1998 PONTIAC Bonneville

UPPER PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED. WAS CRACKED AND ANTI-FREEZE LEAKED INTO ENGINE. DEFECTIVE PART MANUFACTURED BY GM. THIS SAME PROBLEM FIRST HAPPENED AND WAS ALSO REPLACED ON 11/07/2000 / MILEAGE–33037 / COST TO REPAIR–551.37.

Upper intake manifold plenum assembly failed (melted) at 53250 miles at start-up. Engine was cold at the time. Dealer also claimed starter was bad and replaced it. At 62,000 paint on roof began peeling extensively. Body shop said GM primer/paint is defective and had to sand car to bare metal and apply new primer and paint. Both intake manifold and paint problems are common in ’98 GM cars.

To Whom It May Concern,My Complaint is that I am about to put my 4th and 5th Intake Manifold & Manifold Gasket, respectively, on my 1998 Pontiac Bonneville.I was driving down Highway 55 at 70 MPH when my engine died, because my Manifold keeps cracking!! Because My engine died, it kept blowing and forcing antifreeze down my intake and filling my cylinders with water and antifreeze, causing a vapor lock!!! This was terrible, because when I tried to restart the car in Neutral going 70 MPH, with 20-25 cars around me and 3-5 semi trucks, the engine was locked up!!!!!Because of this "’Vapor Lock Up’ of the Engine", I lost control of my car!!! I had NO Power Steering, No Power Brakes, NO Control to be able to avoid a 20-25 car pile up, with tens to hundreds being injured!!!!!!!!!This is a "Safety Issue that must be resolved!! If GM Refuses to acknowledge this, MANY LIVES WILL BE SACRIFICED on the highway, because of their DENIAL and Refusal to Acknowledge Defective Parts and Workmanship!I am invoking my "Rights" under the Magnuson-Moss Act to force the "Federal Warranty" be enforced and upheld!!GM needs to do a Complete recall of all 3.1, 3.4 & 3.8 V6 Engines made with Plastic Manifolds and Plastic Gaskets!!!! GM needs to replace them with the Aluminum Manifolds and Rubber Gaskets they used to place on "ALL Engines manufactured since these Changes", which I believe is 1996!!!!!Next, after all these Manifolds and Gasket Failures on my car, of which I change the Oil every 2000 miles and have documentation to support my oil changes, the Antifreeze has eaten my bearings and Crankshaft mains and rod bearings and my engine is KNOCKING BADLY!!!A FAIR RESOLUTION WOULD BE for GM to "GIVE me"(Free of any charge), a "New Engine" to replace the one they Damaged, with their Defective Parts, Workmanship and manufacturing Design Changes. I have a 1992 Honda Accord, with 300,000 miles on it and it runs fine!!!! I take excellent care of my $25,000.00 vehicles and there is "NO REASON" why my Bonneville shouldn’t have gotten 300,000 miles on that engine, also. I paid for a new engine and Design Changes by GM has ruined my engine by Defective Parts and Manufacturing.Also, do not allow GM Deny these charges of Defective Material, Parts, Workmanship, or Manufacturing, because I was told yesterday there is a "New Technical Service Bulletin" changing the Manifold, Gasket and Installation!! If there is no Problem, then why has GM issued a "Very Expensive TSB

There is a leak that is causing oil to escape from the engine. I have had spent 600.00 dollars to repair this problem but they were not able to fix it without taking the engine apart.

The problem with my engine first occurred back on July 10, 2001.I was driving at a speed of 35-40 mph when the check engine light came on and within a matter of seconds,the engine over-heated.The repair center told me that the plentum was cracked and there was water and radiator fluid coming out of the head gaskets.I was told that this was a common defect with the plastic plentum on the Pontiac.I had to spend 700.00 to have the engine re-built.On Nov,7th, 2005 the same exact thing happened again.My husband was driving the car and was only driving about 35 mph when the engine light came on and within a matter of seconds, the car had over-heated and the engine was completely locked up.This time, we are having to buy a used engine and it is costing me 2,321.00!I have researched this problem and there are other complaints exactly like mine on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website www.nhtsa.dot.gov which tells me this is a common and well-known problem.I ask you why GMC has not done anything about this and why GMC is being allowed to continue to go on making cars and not be held accountable for these obvious defects.I mean, come on,2 engines in 4 years!

since July, 2003 the car has experienced intermittent stalling problems. It’s been examined by two mechanics who have been unable to observe the stalling condition. However the car will drive normally for 0-20 minutes and then stall. The engine will not restart for 6-25 minutes. The starter will turn over but the engine will not restart. Then after 6-25 minutes the engine will start and the car will drive normally.The problem eases in extreme cold weather (45 degrees F).If the car has been sitting for > eight hours the probability of stalling decreases. The car tends to stall more in the afternoon than in the morning.The car might stall either at highway speeds or at a stoplight without warning. I’ve recently added fuel additives (deicer and fuel injector cleaner) to the gas tank with no improvement.

Radiator fluid corroded through upper and lower engine intake manifolds and egr tube, and entered into the oil and engine. Symptoms include: engine light, stalling and sputtering engine, loss of heat, loss of coolant, thick white exhaust. Stop driving ASAP of you can ruin your engine. Manifolds, egr tube, spark plugs must be replaced. Cost is $1,800. Dealer claims that manufacturer has no recall, reimbursement or other policies to address this problem.

plastic intake manifold gasket failed causing engine to seize. Replacement engine needed in which we were informed that the replacement engine had same problem-purchased kit to replace manifold for replacement engine. problem happened with no previous signs of problems. Engine just, without warning, stalled and seized. Luckily it happened on a low traffic back road and nobody was hurt. If had happened in heavy traffic a terrible accident could have been caused. PLEASE help us do something about this problem that I know GM is aware of

PAINT IS PEELING AROUND KEY HOLE ON TRUNK – AT THIS TIME APPROXIMATELY A 5 INCH DIAMETER CIRCLE SPOT. THE HOOD IS TURNING MILKY LOOKING. WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE WE WERE TOLD THAT OUR CAR WAS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND HAD BEEN TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF. WE WERE TURNED DOWN DUE TO BEING “OUT OF WARRANTY” AND “THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON YOUR 1998 BONNEVILLE REGARDING ANY PAINT CONCERNS”.

NOTICED ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. OWNERS MANUAL SAID CHECK COOLANT TANK AND IF EMPTY SERVICE AND SEE IF THAT FIXES THE PROBLEM. SERVICED COOLANT TANK AND WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT THREE MINUTES RUNNING THE THERMOSTAT OPENED UP AND THE CAR STARTED TO SPUTTER AND RUN ROUGH. I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART IT FOR THE MECHANIC IT HYDRO-LOCKED AND BROKE THE STARTER WHICH ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. COOLANT HAD ENTERED THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. MECHANIC FOUND INTAKE PLENUM WARPED. HE SAID THEY CHANGE THESE ALL THE TIME.

Leaking PLASTIC manifold has hydrolocked my engine and bent 5 pushrods. Also the Dexcool antifreeze entered the cylinders and oilpan, ruining the engine.

I am the second owner of this 98 Bonneville, the previous owner had the same problem I will describe. The EGR Valve mounted in a Plastic Manifold is a known flawed design and caused rupture in both upper and lower manifolds allowing coolant to mix with oil. Dealer’s service department Killeen, Tx told me that this was a known flawed design yet I still have to pay for this myself. Contacted Pontiac directly they told me sorry to hear this happened. Checked with NTHSA and this is a common problem with the 3800 engines.

HYDROLOCK DUE TO PLENUM FAILURE. DEXCOOL IN CYLINDERS. DEALER RESEALED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD, REPLACED UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD, REPLACE SPARK PLUGS, FLUSH COOLANT, WASH ENGINE AND REPLACE STARTER.

Engine would not run, found coolant leaking into intake manifold filling intake sytem with coolant.The EGR valve was what I was told caused the failure due to plastic intake mainfold which could not withstand the high temperature.Then again in March of 2007 at 96,000 miles the same problem occured and we were told we needed a new engine for $6,000. The mechanic told me they no longer use the plastic intake manifold due to the extreme amount of failures as a result of this part. We gave the vehicle to charity. I wrote a letter to Pontiac at that time and recieved no response

Engine intake manifold and gasket failed while car was being driven in rush hour traffic, on a major highway, with traffic moving at a speed of apx 70 mph. This manifold and gasket failure resulted in the engine stalling, further causing a loss of steering and braking control. Several cars swerved and skidded to avoid collision with our disabled car. The car was towed to the selling Pontiac dealer. The intake manifold and gasket had failed, and the cost of repair was $1,036.00. I have found out that the intake manifold and gasket had been improperly designed, and that a high failure rate is occurring on GM V-6 3.8 engines. I contacted GM, and they will not help with this. There are many web sites that verify thousands of other failures. Also, a GM service manager that I spoke with at a different dealership has acknowledged that there is a problem, and that many times, the engines fail due to this problem, resulting in a $5,000.00 replacement of the entire engine. This problem needs to be addressed, as GM is laughing at the public on this one. Who of us has the resources to challenge them, and they could care less if we ever buy another car from them.

Design flaw of coolant pipe. Breakage of the coolant pipe inside the air intake of the 3800 V-6 engine causing engine coolant to flood the engine and cause immediate engine failure.

3.8L V6 SFI OHV: I was losing coolant and could not find a leak. The I noticed the check engine light came on. I took it to Autozone and they said the code read {#6 cyl. misfire} so I replaced the all the spark plugs and it cleared the light. A week later the same thing happened so I took it to a shop to see what could be wrong because the code still said misfire # 6 cyl. The shop told me that the plastic intake was bad and it damage the O2 sensor. Cost $856.00. I was out of work so I took the car home. I had asked shop if they put a GM manifold and they said no that they used a aftermath part from Dorman, and it was made heavier where the GM part failed. I was able to find it online for $134.00 , the shop whated $275.00 for it and GM about $500.00. I was lucky that I found the problem soon enough that no engine damage was done. Now I have a paint problem! Great

Intake manifold and fuel pressure regulator failure. *bf the recalled component failed prior to notification. the consuemr paid to have the vehicle repaired. after receiving the recall the consumer requested reimbursement but was only offered a partial refund. *nm

Vehicle's intake manifold is defective.*mr the consumer is disturbed about the her vehicle not being allowed in the recall for defective intake manifolds. when her vehicle is experiencing the same problems mentioned above. she is now requesting to be reimbursed for approx $1299.56 to resolve this issue and avoid litigation. *cb

Nar 04/28/2003 mr while driving 55-70 mph the consumer engine died out because of a defective plastic intake manifold. *cb

Engine compartment fire approximately 30 mins after shutdown. incident 2015-00001363

The back two cradle mounts on both sides rusted out and mounts pulled through the cradle causing the steering to become loose filling and causing steering to be out of alignment and when hit brakes front would dart one way or the other and lots of noise coming from under vehicle from cradle bouncing when hitting bumps tried the find one in junk yards and all are that way. *tr

My car has been stolen from sioux falls residents home july 10 th but have a police report [xxx] been spotted in mitchell off interstate 90 first parking lot right after exit 90 into mitchell tanish color trunk has bunngie cord on trunk silver small spot on passenger side pontiac 1998. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving on the new york thruway and all of a sudden, my car shut off. i had to power steer, no power brakes, the fuel gauge read no fuel and the bells went off. i had to try to get to a safe place and restart my car. this has happened many more times. i can be going 25mph or 70mph; i can have the cruise on or off; i can have the heat or a/c on or off, it does not matter; in all cases, the engine shuts off when i am not expecting it. *js

On multiple occasions i have pulled to a dead stop at a light and during the idling time the engine shuts off and it will not start again. very embarrassing set of trips to nearby grocer. .. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering suddenly failed causing the steering wheel very difficult to turn. the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a concrete road divider. the contact sustained a back injury that required medical attention. the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 164,000. dr

As i was driving along the engine, power steering, and brakes failed. i had to restart the car and hopefully resume driving so the car coming behind me did not crash into me. this has happened numerous times since including times while on i-95, i-81, rural mountainous roads (which resulted in my car rolling backwards), and city traffic. i have taken it in numerous times to my mechanic and he has not come up with a reason as to why this is happening. i am given no warning by my car that this is about to happen. the warning bell chimes and the car fails at the same time. this happened last evening and the car behind me had to swerve to avoid a crash. please add my car to your recall or give me some kind of answer to take to my mechanic. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and it was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 53,506.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle overheated. the contact then attempted to park the vehicle however, the vehicle then stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the intake manifold was melted and the head gasket was blown. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 62,000.

