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 2001 Pontiac Montana submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 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
EVER SINCE MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT THE VAN IT WHEN YOU PUT IT IN A GEAR AND STEP ON THE GAS IT WOULD REV THE ENGINE AND HIT HARD IN GEAR AND CAUSING THE VAN TO JERK HARD WE TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHERE WE WERE TOLD AND HE SAID IT WAS THE DRIVE SHAFT AND REPLACED IT AND IT SHOULD NOT JERK NO MORE BUT IT SEEMS TO BE WORSE THAN IT WAS WHEN THEY FIXED IT. *TR
DT: THE CONTACT STATES THAT HER 2001 PONTIAC MONTERO WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS FILLING WITH WATER WHEN IT RAINS. THIS HAPPENED FOR THREE YEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY A DEALERSHIP THREE YEARS AGO. NOW THERE IS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS GETTING WET WHEN IT RAINS. THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE IS GETTING WET ALSO. THE DASHBOARD AND INSTRUMENT PANEL IS GETTING WET. HAD TO PUT A TOWEL ON THE DASHBOARD TO KEEP IT DRY. THE TRANSMISSION IWASNOT WORKING, AND IN ORDER TO TAKE IT DOWN, THE MECHANIC WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE CONTACT DID NOT WANT TO PAY THAT HIGH PRICE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE FIXED.*AK
VEHICLE MADE A CLUNK ON SUNDAY JUNE 19,2005 WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND GOING INTO DRIVE. DROVE IT HOME 80 MILES WITHOUT ANY OTHER SYMPTOM. DROVE VEHICLE THE NEXT DAY 3 MILES, AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD A MAJOR INTERNAL FAILURE WHILE TAKING OFF FROM A STOP LIGHT. WIFE AND 2 SMALL CHILDREN WERE STRANDED IN AN INTERSECTION WITH A VEHICLE THAT WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP. NEEDS A $2800 TRANSMISSION REPAIR. DEALER IN POSSESION OF OLD PARTS.
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2001 PONTIAC MONTANA MINIVAN FAILED AT 61,700 MILES. I HAD PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 60,000 MILES. THROUGH THE DEALERS HELP, GM WILL ABSORB HALF THE COST OF THE $2,000 REPAIR. *AK
AT 60,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION IS JUNK. I TOOK MY VAN TO TWO DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION SHOPS AND BOTH SAID THE SAME THING, IT NEEDS TO BE REPALCED OR REBUILT! I QUOTE "WE SEE ALOT OF THESE PONTIAC MONTANAS COME IN, THE TRANSMISSION GIVES OUT BETWEEN 50,000 AND 70,000 MILES." THE PLANETARY GEARS ARE SHOT, 4TH CLUTCH GONE, METAL DEBRIS THROUGH OUT THE TRANSMISSION!!!!*AK
UPON STARTING VEHICLE, AFTER IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN AND PARKED, IT LAUNCHED FORWARD. THEN, AFTER DRIVING FOR A MILE, VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE WHEN CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO PARK IN DRIVEWAY. DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
2001 PONTIAC MONTANA. THIS VAN IS NOW A PAPER WEIGHT IN MY DRIVE. AFTER 53,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT! OF COURSE THE WARRANTY IS NULL AND VOID SO I WILL HAVE TO COUGH UP $2000.00 - $3000.00. NOT A HAPPY PONTIAC OWNER!!!!!! *JB
AT 64,000 THE TRANSMISSION BROKE. I WAS TOLD IT HAS DAMAGED GEARS IN IT WHICH CAUSED METAL FRAGMENTS TO DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION AND IT WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AFTER LOOKING ON THIS WEBSITE AND SPEAKING TO PREVIOUS OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS DOWN INCLINES WHEN IN DRIVE. ALSO, ROLLS FORWARDS WHEN IN REVERSE. HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. *JB
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN GEAR THERE IS A SCRAPING NOISE. THIS NOISE WAS FIRST NOTICEABLE IN REVERSE ONLY. HOWEVER IT STARTED HAPPENING IN DRIVE AS WELL. ALSO WHEN BRAKING AT INTERSECTIONS THE ENGINE COMPLETELY DISENGAGES AND FREE WHEELS. THEN WHEN ACCELERATING AGAIN IT TAKES A SECOND OR TWO FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO RE-ENGAGE. THE DEALERSHIP HEARD THE NOISE AND EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM. THEN THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY BROKE ON THEIR DRIVE DURING THIS PROBLEM'S EVALUATION. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 41,500 MILES. THERE WAS INTERNAL METAL DEBRIS THROUGHOUT AS WELL AS LOTS OF GEAR DAMAGE. *PH
TRANSAXLE SLIPS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AS ENGINE TEMPERATURE REACHES 200 DEGREES. SLIPPAGE INCREACES AS TEMPERATURE INCREASES OVER 200 DEGREES. DEALER CANNOT REPRODUCE DURING SHORT TEST DRIVES. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 35,000 MILES ON TRANSAXLE.
SUN GEARS SEPERATED. CONTAMINATED TRANSAXLE INTERNALLY. DT
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO JERK REALLY HARD. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION.*AK THERE IS A CLUNKING/CRUNCHING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE WHEN PUTTING VEHICLE INTO GEAR, SHUTTER UNDER ACCELERATION, DEALER FOUND THAT THE FUEL SENDER O-RING WAS LEAKING, ALSO THE TRANSMISSION PAN WAS FULL OF METAL.
TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO GEAR ,TRANMISSION SURGES AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. *AK
VAN SLIDES BACKWARDS WHILE STOPPED ON AN INCLINE IF THE FOOT IS OFF THE BRAKE. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE,IF I STOP ON AN INCLINE AND THEN RELEASE THE FOOT BRAKE TO RESUME DRIVING , THE VAN ROLLS BACKWARDS. WE SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE KOONS OF MANASSAS. WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS IS A NORMAL FEATURE FOR THIS TYPE OF ENGINE AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS. WE REQUEST.YOU TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM, THANK YOU
CONSUMER STATES WHILE STOPPED AT AN INCLINE AND FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, VEHICLE WILL BEGIN TO MOVE BACKWARD, CONSUMER FEELS THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *SLC
JUNE 16, 2001 WHILE DRIVING IN PARKING LOT VEHICLE SHUTOFF AND DID NOT RESTART. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER WROTE ON INVOICE WIRING STARTING RELAY TO PCM/AND FUSES WERE BAD. ON JULY 3 SAME DEFECT OCCURRED IN PARKING LOT, VEHICLE SHUT OFF. TOWED TO DEALER . *AK *SLC
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 .