Most common 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport problems
Share of the 236 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Pontiac Trans Sport complaints by model year
Best Trans Sport years: 1999, 1996, 1995. Years to avoid: 1997, 1998. Compare all years →
1997 Pontiac Trans Sport recalls (5)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for…
Steering › Rack and pinion
Certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began January 24, 2003.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: 1997-2001 Chevrolet venture, Pontiac montana/transport, and Oldsmobile silhouette Mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from April to August 2001.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on October 22, 2001.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but May not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v-264.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Linkages
Vehicle description: passenger Mini vans equipped with traction control systems. The windshield wiper linkage arm can contact a brake line which is connected to the traction control system modulator valve. This contact can chafe the brake line resulting in a brake fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will install a brake line clip to ensure proper clearance. Also the brake lines will be inspected to any damage caused by this condition and will replace any damaged lines.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport:
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Shoulder harness clip
Steering rack and pinion
Odi has received 200 complaints fromt consumers and 1,238 from GM alleging failure or lockup of the steering rack and pinion unit (r&p).this alleged condition can result in the loss of steering control of the vehicle and a crash can result.GM has reported six crashes in which eight people have sustained injuries ranging from bruises, airbag burn, seat belt abrasion, facial injury, neck and back pain.all crashes were…
Rear axle trailing arm failure
On November 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on April 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue.
Safety belt assembly failure
Odi identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.odi was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, odi determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were…
Power rack and pinion steering failure
The lower pinion bearing in the rack and pinion steering assembly May fail.GM will recall 1997-98 grand prix built between 1-mar-96 and 31-oct-97; and 1996-98 u-vans/j-cars built between 1-jan-96 and 31-oct-97.see attached summary.
What 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport owners say
Steering all 54 →
Wife making left turn onto busy road, van would not respond to to turning the wheel. Side impact at 40 mile + from semi. Injuries sustained by wife, broken hip crushed left arm , fractured tail bone and fractured base of skull. Daughter and friend also injured but released with minor injuries. We did not know there was a problem with the van until after the accident. That is when I recieved the recall notice. Nothing could be done at this point because the van had been crushed into a cube of scrap metal. I waited this long to file a complant due to legal advice, but as you can see the big guy almost always wins. We recieved no compensation from GM.
My vehicle was taken to; tinney Chevrolet, 11249 w. Carson city rd., greenville, mi 48838 for two (2) ea. Recall notices; 1) power sliding door 2) steering bushing results of recalls: 1) power sliding door worked fine till one week after tinney servie dept. Worked on it. (doesn't work with power buttons @ all now ) 2) upon picking-up vehicle from the steering (bushing) repair we noticed that steering wheel was cocked to left, steers hard & pulls to right tinney Chevrolet was notified of both problems and said that they had nothing to do with problems. The vehicle was fine prior to taking it to them for the recalls. Upon confronting them the second time, we were informed to check our own fuses etc.
Engine & cooling all 42 →
My wife and I are the original owners of a 1997 Pontiac transport with 71,000 miles. Since about 65,000 miles, it seemed to very slowly lose coolant, but we could not find out where it was going. At 70,000 miles, a "white milky sludge like jelly material" appeared in the engine, and right away I knew we had a problem. This vehicle has been meticulous maintained, so immediately I took it to our local Pontiac dealer and informed them that we had coolant leak. The service department at the dealer confirmed that the lower intake manifold gasket had failed, allowing coolant to mix in with the oil. They had to replace the gasket and flush out the motor all to the tune of $731.00. Calling GM customer service was a waste of time because they "denied" any problems, and they said since the vehicle was out of warranty, we were responsible for any repairs. …
I noticed the low coolant light would go on sometimes and the vehicle was going through coolant much faster than any other vehicle I have owned. I performed some research on this issue and discovered a service bulletin regarding the faulty intake manifold gasket in model year 1997 transport vans, among others. This service bulletin clearly indicates that this issue a result of a poorly designed gasket. Further research indicated that having this problem with your vehicle could result in catastrophic engine failure due to the leaking coolant getting into your engine. This now creates a safety issue due to the unpredictability of when your vehicle could breakdown. I took the van in to a GM dealer the next day. The diagnosis was a faulty intake manifold gasket that was causing coolant to leak inside the engine. …
Body & structure all 37 →
Sliding door on passenger side locked up trapping passenger inside. Door cannot be opened manually or electronically. A loud buzzing noise then a thud was heard prior. Can't open door any way now scary.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, it was hit on the driver side behind the door. The vehicle sustained body damage, there were no injuries, and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for repairs. The mechanic determined there was no safety side bar on the vehicle and feels this is a safety defect. The body damage was repaired and the manufacturer was alerted.
1997 Pontiac Trans Sport engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport a good car?
Based on 236 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 Trans Sport rates avoid: 2.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Trans Sport at the same age. It is one of the Trans Sport years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport?
The steering — 54 complaints, 23% of all complaints for this model year, most often about rack and pinion. Next are the engine & cooling (42) and body & structure (37).
How many recalls does the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport have?
There are 5 recalls for the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport, the most recent from December 22, 2004 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Pontiac Trans Sport?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1999, 1996 and 1995. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997 and 1998. See the full Pontiac Trans Sport years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 87,000 miles; 7% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.