Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Pontiac Montana owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I backed up to the laundry to wash clothes and proceeded to put the car in park and get out to get clothes out of the back. I pushed the brake and thought I had put the car in park because the key came out. When I started to step out of the van to get my clothes out of the back and my foot came off the brake, the car was still running and backed into a block wall. The wall was destroyed, but no one was hurt. The back door of the van is crushed. After a close examination of the ignition lock I found that the key will come out in any position, including running. I had thought the key was not supposed to come out except in the off position. Is this correct? I attempted to find out if it was in the GM recall from my local GM dealer and they claimed ignorance of anything and everything. Including even what constitutes a defective switch and what it is supposed to do and not do. …
The vehicle had an electrical system failure and burst into flames. The vehicle was parked at 7:30 am on March 31, 2008. At 12:50 am on April 1,2008 the horn started blaring and there were flames coming from the dash. The police and fire department said they think that a relay in the dash shorted out and caught fire. This could have happened with people in the vehicle....
Hello on 3/31/09 my 2001 Pontiac Montana caught on fire while driving on I-88 highway with 60 miles per hour. The smoke filled the car and fire was shooting up at the back window while driving this vehicle. Apparently an electrical shortage at the windshield viper has started the fire.
I think there must be some electrical malfunction in my van's wiring. I would like to know if other's have reported such trouble. This first started with my turn signals. They would come on by themselves while I was driving. Either the right or left or sometimes both would just start blinking, or nothing would show on the dash column but you could hear the clicking. That was 02/02. On August 28,2002 I had just started the van and pulled away from my daughter's school when a small stream of smoke begin to leak from the odometer area of the dash. The dealer is just across the highway so I decided to try and make it. I had not even gone a block before white smoke had filled the front cabin area and was filling the van. I pulled over shut off the ignition, got my 2 children out and called the dealer for help. They think when I turned off the switch the fire went out. …
Gas leaking under the driver seat and under the hood. Also, gas was pouring out from the motor. The window failed to open, the consumer is currently waiting on a new motor. The rear brakes were leaking, the tie rods had to be replaced because they were loose, the left rear stuck became stuck, when the gear was taken out of park and placed into drive and the consumer proceeded to accelerate the vehicle jerked, the engine light illuminated, the dealer determined the emission system was dragging, the driver side mirror vibrated, the bumper cover was loose. When the consumer attempted to turn the key in the ignition, the vehicle did not start, the dealer was unable to duplicate the consumer's concern. The fuel pressure regulator was leaking and the fuel filter was replaced. The vehicle would not go over 10 MPH, the vehicle shifted and then returned to normal speed. …
While driving, the front end of the vehicle vibrated. The vehicle would hesitated when accelerated after a complete stop or when slowing. The dealer was unable to remedy the problem. The consumer requested a refund for the vehicle. Other problems are as followed: the vehicle felt as if it was going to stall when idled due to dirty injector(s), there was noise on driver side of the engine, the horn would go off by itself/dealer unable to duplicate, the cover in the rear hatch on the left side did not stay in place and reinstalled the panel door, the transmission had no reverse and grinds when placed in forward gears/removed transmission assembly and disassembled, there was clunking when in gear, the planetary gears were rounded, the transmission acted as if it wanted to take off, found a loose motor mount on the driver side and was tightened, the steering was stiff, and was noisy when …
Our service engine light came on and also the "change oil", light won't turn off. After, a year of seeing this on (yes, we have our oil changed.) it has become annoying seeing this on all the time. The "ABS" light won't turn off as well. (nothing wrong) we have the mileage reading in kilometers, which we cannot change back. We're having problems with this and had this serviced by our mechanic. Still the problem hasn't vanished from our panel. The thermostat temp. Gauge on the panel wasn't increasing while driving or parked and still running ( on 0 ) and service engine light came on for that .had OBD reading on that , it read we had to change our thermostat. Several days later, the temp. Began to work properly again . The "service light" went away. We disconnected battery four times and still having problems. Is there an electrical problem? Same with the window switches, too.
I was coming back from pennsylvania to north carolina in July from a trip and when I arrived at my destination. I shut the car off and took the key out of the ignition, and I could not get out the car, did not unlock on its own. When I did get the car door open the radio was still playing, the windows were going up and down, and the on star was still on it was like that for 2 hours. When I finally got home from my friends house the same thing happened... We did hit a huge rain storm the whole way down. I have taking it to the dealership (brian Pontiac), and they can not reproduce the problem.
The vehicle alarm would sound intermittently throughout the day and night. The dealer had examined the vehicle four times trying to find the problem. The vehicle's headlights also came on by themselves. The consumer is concerned that the vehicle May catch on fire. The dealer installed an alarm module but the problem recurred. The consumer contacted the manufacturer but they were unable to offer any assistance.
The air conditioner did not work when we turned it on this summer. We took it in to be looked at and paid $72.00 for them to tell us that the condensor was shot and needed to be replaced. The cost was estimated to be $950.00 and after it was actually replaced it cost us $880.00. I am very disappointed that this part is defective and so costly.
Electrical complaints in other Montana years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Pontiac Montana?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Pontiac Montana, 13% of the model year's 156 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › fuses and circuit breakers (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Pontiac Montana electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Pontiac Montana, though it has 9 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 2001 Pontiac Montana electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.