2002 PONTIAC MONTANA Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

BOUGHT MY CAR USED IN 2006,AIR BAG LIGHT HAS COME ON A FEW YEARS LATER,DEALER WON'T FIX IT BECAUSE I DON'T QUALIFY FOR RECALL,TELLS ME CAR CAME FROM CANADA. DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU CHECK MY VIN IS ALSO REGISTERED IN THE US. MY CAR IS NOW LEAKING COOLANT,ONE REPAIR SHOP IS SURE IT'S THE INTAKE GASKET,BUT I CAN'T GET THIS FIXED EITHER BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNDER RECALL YET I DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND FOUND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE GETTING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I SURE WISH I COULD QUALIFY FOR AT LEAST ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I'M HAVING. *TR

CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT ONLY 104,000 MILES WITHOUT ANY WARNING. PROBABLY DUE TO DEXCOOL BUT UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT BECAUSE FAILURE HAPPENED AFTER CLASS ACTION DEADLINE. THIS IS STILL HAPPENING WITH THESE GM VEHICLES BUT NO RECALL IS BEING ISSUED. IN OUR CASE, HAD CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, STRANDING US IN A VERY DANGEROUS POSITION. *TR

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED, RESULTING IN COOLANT LEAK. REPLACEMENT OF GASKET RESULTING IN COSTLY REPAIR AT ONLY 52000 MILES. *AK

INTAKE VALVE FAILURE CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. COULD HAVE LED TO A FIRE. MECHANICS SAY THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT GM HAS REDESIGNED THE INTAKE VALVES THAT ARE REUSED IN THE REPAIR. SEVERAL OTHERS IN THIS AREA HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THIS ENGINE, WHICH WAS USED IN THE GRAND AM CARS AS WELL. SEARCHES ON THE WEB ALSO SHOW THAT MANY, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR OTHER ISSUES AT AN INDEPENDENT DEALER; COOLANT WAS OBSERVED TO BE LEAKING AT THE SEAL OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.

ENGINE HEAD GASKET LEAKED. PONTIAC DEALER REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET. PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE AGREED TO PAY HALF THE COST OF THE REPAIR. *JB

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED AND ANTIFREEZE WAS LEAKING FROM THE GASKET. *JB

PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKET DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION STARTING BY OVER HEATING LOOK LIKE A THERMOSTAT PROBLEM BUT IS NOT. HEAD GASKET FAIL AND GAS FROM THE CYLINDERS ESCAPE TO THE BLOCK OF THE ENGINE CAUSING TO OVER HEAT AND DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE.

LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. INTERNAL LEAK ALLOWING COOLANT TO CONTAMINATE OIL.

WE OUGHT THE VAN AS A PROGRAM WITH 20,000 MILES ON IT,WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH THE POWER WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK ALL THE TIME MEANING SOMETIMES THEY WORK AND SOMETIMES THEY DONT. SAME THING FOR THE INTERIOR LIGHTS. IN THE SUMMER OF 2003 THE AIR CONDITION DEVELOPED A SLOE LEAK THAT PROGRESSED WITHIN WEEKS,WE NOW HAVE NO AIR AT ALL AND THE PART ALOE IS GOING TO COST $400.00. IN OCTOBER OF 2003 ON OUR WAY TO A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. THERE WAS NO WARNING AT ALL,IT HAD NOT BEEN LEAKING OR ACTING UP IN ANY WAY IT MADE A THUD SOUND GOING DOWN THE HIWAY AND THAT WAS IT..NO MORE TRANSMISSION $4,000.00 TO REPAIR.