1999 Pontiac Montana Fuel system Problems

DT: CONSUMER'S WIFE FILLED GASOLINE TANK UP IN RICHMOND AND DROVE HOME 125 MILES AND THE TANK RAN ALMOST EMPTY. THIS WAS A 26 GALLON TANK. THE EMERGENCY/LOW FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN SHE GOT HOME THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FORM THE CAR. CONSUMER TURNED ON THE IGNITION AND THERE WAS IMMEDIATE GUSHING OF GASOLINE AT THE CONJUNCTION OF WHERE THE PLASTIC AND METAL FUEL LINES MET RIGHT UNDER THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT. DID NOT TAKE VEHICLE TO A DEALER BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED. CONSUMER JACKED CAR UP AND REMOVED THE INTERMEDIATE LINE AND THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE WAS SLIGHTLY MELTED. THE METAL LINE WAS CORRODED AND RUSTED. THE FITTINGS WERE MELTED AND DISINTEGRATED. ALL THREE LINES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONNECTIONS WERE SNAPPED ON CORRECTLY. WHEN THIS WAS ALL COMPLETED CONSUMER TESTED IT BY TURNING ON THE IGNITION. WHEN IGNITION WAS TURNED ON STARTED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND THE GASOLINE GUSHED OUT A FOOT TO THE RIGHT SIDE. DISCOVERED THERE WAS RUST AND A HOLE IN THE METAL SUPPLY LINE GOING TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS LINE CAN NOT BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM HAS TO BE PURCHASED. THIS IS A 6 YEAR OLD AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10134056

Incident

Aug 16, 2005

Mileage

51,000 mi

MY PONTIAC MONTANA HAD A FUEL INJECTOR GO BAD AT 76,000 MILES. THERE REPAIR SHOP WHO DID THE LABOR AND REPAIR SAID THEY HAVE HAD VENTURES AND OLDS VANS DO THE SAME THING. THIS SHOP IS A MASTER MECHANIC CERTIFIED. *NM

NHTSA ID

10131905

Incident

Jul 22, 2005

I HAVE A 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH A 3.4LTR ENGINE. AFTER 40,000 MILES I BEGAN HAVE FUEL INJECTOR MALFUNCTIONS. ON AUGUST 4, 2004, AFTER SEVERAL INJECTOR CLEANINGS, I DECIDE TO HAVE ALL THE INJECTORS REPLACED WITH OEM GM INJECTORS. UNFORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT CURE THE PROBLEM SINCE I HAVE LATER DISCOVERED, THE OEM INJECTORS FOR GM'S 3.4LTR ENGINES HAVE AN INHERANT DEFECT - THE MAGNET THAT IS USED TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE INJECTOR IS VERY WEAK. WHEN EVER THE INJECTOR ENCOUNTERS SMALL DIRT PARTICLES THE INJECTOR REMAINS SHUT, THEREFORE CAUSING THE CYLINDER TO MISFIRE. SINCE AUGUST OF 2004, I HAVE HAD MY VAN IN THE SHOP SEVEN TIMES TO HAVE THE INJECTORS CLEANED. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE MY INJECTORS CLEANED AGAIN NEXT WEEK. I HAVE NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, SPOKE TO 4 REPRESENATIVES AND THEY CLAIM SINCE THE VAN IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY CAN NOT ASSIST ME IN RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM. I MIGHT ADD, THAT THEIR ATTITUDE IS VERY CAVALIER AND MATTER-OF-FACT. THE SAFETY ISSUE: THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE INJECTORS CREATES A SEVER LOSS OF ACCELERATION POWER. ON TWO RECENT OCCASSIONS, MY WIFE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS A 45MPH HWY AND WAS NEARLY HIT BROADSIDE BY AN ONCOMING AUTO. THE VAN LOST POWER HALFWAY INTO THE INTERSECTION. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO YOU ARE UNWARE OF WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. I SPOKE TO TWO MECHANICS WHO SAY THE INJECTOR ISSUE IS CHRONIC ON THE 3.4LTR GM ENGINES. THEY DO NOT SEE THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER MAKES OF VEHICLES. PLEASE HELP ME TO GET GM'S ATTENTION BEFORE I HAVE TO ATTEND MY WFE OR 16 YEAR DAUGHTERS FUNERAL OR MY WIFE AND CHILDREN LOOSE THEIR FATHER IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

