Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I have bought a 2006 Pontiac Montana sv6 from a dealer within 10 days of having the van the ball joint fell completely out while we were driving home with kids in car dealer fixed it free of charge but I had to pay the towing bill....I change all 4 tires and now my van is making a squeaking and clunking sound ...I believe it is the rear def.also none of my power doors work and the back windshield wiper keeps burning out now the dealer will not help me fix the problem with out paying more money please help me with some advice in what to do I've only had van for 3 mnths and I bought the van for 3500.00 dollars van...thanks sincerely a Pontiac owner.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Montana sv6. When the vehicle is stopped and idling, the battery voltage begins to decrease. The vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer several times; however, the failure continues. Also, when the contact places the vehicle into drive, the RPM's increase, but the vehicle does not accelerate. The vehicle was diagnosed for the failure, but it still persists when the contact attempts to drive. In addition, the driver side door on the vehicle does not properly shut and leaves a one inch gap between the door and the body of the vehicle. The engine will also attempt to turn for 30 seconds, but will not turn over completely. All of the failures occur intermittently and were serviced by the dealer while the vehicle was still under warranty. The current mileage was 38,000 and failure mileage was 20,000.
For several days we noticed as strong chemical like smell in the car and then noticed that the mirror control no longer worked. I took off the driver's side door switch panel to investigate the mirror problem and found the mirror control had been smoldering for days. The assembly was completely charred and mating connector had also melted.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Montana. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the rear sliding door opened. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to a complete stop. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.
The speedometer, fuel gauge, and temperature gauge all became erratic. After a little research I found that the problem is the defective stepper motors that run the gauges. You can replace them for $30.00 all you need is a soldering iron and about a half hour and you will have a working dash. Here is a little info on the stepper motors. Http://www.GM-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=95547 updated instrument cluster stepper motor part # is x25 168 you can buy them on ebay for 6 bucks a piece.
Repeated driving within 1/4 mile of the indianapolis regional air traffic control radar antenna causes some of the instrument panel failure indicators to turn on for several seconds. The "battery" and "airbag" indicators turn on and clicking noise is heard from the instrument panel. The lamp indications are about the same as when the engine is first started. My concern is that this May be doing damage to the computer which could result in a future failure.
We have to kept changing the brake lights in the back because they keep going out ever few weeks. We even went and bought a new stop signal switch but that wasn't it. We want to know if there was a recall on the brake light and the wiring and why they keep going out. We have had issues since we bought in June 2014. We are just tired of keep pouring money into it but I don't want an accident or to get pull over either. The only light that never has an issue is the brake bar on top.
While driving down the road, 35-40 MPH, heard a pop that sounded like it came from under the hood area, smoke started coming from under hood area, pulled to side of road and exited vehicle, had smoke and fire from under hood area, tried to get back into the vehicle, had smoke inside vehicle as well, vehicle destroyed in fire, insurance company refusing to settle claim, cannot find source/location of fire.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical harness damage
The office of defects investigation opened this investigation on November 29, 2005, based on one consumer report to odi and a technical service bulletin issued by general motors.the bulletin, no. 1613174, issued on February 21, 2005, states in part, some customers May report a stall and/or no crank, no start condition after the wipers are used.analysis of the available data indicates that the problem experience…
Frequently asked questions
Which Pontiac Montana years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (22), 2001 (20), 2005 (17), 2003 (15) and 1999 (14) model years. Electrical complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Pontiac Montana electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Pontiac Montana model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Pontiac Montana electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles; 43% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the wiring › front underhood (8 mentions), followed by the wiring (7).
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.