Most common 1997 Pontiac Montana problems
Share of the 18 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Pontiac Montana complaints by model year
Best Montana years: 1997, 2006, 2004. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. Compare all years →
1997 Pontiac Montana recalls (1)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 1997 Pontiac Montana:
Rear axle trailing arm failure
On November 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on April 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue.
Safety belt assembly failure
Odi identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.odi was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, odi determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were…
What 1997 Pontiac Montana owners say
Engine & cooling
A/C heat - air conditioning / heat unit in rear of van failed in 2001. Have not attempted to have it repaired to date. A/C and heat is OK front. Body - passenger automatic sliding door. Rattled almost from the day we bought the car. It also at times would not closed (in park). It would close automatically until it touched the car body then would re-open. They replaced the power sliding door unlatch actuator under a recall. Engine - starting at 48,000 miles the check engine light would start to blink when driving, immediately the van would start to run very roughly and have poor acceleration. Light would then stop blinking and stay "on". Then over a period of about an hour running time would turn off. This would happen every other month or so for a day. Eventually -we were told it was the fuel injectors (at 56,000 miles). …
Lens cover over the headlights fell out of both headlights on seperate occcasions. I had to buy the whole headlight assembly. I was driving down the road and they just fell out and broke on the road. We currently have a problem with it overheating have replace thermostat and water pump still having same problem. Not fixed yet. The power sliding door alarms that it is open for no apparent reason. The door has not opened and closed by the power for several months. It has to be mannaully opened. We have also replaced the both air shocks in the rear of the van. Can't get the radiator cap from radiator haven't been able to remove since it was bought.
Lights
We have had lens covers fall off both front headlights. What should normally be a very low cost fix has resulted in repair/labor costs of over $300 for us as you cannot replace just the lens cover. As I was told, the "glue" whoch holds the lens cover on breaks down and results in the lens cover falling off. The entire headlight assembly has to be replaced (last year parts alone were $130...this year around 90 for the other headlight). This is an awful design! If I were able to replace just the lens cover (only needs to be glued back in place!), I wouldn't complain, but we are not looking at having to replace these "glued together" items at a cost of another $300+ within the next 5 years when this glue fails.
Lens cover over the headlights fell out of both headlights on seperate occcasions. I had to buy the whole headlight assembly. I was driving down the road and they just fell out and broke on the road. We currently have a problem with it overheating have replace thermostat and water pump still having same problem. Not fixed yet. The power sliding door alarms that it is open for no apparent reason. The door has not opened and closed by the power for several months. It has to be mannaully opened. We have also replaced the both air shocks in the rear of the van. Can't get the radiator cap from radiator haven't been able to remove since it was bought.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Pontiac Montana a good car?
Based on 18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 Montana rates better than average: 74% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Montana at the same age. It is one of the best Montana years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Pontiac Montana?
The engine & cooling — 8 complaints, 44% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. Next are the lights (3) and windows, wipers & sunroof (2).
How many recalls does the 1997 Pontiac Montana have?
There is 1 recall for the 1997 Pontiac Montana, the most recent from December 22, 2004 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Pontiac Montana?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1997, 2006 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. See the full Pontiac Montana years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Montana problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 17% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.