Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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 have a 1999 Pontiac Montana in which we bought almost 2 years ago from a used car dealership. Around May we took our 8 yr. Old son to a baseball game and when we went to take our then 16 month old son out from the passenger side and it came completely off track....it's passenger side sliding door {not electric} has came off track while driving around a corner and going over bumps,at least 8 times and counting. It is having problems exactly like the electric, it comes completely off track and has to be put on. My 2 year old son had been sitting on that side, what happens if he was to fall out? Now the driver side sliding door is starting to have problems. Please contact me asap to fix the problem free of charge, or I will have to get a lawyer. Thanks
Car was taking on water from rain storms leaking through body roof area through the control panel on the ceiling of vehicle and dripping water rapidly to floor traveling down the windshield molding on the inside of the window trim on inside of doors. Sent in to be fixed under 36,000. Warranty. Still leaking same thing... Told too hard to find leak. Opened file with gmac97471426. Owner will reopen file when service can take car in for further review.
Dt*: the contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, there were noticeable water puddles on the floor of both the driver and passenger sides. There was also a noticeably foul smell coming from the interior carpets. The manufacturer was notified, who referred the contact to a service dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the air conditioner drain elbow was missing. There were no repairs made. Updated 10/25/06.
Without prior difficulty or warning, the struts failed, and the hatch dropped on the consumer's head, knocked her to the ground and caused a severe neck injury. The struts were replaced at the consumer's expense. Scc
Right sliding door opened while driving,and all mechanisms were inoperable. Took vehicle to Pontiac dealership, and they stated that it was nothing they could do but put a new harness on because it was not a GM problem.
Suspension system could not support 7 passengers + luggage + fuel, without excessive bouncing, causing a reduction of speed (10-15mph) below posted speed limits. Rear brakes were not fully engaging, causing unsafe stopping, especially on hills. Rear brakes were adjusted manually to improve braking, but peddle is still soft. The gsvwr is not great enough for vehical capaity. I was told that this is a dry-weight rating. Mud flaps both front & rear were worn off excessivily, due to boncing. Sometimes it felt like I was loosing control. All suspension components were checked by dealer after return from vacation, but van still exhibits excessive bouncing and bottoming out, even with only two passengers and no luggage. At a highway speed of 70mph, the van would down-shift at every overpass, and slight headwind, during trip across the desert on I-70 to s.l.c., ut. …
During a routine unloading of groceries from my rear lift door the left side handle support snapped off as I was pulling it down to close it shut.this handle is located on the rear door of the Pontiac Montana. Apparently the cheap plastic base could not support my normal pulling effort to shut the rear lift door. My effort to pull downward and the subsequent breakage of the door handle plastic base support caused a small abrasive cut on my right hand knuckle. I do not abuse my vehicle. This was a normal motion a vehicle owner would take in order to attempt to close the rear liftgate on a minivan. The plastic handle support part was obviously made of poor materials.
My daughter drives this van. She had just put the baby in the car seat , walked around to get in the driver's side and the door fell off. Luckily no one was standing in front of the door and she was parked. The part inside missed the baby. If she had been traveling the baby could of been hurt . The ponticac dealer said contact a local dealer. The local dealer stated we would have to pay for this ourselves. To me this is a defect. I mean how many doors fall off? We are very lucky that no one was hurt or killed. Please help! What if this happens to someone else?
On April 17, 1999, my husband tried to engage his seatbelt properly, and it pulled all the way out, and wouldn't go back in. On April 29, 1999, I pulled into my driveway, let my kids out with the power door, my son tried to close it with the power switch, it wouldn't close, so he tried to close it manually, and it wouldn't budge. I tried to close it manually, and couldn't. The tow truck driver was able to get it closed, but the power still didn't work.
The rear power door opens on command,closes on command than opens by its self. It will close on command again , sometimes it will stay closed, other times it will open again. On several occasions the door tried to open as I was backing out of the drive way, being the doors lock automatically,the door becomes ajar. You then have to stop....put the vehicle in park....open the door ...close the door..hoping the door will stay closed.
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Power-sliding door
Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's…
Body complaints in other Montana years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1999 Pontiac Montana?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the body & structure of the 1999 Pontiac Montana, 9% of the model year's 235 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Pontiac Montana body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1999 Pontiac Montana, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Pontiac Montana body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 3 injuries to body & structure 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.