1998 Pontiac Bonneville Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 194 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville, 70% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 70,741 miles. The words owners use most often: “intake manifold” (45% of reports).
- 194engine and engine cooling complaints
- 70,741median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 40%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Intake manifold: mentioned in 88 of 194 complaints (45%)
- Engine coolant: mentioned in 11 of 194 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville at $2,100, and half of them between $1,400 and $3,900.
Based on 24 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2000–2011), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 90 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 194 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 16 a fire, 2 an injury.
Pontiac Bonneville engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Bonneville | 1 | 4% | 63,635 |
| 2004 Bonneville | 2 | 7% | 22,000 |
| 2003 Bonneville | 6 | 11% | 82,500 |
| 2002 Bonneville | 10 | 11% | 62,800 |
| 2001 Bonneville | 22 | 17% | 93,767 |
| 2000 Bonneville | 37 | 17% | 63,500 |
| 1999 Bonneville | 59 | 41% | 64,008 |
| 1998 Bonneville | 194 | 70% | 70,741 |
| 1997 Bonneville | 50 | 34% | 98,000 |
| 1996 Bonneville | 43 | 29% | 105,000 |
| 1995 Bonneville | 55 | 23% | 109,644 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The back two cradle mounts on both sides rusted out and mounts pulled through the cradle causing the steering to become loose filling and causing steering to be out of alignment and when hit brakes front would dart one way or the other and lots of noise coming from under vehicle from cradle…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but it hesitated to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who stated that the plastic gasket from…
98 pontiac 86,000 miles intake manifold failed for the second time... Parts replaced...spark plugs (fouled)..starter assembly.. Motor was waterlocked broke starter...intake manifold gasket replaced.....oil changed due to coolant contamination...replace antifreeze...total bill labor and parts…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Pontiac Bonnevilles have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 194 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville (70% of the 277 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 70,741 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,100 (half paid between $1,400 and $3,900), from 24 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1998 Pontiac Bonneville?
The most frequent phrase is “intake manifold”, in 88 of 194 complaints, followed by “engine coolant” (11).
See all 1998 Pontiac Bonneville problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Bonneville years.