1999 Pontiac Montana problems & reliability
235 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Pontiac Montana, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
13 complaints report injuries (19 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 99 | 42% |
| Air Bags | 32 | 14% |
| Power Train | 32 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 23 | 10% |
| Structure | 22 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 14 | 6% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 12 | 5% |
| Visibility | 12 | 5% |
| Equipment | 10 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 10 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 60,570 miles (middle 50% between 51,806 and 80,000 miles), based on 104 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The rear passenger suspension system has failed and the tire is sitting on the tire-well. The frame appears to be loose due to rust and has caused the spring coil to pop out and wobble uncontrollably. I was driving when this incident occurred and it would begin to "fish tail" around 40mph or when I would hit bumps…”
Suspension · filed Nov 18, 2016
“I had an accident where a car fish tailed in front of me slid directly in front of mine. I hit the other car while going 40 mph, it was a t*bone collision. My front air bags deployed at the time of collision. After getting out of the vehicle I noticed that the passenger side air bag was laying in the front passenger…”
Air Bags · filed Feb 4, 2013
“It seems that the this particular make and model has known problems with the cooling system. On a family trip to virginia the car started to overheat and I stopped the vehicle. When parked red fluid was visible under the car and upon testing was found out to be coolant leak. Car was towed to pa and mechanic reported…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jun 4, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- POWER-SLIDING DOOR
Preliminary Evaluation PE04064 · opened Sep 17, 2004 · closed Dec 22, 2004 · led to recall 04V597000
- REAR AXLE TRAILING ARM FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA03005 · opened Apr 23, 2003 · closed Jan 12, 2004
- SHOULDER HARNESS CLIP
Preliminary Evaluation PE02017 · opened Feb 11, 2002 · closed Aug 2, 2002
- AIR BAG INFLATOR
Engineering Analysis EA01014 · opened Jun 11, 2001 · closed Aug 26, 2002 · led to recall 02V027002
- AIR BAG TEAR DURING DEPLOYMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE00045 · opened Nov 3, 2000 · closed Jan 11, 2001
- UNEXPECTED OPENING OF SLIDING DOOR
Investigation SQ00014 · opened Jul 25, 2000 · closed Oct 22, 2001 · led to recall 01V067000
- TRACTION CONTROL
Recall Query RQ00006 · opened Feb 16, 2000 · closed Apr 20, 2001 · led to recall 98V072000
Technical service bulletins
79 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Pontiac Montana. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Pontiac Montana has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Pontiac Montana?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 60,570 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.