About a week prior to incident, i got a whiff of a burning smell, 2 days in a row, short quick scent. next 4 days, smelled nothing (even drove car 80 miles one way and back). day of incident, i was traveling about 10 mph when white smoke came from the heater vent. i increased speed to about 30 mph to get to a safe spot, and black smoke billowed out of heat vent on top of dashboard, and front of dashboard. turned corner to get out of traffic, came to a stop and flames shot out of cigarette lighter, and air vent in front of dash. heater was off, radio was off, and cigarette lighter was not being used. car fully engulfed in approximately 2-3 minutes. car totaled. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but it hesitated to start. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who stated that the plastic gasket from the intake manifold failed and caused engine coolant to leak into the engine. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for diagnostics.the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technicians replaced the intake manifold and the intake manifold gasket. after the repairs, the contact heard a knocking noise coming from the engine. the vehicle was towed back to the dealer for diagnostics, but was not repaired a second time. the approximate failure mileage was 80,433.

98 pontiac 86,000 miles intake manifold failed for the second time... parts replaced...spark plugs (fouled)..starter assembly.. motor was waterlocked broke starter...intake manifold gasket replaced.....oil changed due to coolant contamination...replace antifreeze...total bill labor and parts... $1387.99..gm has numerous service bulletins on this issue...why has a recall not be issued for this problem ?? *tr

The air intake gasket has failed for 2 reasons. 1 factory tightly put the bolts on to tight. 2 plastic gasket and plastic manifold parts do not meet government safety standards for, failure avoidance, because of materials used to connect the plastic to mettle creating a dangerous situation. *tr

My upper intake manifold leaks engine coolant into the combustion chambers and into the crankcase. the egr tube melts the upper plastic manifold i have had the upper and lower intake replaced for this issue once before with gm parts and it happening again. if it not fixed the coolant can contaminate my oil and lock up my engine when traveling down the road and possibly cause me to crash. if the engine locks up i will lose power steering and braking ability. *tr

I own a 1998 pontiac bonneville se. i saw recently that gm was recalling 1.5 million vehicles with the 3800 3.8 ltr v6. was wondering how they could recall those vehicles and not mine, my car is in the same year range "1998" and has the exact motor "3800 3.8 v6" and oil drips on manifold on my car as well. what kind of info can i get on this? thank you *tr

98 bonneville with 3800 series engine. noticed coolant was low so i added coolant, then replaced thermostat because heater was putting out cold air. saw big cloud of white smoke. took to the dealer and they said that due to a known defect involving a plastic manifold and egr valve that the coolant had mixed with the oil due to holes caused by the defect in the upper and lower manifolds. called pontiac directly and they said sorry about your situation but no recall. contacted previous owner and he said the same thing happened 3 years ago and he had the same thing fixed. long story short, i'm spending $1400 for a problem that the engineers of this engine knew was a problem from the beginning of production. *tr

6 months after purchasing this professional cared for car (gm garage 8yrs) from my mother with only 62,000 miles on it i began seeing coolant on the engine which led me to have my mechanic at precision tune auto care take a look. he said it is likely a leak from either the plenum or the gasket. after digging into it they ended up replacing upper plenum and lower intake gasket and coolant and oil. cost was 739.71. mileage on car at that time was 78540. i have receipt from precision. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that the rear brake line, from left to right, failed in the rear passenger side wheel and leaked brake fluid. subsequently, the failure caused brake failure. while driving 15 mph, the brake pedal extended to the floor when it was depressed. the sales dealer advised the contact to consult the manufacturer. the manufacturer stated that if he only had 100,000 miles on the vehicle, they would have replaced the brake line. the current mileage was 111,526 and failure mileage was 111,520. updated 10/14/08. *lj the consumer stated the brake lines were rusted and pitted. updated 10/16/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 pontiac bonneville. when the engine was turned off, fluid leaked onto the ground from beneath the engine compartment. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or a mechanic. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery). the failure mileage was 154,000 and current mileage was 154,735. updated

Drivers side and passengers side airbags did not deploy in auto accident. front drivers side impact then rolled 3 times.*cn

1998 pontiac bonneville poor production manifold/gaskets. customer states that the manifold/gaskets and dex. cool were in poor production on her vehicle. *kb the upper intake manifold needed to be replaced. the thermostat and gasket had coolant in them. the mass air flow sensor was bad. metal fragments were found in the oil which was coming from, the rod bearing that failed due to the vehicle over heating and coolant in the oil. the catalytic converter needed to be replaced because the vehicle was riding rough and the engine was shaking. the consumer stated there was a recall on the vehicle to prevent the manifold from cracking. after the recall was performed in july 2004, the manifold cracked one month later. the consumer stated ever since the recall was performed she has engine problems. the consumer stated when the upper intake manifold was replaced in august 2004 the lower manifold should have been replaced as well to prevent future damage, however since it was not replaced, stop leak pellets mixed with the dex-cool and the lower intake manifold leaked.

I am the owner of a 1998 pontiac bonneville with a 3800 engine. i am the original owner and the car has less then 42,000 miles on it. the upper intake (plenum) and seals have failed resulting in coolant leaking into the engine. i phoned an acquaintance who worked as a technician at the gm power train engineering facility in flint, michigan where the 3800 engine was engineered. he said it was common knowledge by the engineering skilled trades employees that the upper intake design was flawed. there were many intake failures observed during dynamometer testing. some even exploded. i was told that the engineers and management was well aware of the defective design, but for some reason, changes were not made. i can direct investigators to employees who witnessed intake design failures in the testing facilities. *nm

The 3800 engine in my pontiac has in the past two years for some reason has had to have the intake manifold replaced twice because it has cracked. i am trying to out if there is a recall or some sort of reimbursement for this problem on the 1998 pontiac bonneville or other 3800 series engines? *nm

Dt*: the contact stated, there was an intermittent problem starting the vehicle, a severe hesitation when accelerating from a stop, as well as backfiring of the engine. an independent service mechanic discovered low fluid levels in the radiator, wet and rusted spark plugs, cracked head gaskets and the piston had torn through the oil pan. the manufacturer the recalled (04v090000) item was replaced in july of 2004 by the previous owner of the vehicle and the recall was closed out. the vehicle was taken to the dealer service mechanic for computer diagnostics.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was stopped at an idle, the engine rpms elevated, and the oil gauge indicated low pressure, followed by engine hesitation. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined no oil leak was present, but a plug wire to the engine cylinder needed to be replaced. the problem persisted after the repairs were performed. the manufacturer was contacted.

Disappearing coolant - no visible leaks. engine quit running required tow. replaced plastic intake manifold. *jb

Driving on highway when 1998 pontiac bonneville with low mileage had service engine alert go off. car gauges indicated it was over heating. pulled off road to check out and found antifreeze low-never saw any leak or puddle. cooled car and added antifreeze. car worsened and acted like it was going to start fire. huge white smoke out of tailpipe & loud engine noise. towed to repair shop where they said it is intake manifold design defect due to plastic casing on many gm models. they replace at least one per week. stranded out of town for over 8 hours. oil and antifreeze in all sparl plugs. spent $1100.00 to have new "updated design manifold", oil changed twice, coolant flushed, new spark plugs and new starter done due to a chunk broken off of cone because of manifold rupture. *nm

1998 pontiac bonneville overheated. *ts the consumer stated the engine started to sputter and then would pick up abruptly and then the engine light illuminated. the consumer was told water was coming out of the plug holes. the consumer had the vehicle towed to another establishment where he was then told the entire engine had to be rebuilt or replaced. the mechanic stated the manifold had a leak at the throttle body. the consumer stated the problem has resurfaced again 4 years later. *jb

There is an armrest in the middle of the front seat of our car. it is intended to be the back support of the front center passenger seat. in conjunction with the seat belt, are to provide a safe ride for the middle passenger in the front seat of our car. a passenger in our car sitting in this position had the armrest break. this was under normal use. the car was not involved in an accident. the passenger was not very big. we hardly ever use this position as a seat. the armrest broke and projected into the rear seat compartment. the passenger in the middle of the front seat was thrust backward. in the event of an automobile accident / collision, both passengers in the middle of the front and back seats would be severely injured. the person in the back seat would be injured by hitting the head of the person in the front seat thrust back in the rear seating area or by hitting the arm rest that protrudes into the rear seating area. the person in the front seat would be thrust back toward the rear seating compartment with no back support. i spoke to my local dealer and was told this was not their problem to fix or rectify. *jb i spoke to gmc and received a similar response gmc case no. 1-383907053, 12/28 (29)/2005 telephone number 866-932-4368 ext 35624, jessica paget the support materials for the armrest are obviously inadequate. this is a defect and a safety issue. this needs to be addressed, if not for this series of automobile, then for future automobiles using this method of construction. this armrest, when raised, should be a structure as strong as the adjoining seats. or, the armrest should be eliminated and the seats extended to fill the space. if not, the armrest should be eliminated as a passenger seating position. this would include removing the seat belt which promotes it's use as a passenger seat. the vehicle should then not be promoted as having seating for six passengers.

Please be sure to file your complaint at www.autosafety.org and sign up for the class action law suit against gmc. i know there are more people out there with the same engine coolant and plastic manifold problem that have had to replace or rebuild the engine in the 1998 pontiac bonneville. *jb

There are 313 complaints on this website as of today concerning the 1998 pontiac bonneville. out of those 313 reports, at least 132 are 100 percent related to the plastic manifold failure which causes the engine to overheat to catastrophic results. i have had to replace the engine on my vehicle twice within 4 years. gmc is refusing to acknowledge this issue and it is a shame that the almighty dollar is more important than integrity,honor and people's lives. what happened to pride in what you manufacture?shame on gmc!!! *jb

Dash and rear light switch have blown for 2 years in a row after around thanksgiving/christmas time forcing me to drive home with no dash or rear taillights. $150.00 repair. *jb

It is very obvious that gmc is refusing to acknowledge the apparent defects with the pontiac bonneville. my engine locked up in july 2001 with no prior warning. the mechanic that repaired the car told me that water and radiator fluid was coming out of the engine and the cheap plastic plentum had to be replaced. now,the same exact problem has occurred once again on 11/07/2005. the car was only going 35 mph when the engine over-heated and this time it is costing me 2,321.00! i feel something should be done by gmc or research should be done to resolve this problem. it is extremely apparent that this is a defect in all 1998 pontiac bonnevilles and something should be done to address the problem. i have 3 children and cannot afford a new car nor can i afford to re-build or re-place my engine every 3-4 years. *jb

The check engine light came on and my engine locked up and radiator fluid was coming out of the head gaskets on the engine with no prior warning. this is the second time within 4 years that this has happened with this car. *jb

Dt: got into the vehicle, put pressure on the gas pedal and it went all the way to the floor. tried mashing on the brakes, and the vehicle just kept going, the more the consumer mashed on the brakes the faster the vehicle went. vehicle hit a brick building on june 6, 2005. contacted pontiac, they sent out an inspector. then, they sent a letter stating that the allegation had no merit. the consumer was injured from the air bags. *ak

Dt: contact states the intake manifold was leaking into cylinders, causing engine to lock, damaging starter and spark plugs. removed and replaced for the second time on 6-17-05 at a cost of $900.00: the upper intake manifold and gasket, replaced spark plugs due to a recall #04v09000 fuel system/ gasoline delivery. she was refunded money by pontiac. now she was requesting money back fot the second time. also, received an investigation# peo2050; concerning engine, but she has not received a recall letter . *ak

The head gasket sprung a leak of antifreeze that broke a rod inside the block and the engine has to be replaced. we also had a the upper pelenium break on it as well. it is a 1998 pontiac bonneville se 3800 v6. we have to get a ride back to minnesota and my car is in nd.

