Problems · NHTSA complaints

2003 Pontiac Montana problems

Owners filed 97 complaints about the 2003 Pontiac Montana with NHTSA between Apr 2002 and May 2022. The most-cited component is electrical system (16).

Complaints
97
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
22
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system16
  2. Exterior lighting14
  3. Fuel system, gasoline14
  4. Engine and engine cooling14
  5. Air bags12
  6. Structure9
  7. Steering6
  8. Suspension5
  9. Latches/locks/linkages5
  10. Visibility4
  11. Equipment4
  12. Power train4
  13. Seat belts3
  14. Fuel system, other3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20021
20039
200416
200510
200613
200710
20087
20099
20106
20111
20123
20131
20142
20153
20162
20171
20182
20190
20200
20210
20221

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

16 reports1 crash2 fires
“WE HAVE TO KEPT CHANGING THE BRAKE LIGHTS IN THE BACK BECAUSE THEY KEEP GOING OUT EVER FEW WEEKS. WE EVEN WENT AND BOUGHT A NEW STOP SIGNAL SWITCH BUT THAT WASN'T IT. WE WANT TO KNOW IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE BRAKE LIGHT AND THE WIRING AND WHY THEY KEEP GOING OUT. WE HAVE HAD ISSUES SINCE WE BOUGHT IN JUNE 2014. WE ARE JUST TIRED OF KEEP POURING MONEY INTO IT BUT I DON'T WANT AN ACCIDENT OR TO GET PULL OVER EITHER. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT NEVER HAS AN ISSUE IS THE BRAKE BAR ON TOP. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 28, 2015Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 10679563

Exterior lighting

14 reports1 crash
“BRAKES LIGHTS AND HEAD LIGHTS ON MY 2003 PONTIAC MONTANA HAVE BEEN GOING OUT PERIODICALLY FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. AFTER REPLACING LIGHT HOUSING, BULBS AND OTHER COMPONENTS, THE BRAKE LIGHTS CONTINUE TO BLOW OUT. AT ONE POINT WE THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE MOISTURE BUILD UP, SO AFTER MY HUSBAND REPLACED THE HOUSING AGAIN, HE DRILLS HOLES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HEADLIGHT COVERS TO HELP DRAIN MOISTURE. THAT HAS SEEMED TO HELP IN ONE OF THE LIGHTS. THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON THE LEFT SIDE CONTINUE TO GO OUT ABOUT A DAY AFTER EVERY REPLACEMENT. MOST OF THE INTERIOR LIGHTING HAS GONE OUT AS WELL AND THE SUSPENSION IS TERRIBLE. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 6, 2014Suspension, Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 10619349

Fuel system, gasoline

14 reports1 crash1 related recall
“WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE OCT 2005, PURCHASED USED FROM A SATURN DEALERSHIP. CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A GAS TANK RECALL, HOWEVER WE WERE NOTIFIED NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER WE HAD A RUPTURE THAT DROPPED AN ENTIRE TANK OF FUEL ON THE DRIVEWAY AND WERE TOLD WE WERE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE HAVING DRIVEN UNKNOWINGLY WITH THIS LEAK. TANK WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED AUTO WARRANTY. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: TAIL LIGHT GOES OUT AND IS REPLACED, THEN DRIVER HEADLIGHT GOES OUT. WATER LEAKS INSIDE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WHEN IT RAINS. THE TAIL PLUG IN FOR TAIL LIGHT BULB HAD GOTTEN SO HOT IT HAD MELTED THE PLUG IN BOTH TAIL LIGHTS. RANDOM ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITH WINDOWS AND DOOR LOCKS OCCURRING. DASH PANEL BURNED OUT, RADIO DISPLAY BLED OUT AND RADIO THEN FAILED - WOULD NOT TURN OFF AFTER BUTTON WAS PUSHED AND HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM THE DASHBOARD IN ORDER TO AVOID DRAINING BATTERY COMPLETELY. TRACTION TIRE FAILURE WHEN ENGAGED OCCURRED IN COMBINATION WITH POWER STEERING FAILURE, CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE, AND ON ONE OCCASION COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. NO WARNING, NO SQUEALING, NO GRINDING, NO PULLING TO THE SIDE: JUST COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE THAT RESULTED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT THAT INJURED…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 24, 2010Steering, Fuel system, gasoline, Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Air bags, Unknown or other, Electronic stability control (esc), Traction control systemCrash reportedODI 10339878

Engine and engine cooling

14 reports
“THE VALVE PULLED OUT OF ROCKER ARM MID 2008 ON #2 CAL COSTING APPROX 600.00 REPAIR AGAIN IN 2009 THE #3 CYL VALVE PULLED OUT EFFECTING ANOTHER REPAIR. THEN A WEEK LATER THE #5 CYL HAS QUIT FIRING. THIS IS THE 3400 OR 3.4 LITER ENGINE. MY MECHANIC EXPLAINED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTOR IN THE GRAND AM OR GRAND PRIX. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 23, 2009Engine and engine coolingODI 10266493

Air bags

12 reports6 crashes2 related recalls
“Van crashed with damage to the front when it ran off the road and went into a culvert/ditch and air bags did not deploy resulting in paralyzation of the wife of the owner after van had been apparently donated to Charity Cars as junk vehicle or salvage vehicle. Vehicle was apparently repaired by towing company and offered for sale at at a used car dealership in Zanesville, Ohio. The passenger side lower dashboard had a white wire hanging down which may have been connected to a defective replacement airbag. I am an attorney representing the owner and the owner's wife. Black box was analyzed in 2019, but not with the latest program.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 20, 2022Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11465536

Structure

9 reports
“I OPENED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WITH MY REMOTE AND BEGAN PLACING GROCERIES IN THE VAN. WHILE PERFORMING THIS ACTION, MY DAUGHTER THOUGHT SHE WOULD HELP ME BY TURNING ON THE LIGHT ON THE OVERHEARD PANEL. SHE PUSHED THE WRONG BUTTON. THE AUTOMATIC DOOR BEGAN CLOSING WHILE I WAS LEANING INTO THE VAN. IT CONTINUED CLOSING, SQUEEZING ME INTO THE DOOR FRAME ITSELF. I WAS NOT ABLE TO FREE MYSELF UNTIL THE DOOR BEGAN RETRACTING ON ITS OWN. BOTH HIPS ARE BRUISED AND SORE AND IT IS PAINFUL TO WALK. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 1, 2010Structure, EquipmentODI 10315275
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.