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For the past two winters, I have had my Tek, the Tusk here in PA. We have had as much as 22" of snow, not to mention what was leftover from previous snow storms. In fact, I don't even bother shoveling snow, I just Tek my way through it.
In all seriousness, I have seen 4 wheel drive vehicles that weren't as good in the snow.
Joe
http://www.aztekrally.org
Hello to all fellow Tek owners!
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Anyone notice issues with fit and finish? How about poorly aligned body panels? Mine look fine, I've had my Tek now for 9 months, and 10k miles! No fit and finish issues to speak of!
www.aztekrally.org
One other small glitch we found - regarding the roof rack. We took it off for a while since we hadn't been needing it (everything fits inside
We were a little disappointed by these foibles, but we have already been camping again this year in the Aztek and wifey still loves it! I made a little plywood/foam rubber bed which rests across the two front seats, to give our littlest tyke a bed of his own.
Thank you lbthedog for the idea of removing the rubber intake bellows from the Mass Air Flow sensor when replacing the air filter. It helped a lot on ours when I removed our K&N drop-in for its first cleaning at 15K miles (BTW the K&N is also thinner than the stock paper filters, making the job easier as well).
See our wild and bold Citrus Green Metallic Aztek GT at www.mwshowgo.com/kermit/index.htm !
"The airbag deployed so late that the dummy's head nearly contacted the steering wheel. Forces on the head were moderately high"
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0114.htm
Now the Saturn was rated good even though they made this statement.
"The dummy's head bottomed out the airbag and struck the steering wheel, producing a high head acceleration."
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0212.htm
Also look at how the VUE dummy's legs are nearly crushed vs the Aztek's.
So why is the VUE rated as good, and the Aztek rated as Marginal?
Road Test Follow Up: 2002 Pontiac Aztek AWD
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
It seems they got past their styling tribulations and gave us a somewhat objective review. Now I'd like to see a comparison test!
Erin Mahoney's review went a step further and directly insulted us owners with the opening paragraph:
"Oh my God! What is that thing? Honey, get out of its way — quick! It's coming right at us!"
As we drove the Pontiac Aztek along California's Pacific Coast Highway, we gleefully
imagined these exclamations coming from fellow motorists. After all, it's rather a beastly
looking thing. But that's just our opinion. We think stylists favored the dog van in "Dumb and
Dumber." Again, our opinion. At the same time, we have to give Pontiac props for going
ahead with such an...er... innovative design.
It appears to me that Neil Dunlop reviewer is the first one in the country to 'get it' as we owners like to say. I guess you can tell a reviewer that knows how to review a vehicle when he only dedicated three paragraphs to the exterior, and not all of those three were bad.
I keep coming back to one thought.
If Neil's review had been on the Edmunds site LAST year, maybe we wouldn't have had to put up with so many harrassing jack-asses that were not only not discouraged by the moderators, but at times supported and egged on.
Oh well what's in the past is in the past. Maybe we should do the same thing others did in the Element topic. Maybe we can "doom" another decent vehicle with stupid comments and personal attacks. No, that's not right and doing that would only be stooping to a lower level.
Although it's clear to me that Edmund's has delivered an injust opinion on the Aztek, I doubt we'll ever see so much as an apology.
(btw, we have no influence over the reviewers -- rumor is that editorial is hidden away in some windowless cubicle farm in LA).
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Actually, the IIHS said, "driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well" and, "Despite moderate intrusion into the driver footwell area, injury measures on the legs and feet were low."
Here are a few other SUV's with similar or worse levels of footwell intrusion:
Acura MDX, Lexus RX300, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4-Runner, Land Rover Discovery, Ford Explorer. Pretty good company, huh?