The intake manifold gasket (plenum) failed costing me $2000 in repairs. the gasket had been made of a faulty plastic by gm in trying to cut manufacturing costs. the car is a 1998 pontiac bonneville. i purchase it with 49,000 miles in 2003 and it cureently has 62,000 miles.

While driving 30 mph, the center of the dashboard caught on fire. the driver pulled over and fought the flames with an extinguisher. the cause has yet to be determined. *ak the manufacturer denied that the fire was due to their vehicles components and that the source of the fire was from external sources. an electrical expert believes that the lead from the cigarette light caught on fire. the fuse was blown but that could have happened after the fire. the consumer's cell phone was charging in the cigarette lighter at the time of the fire. *jb *nm

For the second time in about 2 years my 98 bonneville had the plenum crack while simply driving at normal speeds. this allows water to enter top of motor which requires vehicle to be shut off immediately or motor will overheat until it is ruined. the car had about 50,000 miles at first occurrence and has 72,108 miles on it when it occurred again last friday. car is undrivable until parts can be bought and installed, making this a very dangerous situation if you are on highway when that occurs. it has cost more than $ 800.00 each time to get vehicle fixed and i now have no trust in this part of motor what so ever as there is no real reason why it occurs other than plenum being plastic so it can't stand up to normal pressures or temperature changes. vehicle manufacturer has admitted they made a fix for problem but it is at owner's expense which does not seem fair as this is an obvious design flaw which allows dangerous situations for owner to happen.*ak

Vehicle was parked, consumer proceeded to start it, and it caught fire. the fire was extinguished by the fire department. consumer later found a recall for the intake manifold, however, his vehicle was not included.*ak

Consumer disappointed with reimbursement for 1998 pontiac bonneville. the fuel pressure regulator was replaced. *bf recall campaign: 04v090000. the recall is related to the fuel pressure regulator leak. the temperature gauge was fluctuating while the vehicle was being driven. the check engine light did not come on. the consumer turned the engine off and allowed it to cool off. the consumer restarted the vehicle and heard a loud back fire with a loud bang. the vehicle did not restart. the consumer smelled fuel shortly after. the vehicle was towed to a nearby dealer. the intake plenum and the intake plenum gasket needed to be replaced. the thermostat blew out again. the consumer stated that he feels that the failures are a result of the recall issue therefore the reimbursement check was not sufficient. the consumer stated that the brakes had a ticking noise. *tc

'recall campaign' concerning 19998 pontiac bonneville fuel pressure regulator. *bf the consumer had the fuel pressure regulator replaced prior to the recall being issued because the engine caught on fire. the consumer submitted the request for reimbursement, however he has not received anything from the manufacturer stating what the decision was. the consumer has since donated the vehicle. *jb

While driving 25 mph dashboard caught on fire. consumer pulled over , put the fire out, and the vehicle was towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Recall campaign: the vehicle's engine failed prior to recall notification. *nm the consumer request reimbursement for the repair made prior to recall notification. *nm

Transaxle: after starting cold engine and driving 20-30 miles transmission starts shifting hard into 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear. does not shift hard when lock-up converter engages. took it to pontiac dealer and was told it was the pcs (pressure control solenoid) and it was going to be $700 to repair. called several transmission shops and they said it could be the pcs or the valve body and most all 4t60 and 4t65-e transaxles have this problem?? if there are so many problems, why doesn't gm do something to at least cut the cost of repairs??*ak

While driving at any speed vehicle was running rough. it was taken to a repair shop, and mechanic determined that the problem was a crack in the intake manifold. consumer was concerned that this was the second intake manifold replaced within two years. the manufacturer was also notified. *ak *nm

Upper intake manifold developed a coolant leak into cylinders. on startup, the engine hydrolocked. when engine hydrolocked, the starter was damaged and had to be replaced. the intake manifold and spark plugs had to be replaced. the dealership said this is a common problem and all manifolds will eventually fail.*ak

1998 pontiac bonneville. explosion under hood. $900.00 damage. summer 2004 we received a recall notice. if already occurred, send bills for reimbursement. we received a check for only $82! general motors is at fault for a defective part. yet they only paid for the part, not the damage it caused.*jb

Intake manifold and fuel pressure regulator failure. *bf the recalled component failed prior to notification. the consuemr paid to have the vehicle repaired. after receiving the recall the consumer requested reimbursement but was only offered a partial refund. *nm

Sudden catastrophic failure of the intake manifold causing anti-freeze to enter the engine, oil resulting in complete engine failure at 75 mph. *ak ase certified mechanic replaced engine, intake manifold and peripherals for over $5000. have possession of original factory intake manifold showing hole in egr area that failed. ruined engine had to be returned for core fee. car recently off extended warranty. gm customer service uncooperative and claims that tsb 010601007a (nhtsa item #620835) not published by gm. gm customer service claims car has not been properly maintained, did not care to have details of oil changes (every 3000 miles) or other service performed as recommended in owner's manual. this is an obvious product failure and is a serious safety issue at higway speeds! when engine locked up, lost all power and had difficulty getting off the highway and onto the shoulder. very thankful my husband was driving and not me, as i would not have been able to get the car off the highway due to the tremendous strength required to perform that task when there is no power steering! recently received a safety recall from gm for the gasoline pressure regulator that must have a number of variables happen all at the same time to become an issue. why is gm not being held accountable for this serious intake manifold problem that appears to be lying in wait for the unsuspecting consumer?

Intake manifold problems. *bf there was an egr passage through the intake manifold. over time, hot gases from the egr system passed burned a hole through the passage way walls into the surrounding water jacket. recall# 04v090000. *sc *jb

While driving vehicle stalled. vehicle shut down, and was towed. the intake manifold was found to be defective.*ak

While driving vehicle stalled and turned off. vehicle was towed to dealer, who replaced the engine. *ak

I pushed the rear defroster button and about 5 seconds later there was this small pop noise and smoke started coming out of the dash. i pulled the car over and looked into the vent and saw a fire about 3 inches high. i got my children and myself out of the car ran to the nearest house and called the fire dept and by the time they got there (7 min later) the car was totally engulfed in flames. it was a total loss.*ak

While driving 55 mph vehicle overheated. white smoke came from the tail pipe. vehicle was taken to a dealer, who informed consumer that the problem was a crack around the egr located on the intake manifold. *ak

While the vehicle was parked consumer noticed fluid leaking from underneath the vehicle. consumer drove the vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that engine head gasket was cracked and needed to be replaced. *ak

Consumer received nhtsa recall 04v090000 regarding fuel pressure regulator failure. after having the fuel pressure regulator replaced vehicle failed to start. also, while driving vehicle stalled. *ak

The consumer was not satisfied with the amount of the reimbursement he received from the manufacturer. *nm the consumer experienced problems with the vehicle starting prior to receiving the recall. the manufacturer stated they only reimbursed the consumer the amount that pertained to the recall. out of 834.60 for repairs the consumer received 97.92. recall#04v090000. *jb

1998-bonneville 70,000 miles. started stalling intermittently on one occasion, got car to mechanic and found out that the upper plenum had a hole burned right through it. had to replace the upper manifold because of coolant leaking into the engine. $910.00 later it is fixed. did some research and found that gm is aware of this problem and know of numerous complaints about this. wondering when they are going to call for a recall??????*ak

Consumer started the vehicle, went into the house to let the vehicle warm, upon returning the vehicle was on fire. recently a recall 04v090000 was received indicating a possible fire. *ak

Consumer heard a loud bang while driving on the highway. he proceeded off the highway, opened the hood of the vehicle, and fire started in the engine compartment, which engulfed into flames. within seconds consumer called the fire department, who indicated that the fire started near the engine block. the fire occurred due to the defect described in the fuel pressure regulator, recall 04v090000. but after the factory representative inspected the vehicle he claimed that the fire was not caused by the defect. a fire report was filed. *ak

While driving at 25 mph consumer smelled something burning, like electrical wires. stopped and pulled off road. lifted hood and burning wires smelled stronger near alternator. touched area, and it was hot. took vehicle to independent repair shop, and was informed that alternator failed due to bearings burning out. front bearings caused the alternator to burn. had to replace old alternator with a new alternator that had larger/bigger bearings, and would not wear out as fast.*ak

No events lead up to the failure, it was immediate. car stopped dead in its tracks, started one more time before it died in 1/8th of a mile. i was informed that the intake manifold was the problem coolant leaked into the engine. *jb replaced intake manifold,gasket,oil filter, oil, coolant & spark plugs.cleaned out coolant from intake and cylinders. change oil and filter.

Request for reimbursement for intake manifold that ruptured twice. *mr fuel leaked into the plastic intake manifold. *sc there was a recall regarding the issue. recall#04v090000. *jb

Had tune-up and regulators changed (based on recall) on 7/19/04. then on 7/22/04 smoke emitting from exhaust and then car would not start. car towed and repaired (manifold cracked). on 7/26/04 car taken from shop, 2 hrs later car would not start again. this time claimed starter was the problem. consequences: over $1,500 in repairs.

General motors recall program denial of payment for recall item repaired nd paid for at a general motors pontiac dealership. second recall notice recieved on my 1998 pontiac bonneville, nhtsa id# 04v090000, compontent is the fuel system, gasoline delivery. my 1998 bonneville was at the dealership many times and over a period of 2 years until the problem was resolved. rental vehicles, costly not-needed repairs were done in an effort to find the problem, down time, etc. payment from general motors requested providing all items requested, original receipts, signed forms and the reason given for the denial was that the vechicle identification number was not part of the recall. general motors mailed me the recall forms. my car did have the problem related to the recall.*ak

Intake manifold failure. *jb

When driving the vehicle at an undetermined speed, the vehicle stalled causing the driver to drift off the road. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the owner that the intake manifold had failed. please provide any further details. *jb

While having the vehicle serviced at a garage, the mechanic noticed that the engine intake manifold was leaking. this would have caused the engine to lock up if not caught in time. *nm

Consumer had the same problem as mentioned in nhtsa recall 04v09000: vehicles equipped with 3800 v6 (l36) engines and certain delphi fuel pressure regulators, the regulators have a much higher than usual rate of fuel leaks. a leak can allow fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. dealership admitted this vehicle has the same problem, but due to vin# wont fixed free. *ak

1998 pontiac bonneville purchased with 214 miles on 10-05-2000 from powel watson motors in laredo, texas. the vehicle had problems from nov. 2000 to the repair date in 2002. a seperate dealership (tindall chev/pontiac in dilley, texas) was finally able to repair the problems with the fuel regulator. this recall item has be denied from pontiac. the dealership billed me $1,024.00 for repairs not including rental fees for the loaner car. i feel that pontiac should honor the reall and return my money to me due to the faulty delphi fuel pressure regulator.

