Pontiac Aztek

marktuveson

My daughter's 2001 Aztek just started having a problem: after 15 or so miles on the freeway her tachometer will fluctuate wildly and the engine will lose power and ultimately die. Let it sit for 30 minutes and it will start fine and drive another 15 miles/minutes. Her temp and fuel gauges don't work so I don't know if it is overheating or not...Any clues as to what this could be?

neopostman

Three things come to mind. a bad gauge cluster, a bad BCM and connector at C305. The connector is under the car just to the rear of the drivers seat and if your car is two wheel drive, it should have two connectors and if it's AWD it should have three connectors at this location. It is supposed to be weather proof but on a lot of these cars, water gets in and travels up the wires and to the inside of the car. One of the connectors mentioned above goes over to the fuel pump and this problem causes the pump to cut off/on and can stop the car in it's tracks. If you are having lots of other weird electrical problems, then the BCM could be the problem. The P/N for that is 15235418. Let us know what you find out.

vibot

mine is a 2003 and yes I have all of that too... right now as I sit here typing my car is sitting at a car shop. The latest problem... won't start all the time... turn the key... nothin'... but sometimes the remote starter works... got it started so I took it to the shop... they say not the battery, (I knew that) not the starter but they said no electricity is getting to the starter and the wiring guy won't be in until tomorrow... bummer... This is my second Aztek.. when they go I love them, Great Car.. (not pretty) but great car Gauges... havent worked in a while. Lift gate.. don't get me started. The front end clunking... I need struts. Break line... had the whole thing replaced, front to back. Funny I love mine too. stupid car! hahaha

neopostman

Sometimes when you hack into the electrical system on late model cars, it will cause stange problems (remote starter). I was given a remote starter system as a gift and said no thanks! Your guage cluster may be bad (just bought one on ebay). If you're having other strange electrical problems, lights, door locks and radio that works and then does'nt you may need to replace the BCM.
Keep us in the loop on how it goes and let me know if I can assist.

booboo79

Did you ever find out what this was? I have the same exact issue! Please help me out, dont want to pay the dealer big $$$
Thanks

aztekgirl

Not overly grindy, but grindy nonetheless. It seems worse when I am decelerating. Just had a lot of work done on suspension/shocks in the last few months. Had oil change and tire rotation and nothing was found. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

ray80

Wheel bearing perhaps. If its an AWD drive version brake pads?

shultzinator

Hi I have a 01 aztek that starts fine when cold or when it fully up to operating tempature but if you hop in it and make a two block trip it won't restart untill it cools off for 30 minutes. It also will not start if it has been warmed up fully and cooled down for a hour. You must wait for it to be almost cold when it will restart. When it throws it's fit and won't start it is holding 50 pounds of fuel pressure has great spark. if you shoot fuel into the throttle body while it's doing it's fit it will start and run untill it burns that. I have had it to a dealer 3 times no codes have had a full tune up but it still has the no start problem. Any help would be appreate. Thanks

litespan

im having the same problem. I wanted to comment on the wiring harness that goes through the floor behind the drivers seat is a known issue on the rendezvous but i had the same problem no one could diagnose on my aztec 2003. It lit up every warning light and stopped the fuel pump, unless you jiggled it then everything worked. it cost me about $375. at a dealer if i remember correctly. now im having the abs issue, 10,000 mile later. Oh yea, its a 2003 with 44,000 miles on it. yep bought it last year with 30,000 orig miles from a little old lady who became senile and couldnt drive anymore.It appears showroom and is loaded. fixed the window $ 500. , wire harness $350. and now the abs issue.... looks good still maybe ill sell it quick lol

bb891002

hello i live in FL and mine was recently stolen off my car i have went to the auto part store and gm the auto parts stores dont have inforamtion on since its not made anymroe and the gm wants a grand for it i found it at a local junk yard for 150.00 so i would call around to local junk yards best of luck to you

jlamson

dkennedy1417

I also have a pontiac aztek 2003 and I have had a ton of blower motor problems actually mine went out yet again for the forth time in 3 yrs so I talked to a man today that said the aztek and grand prix have the same issues that it has something to do with the way water Drains off your car that is super to go Fem the roof to a drain that leads to behind your front tires I wish I could remember the part he called it but he said that there is a part that can book off when u go thru a car wash which can actually make draining water run thru the blower motor and cause it to eventually seize up also if u go to autozone and buy the blower motor u get a lifetime warranty it helps especially when the part is around $90

