Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. 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. 26 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.
The 25 most recent of 26, in the owner's own words
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. WHEN CHANGING GEARS TRANSMISSION HAD A HARD SHIFT. WHEN STARTING FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER THERE WAS A WINDING NOISE THAT COULD BE HEARD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *AK CONSUMER FELT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON VEHICLE. *AK
1999 PONTIAC MONTANNA MINIVAN. THE TRANSMISSION REPEATEDLY SLAMS / HAMMERS INTO GEAR. RESOLUTION IS TO STOP VAN AND RESTART VEHICLE, MOST TIMES THIS STOPS IT UNTILL IT STARTS ACTING UP AGAIN. THIS CAN HAPPEN 7 TIMES IN A 50 MILE TRIP OR ONLY ONCE. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO HAVE TO STOP IN HEAVY TRAFFIC TO DO THIS. THE POWER DOOR IS ALSO A PROBLEM. WILL NOT SHUT PROPERLY, HAVE TO CLOSE 3 TIMES BEFORE IT WILL FINALLY CLOSE.*AK
INTERMITTENTLY TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT VERY ROUGH AND HARD, AND TRANSMISSION EMITS A WHINING NOISE. ONCE IT STARTS, IT CONTINUES UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND RESETS. IT APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE VEHICLE INCREASES TO ABOUT 210, BUT IT'S NOT CONSISTENT. ALSO HAD INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS REPLACES FOR $700.*AK
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT PROPERLY IN COLD WEATHER. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES; HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS WITHOUT WARNING. THIS WOULD CAUSE A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *NM
INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. NEEDED REPLACEMENT AFTER LOSS OF COOLANT INTO OIL. EVEDENTLY A COMMON DEFECT. $700. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AT 24K MILES. DEALER FIXED. AT 79K MILES NEEDED REPLACEMENT FOR $3300. *AK
VAN SHIFTS HARD AND OFTEN MAKES A LOUD "CLUNKING" NOISE. DEALER RECOMMENDS ~ $1100 IN REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION, SEVERAL NON-DEALER REPAIR SHOPS RECOMMEND REBUILDING THE TRANSMISSION FOR ~ $1400. PROBLEM STARTED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND NOW SEEMS RELATIVELY SEVERE WITH THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT NOW ON CONSISTANTLY. PROBLEM SEEMS TO GO AWAY IF THE VAN IS SHUT OFF FOR A SMALL LENGTH OF TIME. ANOTHER TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND YET NO RECALL. RED
TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD, LATE AT TIMES. RADIO/CD SCREEN IS GARBLED LOOSE SRS CONNECTORS POWER LOCK PROBLEMS SLIDING DOOR PROBLEMS *LA
TRANSMISSION QUIT RUNNING WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE WITH NO WARNING. *PH
I HAD THREE TRANSMISSIONS, A CRACKED HEAD BECAUSE OF OVER HEATING, WATER PUMP AND HEAT SENSOR, OIL IN ONE CYLINDER, A SHORT IN THE REAR LIGHTS WITH DEALER SAYING I (SHOULD REPLACE THE LIGHTING STRUCTURE ON BOTH SIDES) $200.00. ABS SYSTEM SENSOR FRONT RIGHT SIDE WIRE BURNED THROUGH $500.00. THE $200.00 AND $500.00 I HAVE NOT DONE YET, SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL IT'S AN EVEN $1000.00 MORE TO SPEND MORE MONEY? THERE ARE MORE PROBLEMS.*JB
I HAVE A '99 PONTIAC MONTANA WITH GM'S INFAMOUS V6 3.4L ENGINE. JUST HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET JOB AT 56.5K MILES. THIS IS A NOTED PROBLEM, WITH SUDDEN OVER HEATING AND THE CAR STOPPED ON MY WIFE. ALSO THE VEHICLE IS ON ITS THIRD TRANMISSION.*JB
COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE REPLACEMENT COST $2600. THIS WAS CAUSED BY AN INTERNAL RADIATOR FAILURE, WHICH TRANSMISSION FLUID INTO THE ENGINE COOLANT, DESTROYING ENGINE GASKETS AND REQUIRING $1700 IN ENGINE REPAIRS. THAT'S $4300 IN ONE MONTH, ON A FOUR YEAR OLD VEHICLE. NOTE THE NUMBER OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS REPORTED ON THIS VEHICLE. WHY NO RECALL? DT
