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Pontiac Bonneville Engine And Engine Cooling Safety Report | Apr 30, 2004



Reported on Apr 30, 2004


PURCHASED USED 1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE IN JANUARY, 2002 WITH 56, 000 MILES FROM GM DEALERSHIP. CAR WAS GM CERTIFIED. ABOUT 6 MONTHS LATER WITH 65,000 MILES DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGE I NOTICE THE COOLANT WAS A LITTLE LOW. GOING BACK TO DEALER I PURCHASED GM LONG LIFE ANTIFREEZE AND BOTTLE OF GM SEALANT. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF ANTIFREEZE LEAK ANYWHERE. COOLANT LEVEL MAINTAINED FROM THAT TIME. ON APRIL 30TH, 2004 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY BEGAIN TO MISS FIRE SEVERLEY AND QUIT RUNNING WITHIN SECONDS. THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING AND NO POWER BREAKS. THE ENGINE HAD HYDROLOCKED. ALL CYLINDERS WERE FULL OF ANTIFREEZE. THE CAR NOW HAD 115,000 MILES. I REMOVED THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD TO FIND IT FULL OF ANTIFREEZE. THE HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL AROUND THE EGR TUBE HAD FAILED ALLOWING SUPER-HEATED AIR TO MELT THE GASKET AREA AROUND THE ADJASCENT WATER JACKET ALLOWING COOLANT TO FLOW INTO THE MANIFOLD CAUSING THE HYDROLOCK. I REPLACED BOTH UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLDS AND GASKETS WITH NEWLY DESIGNED UNITS FROM THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD GM WAS AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND HAD REDESIGNED THE PARTS AGAINST THIS FAILURE. THE CAR IS NOW RUNNING FINE. WHILE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED, THE SUDDEN POWER FAILURE CERTAINLY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THE FAILURE BEGAN AT 65,000 MILES AND WAS TEMPORARILY FIXED WITH THE COOLANT SEALANT I PUT IN IT AT THAT TIME AS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALER'S PARTS PERSON. ALL PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.
Make: Pontiac
Model: Bonneville
Manufactured by: General Motors LLC
Year: 1998
Was a crash reported? N
Was an injury reported?
Was a death reported?
Was a fire reported? N
Location: BURT MI
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): 1G2HX52K7W4
Mileage: 115000 miles.
Speed: 70 MPH
Number of cylinders: 6
Vehicle type: FWD
Vehicle fuel: GAS Fuel injection.
Was a police report filed? N
Tire size:
Dealer name and location: SUPERIOR PONTIAC FLINT MI
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