Vehicle was operating under normal conditions, vehicle was purchased used. two blocks from my destination, the car was running rough, almost like it was sputtering. i parked the car in the hopes it would start,the backfire that i never heard, not only broke the nose off the starter, blew a hole in the intake manifold and filled the engine with antifreeze. luckily for me i had shut the car off before any major damage had been done to the engine. i had the car towed back to the dealer i had purchased the vehicle from. monday came and i then went to the dealer to have them fix this vehicle i had just purchased only 3 months prior, they looked at it and gave me a $700 estimate, knowing full well that this is a defect with the vehicle, but would not provide me with temporary transportation while waiting for the repars to be done. i asked that they put the old parts that had been replaced into the trunk for further investigation by me. have done research on this on the internet only to find this a more common problem with this vehicle than had been imagined. why must someone die before something is done about this defect with this vehicle???*ak

Horn is worthless. was hit by a party who ran a red light. applied horn to get their attention, but it would not work. i have tried to use the horn on numerous occassions when about to be hit in a parking lot or on the street, but it never seems to work. very hard to get to work. airbag did not deploy even though damage required replacement of front bumper. when getting car repaired also advised that steering column bolts were stripped on one side and sheared off on the other, but not caused by accident. estimate to fix steering another $500+

When driving at an undetermined speed, the check engine light appeared on the dashboard, then the vehicle stalled. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership and the mechanic determined that the fuel pressure failed. *ak the radiator cap was replaced. while in motion, about 2 miles at 30 mph, the check engine light had come on. the vehicle was returned to the mechanic. the next day the vehicle would not start. the dealer found that fuel leaked and ruptured the manifold. recall#04v090000. the consumer was told that the recall was not in reference to her vehicle. *sc *jb the consumer sent in a thank you note after recieving her recall notice. *tc

While exiting the freeway, the engine gasket blew out. *ak the starter had gone out as well. gm stated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. *sc *jb

My complaint is that i am about to put my 4th and 5th intake manifold & manifold gasket, respectively, on my 1998 pontiac bonneville. i was driving down highway 55 at 70 mph when my engine died, because my manifold keeps cracking!! because my engine died, it kept blowing and forcing antifreeze down my intake and filling my cylinders with water and antifreeze, causing a vapor lock!!! this was terrible, because when i tried to restart the car in neutral going 70 mph, with 20-25 cars around me and 3-5 semi trucks, the engine was locked up!!!!! because of this 'vapor lock up' of the engine, i lost control of my car!!! i had no power steering, no power brakes, no control to be able to avoid a 20-25 car pile up, with tens to hundreds being injured!!!!!!!!! gm needs to do a complete recall of all 3.1, 3.4 & 3.8 v6 engines made with plastic manifolds and plastic gaskets!!!! gm needs to replace them with the aluminum manifolds and rubber gaskets they used to place on all engines manufactured since these changes which i believe is 1996!!!!! next, after all these manifolds and gasket failures on my car, of which i change the oil every 2000 miles and have documentation to support my oil changes, the antifreeze has eaten my bearings and crankshaft mains and rod bearings and my engine is knocking badly!!! a fair resolution would be for gm to give me(free of any charge), a new engine to replace the one they damaged, with their defective parts, workmanship and manufacturing design changes. if there is no problem, then why has gm issued a very expensive tsb? to change the design, component and installation of these defective parts??????? please see the attached url -http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs to view the over 1,200 people so far that has been identified in just a few months by word of mouth. thank you, gregory d. douglas 280 wildridge road metamora, il. 61548 home (309) 822-0406 work (217) 557-0313

While driving 30 mph service engine light flashed. then, engine stalled. dealer informed consumer that the engine needed to be replaced. *ak when vehicle stalled, steering and brakes were lost. when vehicle was towed to the repair shop, it was found that a faulty plastic intake manifold gasket that had leaked and allowed coolant to leak into the engine, which caused vehicle to stall. *la

Design flaw of coolant pipe. breakage of the coolant pipe inside the air intake of the 3800 v-6 engine causing engine coolant to flood the engine and cause immediate engine failure.

The vehicle's transmission failed. *ph *nm

Engine intake manifold and gasket failed while car was being driven in rush hour traffic, on a major highway, with traffic moving at a speed of apx 70 mph. this manifold and gasket failure resulted in the engine stalling, further causing a loss of steering and braking control. several cars swerved and skidded to avoid collision with our disabled car. the car was towed to the selling pontiac dealer. the intake manifold and gasket had failed, and the cost of repair was $1,036.00. i have found out that the intake manifold and gasket had been improperly designed, and that a high failure rate is occurring on gm v-6 3.8 engines. i contacted gm, and they will not help with this. there are many web sites that verify thousands of other failures. also, a gm service manager that i spoke with at a different dealership has acknowledged that there is a problem, and that many times, the engines fail due to this problem, resulting in a $5,000.00 replacement of the entire engine. this problem needs to be addressed, as gm is laughing at the public on this one. who of us has the resources to challenge them, and they could care less if we ever buy another car from them.

Paint is peeling around key hole on trunk - at this time approximately a 5 inch diameter circle spot. the hood is turning milky looking. we took it to a local dealership where we were told that our car was in very good condition and had been taken very good care of. we were turned down due to being out of warranty and there are no recalls on your 1998 bonneville regarding any paint concerns.

Leaking plastic manifold has hydrolocked my engine and bent 5 pushrods. also the dexcool antifreeze entered the cylinders and oilpan, ruining the engine.

Vehicle back fired due to manifold rupturing. the next day vehicle would not start. *ak

While driving 30 mph engine service light flashed. then, engine stalled. consumer was informed by dealer that engine needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving engine was leaking coolant onto the intake manifold. this could result in engine failure. *ak consumer was informed by her friend that her vehicle was on a list of potential engine failures from coolant leaking by general motors (gm). consumer went to a gm dealer as soon as she learned the news, and showed extensive damage on the intake manifold which was replaced. *la

While driving engine check light came on and vehicle stalled. this occurred because the intake manifold gasket leaked fluid onto the engine and the engine seized . *ak *la

Repeated stalling in traffic. typically occurred approximately two minutes after start-up. during one cold start the engine miss-fired and back pressure popped off the brake vacuum line, causing loss of brakes. was diagnosed first time as mass air flow sensor. problem recurred, diagnosed as fuel pressure regulator. shortly after, flooding and sparkplug fouling occurred due to damaged intake manifold leaking coolant into cylinders. while two of the components are the same as recall campaign 04v090000, and gm recall 03054b, gm says this vin [xxx] is not included. *ak updated 07/30/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Engine had 70,000 miles when suddenly seized with no warning. repair said intake manifold had warped causing antifreeze to spill into engine. engine and starter had to be replaced. repair center said it is a very common problem. replacement engine had same thing happening and a kit is available for replacement of this problem-purchased kit for replacement engine. total replacement costs---$3,223.06. i see in browsing the complaint pages that this is a very common problem. its time that gm makes things right for the consumer.*ak

Catastrophic engine failure while traveling on a bridge at apprx 15 - 20 mph. no warnings lights or gauge concerns until moment of failure. engine idle became exceptionally rough. cause was a gasket failure allowing dex-cool to enter engine and destroyed it.*ak

Engine is idling and running rough due to anti-freeze getting into the cylinder. this could locked up the engine. *ak the consumer it was a common known issue with the engine manifold which was made of plastic and warped which allowed coolant to leak into the cylinder. *jb

Plastic intake manifold failure engine locked up as driving the vehicle. nobody injured, but definitely a safety issue. 1998 pontiac bonneville 2hx52k9w4202853. *jb

While driving at 40 mph vehicle was pulling to one side or the other side. the ability to steer was gone, and consumer lost control of the vehicle, an did nearly collide with the curb. dealer determined that a bolt sheared off in the power steering unit, and dealer replaced the bolt and a sensor. *ak

The motor mount bolts sheared off the vehicle while driving. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the bolts had indeed sheared off and caused the power steering pump to break free. the consumer stated that exactly 3 weeks later, the same thing happened again. this time he had the vehicle towed to a pontiac dealer. the pontiac dealer/mechanic told him that by the bolts being sheared off, it had cracked his block, and it would cost him $70.00 to really checked the vehicle and approximately $1400.00 to repair it. the consumer stated that he called gm and was almost told, that they do not want anything to do with it. consumer stated that he thinks general motors should take some responsibility since they know about this problem. *nm

1998 pontiac bonneville plenum warped and leaked anti-freeze into combustion cylinders. vehicle was not able to be started and had to be towed to dealer. resulted in over $900.00 charges of which $317.64 was not covered by extended warranty. *ak

The upper engine cover and plenum broke. the fuel pressure regulator leaked onto the intake and caused a backfire. the pressure regulator was replaced, and the lower and upper intake was resealed. *la the vehicle was restarted but stalled. (the loud noise was heard at start up) *sc *jb

Tried to start car 1998 pontiac bonneville with 54,000 miles, it backfired and cought fire. it is totalled. i read on the internet that there was a problem with the plastic intake manifold, but i have never been advised. my car which was like new is gone.*ak

While my 1998 pontiac boneville was being auto started in -15 °f tempertures there was an immediate sudden loud report, much like a backfire, i looked outside and the car appeared to be fine. it tried to autostart itself 2 more times in sucession. both times it started rather roughly and shut itself off immediatly again. i quickly went outside and upon opening the hood it was seen that the intake manifold was broken into several parts.*ak

The engine exploded upon starting. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer told the consumer there was a recall on the park avenue which had the same engine as the bonneville, but there was no recall for the bonneville. please describe further. *jb

The fuel pressure regulator leaked gasoline; allowing fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. a spark ignited the excess fuel causing an explosion and rupturing the manifold. the blast hit the car in front of me so hard they thought they had been rear-ended. smoke bellowed out from under the hood, but luckily it didn't burn. it happened as i was entering an intersection and we nearly missed being broadsided. the car lost both power steering and brakes when it exploded and was very difficult to control. about 2 weeks before this it had been taken in for repairs because it was stalling out, difficult to start and the power steering and brakes had been failing. a new vacuum hose was installed. it had been repaired the year before because it leaked antifreeze into the engine, damaging it extensively. it is the second bonneville i own that has done this. it is the third damaged engine that fits the description of the buick recall- gm #03054. gm vehicles equiped with 3800 v6 engines. *ak

Consumer took vehicle to dealer to be inspected, and mechanic noticed that the plastic intake manifold cracked causing fluid to leak onto the engine. *ak

I too had a intake exhaust manifold failure !! leaked anti-freeze into cylinders !! but mine was caught in time !! took to dealer the day the check engine light came on !! intake manifold replaced, fuel pressure switch replaced, plugs and plug wires replaced !! dealer ship owner said "this problem did not surprise him" there has been enough of these problems documeneted on your site !! are you ever going to do something about the problem?? cost me $ over $700.00 mike miller laporte indiana this car only has a little over43,000 miles on it !!*ak

Engine stopped on interstate. car was towed. failure analysis indicates intake manifold failed allowing engine coolant to be drawing into engine causing hydrolock. car had about 60,000 miles. have found numerous other owners of other gm cars with 3.8l v-6 engines with same problem.*ak