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL HESITATE TO SHIFT GEARS,AND WILL SHAKE IF SUDDENLY STOPPED.DEALER CONTACTED.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WE HAVE OCCASIONALLY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING HARD, WHINING & BANGING INTO GEAR-THIS GOES AWAY IF YOU TURN THE VEHICLE OFF & THEN BACK ON . IT OCCURRS AT SLOWER SPEEDS NOT HIGHWAY SPEEDS & SEEMS TO HAPPEN ONLY ON SHORT TRIPS OR LONGER TRIPS WITH SEVERAL STOPS. RECENTLY THERE WAS A COOLANT LEAK IN THE SYSTEM , WHICH A LOCAL SHOP "REPAIRED" FOR $67 THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. ALMOST TWO WEEKS LATER THE VEHICLE BEGAN RUNNING HOT AGAIN & WE WERE THEN TOLD IT NEEDED A NEW HEAD GASKET. WE HAD THE VEHICLE BACK FOR A WEEK WHEN AFTER GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY & STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT THE VEHICLE STARTED TO STALL & THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER PARKING THE CAR & RESTARTING IT -IT STARTED MAKING A HORRIBLE SOUND & WE HAD IT TOWED IN TO THE NEAREST PONTIAC DEALER. THERE WE WERE TOLD THAT THE HEAD GASKET SHOULDNT HAVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED THAT THOSE ENGINES ALMOST NEVER LEAK FROM THE HEAD GASKET BUT APPARANTLY THEY COMMONLY LEAK FROM THE INTAKE VALVES. IN ADDITION, THEY SAID THAT THE GARAGE THAT DID THE HEAD GASKET DID SOMETHING WRONG WHICH CAUSED A BLOCKAGE IN THE ENGINE & PREVENTED OIL FROM GETTING INTO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. THEY SAID THERE WERE TWO BOLTS THAT WERE LOOSE & EVENTUALLY FOUND TO BE SHEARED OFF & THAT ONE OF THE OUTER HEADES-NOT THE CYLINDER HEADS - WERE CRACKED. I HAVE NO WAY OF FINDING OUT WHAT ACTUALLY CAUSED THE ENGINE FAILURE. I FOUND NO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE HEAD GASKETS OR THE INTAKE VALVES. RIF THE ENGINE HAD TO HEADS A ARDIASTIOTNETRSTARTING CCOR. *AK
PURCHAUSED USED (6 MONTHS OLD) HAVE NOW OWNED AUTO FOR 2 YEARS. AT 38000 MILES TRANSMISSION STARTING SHIFTING HARSH AT TIMES, HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. ENGINE HAS STARTED ACTING AS IF IT IS GOING TO STALL FOR NO APPARENT REASON. RADIO HAS BEEN REPLACED 3-4 TIME, DUE TO GARBBLED DISPLAY. MOST RECENTLY HOWEVER, I HAD DOOR LOCKS REPAIRED, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WIRES TO THE LOCKS WERE DAMAGED DUE TO THE WATER INTRUSION CAUSED BY THE AIR CONDITIONING LEAK INTO THE AUTO INSTEAD OF OUTSIDE THE AUTO.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WILL COME ON, AND TRANSMISSION ROUGHLY WILL SHIFT GEAR. VEHICLE AT DEALER, THEY WILL FLUSH FUEL INJECTORS.*AK *SLC
THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH CONNECTION WAS LOOSE CAUSING THE ABS LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. NLM
VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN DEALER'S REPAIR SHOP OVER 6 TIMES FOR TRANSMISSION. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION, AND VEHICLE JUMPS AND JERKS.*AK
VEHICLE WILL DRIFT BACKWARD WHEN STOPPED ON HILL IN DRIVE GEAR(FORWARD)AND WITHOUT BRAKE BEING DEPRESSED. SAME SITUATION WILL HAPPEN WHEN IN REVERSE GEAR POINTING DOWNHILL WHEN BRAKE IS LET OFF (THE VEHICLE WILL COAST IN FORWARD DIRECTION). I FEEL THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD CATCH AND PREVENT THIS MOTION. ALL OTHER AUTOMATICS THAT I HAVE DRIVEN HAVE NOT EXHIBITTED THIS PROBLEM. *AK
THE VAN HAS STALL/HESISTATED IN TRAFFICE WHILE TRAVELING 60MPH. THERE HAVE BEEN 8 VISITS TO TRY AND CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. SPARK PLUG REPLACED, PISTONS REPLACED, MOTOR REPLACED AND TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN WORKED ON FOR A SECOND TIME.
TRAANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD IN ALL GEARS, INTERMITENTLY AFTER DRIVING AROUND TOWN AT SLOW TO MODERATE SPEEDS. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. YH
INTERMITTENTLY, TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT VERY ROUGH AND HARD, AND TRANSMISSION EMITS A WHINING NOISE. ONCE IT STARTS, IT CONTINUES UNTIL THE VEHICLE RESTS. ALSO, AFTER DRIVING A DISTANCE CONTINUOUSLY OF 200 MILES OR MORE, THE VEHICLE WILL CONSISTENTLY STALL AT RED LIGHTS OR STOPSIGNS UNTIL IT HAS RESTED AT LEAST A FEW HOURS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING CAR SOMETIMES JERKS AND WILL CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. *AK
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
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