Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Pontiac Montana submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
FRONT/REAR SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT BACK TO THE LOCKING POSITION. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO WEAR THE SEAT BELT WHILE DRIVING/RIDING IN THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK
ENGINE: INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. I FOLLOWED THRU WITH A COMPLAINT TO THE BBB AND TO PONTIAC'S 800 NUMBER. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO HAVE THE VAN DIAGNOSED AT A GM DEALER BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE DONE BY PONTIAC. MY DEALER QUALITY PONTIAC IN COCOA, FLORIDA LOOKED AT THE VAN AND AGREED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING (NOVEMBER 2002). QUALITY INFORMED ME IT WOULD BE ABOUT $500 TO REPAIR. A PHONE CALL TO PONTIAC'S 800 # PUT PRESSURE ON THE DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED THE WORK FOR $100 PLUS EXTRA FOR A COOLANT FLUSH. THE TOTAL WAS AROUND $180. SUPPOSEDLY THE WORK CAME WITH A 12 MONTH 12000 MILE WARRANTY. I THINK THE VAN HAD 58000 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED. LOOKING BACK I HAVE A FEELING IT STARTED LEAKING EARLIER. TODAY WE HAVE 70500 MILES ON THE VAN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS COMING ON. THE CODES INDICATE THAT ENGINE CYLINDER 5 IS MISFIRING. WE HAD NEW SPARK PLUGS PUT IN AND WILL NOW TRY NEW SPARK PLUG WIRES. IF THAT DOESN'T FIX IT THEN WE MAY NEED TO PUT IN NEW FUEL INJECTORS. MY COMPLAINTS TO DATE WITH THIS VEHICLES ARE: 1. ORIGINAL TIRES WORE OUT AT 24000 MILES $500 2. BATTERY DIED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS. $0 3. DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED $ 156 - AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. 4. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED $180 5. SLIDING POWER DOOR MODULE FAILED 4 TIMES. $0 6. FRONT BRAKES DRUMS WARPED AT ~35000 MILES $250. FRONT ROTORS CUT AND PADS REPLACED. 7. WINDSHIELD BUZZED FROM THE DAY WE BOUGHT IT (2 YEARS) AND TOOK US THREATENING THE LEMON LAW TO GET IT FIXED.
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT STUCK IN THE HOLSTER DUE TO THE BELT FRAYING ON BOTH SIDES TO RELEASE THE BELT FROM BEING STUCK IN THE HOLSTER. *AK *SC *JB
RECALL 02 V 027 000/AIR BAG. A FEW DAYS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER HARRY ROBINSON PONTIAC, FORTH SMITH, AR 501-646-8600, HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT LIGHT ILLUMINATED BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE RESTRAINT BELT RETRACTOR. *AK. CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLVED.*JB
MY CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD AND THE SEATBELT PRETENSION IS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON, POTENTIALLY CAN CAUSE AIRBAG TO ENGAGE. PAST 36,000 M NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND GM WILL NOT REPAIR FOR DEFECT. *AK
ALL OF THE SEATBELTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE REAR OF VEHICLE DO NOT RETRACT. CONSUMER HAS TO FEED SEATBELT BACK INTO RETRACTOR TO AVOID BELTS FROM HANGING OUT OF VEHICLE DOOR. WHEN CHILD REACHES FORWARD SEAT BELT BELT DOES NOT TIGHTEN BACK UP AROUND CHILD. CONSUMER HAS YET TO CONTACT THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
ALL OF THE REAR SEAT BELTS HAVE FIXED INSTEAD OF FLEXIBLE FEMALE RECEPTORS. BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT RECEPTORS ARE FIXED IN A FORWARD TILTING POSITION, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A SECURE FIT FOR A FORWARD FACING TODDLER/BOOSTER SEAT. I HAVE TRIED SEVEN DIFFERENT SEATS AND HAVE FAILED TWO NHTSA SAFETY CHECKS. TO DATE, THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM OR PROVIDE ME WITH A SOLUTION. MEANWHILE I HAVE AN 18MTH OLD TODDLER AND AN INFANT DUE IN DEC. THAT I CAN NOT SAFELY PUT IN MY VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS CLEARLY THE SEAT BELT RECEPTOR POSITIONING,AS I HAVE TRIED MANY DIFFRENT BRAND AND MODELS WITH SIMILAR RESULTS. THE CHILD RESTRAINTS MUST BE PLACES SO FAR FORWARD IN ORDER TO ACCOMODATE THE FORWARD TILTING SEAT BELT RECEPTOR THAT THE CAR SEAT SWIVELS SIDE TO SIDE TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT THE CHILD'S SAFETY IS COMPROMISED.
ON APRIL 17, 1999, MY HUSBAND TRIED TO ENGAGE HIS SEATBELT PROPERLY, AND IT PULLED ALL THE WAY OUT, AND WOULDN'T GO BACK IN. ON APRIL 29, 1999, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY, LET MY KIDS OUT WITH THE POWER DOOR, MY SON TRIED TO CLOSE IT WITH THE POWER SWITCH, IT WOULDN'T CLOSE, SO HE TRIED TO CLOSE IT MANUALLY, AND IT WOULDN'T BUDGE. I TRIED TO CLOSE IT MANUALLY, AND COULDN'T. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TO GET IT CLOSED, BUT THE POWER STILL DIDN'T WORK.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .