Used 1999 Pontiac Montana Minivan Consumer Reviews
99 montana
we love to drive our montana, but at 32,000 had engine replaced ..had brake problems front and rear replaced rear cyclinders and now need master cyclinder..rear brake light cracked leaking water into trunk. pass.seat gear is broken .won't stay up..they want $420 to fix it..just replaced tires at 48,000 miles..resale value is poor for a $30,000 vehicle.
I feel sorry for those other moms
For someone who never wanted a minivan, I sure can't live without mine! I researched them all. The Montana extended was the only one (at the time) to have 8 seats that can all be moved around. The engine and all the major parts have never had to be serviced. The brakes wear out fast and the cup holders broke right away. The rubber seals on the doors keep rotting out even though I keep my van in the garage! The kids' seat belts have been replaced twice. Overall I'm VERY happy with the van. It's dependable and the important parts have always run well. It's roomy, comfortable, and with the suspension package upgrade, it drives like a sedan, not a van.
Montanas break!!
Bought used with 47K miles on it. Luckily bought the Gold extended warranty on it otherwise we'd have had to pay over a 1K in repairs after only owning it for over a year. Water pump went, 2 weeks later the lower intake manifold gasket had to be replaced. The airbag light kept coming on and off then finally stayed on. Turns out GM knows that this is a defect(corroding wires) but considered part of the warranty. Could have to have it fixed again in 6 months at over $100 a pop. This is a safety issue. If the connection isn't there for the airbag, if in an accident, the airbag might not deploy. The left ti-rod needs to be replaced.
montana
bought it used, transmission tanked at 103,000, no warning, rebuilt it, two more transmission rebuilds, broken rear wiper, broken power window, all in 40000 kms of owning. Nice to drive, but not reliable mechanically, left me stranded several times, and the window drives us nuts, $700 later, and it still sticks, have to realign manually for it to finish going up. Gas tank level suddenly off, ran out of gas twice before we figured out that problem, not fixed.
Great van
Our 99 Montana is great to drive. More than enough power,perfect ride, interior could not be set up better and it has been 100 percent reliable. I repair cars for a living and very seldom do you ever see one of these or the other GM versions for anything other than maintenance. So if you like getting you vehicle fixed this is not for you. Try the Chrysler van if you like paying for car repairs.
oh that intake manifold leak
First 70,000 miles were heaven, the most favorite vehicle we have owned. Great to drive, wonderfully comfortable on long trips with kids and dogs, dependable. Did have one event with the brakes not working one night but nobody ever found anything wrong, we may have boiled the fluid by having the parking brake on, which is easy to do on this van. First major problems were the seat belt-airbag interlock going (very expensive), then the manifold leak that caused loss of heat in the winter-$500, now the wiring harness is corroded and they want to replace it and the airbag! My wife, an original Mini driver, still loves driving it, but with the kids almost grown, it may be time to move it on.
Recent Purchase and Happy...
We have found this van to have everything we were looking for. The front and rear heat and air adjustments are great. We are very happy with the comfort of all the adjustments over all.
A GEM
Bought my montana new in 1999. Wow what a Gem. I've had no major mechanical issues at all other than doing schedule maintance and normal wear. As of today I have 166,000 miles on it and still no signs of major trouble. I will be looking to buy a used (2004) in the near future. I guess regular maintance and care pays off as with anything else.
GMC 3.1L & 3.4L V6 ENGINE/INTAKE MANIFO
ENGINE DESIGN FLAW: GMC 3.1L & 3.4L V6 ENGINE/ INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET***** GASKET ALLOWS ANTIFREEZE TO GO INTO OIL CAUSING AT MINIMIUM REPLACEMENT OF GASKET. BUT GOES UNDETECTED CAUSING ANTIFREEZE TO ACT LIKE GLUE THROUGH OUT YOUR ENGINE. CAUSES ENGINE FAILURE. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE!! GMC AWARE OF THIS FLAW. REFUSES TO HELP CUSTOMER WITH COSTS OR WARN OF PROBLEM. check for recalls and complaints. DOT auto safety hotline with U.S. dept. transportation. nhtsa.dot.gov/hotline/ GMC could warn customers and help them avoid costly bills.
Engine blown at 30k
Our beloved montana which has been a great car just blew the engine at 30k. It is older than 3 years so the warranty does not cover it.