Edmunds no longer considers the Aztek ugly! That's great news huh!
be at the Rally next weekend:
- Decoma Aztek
- TexasDar Katayama Aztek
- MBRP Off-Road Aztek
Will you be there to see these cool machines too??? I hope so! :-)
Join us for the 2002 Aztek Road Rally: <http://www.aztekrally.org>
Sponsors of the 2002 Aztek Road Rally:
- Aztekparts.com
- Pontiac
- Star Pontiac
- Coleman
- American Identity
- Hidden Hitch
- Griot's Garage
- Manik Original Off-Road Equipment
- Pontiac Enthusiasts Magazine
- MBRP Martin Baker Racing Products
- VinzDecals
be at the Rally next weekend:
- Decoma Aztek
- TexasDar Katayama Aztek
- MBRP Off-Road Aztek
Will you be there to see these cool machines too??? I hope so! :-)
Join us for the 2002 Aztek Road Rally: <http://www.aztekrally.org>
Sponsors of the 2002 Aztek Road Rally:
- Aztekparts.com
- Pontiac
- Star Pontiac
- Coleman
- American Identity
- Hidden Hitch
- Griot's Garage
- Manik Original Off-Road Equipment
- Pontiac Enthusiasts Magazine
- MBRP Martin Baker Racing Products
- VinzDecals
But if I had problems like I heard described due to a factory oversight, I would be very upset. It's a shame it happened, because every tick in that vehicle will unnerve you and no one will make you believe it is sound now.
I have read questions on Octane and other ideas to improve mileage. I used to be a motor head and restore engines on cars.
My mileage is so good because I got that Driver Info Center (DIC). With instant feedback on speed/RPM combos, my driving habits changed - that's why the MPG is so good. I have an Olds Silhoutte minivan with the same engine and simlar gear ratios on the transmission, and the driving habits I picked up in the Aztek are now netting me benefits in that vehicle as well.
For those of you who travel at over 75mph on the hwy and bottom out the pedal during city acceleration, be thankful for what you get. Higher Octane will improve performane (response time, acceleration, etc) but do nothing for your MPG. The higher the octane, the faster, cleaner, and HOTTER the fuel burns. Unless your car was designed to burn fuel of a higher Octane, it will do nothing for MPG. It is a good idea to run a tank of higher Octane through every 3rd or 4th tank to clean out junk that has built up from any bad gas you may have put in.
For those of you without the DIC, try your city driving at speeds of 28mph or 42mph. You should see your tach drop below 1,500RPMs, which will significantly improve your MPG. If you have a tach, look for speeds that allow the engine to drop a gear (your tach will climb to 2,000 or 2,500RPMs, then drop down into the 1,000's - that's the sweet spot. For those of you whose engine does not seem to shift until around 3,000RPMs or more, you are accelerating too fast and your mileage won't be as good).
I am now off my soapbox.
http://216.62.221.81/fawcett/photos4me/03tek.jpg
Because of this I decided to order a Draw Tide hitch and install it myself. I got the hitch from the Internet and paid $128, including shipping. I installed it yesterday and found that the descriptions were very good. It took me about 45 minutes to do the job (the specs said it would take 55 minutes), and it was rather easy, and every component was very well designed (it was much easier than the installation of the Manik Brush Guard that I did a few weeks ago). The hitch looks pretty good, and the receiver box does not protrude out under the bumper.
I can recommend the do-it-yourself route for anybody who has some mechanic abilities, the only tools needed are a few wrenches and screwdrivers.
The next project will be mud guards for all four wheels.
I was concerned about the fin as well. I purchased my 2002 AWD Aztek in early May. I no longer even notice the fin. Hope this helps!
Love my 'tek!
I live in Orange County, California. I am a programmer. And, like others here, I did a lot of research before I chose my 'Tek.
Like Bode13, I also have the 6 CD in dash player and it does not display the CD and track info in the HUD. When I mentioned this to my salesperson she took me over to the Service department. They said that they would probably have to remove the whole thing and send it out.
I don't believe that it is the CD player I believe that they forgot a connection. If anyone else has had this problem, please email me at ocprgmr@hotmail.com. Other than that, I love my 'Tek!
I emailed the fleet manager what I wanted and was prepared to negotiate. The fleet
manager emailed me back a quote that listed the equipment I wanted with the dealer's invoice prices listed (these were the same prices that I saw on Edmunds) and told me that my price would be $250 over the invoice. I immediately responded with 'SOLD!'. Not only that, but we did most of the financing via email as well. I did not meet her in person until I actually placed the order -- and that I could have done via the phone or fax.
What I ended up with was MY Aztek with exactly the options I wanted -- an '02 AWD
in Champagne Beige (really classy looking) and ALL of the extras except the moonroof. I took delivery slightly less than 1 month after ordering it. Even the fleet manager was surprised!
