AI Damage1995 Pontiac Trans Sport: common problems
Owners of the 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport filed 113 complaints with NHTSA, most often about visibility and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 113
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Visibility 15% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 12% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 8 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- Visibility: 17 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 16 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 15 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 14 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 13 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 113 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 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.
Consumer's vehicle had to slow down to make a turn and was rear ended by another vehicle. This caused the back of driver's seat to collapse, and driver ended up in the rear of the vehicle. Driver sustained back, shoulder, neck, and head injuries.
The vehicle was involved in an accident, and the driver's seat reclined backwards, which resulted in the consumer being injured.
When traveling 35 mph and upon depressing the brake pedal to make a normal stop, the brake pedal went to the floorboard, causing extended stopping distance, resutling in an accident. Consumer has yet to contact the dealer. Please provide further details.
While driving the van about 60 mph, on interstate 64, driver passed out, the van went off the road,hitting a guardrail(shearing off at least 4 guard rail post), and there was no deployement of the driver's side air bag. The van was totalled.
The frame is rusted out with one bolt holding up the engine. This is major safety hazard. It was only recently discovered by a mechanic doing some repairs on the engine. The frame on a 11 year old car should not rust out. A major accident could have occurred.
It leaks oil really bad. We go about fifteen miles, and then we have to add two more quarts of oil. We have a friend that had the same model of van. His van did the same thing. He repaired the manifold gasket three times. Each time costing $900. Finally on the fourth time this situation occurred again.
Now out warranty and engine blown due to coolantleakage and best deal so far for repair is 3400.00 from chevy dealer. Vehicle is worthless as trade w/o fix and not sure how much its worth even when fixed with this history. 1-800-pmcares offers no offer of repair cost even w/ 2600+ complants on gmcnsmr/petition site
All the idiot lights come on the dash, it has happened twice since I have had this vehicle. The speedometer and tach gauges don't work when this happens. The first time it happened the sliding door would not work when you pushed the button on the door or the one on the front window panel.
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 3,279 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Trans Sport has 61 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 113, above average.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Trans Sport 199045 sources
- Trans Sport 199136 sources
- Trans Sport 199276 sources
- Trans Sport 199361 sources
- Trans Sport 199498 sources
- Trans Sport 199661 sources
- Trans Sport 1997236 sources
- Trans Sport 1998227 sources
- Trans Sport 199910 sources
- Trans Sport 20013 sources
- Trans Sport 20033 sources
- Trans Sport 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: visibility, engine and cooling, structure. Total complaints: 113. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: door locks, latches, handles (9%), seat belts (6%), warning lights, check engine (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport?
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 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport 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 1995 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 2026-11-06.