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Comments
I'd like to here more from other owners on this General Tire thing.
Vehicle Description: Mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but may not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
Dealers will install a new unlatch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. Owner notification is expected to begin during April 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or Oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537. Also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hot line at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT
(1-888-327-4236).
Campaign Number: 01V067000 Date: Mar-08-2001
Anyone with same problem? They have checked batteries and tried to reprogram it. Say they need to get into dash and "analyze" the problem.
What is most likely the problem? Electrical or sending unit again? Why is it going out so often?
I have had a few odd problems with it...
1. battery started leaking acid causing starting problems.
2. 31,000 miles and needing new tires already.
3. rear passenger storage compartment would fill with water after driving in the rain - poor sealing.
But overall, I LOVE my van. Was at Pontiac today checking out the MontanaVision 2001 in black. VERY nice. And again it is NOT an Odyssey. Thank goodness I drive something that has some style!
has gone out for 2nd time in 1st year.
Others with problems? Any recalls?
Do you think it is the sending unit or an electrical problem?
My question. How do you know when your shocks/struts have had enough? My suspension sounds a little loose over bumps, but I really can't tell if that's normal or not. We're at 58,800 miles on a '97. Great vehicle. Have only had to replace an oxygen sensor at 35,000 miles. And yes, those captains chairs in the back DO separate kids quite nicely.
Steve
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i know in 98 got chair-mounted side impact air bags. was wondering if anyone can tell changes in 99 models? or 2000 model? or 2001 model?
any and all opinions are appreciated.
tia
rob
I had a 1998 loaded Montana. I went to
arbitration against GM with the help of
the BBB. I won the case and GM bought it
back. (brakes failed including master cylinder
and power door opened). It's nice to see
so many people happy with the Montana. However,
be aware that when buying a used one the dealers
don't always disclose the buy back reasons.
Although buy backs are rare be careful.
The dealers sometimes do not report it to the state where the Lemon Law took place. I had someone call me about my van, which a dealer was selling at nice price I advise them of the true nature of the problems with my van.
The Montana drove and looked nice, but they still have not addressed the poor offset crash test and reliability. Good luck
Steve
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Craig
Steve
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Your rattling sound is your air compressor. The relay switch and all of the wiring in there is faulty! If you have already bought one, print this out, bring it to your dealer and check with them in the event that this would happen to you, what you DON'T have to pay for. Also find a good lawyer like I have just in case!
Nyome
When you filed for arbitration, how many miles did your van have and how long had you owned it? I am considering contacting the GM AVM again, but I wonder if I'm wasting my time again. I have been working with a different dealer and they have been better than the dealer that I bought it from, but the van is having other problems now. The intake manifold gasket has been leaking since about 21000 miles and will need fixed sometime. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt
Good luck you guys
1. Oil seepage on bottom of oil pan. Oil pan replaced twice and rear main seal replaced once. Problem continues, been to dealer over 10 times for this problem.
2. RH passenger door ext. mirror been replaced twice because it would lose it's setting when door was shut.
3. Third brake light replaced on rear door due to cracked lens, came from factory this way.
4. A/C compressor replaced due to rattling noise when engaged, think bearing caused noise.
5. Air bag indicator light comes on intermittently, fixed twice and now is starting to come on again.
6. Rear A/C drain hole sealed shut from factory, caused LH rear fender to fill with water.
7. Lumbar supports in both front seats make popping noise, nothing done.
8. Tilt forward handle on RH center captain seat fell off, was replaced.
9. Bad odor from defroster, electronic dryer module installed. Problem has come back and the A/C system was disinfected. Will continue to be a problem.
10. Engine dies at stoplight, happened twice, never found problem.
11. Trim piece in floor for RH captain seat broke, was replaced.
12. Intake manifold gasket leaking, has not been fixed yet. I'm afraid to have them pull engine until it becomes worse.
13. A/C blower cuts out, never found problem.
14. RH passenger interior door panel replaced, damaged when mirror was replaced.
15. A/C system charged.
These repairs have cost GM over $3000 in warranty expenses, I'm sure they would have cost me twice this amount because of the dealer mark-up that GM does not have to pay for parts and labor.
Maybe I just got a bad apple, but GM does not think so because they are not willing to take this van back. I'll think twice before I buy another GM vehicle after the way they have treated me. I had a '96 Dodge Grand Caravan before this and it had problems too, but not this bad. My biggest problem with the Caravan was that it burned a quart of oil every 3000 miles, started after approx. 60,000 miles, 3.3L engine and Dodge said this was normal. Needless to say I got rid of it at 84,000 miles because I felt it had something wrong with the engine to burn oil like that. I have considered the Honda Odyssey myself. Good luck with the Odyssey.
I am sorry to tell you that once you pass
a certain number of miles arbitration is no longer
a option. To all posters the guidelines are in
the back of your owners manual. The BBB usually
follows the state's lemon law that you live in.