mayan

It went quite well and exactly as you explained, if only my hands were a bit smaller it would have been much more enjoyable

carolinaswag

i just started having major issues within the last year and wondering if anyone knew of any fixes before i send it on its way. I also have already figured the trick with pulling the fuse, which is weird bc i can go four months with out doing it then all of a sudden have to reset the stupid thing like 6x in one day! it has 188,000 on it. would it just be cheaper to get a new car?
1.) a/c quit working and compressor is fine
2.) coolant fans no longer cut on and car starts to over heat in traffic.
3.) seems to be an oil leak from the oil pan maybe?
4.) rpms rev up to like 3,000 when in park, return to normal when driving, and then sometimes drop to 500 in idle/drive.
5.) gas tank seems to have a leak around filler hose?
6.) back hatch only opens if i hit the button twice then lift the hatch, then have to hit the release button again.

thanks!!

mjonesinthenw

carolinaswag

i just started having major issues within the last year and wondering if anyone knew of any fixes before i send it on its way. I also have already figured the trick with pulling the fuse, which is weird bc i can go four months with out doing it then all of a sudden have to reset the stupid thing like 6x in one day! it has 188,000 on it. would it just be cheaper to get a new car?
1.) a/c quit working and tried to add freon and it was fine. heat works good.
2.) coolant fans no longer cut on and car starts to over heat in traffic.
3.) seems to be an oil leak from the oil pan maybe? some where toward center and passenger side.
4.) rpms rev up to like 3,000 when in park, return to normal when driving, and then sometimes drop to 500 in idle/drive. also gets up to like 60 mph on its own. and its not gas pedal, floor mat, or cruise control.
5.) gas tank seems to have a leak around filler hose?
6.) back hatch only opens if i hit the button twice then lift the hatch, then have to hit the release button again.

thanks!!

ray80

2) It is not unusual for the temp to go up 'close' to red in heavy stop and go and it needs to get pretty high before the fans do come on. (might want to check with hood open, turn A/C on and both fans should start pretty quickly if they are working correctly)

4) I am thinking its the TPS (Throttel Position Sensor)

5) There was an issue with some 01's with leak where filler tube connections with fuel tank , replacement (new or used) is only option and it would be wise to correct soon.
6) There is a rubber bumper (I think its on that hatch itself) on each side. Try turning them out a bit (1/4 turn or so at a time) and see if it corrects it or makes it slightly better.

jenwren22

I bought my 01 Aztec in April of 2010 with 90K. I had to have it because of the tent but that is the only thing I still love. I have major front end problems, I have replaced the front axles, 3 times on the driver's side and twice on the passenger's About a year ago my husband called while I was out and about and said there was a huge puddle of tranny fluid where my car was parked, Id noticed some slipping but figured my foot was falling off the gas but after he called I pulled over and checked the tranny fluid, NONE! I put a quart in a day and it is pouring out of my axle on the driver's side. I have bought the part to fix this problem but in a year I have been to 4 mechanics and spent over 2 hours at each one and no one can get my axle out to put the transmission seal in. I have ruined countless roadways and driveways and leave a rainbow trail in the road. I dont know what to do. I have replaced every part in that front end at least 3 times, shocks, struts, ball joints, a frames... I am so frustrated. I have a sunroof that leaks really bad and my floor is always wet when it rains too. My driver's side window became very temperamental and had to be replaced, my gas gauge hasn't worked in two years and the check engine light taunts me but nothing comes up on a diagnostic. I have also eaten 4 sets of tires in these past two years... Junk? :lemon:

jenwren22

I dump transmission fluid from my 01 Aztec from my driver's side axle, I have to put in a quart a day or my transmission won't shift at all. I was told that when my axle was put in the last time that it was put in too far and it has now swollen and is stuck there. I have brought it to 4 garages and nobody has been able to get the axle out, one said he might be able to go in through the transmission but he hasn't called me back, they all hate my car!

cpenet

I have a 2002 aztek it runs great. Lately when I shut off the car it starts clicking as if their are relays inside the car. It continues for about 5 minutes and then stops. Also service vehical soon light is on. I checked all lamp replaced some,still have one dash light out and center heater light on dial that goes from hot to cold. Thanks for your help.

wisesilverwolf

I have had a 2002 Pontiac Aztek for around 5 years now. I purchased mine with around 60,000 miles on it and it now has close to 80,000 miles on it. During those 5 years and 20,000 miles I have come across many many issues with this car.