Engine/cooling system. *ak

Intake manifold leaked coolant into engine. seems the plastic intake manifold and gasket warped causing excessive coolant consumption into the engine. *ak

Possible defective engine part. pontiac 3.8l intake manifold failure causing possible catastrophic engine failure if engine vapor locks at time of failure while engine is running. this part failed on my vehicle and the independant repair shop i took it too already had needed repair part on hand because (as they stated) there always fixing this engine for this problem. i found 1 tsb on your site #01060007a but it was 2.5 years ago. i spoke with a gm representative but was advised the could not comment on if this was a problem or not.*ak

On november 4, 2003 my wife contacted me at lunch time to inform me her car would not start. after checking the battery and starter it was determined the motor had locked up. when i contacted the dealer i found that i still had 1 year left on my extended warranty although at 88,000 miles i was 500 miles over the extended warranty. they informed me this was classic signs of the air intake manifold. i proceeded to repair the car myself. after taking the air plenium off the air intake manifold i found the top of the air intake manifold filled with anti-freeze. apparently, the air plenium had developed a crack and allowed the anti-freeze into the air intake. this permitted anti-freeze to fill number 1 cylinder with anti-freeze and would not allow the piston to travel to the top of the cylinder. after searching the internet it became apparent i was very lucky. there were several cases reported on line where this happened while people were driving and caused major lower engine repair such as shattered rods and crankshafts. i also noticed there appears to be a large number of complaints on your web site on this issue. i sent an email to general motors via their web site on this issue. it amazes me that this part is made of a plastic composite material and is mounted to the top of the engine. with the heating and cooling cycles the engine goes through, it is only a matter of time before this product would fail. from what i have seen on the internet and talking to various part clerks it is between 80,000 miles and 100,000 miles when this product fails. i am not sure if this is designed intent by gm, although they have not changed this design through the 2003 models. needless to say i did not get a response back for gm. i felt with this type of defect and the safety problem this could cause if this were to have happened while traveling down a major highway there should have been a recall on this. sincerely, william j. fitzgerald. *la

Dexcool coolant corroded an upper plenum intake costing me $1,1185.00. this pontiac bonneville only has 69000 miles on it. my mechanic says gmc is aware of the problem and is doing nothing about it.*ak

Consumer bought the bonneville in august, since then it has been in repair shop 7 times. the first four times were for transmission failure. they replaced the pressure control valve and throttle body. the remaining visits were for 4 fuel injection system failures, injector coil failures melted 4 spark plug wires. also, water pump started leaking. *ak

Vehicle's warning signal starts up and the vehicle hesitates or stalls out while driving.*mr the intake manifold was also damaged causing the vehicle to smoke and over heat. *cb

Noticed slow loss of engine coolant (no obvious leaks) over the month prior to incident date. on incident date, engine popped, banged, and ran extremely rough on start-up. i had read about a problem with the 3.8 liter v-6 gm engine, and brought vehicle to dealer. dealer found warped/cracked plastic intake manifold, which was replaced at a cost of over $700. pontiac/gm would not consider any cost sharing on the repair. failure was in area of manifold/plenum where throttle body/egr valve mount, and is due to excessive heat build-up over time. this problem is a design defect (use of plastic manifold vs. metal in high temperature application) on this and several other gm v6 engine types from 1995 to at least 2002. gm installs these engines in various models of pontiacs, buicks, oldsmobiles, and i believe some chevrolets. i estimate that gm has well over 1,000,000 of these problem engines in vehicles, and their potential cost liability is in the billions of dollars. i don't expect them to initiate a recall without government mandate. in other cases i have researched, this problem has apparently led to complete engine failure, and in some cases, engine compartment fires. *la

While driving vehicle overheated and blew out. technician diagnosed plastic intake manifold cracked. dealer notified. *ak

1998 pontiac bonneville, 3.8 liter v6, 65k miles when its intake manifold "plastic" gasket warped under normal use. coolant damaged it when drained into engine. gm has several service bulletins out there regarding their 3.8-liter v6 and this problem. they know it¿s defective in their design, but refused to cover any percentage of repair cost. luckily, the car was not traveling down the interstate and no one got hurt from a locked up or destroyed engine. gm should recall or offer a repair copy on their defective design. service bulletin replaces "plastic" part with redesigned aluminum one. they know its a problem, it¿s time they make it right. *la

Coolant was leaking from intake manifold into the engine. this could result in engine failure.*ak

On september 19,2003, my 1998 pontiac bonneville with 3800 v6 overheated(check engine light and high temp on gauges), would not restart and would not turn over by starter motor. had to tow into shop and had cooling system checked. pressure leaks were detected. the shop mechanic diagnosed that the upper plenum for the intake manifold, which is made of plastic, had become warped where the egr valve connects to the engine block. this allowed antifreeze to fill up the engine cylinders. the small repair shop where my car was repaired stated that they had replaced many of this particular upper intake plenum for this particular engine. the tow truck driver told me what the problem was even before i told him the entire problem. *jb

Consumer called complaining about antifreeze leaking into the intake manifold. manufacturer and dealer were contacted, and stated that there was a recall on a different vehicles with the same engine but not on this particular one.*ak

Upper intake manifold developed cracks and anti freeze leaked onto the engine. this resulted in the motor locking up. *ak

Vehicle's intake manifold is defective.*mr the consumer is disturbed about the her vehicle not being allowed in the recall for defective intake manifolds. when her vehicle is experiencing the same problems mentioned above. she is now requesting to be reimbursed for approx $1299.56 to resolve this issue and avoid litigation. *cb

Consumer noticed while using windshield wipers and without any indication wipers started smoking, and stopped working. *ak

1998 pontiac bonneville - on numreous occasions the vehicle has stalled for no apparent reason. sometimes while moving, other times at stop signs or stoplights. warm and cold weather. warm and cold engine. the dealer has had it on the diagnostic machnies and even hooked up a recorder to record conditions when the stalls occur, but still no answers.

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning coolant was leaking into the engine, causing vehicle to overheat. *ak

Coolant was sucked into the cylinders through two unknown holes in the intake manifold system. engine had 66,000 miles. resulted in total blow-out of engine and replacement was necessary at a repair cost of close to $3,000. according to service technician this engine has a history of these problems and gm needs to rectify the faulty plastic manifolds and gaskets. *ak

This car has had very good care/maintenance, has not been driven hard, and has only 67,000 miles on it. while driving down a city street, approximately 35 mph, the car began to sputter. i pulled in to a parking lot and shut the car off so that i could look at the spark plug wires. i had a spark plug wire loose when this happened once before. i had no over temp, i had normal oil pressure and there was no check engine light illuminated. i did not find a noticeable problem, but i could not get the engine to start again. i had it towed home. i changed the battery, the starter, and finally checked to see if the crankshaft would turn, which it wouldn't. i removed the spark plugs and tried it again. i got antifreeze from four of the cylinders! this was determined to be because of a failed intake manifold gasket.*ak

Consumer called complaining about having gasket problems. gaskets have been replaced twice, and he was concerned. manufacturer was not contated at the time of this call. *ak

I purchased vehicle on 02/17/03. in may 2003, without any warning, i was replacing a motor. once again, on july 19, 2003 i am replacing yet another motor.*ak

1998 pontaic bonneville se, standard v6 engine, while stopped with the brake engaged the engine will surge and leap forward . car engine will quit while driving, causing loss of anti-lock brakes. transmission sometimes shifts up and down without any reason, even at speed causing control problems. suposedly related to the design of the intake manifold ( plastic cracks causing vacum problems and sometines loss of water). also exterior paint started to peal off at 70.000 miles.*ak

I own a 1998 pontiac bonneville. the manifold covers are made of plastic and eventually crack causing antifreeze to enter the engine causing vapor lock. the engine shuts off leaving the driver with no power steering or start up capabilities because the starter cone on this incident was blown off due to intense pressure. my 17 year old daughter was driving at the time and i'm thankful that she was in town traveling only around 25 mph. i dread the thought what may have happened on the expressway. i have heard of and read of several cases that are exactly like this one. general motors is aware of the problem yet refuses to recall this manifold cover problem. my vehicle is well maintained and has only 83000 miles on it. there is no way this should be allowed to continue to happen. it is very costly to myself as a consumer. it ran me nearly $900 dollars to fix this problem. hopefully there isn't any long term damage (which i understand there will be) to my engine from this problem. *nlm

A plastic component in the engine of the 1998 bonneville melted allowing antifreeze to enter the engine and causing engine failure. there was only 70,000 miles on the car. all replacement engines have the same plastic components and can have the same potential for engine failure or fire.*ak

Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer since the engine light appeared on the dashboard. dealer stated nothing was wrong with the vehicle. four days later, engine blew out.*ak

Wife was driving car when she noticed the check gauge ligt came on. engine started overheading. i went to location and added collant but something did not seem right. called tow and had towed to dealer ship. was told problem was between the egr passage at upper intake manifold! otherwise called "material degradation". dealership said this was common for this year of car.... cost us approx $700 to have fixed. called gmc customer satisifaction and did not get any satisifaction... sold car and will never buy another gmc until they can stand behind their problems. would like to see this recalled... *ak

On july 1, 1998 pontiac bonneville with 3800 v6 overheated. took it into shop and had cooling system checked. no pressure leaks were detected. when i left the shop, engine began missing and check engine light came on. engine smoothed out, but took back to shop and they put on machine. cylinders 1 and 6 had been misfiring, but seemed to be running fine. the next day on way to work, the engine began missing badly again and temperature gauge went up to about 240. after work, engine would not turn over at all. after having car towed back to shop, i learned that the upper plenum for the intake manifold,which is made of plastic, had become warped where the egr valve connects to the engine block. this allowed antifreeze to fill up the engine cylinders. the small repair shop where my car was repaired stated that they had replaced 10 of this particular upper intake plenum for this particular engine.

My 1998 bonneville had been loosing antifreeze, the dealer replaced the thermistat, then the water pump went out. it still lost antifreeze....a couple weeks later while driving down the road it just died in the middle of the road. my intake manfold aloud my engine to fill with antifreeze, gm has a kit for this problem.....so they know it is a problem.

The vehicle stalled without warning. the dealer stated oil mixed with the anti-freeze. *jb

Consumer tried to start up vehicle, an under hood fire occurred. *mr the vehicle wouldn't crank. the consumer thought the vehicle wouldn't start because it was cold. the vehicle sounded like something exploded under the hood as the consumer started the vehicle. *scc *jb

The consumer was driving 20 mph around a corner. when the consumer attempted to accelerate the vehicle began to buck, the check engine light illuminated and the car suddenly stalled. the dealer diagnosed that the upper intake manifold gasket failed. *nlm the plenum failed and caused coolant to enter the engine. the engine hydro-locked due to a faulty gasket that gm had known about. the engine, starter and plenum was replaced. *scc *jb

The intake manifold is made of plastic and because it is cooled by the engine coolant it regularly fails. ph

While driving at 35mph and without warning the engine blewout, causing the consumer to pullover. dealer notified. *ak

I have a 1998 pontiac bonneville (gm 3800 liter v-6). the plastic intake manifold cracked allowing coolant to flood the cylinders and resukting in a $675 repair bill. luckily this happened in my garage and not on the highway. no major engine damage. no fire; just a costly repair bill that i think gm should be responsible for.

