Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Montana. The contact was driving approximately 60 MPH and crashed into a deer. The air bags did not deploy and there was damage to the hood, head lights, fender and passenger side door. The contact sustained a bruised eye and injuries to the lips. The passenger sustained a broken finger and wrist and the rear passenger sustained a puncture wound to the forehead. The contact stated that the air bag and check engine warning lights were illuminated and the tail lights became inoperable immediately after the crash. The brake lights would operate erratically. The contact was able to drive the vehicle from the scene of the crash. The manufacturer was contacted and sent an inspector to inspect the vehicle who confirmed that the air bags were defective. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Montana. The contact stated that the driver was traveling 10 MPH when another vehicle crashed into the driver's side rear of the vehicle, causing it to go into a tail spin. The contact was a passenger in the vehicle and stated that the seat belt did not restrain her and the passenger seat fractured. In addition, the air bags did not deploy. Both the driver and the contact sustained injuries to the upper part of the body and both were transported to the emergency room for observation. The vehicle was towed and destroyed. The police were notified and a report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the incident but provided no assistance. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 90,000.
My wife was traveling on highway 401 in Canada when she lost control of our 2004 GM Montana and went straight into the center concrete medium the front of the van was pushed in 3 inches, but no airbags were deployed . The damage to the van was 22000. My wife was taken to the hospital with severe injuries because she hit the steering wheel so hard, now when I went to GM to ask why my 2004 montanas airbags didn' t deploy they wanted nothing to do with me, since then my wife is afraid to drive the vehicle ,and I feel the vehicle is unsafe for my children. To be in
I was stopped at a stop sign and some young man came flying around the corner and hit me head on as I was stopped, and my air bags never went off , the body shop man said the sensors were sheared right off, the Pontiac 2004 van is now totaled and I still hurt.
Van crashed with damage to the front when it ran off the road and went into a culvert/ditch and air bags did not deploy resulting in paralyzation of the wife of the owner after van had been apparently donated to Charity Cars as junk vehicle or salvage vehicle. Vehicle was apparently repaired by towing company and offered for sale at at a used car dealership in Zanesville, Ohio. The passenger side lower dashboard had a white wire hanging down which may have been connected to a defective replacement airbag. I am an attorney representing the owner and the owner's wife. Black box was analyzed in 2019, but not with the latest program.
Both side curtain airbags(inside seat) deployed without a vehicle accident or collision.. Both my wife and I were struck with the airbags. Our 4 children were in the vehicle at the time of deployment. None of them were struck directly but the noise involved was very loud and powder was present in the air following deployment. Vehicle is not worth repair according to GM . I had not planned to purchase another vehicle until the fall of 2015 but this vehicle is unsafe for my family. I need to have it he vehicle paid off due to safety so we can attempt to purchase another vehicle that is safe.
Bought my car used in 2006,air bag light has come on a few years later,dealer won't fix it because I don't qualify for recall,tells me car came from Canada. Depending on where you check my VIN is also registered in the us. My car is now leaking coolant,one repair shop is sure it's the intake gasket,but I can't get this fixed either because it's not under recall yet I did my own research and found millions of people are getting the same problems. I sure wish I could qualify for at least one of the problems I'm having.
While driving 30-35 MPH from behind another vehicle was driving 60 MPH, and without braking consumer was pushed 20 feet into a utility truck. Drivers side air bag came out, but did not deploy, consumer suffered injuries.
Related recalls (6)
Air bags › Frontal
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 system to malfunction.
Remedy: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (GM) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in GM's letter to…
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, install a new driver's air bag. Owner notification began on March 11, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
Air bags › Frontal
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 afterward.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag. Owner notification began December 16, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…
Air bags › Frontal
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace, if necessary, the air bag module assembly on the driver's side. Owner notification began August 15, 2002.
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…
Show 1 more recall
Air bags › Frontal
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module. Telephone calls were made to owners on January 29, 2001. Follow up owner mailing began on April 17, 2001.
NHTSA investigations
Air bag tear during deployment
Air bag inflator
Frequently asked questions
Which Pontiac Montana years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (32), 2000 (22), 2003 (12), 2002 (7) and 2005 (7) model years. Airbag complaints make up 14% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Pontiac Montana airbag problems?
Yes — 6 recalls, including 06V-417 (frontal, Oct 31, 2006); 03V-051 (inflator module, Feb 14, 2003); 02V-329 (frontal, Dec 9, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Pontiac Montana airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles; 35% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (34 mentions), followed by the side/window (12).
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.