1) I replaced the radiator because it developed leaks
2) It blew a head gasket and I had to pay an expensive repair which was more then $1,200
3) The dashboard glue came undone and now it has a big crack on the dashboard that will cost alot of money to fix
4) The traction control sensor is always coming undone because its in the front wheels.
5) Several small pipes developed leaks costing several hundred dollars in repairs
6) The vehicles computer started freaking out and had to be replaced because it kept sounding the alarm for no reason.
7) The power steering container developed a leak which had to be fixed.

I have spent so much money on maintenance for this vehicle. When I owned a Honda Civic I never had to spend so much money to maintain that vehicle. This was the first American car that I purchased and it will probably be the last.

jstar7619

So I recently have had a problem with getting my key out of the ignition. The ignition won't turn to the off position. After turning the car back on, shifting through the gears and then back into park (sometimes several times) I can turn the ignition into the off position and get the key out. It has been getting worse. Any suggestions?

neopostman

Sorry to hear of all your problems. I own two of these cars and have not had any problems like that. Guess it's just the luck of the draw. I do all of my repairs myself and that makes a huge difference in cost. I see people on here whit problems and wish I lived close enough to help them because most of the time it's an easy fix.

ray80

It could be the switch itself, but if shifting seems to fix the problem I would suspect an issue with the Brake Transaxle Shift Interlock. Cold be the module itself or wiring

donethat

msjess

I have an 2001 Aztek. Recently I have been continously jumping it off in the mornings. I had the battery checked and there was no problem there. My horn went off when I shut it off. My truck latch came open on its own. I thought the remote start was draining the battery but I disconnected it and that's not it. Help please

casey1994

about a week ago i started having problems with my 2003 pontiac aztek's ignition. i can turn the engine off but i cant turn the key all the way off to the point where its in the locked position. for some reason i can still take my key out but i dont even need the key to start because i cant get the ignition into the locked position. and because i cant get it into the locked position it is using the battery all the time and it eventually kills the battery and i need a jump. it used to be that i couldn't get it into the locked position unless i tilted the wheel down but i'm thinking something in the ignition lock system has worn out but i'm not sure. i'm looking to do this job myself so any help is very appreciated

amandab

I had this problem with my aztec... It was a corrided wire in the driver shaft(?). I did some research on here and found someone with the same problem as this and me and it was that were was a wire where you put your car into park that had been corrided. The part was a 14 dollar part but since I couldnt do it myself, it ended up being like 250. But sounds like you can do it yourself. Hope this helps

ray80

I believe you may be talking about the Brake transaxle shift interlock, that may be the problem. Also could be the wire from there into the steering column/ignition switch

robynatk

I feel your pain...I Bought my 2002 Aztek a year ago. The antilock brake is permanently on...nothings wrong...had it checked. The head gasket blew at 65,000 miles. The warning lights turn on and off when they feel like it. Service engine light will come on for half an hour, then shut off, only to come on again later. The shifter cable has to be replaced, due to that, at times the key won't shut off all the way, hopefully the part is in tomorrow. Also the headlights somehow shift upwards on their own. I just had them re-adjusted 2 weeks ago, and on my way home t'nite I could see that they were pointing upwards again, as I could only see about 2 carlengths in front of me. Oh one last thing, the other day I went out to my car and the door didnt want to open (almost felt like the handle was frozen like in the winter) I finally got the door open~my mechanic said it shifted or maybe the wind caught it, so I have to take it into a body shop to have them readjust the car. I HATE THIS CAR!! I am in the process of looking for something diff.

bigdogpaizon

crank sensor is bad and/or the wiring harness to the crank sensor is toast. another thing it could be at the bottom of the column could be missing rubber (between the column and engine), that prevents the column from heating up

keeney_g

i had the same problem about 6 months ago. there is a switch in the gear shifter handle that breaks and has to be replaced. it's about $200 at the dealer. by the way if your key get stuck and you leave it in over night the computer shuts down all electronic. must be some kind of sercurity protection. you'll have to have it towed in then that's what happen to me.

