2005 Pontiac Montana Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Montana years
- About as many complaints as other years 6th of 12 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 81 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Pontiac Montana. That ranks 6th out of 12 Montana model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (21 complaints, 26%), typically at around 31,000 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 3 fires, 16 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 81owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 21 | 26% | 31,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 19 | 23% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 17 | 21% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 9% | 76,950 | — | — |
| Power Train | 6 | 7% | 44,888 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 7% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 6% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 5% | 124,125 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 5% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 5% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 5% | 38,350 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% | 28,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% | 11,036 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 4% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 4% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 2% | 82,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 2% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 2% | 201,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 11,258 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 11,258 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 1% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 28,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 1% | 64,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Pontiac Montana recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:rear
Problem: The braun corporation has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2005-2008 general motors mobility conversion, handicapped accessible low floor minivans. During conversion, the driver or passenger side trailing arm modification may not have been adequately welded.
Risk: A squeaking or clunking noise may develop. The trailing arm bushings may prematurely wear and the trailing arm may fracture or separate, allowing the rear axle to become partially separated from the chassis increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and will have a supply of retrofit parts available to remedy the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on june 4, 2010. Owners may contact braun at 1-800-488-0359.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Risk: If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment, a front passenger's level of injury may be increased.
Fix: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (gm) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in gm's letter to owners. The recall began on november 6, 2006. Owners should contact gm at 1-877-477-1022 to begin the process of repurchasing their vehicle.
Parking brake
Problem: Certain sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, 'passenger car brake systems.' to meet the standard, the vehicle must not move for five minutes when stopped on a steep hill with the parking brake applied and the vehicle in neutral (n). Some of these vehicles failed this test.
Risk: When the parking brake is released, the driver may notice unintended braking when accelerating, decelerating, or coasting, and a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. Unintended vehicle movement could occur increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect for parking brake lever slippage at each rear brake caliper and replace the caliper if lever slippage is identified. The recall began on november 14, 2005. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or saturn at 1-800-972-8876.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Problem: On certain minivans, the outboard release handle on the impact-side second-row bucket seat may be actuated and the rear latches may unlatch early in a side impact crash. This was discovered in a side impact test run by gm, under conditions similar to nhtsa's new car assessment program (ncap) side impact test.
Risk: If the rear latches of the seat release early in a severe side impact, the front outboard latch may disengage and increase the potential for injury to the occupant of the seat.
Fix: Dealers will remove the seat latch release handle and install a black plastic cap over the exposed metal stud to eliminate the side impact safety concern free of charge. The recall began on april 5, 2005. Owners may contact saturn at 1-800-972-8876, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
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
- Power sliding door (EA07019) — opened Dec 11, 2007, closed Feb 23, 2009.
- Power sliding door opening (PE07044) — opened Aug 16, 2007, closed Dec 11, 2007.
- Electrical harness damage (PE05063) — opened Nov 29, 2005, closed Mar 6, 2006.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
When I start the engine & try to put in another it it nearly impossible. With engine on, it smells of gasoline! I'm afraid I will die from the fumes. Transmission only goes up to 20 mph. I know there is a gas leak and I want others to be notified before my family or someone else's family catch fire…
Vehicle has been properly maintained under hood components for years. One day i started it up and was smoking heavily. No evidence has been shown to be a failure to maintain. No loose or bare wires, nothing unordinary going on under the hood that could cause this. No signs of operator error so…
My gas gauge stopped working and is flucating and the dash reading is saying things. Its all messed up
When im driving down the road going 55-60 miles an hour my van will suddenly "grab" and make a sudden stop and say service stability control system> it makes me almost come to a complete stop from 55-60 miles an hour- its scary! This has happened moving fast, and also turning. Most recent date this…
[xxx] is in custody an his car is abounded on the 200 block of hobart an vine st the van do not have any windows no tags on it an all four of the tires are flat i need drive here dot com to come repo this car because eric is in jail and can not make anymore payments on the car also eric took the…
Other Pontiac Montana years
← 2004 Montana · 2006 Montana →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Montana | 1 | 1 |
| 2007 Montana | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 Montana | 37 | 2 |
| 2005 | 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 Montana | 18 | 1 |
See all Pontiac Montana problems by year, every Pontiac model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Pontiac Montana?
Owners most often report structure, latches/locks/linkages, electrical system problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 21 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Pontiac Montana?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 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 2005 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.