't win any quality awards (but no GM-made car would), you can get them at really good prices and they're unique.
10th Apr 2010, 21:12
OMG, we bought an Aztek. Had it 3 months; ran hot with no warning besides the gauge ran hot, then shut off, and now we've bought a motor for it. Now seeing all this about the Aztek, I don't know what to do. This is so crazy, seeing all this, and it sounds just like me and my wife's problem. Wish we all could complain to GM and get another vehicle or something.
20th Jun 2010, 12:09
I own a 2001 Aztek. My rear hatch wouldn't open and the A/C quit blowing cold air on the same day. I searched web "rear+hatch+Aztek" and found instructions to remove fuse #28 for a count of "10" and then replace fuse. This corrected both issues. A/C & hatch release both work as before.
21st Sep 2007, 08:17
The 2002 aztek I got has similar issues with heating problems... the mechanic had to take apart the whole engine and change a bunch of parts because it had a water leak and even after it was fixed it still overheats.