AI Damage1999 Pontiac Montana: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Pontiac Montana filed 235 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 235
- involving a crash
- 16
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 42% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 9% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 7 Latches, locks, linkages 5% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 99 complaints (42% of all).
- Air bags: 32 complaints (14% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 32 complaints (14% of all).
- Service brakes: 24 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 22 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 235 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 99 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 32 | 13 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I do remember that for a long time before today the red airbag light was on. I thought this would cause the air bags not to work. I do have pictures of the damage, and the defect with the air bag.
Dealer sold me a pontiac montana minivan and I only had it for 2 weeks, and it won't start, it had a carfax report that said it was in a car accident, this was not told or revealed to me by the dealer. Now I am stranded without a car to get around and no warranty was given.
Passenger's side front seatbelt failed to lock when another vehicle plowed into consumer's vehicle front end. Neither of vehicle's frontal or rear airbags deployed. Ph...
While driving vehicle passenger front seatbelt failed to restrain the passenger upon impact, and niether driver nor passenger airbag deployed. Had a front end collision. Please provide any further information. Ph
The frame appears to be loose due to rust and has caused the spring coil to pop out and wobble uncontrollably. I was driving when this incident occurred and it would begin to "fish tail" around 40mph or when I would hit bumps, make turns or switch lanes.
On a family trip to virginia the car started to overheat and I stopped the vehicle. When parked red fluid was visible under the car and upon testing was found out to be coolant leak.
Electrical components and rear light failure including breaks an turn signals.
First the driver's side window stopped working, then the tail lights just went out on the 99 pontiac montana. They were just working and then on my way home they just stopped working. I replaced all bulbs and they still aren't working. Went to see a technician and he says it is an electrical problem.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,724 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Montana has 88 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 235, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Pontiac Montana?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 235. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (8%), airbag warning light (7%), overheating, coolant loss (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Pontiac Montana?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Pontiac Montana from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.