swfloridacoast

About a year ago my very kind Tranny expert who earlier rebuilt the transmission had to replace a solenoid. No further mixup of fluids between transmission and coolant system. A few weeks ago when I accelerated quickly the Aztec came to a brutal halt and check engine light went on. Surprised the airbags didn't deploy and happy I wasn't rear ended. I limped onto service at 25 mph. Two different solenoids had to be replaced, the Tranny guy says there are two other solenoids that could act up. Again running beautifully despite minor quirks. Only posting in case the info could be useful to someone else. 127,000 miles and looking forward to doubling that.

pawnman115

I have a 2003 FWD Aztek. I have recently had problems with the ABS and traction engaging at random times. Today after driving the car 20 minutes and shopping for half an hour it would not start and the battery was nearly completely drained. I tried to jump it and all the lights started flashing, then a few minutes later I heard a repetitive clicking sound. The engine never turned over and I realized I had a bigger problem than a dead battery. I have seen you recommend for several similar posts that they replace the BCM. Do you think that might help me? Thanks for your time.

neopostman

I think a BCM may be in order but you may want to look at the electrical connector under the car just behind the drivers seat. It's called C305 and yours will have two connectors. They are supposed to be weather proof but will take on water and cause all kinds of problems. Let me know if I can help.

jeanieb

my key keeps getting stuck but only when it reachs 95 degrees outside and my car sits in the sun all day,all i had to do to fix this was take poss battery cable off wait a min put back on,however yesturday it blew fuse 42 3xs in 15 minutes and now when i recode pass code key it will not complete the program for starter & fuel is there something i need to do besides replace fuse #42 inside passanger..

jeanieb

I havent noticed any other problems ok thats not true my hatch doesnt open from inside anymore and a couple of weeks ago i cld hear the speaker from radio in pass.door..does all this mean my bsm bcm or whatever is going out...PLEASE HELP alone in the country & stuck on foot now

jeanieb

ok watch your vehicle closely because its all the odd things that start going wrong which seem to lead up to the bcm going out...read on you will see it starts with a light wont go out,or the horn blows after i take key out,etc etc good luck i am hoping someone resonds to my issues with my 2003

jh33194

fattycoats

Hey gys, new to this forum, but already so thankful for the immense collection of knowledge here. Truly, thank you!

Ive had electrical issues for some time, no windows, AC, horn would beep, locked out radio, lights flashing, gauges not working ect... However, whenever these problems would start I am pretty sure that I was using one of the cigarette imports to charge my cell phone. I asked the guys at the dealership if this could be a short that was throwing off my Body Control Module, and they stated that it was extremely unlikely. Anyways, today while replacing the BCM (bought on Amazon from ACdelco for $160) i unhooked the ground on the battery before starting the project. By the time i got to a step in my tutorial where i had to move the seats forward to remove two bolts, i had to hook the battery back up due to having power seats. when I did i heard the radio kick on and to my amazement, EVERYTHING works! I took it for about a 30 minute drive and there are no problems.

Now my two questions, A) could the BCM just have needed to be reset and now things will be fine, or could the cigarette lighter have had a short in it and now that they are disconnected there is no longer a short? Im hesitant to put the console back together and send the part back. Ill drive it for a week or so but I just wanted to know if these could have indeed been the issues.

Thanks!

neopostman

It may be fine now but I would hold on to the new BCM for a little while. Once those things start to go, they keep going so you will have to replace it sooner or later. If the problem comes back just pull the fuse in the fuse box under the hood for like 30 seconds (much easier than unhooking the battery) and see if that will get it back, if not you may as well replace it. I think it's fuse 28 if memory serves. Hope this helps.

fattycoats

Thanks so much for the response! I've got about 200 miles on it so far and still have yet to experience a problem. I have about 2 more weeks before I have to return the new BCM for a full refund, so fingers are crossed

neopostman

I don't think you mentioned what year your Aztek was but I have two 2001 model and have replaced the BCM in both of those cars. On one of the cars the interior lights would flicker when you opened the door and on the other car the headlights would cut off (not good when it's dark!)BCMs can cause all kind of strange electrical problems when they start down the road of self destruction!

