The Pontiac Montana is a minivan that was made by General Motors from 1997 to 2009. It was affordably priced, featured a roomy interior, and had reasonable gas mileage. However, Pontiac Montanas have already depreciated quite significantly over the years. The Montanas made from 1999 to 2006 are only worth around 8% to 12% of their original value. According to AutoPadre.com, the 2006 model is projected to lose 4% of its current value in five years. This means that the Pontiac Montana can potentially be a great deal for buyers interested in getting a used minivan.
Even though the latest Montana minivans have already aged by more than a decade, owners have reported that they’re still satisfied with their vehicle. However, several parts, like the intake manifold gasket, tend to wear out. There are also a few parts like broken tail lights that require immediate attention. But for the most part, it’s as simple as replacing malfunctioning parts. The cause of these problems can even be attributed to normal wear. We’ll cover these issues later in this article.
Twenty-four owners have given reliability scores for the Montana on RepairPal, and the scores have an average of 3.5 out of 5.0, which is good but not exceptional. Meanwhile, owners on Cars.com seem to hold their Montanas in higher regard as their recent reviews are in the 4.0 to 5.0 range. Most of them report that the vehicle exhibits a few minor bugs that they consider normal for a vehicle of its age. “It has never left us on the side of the road and it drives comfortably. I am happy with it,” one owner says. Many owners echo the same sentiment.
Even though many owners think that the Pontiac Montana is affordable and decently reliable, some models still have several issues.
According to users from RepairPal and CarComplaints, this is the Montana’s most common issue. The Montana’s intake manifold gasket might fail, causing oil or coolant to leak. However, this leak is usually internal and isn’t always visible from the outside. The oil and coolant might mix due to gasket failure. Some owners were able to detect the problem when the low coolant light illuminated on their dashboard. Others experienced overheating issues. When this issue occurs, the engine is at risk of being damaged because coolant isn’t supposed to be mixed with oil. If it is, it will interfere with the oil’s lubricating properties, and then the engine won’t be adequately lubricated.
1999 to 2005 Pontiac Montana models are affected by this issue. Replacing the lower intake manifold gasket should fix this problem for most owners. However, there are a few owners whose engines were damaged as a result of the coolant and oil mixing. These unlucky owners had to pay for expensive engine repairs. To prevent costly engine repairs, owners should have their vehicle checked immediately as soon as the first symptoms of intake manifold gasket failure emerge.
Erratic shifting is another common issue for 1999 to 2006 the Montana models. While transmission hiccups are sometimes just a byproduct of aging, the Montana’s transmission problem is caused by a faulty pressure control solenoid. The pressure control solenoid controls fluid pressure to the clutch’s friction plate. The failed pressure control solenoids results in rough and delayed shifts and causes the transmission to make grinding or whining sounds.
According to RepairPal’s technicians, replacing the faulty pressure control solenoid involves disassembling the transmission, which is costly and labor-intensive.
Either the rear brake light or the rear turn signals in some 1999 to 2006 Pontiac Montanas have been known to fail. There appears to be something causing the bulbs to stop working, as most owners have reported that even newly replaced bulbs failed to work. But this issue is due to failed sockets, not a faulty bulb. According to forum users, the wires inside the tail light assembly were worn out.
Replacing the faulty tail light would be an easy fix for this problem. However, there are several owners in forums who have fixed this issue by taking apart the headlight and looking for burnt wires. The cause of the issue is a connector inside the tail light that has been disconnected or become loose. Some owners were able to fix the issue by using new wire segments to connect the two points or by removing the burnt segment and tying the remaining wire segments together.
Owners of some 1999 to 2005 Montanas have reported that their minivans were overheating. Upon investigation, they found that their water pump was leaking. A leaking water pump is a common Montana issue, with 28 reports on RepairPal. The water pump is part of the cooling loop and is responsible for the circulation of either water or coolant through the engine. A leaking water pump will eventually cause the cooling loop to lack coolant, causing the engine to overheat.
To fix the issue, owners simply need to replace the faulty water pump. Replacement water pumps for the Pontiac Montana cost around $30 to $60.
Several Montana owners have reported that their air-conditioning stopped working. The A/C failure is caused by leaking refrigerant in the minivan’s condenser. The refrigerant is responsible for absorbing heat and redirecting it away from the cabin and into the condenser, where the heat is dissipated.
According to RepairPal, GM has developed a new condenser and mounting bracket to prevent it from falling. Nevertheless, replacing the leaking condenser should fix the issue. A replacement condenser for a Pontiac Montana costs around $60 to $100.
The Pontiac Montana also has problems with other parts like brakes, steering, and air-conditioning, but they’re less common. The most common issues on this list are the ones that Montana owners should look out for. As long as you’re aware of the common problems of the minivan you’re planning to buy, you’ll be able to spot issues before they become worse.
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.
View Comments
I have a different issue. Mine loses all power and stops running at 55 miles per hour. Any ideas as to what causes this?
Look in the manual under overheating protection mode ..check your coolant levels ..your radiator fans might not be kicking on
My 2009 Pontiac Montana shut off the AC to protect the engine. It's important to check coolant levels and put in DEX-COOL mixed half with cold water.
Monty is a great vehicle with terrific gas mileage. I've got an appointment for him at a well respected local garage to get that fixed as well as other things like the key fobs not working and a slippy transmission.
I recently had to replace the buttons that hold the door panel up as it fell and trapped me outside. And the driver's door is the only one with a key hole to get in. Luckily I was able to get someone to pull it open enough to reach in and hit the door unlock button, but climbing in and out of the passenger seat was a pain. Those seat belt locks stick straight up!
If the AC stops working, and you get a message AC turned off to save Engine, you have run out of engine coolant. It takes the orange kind, check your manual or online for the right coolant. Also, the right oil.
The erratic shifting is because most people are unused to steering column shift. You have to pull the lever towards the driver to shift gears, not just slide it across. If you do that, switching from D to 2 will send to to 3 and shifting back again to D you'll end up in N. This is frustrating! It takes a bit of practice, but it's learnable.
Jon in rural BC, Canada. 2009 Pontiac Montana van.
A fascinating article. My 2000 Montana experienced the tail light issues. I cleaned the wires/contacts for the cure. Pontiac replaced my transmission at 36,000 miles, just at the end of the warranty, but the correction lasted less than 3000 miles. I have lived with the whine/erratic shifting since. We have 190,000 miles on her. I think I have lost the overdrive as gas mileage has dropped from around 22 mpg to 19. The manifold gasket was replaced under warranty. I have always changed the oil every 5000 miles. We use no oil and the engine runs like new. The interior is like new and I would hate to tell her goodbye.