Stats focus on model years from 1960 onwards.
Earlier years appear in the detailed table below where data exists.
Ask About This Model
Get plain-language explanations of recalls and complaints for the
Pontiac Montana. Powered by AI, backed by NHTSA data.
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Important: This assistant provides context from aggregated NHTSA data.
Always check your specific VIN on
NHTSA.gov
for vehicle-specific recall information.
Key Takeaways
A quick scan of where recalls and complaints concentrate for the Pontiac Montana,
based on aggregated NHTSA counts and campaign metadata.
Coverage spans model years 1997–2008 with 44 recall campaigns and 1451 complaints in NHTSA data.
Years with the most recall activity: 2001 (9), 2005 (5), and 2003 (5).
Years with the most complaint volume: 1999 (329), 2000 (310), and 2001 (208).
Top recall themes: Airbags, Seats and restraints, and Equipment and labeling.
Most reported complaint areas (across all years): Engine and engine cooling, Structure:body:door, Electrical system.
Complaints are not proof of a defect, but repeated themes can be useful signals when researching a used vehicle.
Always check your specific VIN for open recalls (open recalls are VIN-specific and can change over time).
Recall Themes
Instead of listing long campaign narratives, this groups recall campaigns into a few recurring areas.
Each theme links back to official notices as evidence.
Airbags
6 campaigns · Years: 1999, 2001–2003, 2005
These campaigns relate to airbag system components and deployment/airbag readiness issues.
Across all model years, the most frequently reported areas for the
Pontiac Montana in NHTSA complaint data are
Engine and engine cooling, Structure:body:door, Electrical system.
Jump to Model Year
Year-by-Year Overview
Each row shows how often this model appears in NHTSA recalls and consumer
complaints for a given model year. These are counts of campaigns and
complaints, not risk predictions.
Model Year
Recalls
Complaints
Details
2008
1
2
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Air bags, Service brakes.
2007
1
0
Recall campaign(s) issued; no grouped complaints in summary.
2006
2
61
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Electrical system, Electronic stability control (esc), Engine.
2005
5
130
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Structure:body:door, Electrical system, Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch.
2004
3
46
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch, Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system.
2003
5
117
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Air bags.
2002
4
161
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling, Fuel system, gasoline, Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch.
2001
9
208
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Power train:automatic transmission, Electrical system, Engine and engine cooling:cooling system.
2000
5
310
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Structure:body:door, Engine and engine cooling, Engine and engine cooling:cooling system.
1999
5
329
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling:engine, Engine and engine cooling, Power train:automatic transmission.
1998
3
62
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Structure:body:door, Engine and engine cooling, Exterior lighting:headlights.
1997
1
25
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling, Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Engine and engine cooling:cooling system.
What to Do Next
Check open recalls by VIN on the official NHTSA site (open recalls are VIN-specific).
If buying used, ask for proof of recall remedy completion (dealer paperwork helps).
If symptoms match common complaint themes, consider a mechanic inspection before purchase or long trips.
A compact evidence view of recall campaigns that include this model.
The default text is an original summary line, with official notice text available on demand.
Most common areas involved:
Latches/locks/linkages
, Air bags
and Equipment
Show recall evidence by year
2008
Suspension: Rear:
Safety recall involving the suspension area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The braun corporation has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2005-2008 general motors mobility conversion, handicapped accessible low floor minivans. During conversion, the driver or passenger side trailing arm modification may not have been adequately welded.
2007
Suspension: Rear:
Safety recall involving the suspension area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The braun corporation has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2005-2008 general motors mobility conversion, handicapped accessible low floor minivans. During conversion, the driver or passenger side trailing arm modification may not have been adequately welded.
2006
Equipment: Labels:
Safety recall involving the equipment area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "Tire selection and rims." These vehicles were shipped with tire and loading information labels listing an inacccurate vehicle capacity weight.
Suspension: Rear:
Safety recall involving the suspension area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The braun corporation has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2005-2008 general motors mobility conversion, handicapped accessible low floor minivans. During conversion, the driver or passenger side trailing arm modification may not have been adequately welded.
