Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Pontiac Montana owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I owned a 1999 Pontiac Montana van. On the December 19, 2004 around 2300 hours my grandson was driving the van on the us 31 bypass in south bend in. He was headed westbound around 50 to 55 miles per hour. It had rained and snowed some then it froze. A car in front of my grandson spun out of control, and he panicked and hit the brakes, and spun out into the concrete median dividing wall. There was considerable damage to the front of the van. Radiator was shoved into the block with fender, hood and bumper damage. One thing that didn't happen was the air bag did not go off on the drivers side or passenger side of the vehicle. There is a apparent defect in the system. The van has 35,330 miles on it. The insurance company deemed it totaled, and it will be or was salvaged. My grandson had minor injuries to his knee ,and a seat belt abrasion to the left side of his neck. Thank you
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 seat with the air bag still inflated. I do remember that for a long time before today the red airbag light was on. I thought this would cause the air bags not to work. I do have pictures of the damage, and the defect with the air bag.
Engine: intake manifold gasket leaking. I followed thru with a complaint to the bbb and to Pontiac's 800 number. I was told I needed to have the van diagnosed at a GM dealer before anything could be done by Pontiac. My dealer quality Pontiac in cocoa, florida looked at the van and agreed the intake manifold gasket was leaking (November 2002). Quality informed me it would be about $500 to repair. A phone call to Pontiac's 800 # put pressure on the dealer and they performed the work for $100 plus extra for a coolant flush. The total was around $180. Supposedly the work came with a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. I think the van had 58000 miles on it when this work was performed. Looking back I have a feeling it started leaking earlier. Today we have 70500 miles on the van and the check engine light is coming on. The codes indicate that engine cylinder 5 is misfiring. …
Intake manifold leaking coolant into the engine oil on my 3.4 liter engine. After complaining to Pontiac & the bbb, GM offered to pay 50% of the repair cost. Faulty oxygen sensor & leaking fuel pressure regulator oh December 16, 2003. Since original complaint, keyless remote failed on 7/15/03 & seat belt pretensioner failed causing airbag light to go on, July 28, 2003
While pulling into the driveway traveling at a low rate of speed, and gradually depressing on the brake pedal, vehicle suddely accelerated, causing consumer to run into a brick house. Upon impact, there was no deployment of the air bags. Also skid marks on the pavement showed that the brakes were being applied. Consumer has contacted the dealer.
Consumer's vehicle was traveling about 70mph in the express lane, and another vehicle crossed in front of several vehicles. Consumer' s vehicle wasn't able to decrease braking distance in time to keep it from rearending the other vehicle. Upon impact, front air bags didn't deploy. Consumer wasn't injured. Vehicle was being inspected & repaired.
Vehicle comes equipped with side air bags which are located in the front seat backs. The padding wasn't properly designed when manufactured. As a result, seat cover material is ripping, which will eventually leave the box containing the side air bag exposed. Also, at 33,000 miles the head gasket developed a leak and destroyed the engine motor.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Pontiac Montana. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included in NHTSA recall # 02V027000 (air bags:frontal). The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer. The current mileage is 146,000 and failure mileage was 120,000.
Consumer was traveling on highway and there was another vehicle on the shoulder , and vehicle pulled out and veered into consumer's vehicle, forcing it into a ditch head-on. Upon impact, front and side airbags didn't deploy at all. Consumer stated that were injuries.
When van was hit on the passenger's side, passenger's side air bag deployed, but did not inflate because of a hole in the air bag. Hole in the air bag was about 2 inches wide. The van will be taken to the dealership. Please provide any further information.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver air bag module. Owner notification began February 1, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within…
NHTSA investigations
Air bag tear during deployment
Air bag inflator
Airbag complaints in other Montana years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1999 Pontiac Montana?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the air bags of the 1999 Pontiac Montana, 14% of the model year's 235 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Pontiac Montana airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-027 (frontal, Jan 25, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Pontiac Montana airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 0 fires and 9 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.