Engine failed while traveling on an interstate stranding my son and three friends for over 3 hours. the diagnosis is head gasket failure and will cost approx. $1300 to repair in addition to the $300 spent in towing fees. this is the 5th one of this make and model that we have been made aware that has had this problem. does gm deliberately make engines to self-destruct? *nlm

When the vehicle was started, it caught on fire. *jb *ts

Nar 04/28/2003 mr while driving 55-70 mph the consumer engine died out because of a defective plastic intake manifold. *cb

The upper intake manifold cracked, which caused coolant to leak onto the engine. the dealer stated the problem occurred due to the plastic manifold not being able to withstand engine heat temperatures. *jb

Bonneville engine over heating and upper manifold cracked and broke. *jb

Upper intake manifold failed in my 1998 pontiac bonneville while driving on the interstate and caused the engine to hydrolock. this failure caused additional failures of the starter and spark plugs. also the lower intake manifold was replaced without failing with a redesigned part. this leads me to believe that gm thinks there is something wrong with these manifolds that they need to be replaced with redesigned parts even if they don't fail. total cost of repairs was $1600. *nlm

There were problems with the intake manifold. * mr the vehicle failed to start due to the coolant leaking into the cylinders. the consumer then received a bulletin which was in reference to the intake manifold/coolant consumption leak. scc *jb

Plenum part number 17113136 failed have incurred $511.78 in damages through gm's neglect to admit to a design problem and their failure to do a voluntary recall, car still does not run properly and will end up costing more money to correct. *jb

The original and the replacement upper intake manifold malfunctioned. mr scc *jb

The upper intake on the vehicle, leaked antifreeze. *jb

When the consumer attempted to start the vehicle, it cut off. this was due to a failed intake manifold. dealer was notified and part was replaced.*jb

The intake manifold failed. *jb

While driving and without warning the intake manifold failed and caused the motor to seize. dealer notified. *nlm

The consumer couldn't get the vehicle started. the consumer tried to get the vehicle started again and heard a loud noise which was followed by a fire under the hood. *scc *nlm referenced in ea02-030

The upper intake manifold cracked and leaked antifreeze onto the engine which caused the engine to lock up.*jb

The upper intake manifold cracked and leaked antifreeze onto the engine which caused the engine to lock up.*jb *ts

Coolant was sucked into the cylinders through a hole in the plenum which is part of the intake manifold system. i have read over 40 complaints detailing the same problem at this location. this engine had only 56,000 miles and dealer refused to warranty or to assist with costs. this is clearly a wide ranging defect and this fluid lock can suddenly and unexpectedly stop the engine while in traffic causing a potential for serious accidents. this defect affects all general motors vehicles with the 3.8 l engine yet general motors has refused to do a recall and i cannot detect any action by nhtsa to investigate this and force a recall. it is time to do this. *jb

Email fm donald mark (ny) *ph. a defective part called plenum caused problems in the consumer's vehicle, the consumer requested a recall to be issued. *jb scc

Engine lost coolant - informed by dealer that intake manifold had warped allowing coolant to mix with fuel and air. dealer said that this part was a plastic composite part that failed often. failure could cause engine loss or fire. intake manifolds are not supposed to warp under normal conditions. *ak *ph *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**765826

I have had the plenium manifold fail in my 1998 bonneville and have spoken to a dealer about this and tyey are aware of this problem but yet they do not have any plans to do any type of recall.the service dir. that i spoke with said they were having this problem with alot of the same style motors that gm put out but they have no plans on fixing this problem,but i had to spend 1100.00 of my money to get this problem fixed and the dealer just seems not to care that they have a problem.

Second replacement of the upper intake manifold.

I own a 1998 pontiac bonneville with 87,000 miles and out of warranty. late one evening my car suddenly let out a cloud white smoke and stopped in traffic. i assumed that when the engine light came on and the manual suggested "a tank of bad gas" or similar problems that the problem was not serious. after having my car towed to my dealer, i was very surprised when my dealer informed me that the intake manifold had cracked and coolant had infiltrated my cylinders. this "minor" repair ended up costing $1836 after replacing the manifold, gaskets, hoses, and thermostat. i do not have much trust in my vehicle nor the automobile manufacturer who knows that this is a problem with my year and model of car and does nothing to warn owners of this problem. i feel that i should be compensated for the parts and labor to replace a manufacturer mistake. *jb

The plastic intake manifold failed allowing coolant to enter the cylinders and oil, causing damage to the engine exhaust. gas from the egr passes through the plastic and eventually softens and deteriorates it. this has been an ongoing problem with this engine according to local dealers and mechanic. why hasn't a recall been issued since it is a major safety and damage issue. i called the manufacturer---no satisfaction. *****dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis******770815. *ak *jb

Plastic intake manifold cracked. $1500 repair due to poor design. engine stalled due to coolant leaking onto engine cylinders. have done extensive research including web sites like carreview.com where over 10% of all comments on this car (good or bad) complained about intake manifold problems. recall seems in order.*jb

Plastic manifold melted causing coolant to flow into the piston chamber. this seems to be a major malfunction with this part and should be brought to gm's attention to be recalled with a better solution than a plastic manifold.*jb

While vehicle was parked, the engine caught on fire. dealer has been notified. ph

Consumer states the plastic intake manifold cracked, causing engine to hydrolock and bending 5 push rods. this allowing coolant to enter engine causing major damage. ts

My complaint is: i was driving down illinois interstate highway 55 at 70 mph when my engine died, because my manifold keeps cracking, this is the 4th time!! because my engine died, it kept blowing and forcing antifreeze down my intake and filling my cylinders with water and antifreeze, causing a vapor lock!!! i tried to restart the car in neutral going 70 mph, with 20-25 cars around me and 3-5 semi trucks, but the engine was locked up!!!! i lost control of my car!!! i had no power steering, no power brakes, no control to be able to avoid a 20-25 car pile up, with tens to hundreds being injured!!!!!!!!! this is a "safety issue that must be resolved!! gm needs to do a complete recall of all 3.1, 3.4 & 3.8 v6 engines made with plastic manifolds and plastic gaskets!!!! gm needs to replace them with the aluminum manifolds and rubber gaskets they used to place on "all engines manufactured since these changes", which i believe is 1995!!!!! also, do not allow gm to deny these charges of defective material, parts, workmanship, or manufacturing, because i was told yesterday there is a "new technical service bulletin" changing the manifold, gasket and installation!! please see the attached url - http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs to view the over 1,300 people so far that has been identified in just a few months by word of mouth. the dealerships stock these parts, where before their design change in 1996 from aluminum to plastic manifolds, the dealerships never stocked these manifolds!!! other support websites: http://www.geocities.com/gm_intake/index.htm#updates & http://www.gm-v6lemons.com

Consumer was advised the engine failed due to a design problem of the intake manifold. the top of intake manifold was plastic and had a metal tube that ran through plastic. over time the plastic also degraded and cracked which resulted in the coolant entering the engine.*jb

Consumer called complaining about having problems with the intake manifold. also stated that while driving the vehicle the engine will overheat. dealer was contacted and stated that he had a different intake manifold and it was replaced but consumer has the same problem again. the second time the vehicle got on fire. ts

Consumer states while driving the lens on the left head light fell off. please provide any addition information. ts

I have a 1998 pontiac bonneville which was brought into the dealer for repair due to not having any heat in the car. i expected a faulty thermostat or some other minor problem. it turned out that engine coolant leaked out from the plenum, water pump and gaskets requiring replacement of the water pump, water pump belt, and manifold (with the various gaskets) manifold was actually rotting from the inside due to coolant leak into it. this repair cost over $1,000. upon talking to the dealer and my own internet research this is a common problem with the gm 3800 engine which is in bonnevilles, grand prix and buick lesabre. i reference nhtsa consumer complaints listed under bonneville and grand prix complaints of "engine cooling systems" and "engine." i also direct you to edmunds.com "town hall" section(bonneville and grand prix) that is a chat room that shows numerous complaints about the exact same problem. i guess i was lucky in that at least my engine didn't completely seize as is also common when the antifreeze coolant leaks into the combustion chamber. gm will not reimburse me a dime on the cost. this car has just 36k miles on it but it is 4 1/2yrs old and thus out of warranty. the car has been properly maintained, including a dealer oil change just 2 months prior to this problem. my research has shown that the engine coolant leakage from the plastic gaskets and plenum into the manifold and combustion chamber is not an isolated incident and needs the nhtsa to investigate this issue further. gm customer service is of no service and they have basically told me to buy japanese from now on. *sc *jb

Consumer states that while driving the vehicle and no warning the intake manifold blew causing the vehicle to be non drivable. dealer notified. ph

While in motion, the engine died causing a pile up on the highway. the engine manifold and the gasket caused what is called a vapor lock up. this is a continuous problem with this vehicle. the manifold and gaskets have been replaced 4 times prior. *jg

Please see the attached complaint

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning the check engine light came on the dashboard. the intake manifold melted causing oil to mix in with antifreeze vehicle shut down. ts *yh

1998 pontiac bonniville they use a plastic intake manifold cover of schrowed.within this cover they have hole for the egr valve which gets very very hot,and to cool this they run coolant around this within the plastic. don't they realize that the plastic will crack from expansion and contraction and coolant will infiltrate the intake manifold and the entire combustion chamber,exhaust. this happened to my 98 bonniville and i want this to be investigated.

Car suddenly began missing and running very rough. drove only a short distance & car stopped running. the dealer said the upper intake manifold plennuim needed replaced, as well as the plugs removed & cleaned. also needed oil, filer & collant changed. cost over $750 to repair & manifold was about the only engine component to not be included under the add'l service contract we had purchased.

Consumer advised that while driving the intake manifold cracked causing coolant to leak onto engine. vehicle stalle oh highway. ts

The engine intake plastic manifold cracked, which caused antifreeze to run into the engine. dealer has been notified. ts. *jg *jb

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning coolant fluid are being pump into the engine. dealer notified ts

Consumer states while driving vehicle started to make a wierd noise, vehicle started to loose power and engine died. cause is unknown. please provide any further information. nlm

While driving vehicle stalled out. had vehicle towed. this was a result of coolant fuel leaking.dealer contacted.*ak

While driving vehicle started running rough. then, the engine stopped. contacted dealer, valve cover gasket was leaking, and water went into engine cyclinder. this is a common problem. *ak the mechanics removed/replaced the intake manifold, both upper and lower manifold gaskets. *scc

After refueling engine light illuminated. took vehicle to dealer, dealer stated radiator needed water. water was coming through radiator, and exiting through exhaust system. please provide any further infomation.*ak

Engine light illuminated. pulled over and noticed water leaking from radiator. upper plenuum plastic melted, allowing water to get into engine, and engine locked up. please provide any further information.*ak

Vehicle stalled while driving on a busy interstate. the dealer stated the problem was the plastic intake had cracked, which dumped the engine coolant into the chunders and locked the engine. mr scc *jb

Upper intake manifold is leaking coolant onto engine while driving. manufacturer was notified. *ak dealer replaced the upper intake manifold due to it being warped where it joined the throttle body. *slc

Anti freeze wad sleaking but not on ground. dealer was contacted, and noticed anti freeze leaking into engine, intake manifold needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving and without warning, engine stalled, resulting in vehicle becoming inoperable.*ak consumers wife was coming to a stop when the engine froze. the vehicle lost all coolant and radiator water due to the plenum melting from the egb tube. the poor design has been corrected by gm, but as a repair bulletin and not a safety recall. *jg

Consumer states the engine blew while driving.*jb

Antifreeze leaked from vehicle, dealer determined that plastic intake manifold melted, causing antifreeze to leak into engine. engine needed to be replaced.*ak

Consumer was traveling on highway and smelled a rotten smell coming from vents area., and without prior warning, vehicle shutdown inside of parking lot.*ak