2005
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Seats: Mid/rear assembly:
Safety recall involving the seats area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans, the outboard release handle on the impact-side second-row bucket seat may be actuated and the rear latches may unlatch early in a side impact crash. This was discovered in a side impact test run by gm, under conditions similar to nhtsa's new car assessment program (ncap) side
Parking brake:
Safety recall involving the parking brake area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, 'Passenger car brake systems.' To meet the standard, the vehicle must not move for five minutes when stopped on a steep hill with the parking brake applied and the vehicle in neutr
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing sy
Suspension: Rear:
Safety recall involving the suspension area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The braun corporation has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2005-2008 general motors mobility conversion, handicapped accessible low floor minivans. During conversion, the driver or passenger side trailing arm modification may not have been adequately welded.
2004
Equipment: Labels:
Safety recall involving the equipment area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain minivans fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 213, "Child restraint systems." These vehicles do not have text and formatting on the warning label attached to the available second-row integral child restraint as specified by amendments to the sta
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Fuel system, gasoline: Storage:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain vehicles, variations in the manufacturing process or exposure to high ambient temperatures may lead to fracture of the fuel tank inlet check valve (icv).
2003
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain passenger, mini vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.
Air bags: Inflator module:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain mini vans, passenger and sport utility vehicles, some of these vehicles have a driver's side air bag that may not deploy as designed. In addition, the air bag inflator could rupture.
Equipment: Owners/service/other manual:
Safety recall involving the equipment area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "Child restraint anchorage system." The owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchora
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Fuel system, gasoline: Storage:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain vehicles, variations in the manufacturing process or exposure to high ambient temperatures may lead to fracture of the fuel tank inlet check valve (icv).
2002
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain passenger, mini vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.
Equipment: Owners/service/other manual:
Safety recall involving the equipment area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "Child restraint anchorage system." The owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchora
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Fuel system, gasoline: Storage:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain vehicles, variations in the manufacturing process or exposure to high ambient temperatures may lead to fracture of the fuel tank inlet check valve (icv).
2001
Seat belts:
Safety recall involving the seat belts area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor veh
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger, sport utility vehicles and minivans. The passenger air bag inflator modules were built without the correct amount of generant, which produces the gas that fills the air bag. Some were built with a double load of generant and some were built without generant.
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans 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
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile
Seats: Recliner:
Safety recall involving the seats area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: certain mini vans built with second row 50/50 split bench seats or captain's chairs, fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems." The seat latch anchor wire diameter is greater than 6.1 Mm.
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain passenger, sport utility vehicles and mini vans, some of these vehicles have a passenger air bag that was manufactured without a check valve pin. An air bag without the check valve pin could produce increased pressure at the onset of the air bag deployment and reduced pressure afterwar
Equipment: Owners/service/other manual:
Safety recall involving the equipment area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "Child restraint anchorage system." The owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchora
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Fuel system, gasoline: Storage:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain vehicles, variations in the manufacturing process or exposure to high ambient temperatures may lead to fracture of the fuel tank inlet check valve (icv).
2000
Seat belts:
Safety recall involving the seat belts area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor veh
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans 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
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Fuel system, gasoline: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans with extended wheelbase. Some of these vehicles have inoperative fuel tank rollover valves and fuel leakage would exceed the permissible amount in a rollover test. This does not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 301, "Fuel system integrity."
1999
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans 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
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile
Air bags: Frontal:
Safety recall involving the air bags area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain passenger vehicles and mini vans, the driver's air bag inflator modules could produce excessive internal pressure. In the event of a crash that would trigger a driver's air bag deployment, the increased internal pressure can cause the inflator module to explode.
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Steering: Shaft sector:
Safety recall involving the steering area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger mini vans. The left and/or right front lower insulator to cradle center metal sleeve is collapsed, which can result in loss of clamp load in the joint. If the clamp load is reduced or lost, the bolt can be lost or broken and the joint can separate.
1998
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans 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
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
1997
Latches/locks/linkages:
Safety recall involving the latches/locks/linkages area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Other Pontiac Models
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Recall Explained provides independent analysis of official NHTSA data.
This site does not replace the official NHTSA VIN lookup and should not be
treated as legal or safety advice for your specific vehicle.
For any safety concerns: Always check your VIN on the official
NHTSA site and contact an authorized dealer.
