NHTSA Complaint #754280 — 1999 PONTIAC MONTANA

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