"How reliable is the 1997 Pontiac Montana?"

"Based on 25 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Pontiac Montana has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Montana?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Pontiac Montana is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 25 total complaints filed."

1997 Pontiac Montana: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 25 complaints

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

56,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

104,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

STRUCTURE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

SEAT BELTS

SUSPENSION

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

EQUIPMENT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"A REMOTE CONTROL WAS USED TO OPEN AND CLOSE SLIDING DOOR, REMOTE CONTROL JUST STOPPED WORKING. CONSUMER HAS TO MANUALLY OPEN AND CLOSE DOOR. *AK"

"INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IS DAMAGED YET NO PARTS AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT US. IS THIS A KNOWN FACT TO GM? IS THIS A RECALL ITEM. MY VAN NOW OVERHEATS AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS.*AK"

"CONSUMER STATES, THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR HANDLE WHEN IS CLOSE MANUAL MAY CATCH YOUR FINGER AND HAVE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28