I first reported my problem via certified mail
at 7,000 miles. Make sure you follow the rules
of the BBB or you can go to court (which takes much longer). When you have high mileage its to late, again see the owners manual. Always contact your local state to find out the law. GM tried to tell me there was nothing wrong with my power door NOW ITS A RECALL!!. GM offered me extended warranty and 3 car payments back. I told them see you at arbitration. You need to keep copies of all your records of repairs and certified letters sent to GM. Bypass the dealer after they have tired to fix the problem at least three times(some states require reasonable number of times). Brakes are a safety concern and as such have different rules.
Also for arbitrations, yes be very prepared as Duster said. The arbitrator actually commented that I was very well prepared for my case. Did it effect the outcome of the buyback? No. Harmonic vibration is a common characteristic of the Odyssey and not a reason for buyback and not a manufacturing defect. In Canada we need to prove a manufacturing defect but can get a full buy back if the vehicle is under a year old and has under 25,000 KM. Otherwise the amount is reduced based on usage for up to 160,000 KM or 5 years which ever comes first. No lemon laws in Canada.
Things I love about my Montana: eight-passenger seating, cargo/passenger versatility, integrated child seat, air compressor, and Montana vision!
Things I hate: cup holders (or rather lack of useable cup holders).
Things GM should offer: comfortable integrated booster seats for children 40-80 pounds, and lap/shoulder belts for ALL passengers
Good luck,
Matt
I only wish your problems with your Montana could be fixed as easily. My problems now appear to be caused by either Hondas lazy customer service people or because they are incompetent.
Good Luck
Tim
Take care,
Matt
They eventually did fix it and it turned out to be a decent little car, no major problems after that and I learned to live with the misaligned doors and high speed vibrations. But they never did honour their extended warranty and reimburse me the $700 I had paid out on rental cars while they fixed it. What really bugged me wasn't so much all the shop visits but how badly they began to treat me as I kept coming in trying to get the same problems fixed, and their attitude when I started to complain about it. Won't even look at a Chrysler now, even though I have many friends who've never had a problem with theirs and won't own anything else. I imagine you feel similarly about GM.
As for my Montana it's still doing great. The only complaint I have is with the trailer wiring; found the brake lights, running lights and signals, and we think we've got the right one for the ground, but we can't figure out what the other two wires are. Seems to be completely different from anything else including other GM configurations. The local GM dealer doesn't even know, so they just ignore the OEM harness and hard wire a connection in. If anyone knows what the different wires are for I'd really appreciate it.
As for how my Monty is going, well it's still short on boots but otherwise has performed nicely over the first 3 months I've had it. I did a little investigating with the local General Tire dealer on any manufacture warranty on the tires, the answer was no, unless the tires were defective, loose ply, side wall or tread failure. Going back to the dealership where the van was originally purchased, they said no warranty existed except for the original owner. DEAD END!!
Steve, your notice on the GM recall on the sliding door is actually on right side power sliding doors covering 1997 through 2001 models. The potential problem is, if, after the power door closes, it may not latch. Thus if driving down the bumpy road, turning a corner, or excelerating, the door may come open and allow the right side second row passenger to exit the vehicle. This might be a big problem unless there is someone you're trying to get rid of, eh. The fix is to have the dealer replace the sliding door unlatch actuator. The recall number for us Canucks is 2001059 with Transport Canada.
btw, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the OEM Generals that came on my Quest. Never had any good results with warranty claims on tires either; by the time they pro-rate them, it's easier to just buy a better tire, imho. Don't know what your local Canadian Tire stocks.
Steve
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One is when I switch from the vent to the A/C or defrost I get an awful smell coming from the vents for about 5 minutes, any thoughts?
The other is when I start it up in the morning, it sounds like a diesel engine.
Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated!!
Thanks
Would be very concerned over engine noise at start up as could be lack of oil circulation. Would have dealer check it out.
Steve
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Good luck!
link
Steve
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Should I buy it, or look at an '01? Were there major changes?
Major dislikes include brakes, a radio that won't adjust volume properly, and a bit rattly interior.
Likes include the steering, power, and that unbelievably useful air compressor.
Opinions??
-Dan L.
There is also the rear parking aid and a new stereo. My understanding is the cupholders are sturdier in the new models also. Both sliding doors are now power. Also, with the 2001 you get Onstar for 1 year free which includes 30 minutes of free phone calls a month. It's pretty cool.
It would be in your interest to explore the possibility of a new one. Especially because they are offering 0.9% financing up to 60 months or $2000 cash back.
You can build a vehicle at www.gmbuypower.com and even search dealers inventory for the exact one you are looking for. I spent a lot of time there prior to our purchase.
Only disappointment was the Dealer installed TV system--the VCP was put in under the rear seat. The Chevy Warner Brothers edition has it in the front console under the CD player on the floor and that was my expectation when I had the new TV put in. I can live with it, however.