This just shows the failure of the Art Education system here in America. They could offer to give me this auto free and I would laugh in their face. I guess thats why there were only 6 Vibes and three dozen Aztecs on the lot.
I'm not trying to be mean but.....jeez
Or are you too shallow?
I am just shallow enough!
Seriously, let's drop the insults.
tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
Obviously, you've never been to Pasadena.
Our front-wheel-drive test model offered virtually no off-roading capability, with a mere 6.7 inches of ground clearance.
The Aztek falls short, though, when it comes to handling. Driving characteristics in the rain were especially disappointing. We witnessed a disconcerting amount of wheel slippage on wet pavement. Under dry conditions, brakes performed well enough, with no more than a quarter- to a half-inch of pedal travel before the calipers took hold. In the rain, however, stopping action felt especially feeble, and ABS tended to kick in unexpectedly soon. We found it necessary to maintain an especially liberal following distance in order to feel safe.
Visibility from the Aztek's comfortable driver's seat is a mixed bag. Big side mirrors and a high seating position are beneficial, but the B- and C-pillars create massive blind spots, and rearward visibility through the sharply angled hatch glass takes some getting used to.
Not surprisingly, the Aztek is not the most desirable transport for canyon carving. There was significant body wallow around curves and the tires tended to roll over onto the sidewalls in the twisties. Ride quality was good on the straightaways, but the suspension bottomed easily in lumpy corners. The vehicle felt tippy even on the widest, most sweeping of turns, causing us to reduce speed dramatically during freeway transitions to prevent panic from a sudden feeling that we were about to exceed the Aztek's limit. Fun to drive this vehicle is not.
Steering feel, as well, was mediocre. In GM tradition, it was numb and offered little communication with the road. The wheel itself, on the other hand, was pleasingly thick and grippy, if a bit sloppily mounted on the column — it didn't feel tightly secured when tugged upon.
We were assailed by noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) whenever we tried to push the Aztek's decidedly limited handling capabilities. The tires positively howled in turns, the engine moaned and groaned when revved and a good deal of vibration traveled through the gas pedal during acceleration. Wind noise, on the other hand, wasn't overbearing, and the tires were quiet under less-challenging driving conditions.
I wonder if they will give the Aztek a face lift in 04.
Thanks
Is there any fix for this? My dealer acts as if he has never heard about something like that, and has no idea what to do about it.
Any help and advise in this matter is much appreciated.
link
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
My car meets the requirements for 2 of 4 Ohio lemon law requirements. Only one must be met to be a lemon. It will soon meet a third since the car is no longer safe to drive, but Pontiac is still telling me to drive it.
I love the Aztek, but if you're thinking of buying one, or a GM car for that matter, you have to hear what can go wrong. Under Ohio Lemon Law I am required to send Pontiac a letter of my complaint detailing the entire history of the car. Here is a copy of that letter:
--------------------------
August 7, 2002
Pontiac
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-5172
Dear Pontiac,
This letter is being written to inform you of the problems I am having
with my car. I am the owner of a 2001 Pontiac Aztek that was
purchased new on 6/15/01 from Dallas Automotive in Jackson Ohio.
Since its purchase date I have had several problems with the car and I
am seeking a refund or a possible replacement.
The car entered the shop for the first time on 6/22/01 with 529 miles
on it. It was for the windshield wipers locking together and
rendering them useless. This actually happened on the way home in a
rainstorm and forced me to go off the road blind. It was repaired by
Dallas and still does this from time to time.
The car went in again to Dallas on 9/04/01 with 3580 miles. This was
for four problems. The first was that the backlighting on some of the
interior and radio buttons went dead. This required the radio be
replaced. I went in several times waiting for the new radio to be
ordered. Each time they either forgot to order it or said it
didn't
come in. It eventually had to be replaced by a separate dealer
(Nourse) at a later date. The second problem on this visit was a loud
metallic popping noise coming from the rear. Dallas Labeled this as a
steering/suspension problem and said they couldn't reproduce it.
It
was not repaired. The third problem was sqeeking brakes. They were
cleaned, but soon started squeeking again. The last was labeled
transmission work. I complained of loud clunking noises coming from
the car when downshifting or when shifting into and out of park. I
was told this was normal operation.
As I said the radio had to be replaced by another dealer. After
dropping my car off several times to Dallas only to be told that they
forgot to order it or that it hadn't come in, I contacted Pontiac
Customer Assistance and was told to take it to a new dealership.
