1997 Pontiac Montana Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Montana years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 10th of 12 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Pontiac Montana. That ranks 10th out of 12 Montana model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (8 complaints, 44%), typically at around 55,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire, 2 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 18owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Pontiac Montana problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 44% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 17% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 11% | 67,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 11% | 93,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 11% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 6% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 6% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 6% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 6% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Pontiac Montana recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Risk: If a passenger uses the interior handle to open the power sliding door and holds onto the handle while it is being opened by the motor, the passenger's arm may be pushed into the seat back or armrest and a wrist or lower arm injury may result.
Fix: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for appearance reasons. Note: before the vehicle is serviced, gm advises owners to not use the interior door handle to open the door. The driver can open and close the door from switches at the driver's position or by using the remote key fob. The driver should tell passengers to use the switch located in front of the door to open or close it. The driver should use the override switch to prevent operation of the power door by children or by others who are not familiar with its use. The owner notification letter mailing will be conducted in phases with the first phase beginning on may 31, 2005. The second phase mailing began on july 18, 2005. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Phase 2 began on july 18, 2005. Phase 3 (final phase) began on august 24, 2005, to all remaining customers. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; pontiac at 1-800-620-7668; or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Rear axle trailing arm failure (EA03005) — opened Apr 23, 2003, closed Jan 12, 2004.
- Safety belt assembly failure (EA02032) — opened Nov 18, 2002, closed Nov 21, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I recently saw that toyota voluntarily recalled some of their vehicles due to failures of the cable that holds their spare tires in place. I had this exact same failure occur to me on a 1997 pontiac montana van. The actual failure occurred on 1/21/08. I was parked in a parking lot when the spare…
Antifreeze leak; lead to replacement of lower intake manifold gasket (very costly) about 4 years ago. Needs replacing again. Dealership warns of excessive engine damage due to antifreeze in the motor oil. *nm
Pontiac transport montana was parked in a parking lot for 1/2 hour or so and became ingulfed in flames. Fire marshall thinks it was from battery/ electric. Destroyed our car and 5 others. No humans hurt...thank god it was parked and my son was not driving it.
Dt contact states his passenger safety belt in his vehicle is locked, originally designed a child safety feature. The seat belt buckle in the middle row, center and right side seat is coming apart. *nm
Driving down a two lane freeway, vearing to the right and i rearended a car. The seatbelts did not lock and the airbags did not work..the vehicle was inspected and everything was said to be working fine..the van is fully loaded and all the elctronics are working perfectly, as far as i knew.*ak
Other Pontiac Montana years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Montana | 1 | 1 |
| 2007 Montana | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 Montana | 37 | 2 |
| 2005 Montana | 81 | 5 |
| 2004 Montana | 39 | 3 |
| 2003 Montana | 84 | 5 |
| 2002 Montana | 126 | 3 |
| 2001 Montana | 156 | 9 |
| 2000 Montana | 228 | 5 |
| 1999 Montana | 235 | 5 |
| 1998 Montana | 49 | 3 |
| 1997 | 18 | 1 |
See all Pontiac Montana problems by year, every Pontiac model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Pontiac models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Montana?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, exterior lighting, seat belts problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 8 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Pontiac Montana?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Pontiac Montana a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Montana model years, the 1997 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.