While driving 10-15 mph, engine was hesitating. consumer noticed a burning smell. dealer determined that plastic intake manifold had a hole and was leaking fluid onto engine. engine had to be replaced. *ak *jg

While vehicle was in repair shop upper intake manifold exploded upon starting vehicle. dealer and manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

There was a crack in the intake valve, vehicle broke down and caught on fire when they attempted to start vehicle, claim 13-9723-630. *slc

Intake manifold blew up and a fire started in the engine, claim 40-2468-798. *slc

Vehicle was being jump started with an external battery pack, and when cranked there was an internal engine explosion, the manifold cover blew off and injector out, claim 35-w429-786. *slc

Consumer attempted to start vehicle, it back fired and caught fire in the engine area, consumer states he heard an explosion under the hood when the vehicle was started, flames were coming out from under the vehicle, claim 25-5472-210. *slc

Consumer went to start vehicle, there was a loud pop noise and vehicle started smoking, fire in engine compartment, claim 13-7560-177. *slc

The vehicle broke down and caught on fire at the dealership, when they attempted to start the vehicle, there was a crack in the intake valave. claim#13-9723-630

Intake manifold blew up and fire started in engine. claim number 40-2468-798. *yh

Vehicle was being jumped started with an external battery pack, when cranked there was an internal engine explosion, blew manifold cover off and injectors out. claim number 35-w429-786. *yh

The consumer heard explosion under the hood when the vehicle was started. flames were coming out from under the vehicle. claim number 25-5472-210. *yh

When the consumer started the vehicle there was a loud pop and vehicle started smoking in engine compartment. claim number 13-7560-177. *yh

The dealer diagnosed that intake manifold had cracked and leaked antifreeze over engine components. (related investigation ea02-030) ph the dealer replaced the upper manifold plenum. scc

The antifreeze leaked and caused damage to the rod bearings, and crankshaft.*dt *jb

Consumer's vehicle was included in recall 04v09000. he was told that the recall would be taken care off. consumer's vehicle blew up approximately two to three years ago. he received a recall letter days ago, and was told that the work should have been done 2 or 3 years ago. contacted pontiac, and was told that the plenum was the defective part on the vehicle. which had nothing to do with the fuel pressure regulator. however, his claim was denied. *ak

Purchased used 1998 pontiac bonneville in january, 2002 with 56, 000 miles from gm dealership. car was gm certified. about 6 months later with 65,000 miles during routine oil change i notice the coolant was a little low. going back to dealer i purchased gm long life antifreeze and bottle of gm sealant. there were no visible signs of antifreeze leak anywhere. coolant level maintained from that time. on april 30th, 2004 while driving down the expressway, the car suddenly begain to miss fire severley and quit running within seconds. there was no power steering and no power breaks. the engine had hydrolocked. all cylinders were full of antifreeze. the car now had 115,000 miles. i removed the upper intake manifold to find it full of antifreeze. the heat resistant material around the egr tube had failed allowing super-heated air to melt the gasket area around the adjascent water jacket allowing coolant to flow into the manifold causing the hydrolock. i replaced both upper and lower intake manifolds and gaskets with newly designed units from the dealer. i was told gm was aware of the defect and had redesigned the parts against this failure. the car is now running fine. while there was no accident involved, the sudden power failure certainly could have caused an accident. i believe the failure began at 65,000 miles and was temporarily fixed with the coolant sealant i put in it at that time as recommended by the dealer's parts person. all parts are available for inspection.

While traveling at highway speeds engine check light came on, and temperature gauge went to high. consumer drove car to a near by mechanic, and they poured antifreeze into engine compartment to cool vehicle down. *ak consumer stated, while he started the engine, white smoke poured from the exhaust, towed the vehicle to the dealer, dealer replaced engine but while testing the engine, the same problem appeared, dealer aware of the service bulletin, the upper intake manifold was replaced, which caused the problem. *yd

Consumer was driving at approximately 15 mph under clear/dry weather conditions when power steering pump fell out of vehicle. consumer lost control. consumer was able to direct vehicle to her driveway. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak

Turned ignition on and there was an explosion, and then a fire broke out in vehicle sitting there for 8 days before. contacted dealer, and they offered to repurchase vehicle.*ak

Vehicle has been stalling, first at slow speeds, and when making slow turns. lately at speeds of 55-60 mph. taken to dealer 3 times, cannot find a problem.*ak

Vehicle stalled while in operation traveling at either low speeds/cold weather,/speeds above 65 mph, and stop andgo traffic. consumer has avoided 6 accidents due to this defect. dealership has examined vehicle and could notdetermine cause of engine stalling. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak

Right rear axle broke while driving 45mph. tire came off, and vehicle stopped. contacted manufacturer, and informed consumer that it did not happen as was told. took to mechanic, and found problem happened the way told by owner.*ak

Horn is difficult to apply in an emergency due to air bag assembly. please give any further details. *ak

On several occasions while stopping and then starting, vehicle idles low and on some occasions it stalls, especially while making left turns, dealer once found a vacuum leak from between the throttle body and upper plenumn, problem still exists. consumer states vehicle has poor acceleration and lack of power. battery failed. *slc

While driving automobile suddenly cut off and had no power- engine shut down, and consumer had no use of the brakes, automobile drifted about 100 feet and came to a stop.after sitting for about 15 minutes, the automobile restarted. *ak

Car was in an accident and air bags did not deploy. consumer took car to dealer, and they will not replace airbags. dealer said that they don't have a manufacturer for airbags. *ak

Fuel guage indicator level misreads the amount of fuel in the vehicle. dealer has inspected vehicle and corrected it, but, the problem still exists.

Ventilation system is design so badly that outside fumes always enter inside of vehicle. dealer stated that this was a normal ventilation system. please provide any further information. *ak

Got back from vacation had the vehicle serviced for an oil change regularly since receiving the car back.vehicle in gear with foot on the brakes vehicle surged and jerked. *ak

While driving in city at aprox 35mph warning light came on for emission control. contacted dealer , who said that it was the transmission, and it was not under warranty. but vehicle needed a new transmission. *ak

Intermittently vehicle will suddenly accelerate or stall and die. dealer has replaced the alternator generator and the ecm. manufacturer will be notified.*ak

Intermittently the vehicle stall out and dies resulting in a loss of vehicle control. the vehicle will start up immediately after . the dealer has not been able to duplicate or correct. mjs

Consumer reporting a rental vehicle from hertz/ concerning following problems, 1) left side windshield wiper works intermittently; 2). fuel vapors leaking into vehicle, and 3) trunk lid will not close properly,causing exhaust vapor enterning the vehicle. reported these condition to nhtsa. rental vehicle located in st. paul, mn. *ak

Consumer experiencing ongoing problem with engine intermittently stalling. vehicle been in/out of dealer shop on three occasions. dealer informed consumer the problems can not be found or the problem cannot be duplicated. *ak

Consumer complained of engine check light coming on at will. engine check light had turned off at one occasion. on other occasion engine check light would come on for unknown reason. vehicle has been in dealer shop, condition keeps reoccurring, and dealer informed cosumer nothing could be founed. *ak

While driving at any speed the vehicle stallls. to restart the car, has to shift the gear into neutral and turn the key. the dealer is not able to correct the problem. *ak

While driving vehicle about 10 mph and sometimes higher speeds, according to consumer, the vehicle just shuts off, losing power and steering power. the engine check light comes on when engine stops. consumer had taken vehicle to dealer twice they said: the problem is with the fuel pump that's why the engine was not working. *ak consumer states that the fuel pump was not the cause of the problem, possible engine problem. *slc

Intermittently while driving the vehicle shuts off, losing power brakes, power steering, etc. the dealer was not able to duplicate the problem. the computer was reprogrammed in february of 98. the problem still exists. *ak

No summary. dt

Intake manifold failures are a known problem at gm, and nothing is being done about it. my wife was driving home in rush hour traffic, at a speed of apx. 65 mph, on a four lane highway, in the center lane when the failure occurred. the intake manifold failure causes the engine to stop, and loss of steering and braking then occurres. as she proceeded to try to get the car off of the highway, several cars skidded to stop as the car slowly made it's way off of the highway. it had to be towed to the dealer for repair. i have been informed that general motors is aware of these intake manifolds failing, and that it is a known design defect. they see a lot of 3.8 engines with this problem, and are doing nothing about fixing it for the consumer. my repair cost me a little over a thousand dollars. a lot of times, the entire engine has to be replaced because it is damaged by the catastrophic events that take place when the intake manifolds fail. we are very lucky that she was able to get the car off of the highway, despite the fact that several cars locked up their brakes to avoid collision with this disabled vehicle. we purchased the car new, and maintain it more than is required by the manufacturer. this intake manifold defect should have been investigated a long time ago, as i have traced owners of these vehicles having this problem since 1996, and possibly before. if nothing is done, then surely deaths will occur due to the series of catastrophic events that will occur due to this defective intake manifold, including loss of engine power, steering and braking. dt

Upper intake crack which caused coolant leak into intake and fuel system. dt

Fuel line broke, and started leaking ,could have started fire.*ak

The plastic intake manifold has gotten a hole in it 2 times now. the first time was at 83000 miles and resulted in needing a new engine. the new engine had 16000 miles on it and after driving 19000 miles the same thing happened again causeing us to replace the manifold, head gaskets, bolts and starter. it has cost over 2000.00 for the same defective plastic peice. the garage said to get rid of the car because it is just going to keep happening and there is no way of telling ahead of time that it is going to happen. we just paid the car off and cant take on new payments so that is not possible. so someone needs to get gm to fix their defect so we don't have to keep going through this. we contacted the gm customer assistance center and they would not acknowledge a defect or problem. we called the dealership and they said they had received a bullitin on it and said what to check but would not help with the cost either. neither were any help at all. but they were sorry we were having difficulty what a big help.*ak

Engine would not run due to coolant in cylinder/s, cost to replace plastic intake manifold apx. $900.00 the term degrade as used by gm should be defective as by all experience, an intake manifold has no moving parts to wear and the car was equipped with coolant which does not need replacingg until 150,000 miles or five years. there is no maintenace that any owner can do to prevent this from happening. if it happens when in traffic and the engine stopped, there will be serious safety problem. gm does not want to take responsibility for a defect or design problem. *ak

Engine (intake manifold) is defective. leaking coolant into engine. this is the second 1998 bonneville v-6 we've had this happen with. the first one the engine had to be completely replaced, since it was burning coolant in the engine and into the surrounding air. this bonneville is currently being looked at and will need the intake manifold replaced, possible the entire engine as well. pontiac issued technical sales bulletin 01-06-01-007 in july 2001 knowing they had this problem. they should recall this badly designed engine that can cause engine lockup and coolant smog release into the atmosphere.*ak

On 8/25/2000 had to have my water pump replaced($536.91). picked up car went 11 mile it quit had to be towed back to performance pontiac. informed at that time the plenum failed cost of that job including towing an rental ($830.80). on 3/20/2002 car quit had to be towed in to performance pontiac again. cause of the problem the plenum failed again. when i called gm pontiac division they said there is nothing that they can do because of the mileage of the car. i do not believe that is the issue. it's a $31000. i travel for a living and have the upmost respect for my vehicle. i have all my records of my maintenance that would amaze you. the car has never been over 3000 before each oil chg. tires are rotated every 5000 miles. transmission oil chgs has been done twice. brakes have been repaired twice prematurely to prevent serious damage to other parts. i can provide you with records that show to the penny what i've spent on gasoline from the day i bought the car. i am convined that it is not a mileage issue and totally convinced that this is not a result of any negligence on my part. i was totally turned off by the attitude of pontiac concerning the problem with this part. i can also provide you with testimonials from businesses that i use to service my vehicle to what a fanactic i am about preventitve maintenance. waiting anxiousley for your reply. thank you for listening. nick leogrande. *ak