Pontiac Customer Assistance called Nourse Family of Dealerships in
Chillicothe, Ohio and told them I was coming. The following repairs
all take place at Nourse.
On 12/17/01 with 12,106 miles the went to the shop for six separate
problems. The first was the rear hatch only opening to the first
latch. Parts were ordered and put on, but the problem persists in
cold weather. The second was that the security system would not arm
itself when the doors were locked using the switch on the door and not
the key fob. A module was ordered. During the repair the center
console was broken and also had to be replaced. It works now. The
third was for clunking when shifting into and out of park and also
when downshifting. This is the same problem reported on 6/22/01 only
now it was worse. I was told this was normal operation. The fourth
problem was that the engine was hard to start. It cranked for a long
time and would sometimes die. They said this was related to the
security system and that the control module would fix it. It still
has hard starts. The fifth problem was a loud buzzing noise that came
from the rear of the car when I encountered bumps or rumble strips.
They were unable to reproduce the sound. It still does this. The
sixth problem was sqeeking brakes. They were cleaned, but continued
to sqeek.
On 5/08/02 with 20,607 miles the car went in with two problems. The
first was a leaking sunroof that ended up soaking the headliner. I
was told the sunroof drains were pinched and not hooked up. They were
repaired. The second problem the accessory power outlets on the
center console were dead. They found that they were broke and
repaired them. They work now, but are so sensitive that if you bump
whatever is plugged in they go dead and you have to readjust
whatever's plugged in.
On 5/17/02 with 21,743 miles the car went in with one problem. There
was a fuse that repeatedly kept blowing. The fuse controlled the dash
lights and when it occurred at night the instrument cluster would go
dead. They told me they repaired a short in the ground in the
passenger side sun visor. It has not blown again. Shortly after this
problem the car had to go in to have the passenger side A-Pillar
plastic cover replaced. It fell off while driving. Rocky or Thad
Reid should have this on file at Nourse or at least remember this. I
don't have a work order for it.
On 7/02/02 with 24,769 miles the car with two problems. The first
problem was loud clunking when shifting into and out of park and when
downshifting. The second problem was a loud clunking noise when after
disengaging the gas and coasting, the gas was reengaged. This was
written up on the repair order as just the transmission clunking since
the service dept said they were the same thing. This is also the same
problem I had been complaining about since 9/4/01. I repeated that
complaint on 12/17/01. This time they confirmed the customer
complaint and found a bad drive shaft. Nearly a year after the first
complaint someone finally believed me that this was not normal. The
part was installed after a few weeks. They told me to continue
driving the car while I waited for the part. I don't have a work
order for the installation of the part, but Nourse should have it on
record. It took a few weeks for the part to come in.
the gas was disengaged and then reengaged after coasting. The second
was for loud clunking when shifting into and out of park and when
downshifting. These were lumped into one job again. These are the
same complaints that I'd been having for almost a year now and
were
supposed to be resolved by the new driveshaft installed in late July.
The third problem was a strong vibration coming from the rear end at
approximately 2200RPM. The vibration was accompanied by a roaring
noise and only occurred when the car was in motion, not in neutral.
All complaints were verified. The dealer told me that driving on the
bad drive shaft has broken the parts that it was connected to (the
prop shaft). At this point I am still waiting for the new parts to
come in. I was told to drive the car until they came in. I voiced
concerns about the car's safety and was still told to drive it.
Yesterday on 8/5/02 I had to make a 4hr round trip to Zainsville, Ohio
and on that trip experienced sometimes violent vibrations from the
rear end of the car and periodic losses of power. Sometimes the
cruise control just couldn't maintain speed and at one point I
went
from 55 to 40mph. The engine would rev loudly as the car tried to get
back to 55, but the power was not reaching the wheels. I took it out
of cruise and had the same problem. I notified Pontiac Customer
Assistance and the dealer to inform that that I did not feel safe
driving the car and was still told to drive it. I filed a report with
the National Highway Traffic Administration Today.
That is the repair history as of now. I am still waiting for more
parts. I contacted Pontiac Customer Assistance 7/31/02 and spoke to a
Dale Blankenship. I voiced concerns that my warranty was getting thin
and that the car had a huge list of problems in the past and many that
are still ongoing. This was a day before my appointment on 8/01/02.
