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Pontiac Montana Engine And Engine Cooling Safety Report | Oct 15, 2003
Reported on Oct 15, 2003
| I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT 72,000KMS (45,000) MILES AND SHORTLY AFTERWARD NOTICED THAT COOLANT NEEDED TO BE TOPPED UP OCCASIONALLY OVER THE SUBSEQUENT SIX MONTH PERIOD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE CRANKCASE, BUT THERE WAS A POOL OF COOLANT COLLECTING EXTERNALLY UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AFTER SOME ON-LINE INVESTIGATING, I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER, INQUIRING AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS LIKELY THE INTAKE GASKETS AND SOMETIMES THE GASKETS "GET OLD AND DRY UP" BUT THAT IT WAS NOT OVERLY COMMON. THEY QUOTED ME APX $800 TO REPAIR. ($350 FOR THE INTAKE GASKETS AND "NUMEROUS" OTHER GASKETS THAT WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT PLUS LABOUR). I POLITELY COMMENTED THAT I WAS BAFFLED HOW A 3 YEAR OLD PLASTIC GASKET COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS "OLD AND DRIED UP". I SUBSEQUENTLY HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACE THE GASKETS USING THE NEWLY ISSUED VERSION OF THE GASKETS FOR A TOTAL OF APX $450. (HE HAD COINCIDENTALLY RUN INTO THE SAME PROBLEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR ON ANOTHER GM V-6 PRODUCT, BUT APPARENTLY THE COOLANT LEAKAGE WAS INTERNAL AND TOO LATE TO SALVAGE THE ENGINE). MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR ON MY VEHICLE WAS APX 86,000 KMS (54,000 MILES). HE CONFIRMED THAT UPON REMOVAL THE ONLY EVIDENCE WAS EXTERNAL LEAKAGE. I HAVE ANOTHER 10,000KMS ON THE VEHICLE SINCE REPAIR AND NO LEAKAGE IS APPARENT AT THIS POINT. | |
| Make: | Pontiac |
| Model: | Montana |
| Manufactured by: | General Motors LLC |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Was a crash reported? | |
| Was an injury reported? | |
| Was a death reported? | |
| Was a fire reported? | |
| Location: | NEW MARYLAND UN |
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): | 1GMDX03E1YD |
| Mileage: | 54000 miles. |
| Speed: | |
| Number of cylinders: | |
| Vehicle type: | |
| Vehicle fuel: | |
| Was a police report filed? | |
| Tire size: | |
| Dealer name and location: | |
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