Pontiac Transport: problems, complaints, bulletins

Summary for the Pontiac Transport across 1 model years: 10 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.

Model years

Year	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)	YouTube repair videos
1990	10	0	0	0

What fails most often

1 Structure 60% of all complaints
2 Steering 20% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
4 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
5 Tires 10% of all complaints
6 Visibility 10% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Structure: 6 complaints (60% of all).
Steering: 2 complaints (20% of all).
Powertrain: 1 complaints (10% of all).
Seat belts: 1 complaints (10% of all).
Tires: 1 complaints (10% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 10 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

steering or power steering problems2 · 20%
rust, corrosion2 · 20%
windows, sunroof1 · 10%
vibration1 · 10%
seat belts1 · 10%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Structure	6	0	0
Steering	2	0	0
Powertrain	1	0	0
Seat belts	1	0	0
Tires	1	0	0
Visibility	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Dt: the cradle dropped, lost steering, lost control of the vehicle, was uninjured, the vehicle is in the shop. Mechanic determined the sub frame corroded on one or both ends, and caused it to break the steering column.
Structure · 1990 · 2005-06-13 · NHTSA complaint #10125080
Problems with window motor on 1990 pontiac transport. (nar)
Visibility · 1990 · 2004-08-23 · NHTSA complaint #10054158
Consumer states that the front passenger seat belt will not retract back into position and it could cause the seat belt to be defective in the event os an accident. Dealer notified. Ts
Seat belts · 1990 · 2003-01-02 · NHTSA complaint #10001841
Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the steering bolt are lose and it is causing the steering wheel to jump around causing it to be hard for consumer to steer the vehicle. Dealer notified. Nlm
Steering · 1990 · 2002-10-01 · NHTSA complaint #8019945
Rear cradle detached while driving 45 mph and caused loss of steering, dealer and manufacturer were notified.
Structure · 1990 · 2002-05-03 · NHTSA complaint #8009158
Two tire failure (goodyear invicta), at highway speed the minivan began to shake and then the right tire thread seperated and blow off.
Tires · 1990 · 2002-04-16 · NHTSA complaint #9006047

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20011
20023
20032
20043
20051

What to check before buying

Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.

Other models of this make

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.