I was upset that the car was in twice for this problem and I was told
nothing was wrong, a third time when they confirmed my complaint and
ordered parts, a fourth time to install the parts, and now was going
in a fifth time because the car was still having problems (this would
be the 8/01 visit). He brought up whether I wanted it replaced. I
didn't know anything about that and he told me to call back after
taking the car in the next day. He said he'd contact the Area
Service
Representative. My service number was 1-11897472. I took the car in
on 8/01/02 and called back as I was told. That night I checked out
Ohio's Lemon law and found that my car met 2 of the 4 Ohio
requirements (only one is needed). It had 8 separate defects in the
first 18k miles and has had more than 3 attempts to repair a single
defect (the clunking). When I called back no one wanted to deal with
me. Everyone told me that only Dale Blankenship could handle this
case and because they were Customer Service was located in three
separate states they couldn't contact him and I'd have to
wait for him
to call me. Gina Garon was one of the ones who said only Dale could
handle this, there are others whose names I did not get, but should be
in my service file. Dale never called so I called back and got Damany
White. This was on 8/02/02. Demany told me there was no reason for
anyone to pass this on to Dale since the case was actually owned by
Demitrius Irvin. He told me that he would contact the Nourse
Dealership and have them contact the Area Service Representative. I
was told I would get a call on Tuesday 8/06/02 to update me.
While I was waiting for Demany to call I called Nourse with the safety
concern over the lack of power in the car during my 8/05/02 trip to
Zainsville. Nourse also told me while I was on the phone with them
that the Area Service Representative was on vacation and would not be
available for a week. When Demany called he confirmed this. I
explained I go away to Medical school in three weeks and would like to
resolve this as soon as possible. I asked if there was someone else I
could speak to. He said no. There is only one person who can make a
decision for me and that person is on vacation. I asked if I could
speak to the Area Service Rep for Dallas and he said they could leave
him a message, but it would be a few days before he replied. I
explained the urgency of the safety issue and he again told me I could
get no help in the near future. I notified him I was contacting the
BBB and NHTSA to make reports and he told me that if I do that he
would terminate any talk with the Area Service Rep. Basically it was
a threat that if I filed a complaint Pontiac wouldn't help me.
I asked that he please contact the Area Service Rep if for nothing
else than the safety issue. We ended the call and I filed my
complaints. In compliance with Ohio Law I must submit this letter for
any future Lemon Proceeding. However, I did not have the address to
your "Zone" office. To get the number I again called Pontiac
Customer
Assistance and spoke to Mukendi Tshimanga. This is also on 8/6/02.
He told me he does not have the address and cannot help me. I asked
him to add in my service report that I called trying to adhere to Ohio
Law and was denied the address. He said he did so. I called the
Nourse Dealership and was told that the only person who has the
address I need is the Area Service Representative and that he is on
vacation. This was preventing me from fulfilling my legal obligation
under Ohio law. My dad called Pontiac's Customer Service Center
after
hearing about this and said he would contact the Ohio Attorney
General's office if We did not get the address. They gave it to
him
without hesitation. They obviously had the address, so why would
Mukendi Tshimanga not give it to me except to prevent me from filing.
-----------------
It's a copy paste so please excuse it if it's hard to read. It also hasn't been proof read or had a closing.
Other than that it's a scary letter. The car has been in the shop non-stop and a defect that was reported by me nearly a year ago has turned into a safety hazard. While all that is going on I have Pontiac flat out lying to me on the phone and playing games when my safety could be at risk.
I'm not telling people not to get an Aztek. I love them and think they're great cars. But be aware the trouble you'll go through if you have a lemon too.
I still love the Aztek, but I wish someone else made it.
Unfortunately, Pontiac is not alone on this front. Toyota owners have experienced problems over engine sludge and fought with Toyota for years with no success. Only until the media got a hold of the story and the internet boards filled with discussions, did Toyota take care of the owners...and even then, with no admission of guilt.
Chrysler owners here at Edmunds "scream" about how they love their cars, but can't stand the service they receive from their dealers or Chrysler corporate.
It is sad that consumers have to put up with this kind of treatment, but unfortunately, Pontiac is not alone in this regard. It would seem that only Lexus and Mercedes-Benz truly stand behind their cars.
I wish you luck.