NHTSA ID

10121607

Incident

Apr 30, 2005

Mileage

40,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED AND WAS CAUSING FLUID TO LINK OUT. DEALER NOTIFIED.-*AK

NHTSA ID

8017207

Incident

Aug 15, 2002

CONSUMER REPORTING A CRACK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, CAUSES LEAKS AND A KNOCKING IN THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME.*JB

NHTSA ID

8009036

Incident

Apr 10, 2002

I WRITING TO EXPRESS DISSATISFACTION 2 MAJOR COMPONENT FAILURES OCCURRED ON A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES. THE INTAKE LEAK APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM - BUYER BEWARE. I CAN UNDERSTAND DISC PAD WEAR, BUT NOT MAJOR BRAKE SYSTEM REPLACEMENT/REPAIR. THE MECHANIC ALSO NOTED EXCESSIVE LIFTER NOISE; I FEAR THIS OBSERVATION WILL LEAD TO MORE MAJOR REPAIR WORK. THE DEALER HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE. MY COMPLAINT IS INTENDED FOR THE MANUFACTURERE AND OTHER CONSUMERS. I WILL NOT BE A GOOD REFERRAL FOR PROSPECTIVE MINIVAN OWNERS - ESSENTIALLY MY ENTIRE SOCIAL BASE FITS THE DEMOGRAPHIC FOR MINIVAN BUYERS. *AK

NHTSA ID

756909

Incident

Dec 26, 2001

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WILL COME ON, AND TRANSMISSION ROUGHLY WILL SHIFT GEAR. VEHICLE AT DEALER, THEY WILL FLUSH FUEL INJECTORS.*AK *SLC

NHTSA ID

888433

Incident

Mar 24, 2000

FUEL PUMP FAILED WITH ONLY 43000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT IT IS VERY RARE FOR A FUEL PUMP TO FAIL WITH SUCH FEW MILES.REPAIR BILL FOR PROBLEM WAS $705. THE REASON I OWN NEWER VEHICLES IS SO I DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY AT A REPAIR SHOP. WITH MY CAR PAYMENT AND THE COST OF THE REPAIR I WILL HAVE SPENT $1055 IN ONE MONTH TO KEEP UP A 1999 VEHICLE, WHICH IS REDICULOUS.

NHTSA ID

734782

Incident

Oct 18, 2000

WHEN STOPPING AND ACCELERATING YOU GET A JERK AND A THUMP LIKE SOMEONE HAS HIT YOU FROM BEHIND. DEALERSHIP STATES "AFTER TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM" FOR MORE THEN 4 TIMES THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE MOVEMENT OF FUEL IN THE FUEL TANK AND IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS KIND OF VEHICLE IN THIS MODEL YEAR. MOREOVER THEY STATE THAT EYERY VEHICLE IN THIS MODEL YEAR HAS THE SAME CHARECTERISTIC. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BACKED THE CLAIM OF THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS IS NORMAL TO GET A JERK AND THUMP WHEN STOPPING AND ACCELERATING. PLEASE ADVISE THAT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH SUCH VIOLENT MOVEMENT OF FUEL IN FUEL TANK AND IF IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH COULD RESULT IN FAILURE OF PART AND POSSIBLE FIRE OR FAILURE OF ANY OTHER PART AND IF THIS IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS VEHICLE AS THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURE STATES. *AK

NHTSA ID

721335

Incident

Oct 20, 1999

WHEN THE AIR FILTER ON THESE VEHICLES ARE CHANGED. THERE IS A CLAMP AND TUBING WHICH MUST BE MOVED TO PERFORM THE CHANGE. IF THE CLAMP IS NOT PLACED BACK EXACTLY CORRECTLY, THE CAR CAN SLINK THE ACCELERATOR CABLE UNDER THE CLAMP, AND CAUSE THE CAR TO

NHTSA ID

715843

Incident

Nov 29, 1999