"How reliable is the 2003 Pontiac Montana?"

"Based on 113 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Pontiac Montana has a median complaint mileage of 64000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Pontiac Montana?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Pontiac Montana is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 113 total complaints filed."

2003 Pontiac Montana: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 113 complaints

113

Total Complaints

64,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

16,887 25th Percentile

64,000 Median Mileage

86,300 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

Exterior Lighting

Air Bags

Fuel System, Gasoline

Latch

Tank Assembly

Frontal

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VENTILATION SYSTEM BLOWS AIR INTO CABIN THROUGH INSTURMENT-LEVEL DASHBOARD VENTS, EVEN WHEN FAN IS OFF AND VEHICLE STATIONARY, AND EVEN WHEN FAN IS ON BUT DIRECTED TO FOOT ONLY OR DEFROSTER ONLY. PONTIAC DEALER SERVICE DEPT AND PONTIAC NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CLAIM THIS IS NORMAL. I HAVE NEVER SE..."

"DURING THE FIRST BRAKING, THE VEHICLE BRAKE LET GO FOR A BRIEF SECOND. THIS HAPPENS ON DRY PAVEMENT DURING A NORMAL STOP. IT WAS EXPLAINED FROM THE DEALER THAT THE RUST BUILD-UP ON THE ROTORS MAY BE CAUSING THE BRAKE TO LOCKUP CAUSING THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES TO FUNCTION. THIS IS A VERY SCARY SITUATI..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 11 complaints

25th: 14,898 mi Median: 32,000 mi 75th: 68,000 mi

Exterior Lighting 11 complaints

25th: 52,500 mi Median: 72,500 mi 75th: 86,375 mi

Air Bags 7 complaints

Median: 80,000 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 5 complaints

25th: 68,000 mi Median: 88,400 mi 75th: 185,000 mi

Latch 5 complaints

Median: 15,829 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MI: 15 NY: 9 WA: 9 GA: 7 OH: 7 IL: 7 PA: 7 VA: 6 TN: 5 WI: 5

Who Files Complaints?

33.6%

Original Owners

66.4%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Montana — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	25	80,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	2
1998	62	75,110	Door	3
1999	329	59,500	Engine	18
2000	310	65,000	Door	16
2001	208	59,000	Automatic Transmission	13
2002	161	60,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	3
2004	46	44,518	Latch	11
2005	130	32,000	Door	11
2006	61	78,051	Electrical System	2

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