Have replaced plenum, head gaskets and is currently in repair for rods. recommended new engine. with new engine, repairs total $6000.00. nlm

Right rear-view mirror exploded. explosion so loud and freightening that i thought a bomb had hit my car. i was 2 blocks from my driveway. i stopped immediately as i thought entire right side of car was destroyed from just the sound of the explosion. there is not a mark on my car nor the outside of the mirror framing. the mirror itself was blown to dust. the entire mirror framing, etc. was left hanging down and held on by a small plug-in type receptacle just barely hanging on to a blown out plastic hole from the car. i have no rear view mirror now on the right side. i have the entire mirror mounting in m back seat and 3 mechanics have never heard of such a thing. it was the worst explosion i've ever heard, but i'm thankful the glass hurt no one nor caused any damage. my car looks fine, except there's a bare spot with a few blasted holes where once there was a mirror. thank you. *ak

Engine check light came on, so i stopped the car added antifreeze, then the car wouldn't start back up, so i had it towed to a garage . the mechanic there found that there was a hole in the plasic upper plentium and antifreeze got in the motor, so now we are having to replace the whole motor.*ak

For the third time (18k miles, 79k miles, 129k miles) the intake manifold gasket has failed and allowed the engine to liquid lock by filling with coolant. first incident covered by warranty, second cost me $1,000 and now pontiac is willing to split the cost of the third repair. i contend it is a design defect, and should cost me nothing.*ak

Car heated up. the engine was shut down to cool. antifreeze was low and added with no evidence of a leak. car would not start and was towed to a garage. it was discovered that coolant had been sucked into the pistons due to a hole or defect in the plentum (part# 17113136) of the manifold. after discovering the defect in our part we found that this part has been replaced numerous times with the exact same defect by two dealerships in our area in the past year. after contacting pontiac/gm we have received no help for damages ($1,500.00) caused by this defective part and they have no intentions of having a recall per mr. rafiat jimoh, customer relationship manager. can a report be obtained of the number of times this part plentum #17113136 has been replaced in gm cars in the past year?*ak

After noticing engine running hotter than normal, checked radiator - coolant level was low, nothing in overflow reservoir. antifreeze and water added to fill, restarted car - idled rough then check engine light came on and started blinking. added additional water and antifreeze when radiator was again low and reservoir empty, then car would not start at all. vehicle towed to dealer who stateed it is "hydro-locked" due to melted plenum allowing coolant into cylinders. engine will have to be replaced or completely overhauled. complaint made with pontiac, no reponse yet. found several other consumer complaints regarding same issue on this site...also for grand prix, buick lesabre, park avenue and chevrolet malibu.*ak

A hole or defect in the plentum (part # 17113136) of the manifold allowed coolant to be sucked into the pistons causing major damage to the engine and starter. after discovering the defect, the part was taken to a gm dealership and it was confirmed that this part has been replaced over 13 times in the past year due to a hole occurring in the exact same place allowing coolant to be sucked into the engine. gm has not acknowledged any responsibility for this defective part and has refused to investigate further. the original dealership has been contacted and reluctantly acknowledged that they have replaced this part over 20 times in the past year.

It would seem that an intake manifold leak so sudden & severe that it kills the engine at speed could potentially cause a person to loose control of the car. no advance warning, other than starting to run rough, then filling the engine so full of coolant that it killed the motor & locked it up, preventing the starter from cranking the engine over.*ak

Car is equipped with a plastic plenum that when the engine overheated/cracked and allowed antifreeze to enter the engine requiring replacement of engine. our repairman found that this was the first year that pontiac used plastic for this component. *ak

Had a vibration in vehicle. i thought it was a wheel out of balance. had tires balanced the day of engine failure. still had vibration. engine ran rough then quit. checked engine compartment, realized had no coolant. engine had siezed. would not crank. mechanic removed spark plugs and coolant drained from all combustion chambers. i did design work on this product at gm and asked an aquanitance about engine problems. he said that gm had the egr gas temperature too high and this was causing the "plastic " intakes to fail. intake will warp and coolant leaks into air passages causing engine to run rough and/or stop depending on amount of leakage. this also contaminates the exhaust system (catalytic converter). also extensive engine damage depending on failure. ( amount of water). this defect involves all gm vehicles made with this engine. pontiac, buick,chevy. any product made with "plastic" intakes until gm corrected the problem ( egr temperature into intake). i am sure there are and will be a lot of failures of this type as the vehicles age. i think this is a recall type situation due to the amonut of vehicles involved. this also may mean i won't be able to find a job in this industry by reporting this!!! i have an automotve related job doing business with gm as one of the customers.*ak

Upper intake plentum failed, causing coolant to leak internally into the engine, this caused some cylinders to shut down and the car to run rough. when i contacted the dealer, i was informed that this was happening to this vehicle at various mileages. i was also told that part of this assembly was made of plastic rather than cast metal and this could be cause for failure due to exposure to high tempuratures. i was lucky that i was not far away from home when this engine failure occurred. *ak

Rod bearings for cylinders 1 and 2 failed due to lack of lubrication with recommended amount of oil in the vehicle. gmc is not interested in finding the root cause. they have insinuated that we ran the vehicle without oil but can not explain why bearings for cylinders 3-6 show no signs of lack of lubrication. gm is not offering any assistance although the vehicle is barely beyond warranty.

Traveling @65 mph engine just shut off. would not start until 3 hours later then it was hard to start. problem was determined to be ground under passenger seat. car still was hard to start now the deal claims it is the fuel pump regulator. very upset with this experience. other problems seem to have cropped up due to this ground problem such as alternator failure, headlights failing to the on positon, power windows would not work and of course the failure of the fuel regulator. this ground seems to be a major problem and i am surprised there has not yet been a recall. the common thread can be seen in the complaints lodged on your internet site.*ak

This is the 2nd time i've had to replace the ignition coil wire and about 5/6 times already the car has just completely shut off while i was driving it, usually when i was slowing down at a stop sign/signal or just taking off from one.*ak

Car would stall hard to start ground problem blamed for poor gas pressure to carb, also could of been problem that failed the starter, engine lite would go on then off, door locks would not work. problem was intermitten until the last time when the ground problem was found. major expense to me not happy it took this long to find problem. as of today car seems to be ok

From looking at the parts, it appears that a rod cap bolt failed allowing the rod to come loose and breaking the rod. the dealer described it as a grenade going off in the engine. this happened without warning. a noise suddenly rapidly developed and the car was immediatly stopped, but the engine was ruined costing $3000 to replace. i am thankful no one was injured. i sent information to pontiac, but they have been silent about it.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

From the night we drove the car home we had problems with the headlights/ dash lights and interior lights not working properly. then we had trouble with the windshield wipers not working , horn. upon repair work in march of 1999 we were showed and told that the dash had been broken out before and wires had been cut into. we have also had a problem with lack of power upon pressing accelerator. *ak

The twilight sentinel lighting system does not turn off headlamps.

Abs breaks seemed to fail when stopping on bumpy road.

Engine stallls normally at low speed but has stalled at approximately 35mph. sometimes the check engine light comes on. sometimes the check gauge4 light comes on. the chimes sound when ever it stalls. it has stalled approximately 15 times since the problem 1st occurred. i am affraid that i will be rear ended. it has been to the dealer 3 times for this problem and will be going back in tomorrow 6/3/1999 for the 4th time. computer has been reprogrammed and exchanged. dealer said he checked all associated wiring but to date has not found the source of the problem. *ak

Transmission bucks when in acceleration on a hill---bucking is severe--call to your attention because others in area have exactly same problem---i fear transmission will become noticeably worse as problem continues.

This vehicle was in rearend collision and was totaled

The alternator at a stop cannot maintain power for more than aa couple of minutes and if you have an accessorie (i.e.) your heat or defogger or the headlights it will dim to the point that if you are at a long light it will stall the car and if it is dark it is hard for other cars to see you while stopped at a light it will stall out after a min. if you have a defogger on i don't believe that i should have to go to park when i stop at a light if i need the defogger on so i can see and the dealer just told me to put it in park at a long light and they have had two other complaints that they mentioned and tech support tells them there is nothing wrong with the chargeing system thank you for your time

Engine stalls normally when decelerating with loss of power steering and power brakes. dealer is unable to locate problem. this is potentially dangerous when making turns across on coming traffic as it has stalled on several occassions. vehicle has to be shut off and put in nuetral before it can be restarted and on two occasions stalled again after restarting. this vehicle is unsafe to be on public roads and gm says there is nothing more that can be done to solve this problem.vehicle has been at courtesy pontiac three times for a total of 17 days of the last 36 days and still has not been resolved.

Power steering pump failed. *yc

Tire sidewall failed. *yc

Alternator failed. *yc

Alternator replaced with new one because of noise but noise is worse than before after replacement.

Radio failed.

Spark plugs failed on three occasions. *yc

Consumers vehicle experienced an engine coolant leak.*jb

Consumer stated the upper manifold and gasket had to be replaced.*jb

The vehicle's intake valve covers cracked and the coolant was sucked into the cylinders causing the engine to overheat and stall. *yh

Engine failure caused the vehicle to stall on highway, and is unsafe. yh

On four occasions while driving at 40 mph, the engine quit running which could have resulted in an collision. however, on one occasion the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair,but no problems were found. *yc

Vehicle windshield wipers malfucntioned due to a overheated motor condition, resulting from undersized motor design. *yc

Steering wheel frozen and gear selector locked up due to "torque lock" which is a design feature in the transaxle assembly, this happened on several occasions.

Horn is extremely difficult to engage, excessive physical effort is required.

Engine failed on several occasions

While driving with cruise control on, traveling approximately 65 mph, suddenly without warning the engine stopped running.

While driving vehicle stalls unexpectedly which may cause an accident. able to restart vehicle after it stalled. been to dealer several times, dealer cannot determine the problem. please provide further information. *ak

Intermittently when the brakes are applied under 20 mph the abs goes out of control. it grabs and releases hard, causing vehicle to vibrate. dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. *ak

When the vehicle is stopped on a slight uphill incline it will roll backwards when the brake pedal is released, and before the throttle is depressed. this was reported to the servicing dealer (jackson pontiac, macon, ga.) i was told that this was normal for this or similar vehicles. i have never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission that would not hold itself in this or similar situations. i believe that this is a safety defect and should be remedied by the manufacturer. the potential for an accident is great. i have documentation of their report if you need it. thank you. *ak

Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm¿s actions in 03v-473 and 04v-090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a source of fuel to produce a combustible air-fuel mixture in the manifold.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by odi that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in gm¿s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the incidence of manifold ruptures and related fires in other my 1995-2002 gm passenger cars equipped with the subject intake manifold.for additional information, see the attached closing report.

Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm¿s actions in 03v-473 and 04v-090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a source of fuel to produce a combustible air-fuel mixture in the manifold.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by odi that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in gm¿s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the incidence of manifold ruptures and related fires in other my 1995-2002 gm passenger cars equipped with the subject intake manifold.for additional information, see the attached closing report.

Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm¿s actions in 03v-473 and 04v-090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a source of fuel to produce a combustible air-fuel mixture in the manifold.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by odi that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in gm¿s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the incidence of manifold ruptures and related fires in other my 1995-2002 gm passenger cars equipped with the subject intake manifold.for additional information, see the attached closing report.