Good luck and hope your problem doesn't return.

brabbitclows

New to this forum. I have a 2002 Aztek. and i've noticed one annoying issue. My windows lock up after the temperature gauge gets to like 3/4. I have no AC cause when I bought the car it was winter and cold. So i couldn't tell. But the heat works fine. But here is a video of what it does exactly. The windows won't go up or down. But since its hot out. They won't go up. And the main driver button buzzes when trying to make it go down. Only way for it to go back up is to give it like 30 mintues for the engine to cool off then it works again.

http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/redtitan/?action=view&current=photobucket- -24673-1340219404783.mp4

poco2

On your problem with the key sticking, I had this same problem for months sometimes it would stick sometimes not. I would let it set for 10-15 min go out and usually it would turn right off. I ended up calling my cousin who worked at a chevy place and asked him. He said that the button on the gear shift was most likely gummy to try WD-40 so i did. a little at first It worked for a week with no problems. I got to where i had a can of it sitting in my console. About 6 months ago it happened again and I just about used 1/2 a can on it. and have had no problems since then.
spray all around the button on the gear shift, Pushing it in and spraying and while it is out.

05_aztek

I have recently bought an 05 aztek. At first no lights were on but we had to change the bushings in the front and the back. After that my awd disable light came on, check engine, and anti lock brake light. From what i've read i'm thinking it could either be a speed censor, the c305 plug(under the carpet) or bcm. What should i do first to figure out what it could be.

05_aztek

I have been reading this forum and just wanted to add a comment. My 05 aztek is having all of the issues stated in the forum and i was told before replaceing the bcm to check the carpet to the rear of the drivers seat for any wetness. There is a plug called the C305 that is causeing a lot of issues because it is not sealed from the iniside of the vehicle so if any wetness got in there that could be the problem. Way cheaper fix than buying the bcm! Also there is another forum on here if you search C305 connector that tells exactly what you have to do to find the plug and also any symptoms that may occur from damage of the plug. Check it out!!

neopostman

I could be wrong but I believe the BCM issue was mostly a thing of the past by the time the 05 Aztek came along. Thats not to say the BCM would never go bad but GM had switched vendors by then and it had improved the component by that model year.

As for the C305 connector, that's a whole other problem. The connector is under the car just to the rear of the drivers seat. It is there so the wiring harness can transition from inside the car to the outside and branch off to the fuel tank, the speed sensors (rear wheels) and the all wheel drive if your car has that feature. The moisture works it's way behind the connector and travels up the wiring causing all kinds of issues, like fuel pump problems. The car may run and stop or not even start so if you have something like this going on, C305 is a good place to start. I hope this helps.

cursed

I bought my 2001 Aztek about 2 years ago. For the first year and a half I didn't have any problems with it. Then all of a sudden the fuel gauge stopped working correctly...it would bounce around and I have even ran out of gas. So I figured I would change the sending unit. However, then one day my car just wouldn't start. We figured it was the fuel pump and replaced it and the sending unit. The car started and the fuel gauge worked again. Then a month later, the car wouldn't start yet again. So, we thought we possibly got a bad fuel pump and were going to replace it again, but then the guy doing it seen some corroded wires that were not connected properly. So he cleaned them up and reconnected them. It worked once again. I was excited...until another 2 weeks passed and it wouldn't start again. SO....we looked on here and found the issues with the C305 connector. We did the C305-ectomy thing and it works again. Then exactly one week later, the Service Engine Soon light comes on. I wanted to cry. I am a single mother and can't afford this crap or to even get a new car. My brother in law hooked it up to a code reader and it said something about the Evaporator Core and then it also said something about "loss of communication with the BCM". He said most likely it was the BCM...so here I am trying to start saving to fix it. (I still own a bunch on this car and that makes it hard to trade it off) Then about a week or so later he hooked it up again and the only thing that popped up was the Small Leak in Evaporator Core. How does one fix that and is it expensive? And what about the stinking Fuel Gauge??

neopostman

Make sure you are correct about the Evaporator Core being the problem, I'm not sure that that would set a code. I think you may be talking about the fuel tank purge valve under the hood on top of the engine. Ask the person who checked it if it had a code number (Pxxx). The BCM problem will cause lots of strange electrical problems, usually lights and things like that. The fuel sending
problem is something that I have in all three of my GM cars/trucks due mostly to the gasoline additives that cause corrosion on the sensor.

Sounds to me like you're very close to having this car fixed so check on these things and let us know how it's going.