1997 Pontiac Bonneville Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 50about this part
- Share
- 34%of 147 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 98,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 50 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville, 34% of the 147 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 98,000 miles. 10 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I had a 1997 Pontiac Bonneville. While I was driving down a highway in michigan, the engine compartment suddenly caught on fire. I was not speeding, and my car was perfectly serviced and maintained. By the time the fire service got there, the whole car burnt down. It took less than 20 minutes for the whole car to get burnt beyond recognition.”
NHTSA complaint #10292155, filed 2009-11, 160,000 miles“The intake manifold or the plemium whatever you want to call the thing wore out and all of my engine coolant went into the fuel cylinders and locked my motor down I was headed to macon ga from douglas,ga going to the hospital were they had transfered my brother and here I am in perry,ga broke down because Pontiac puts a plastic intake manifold on a motor I feel like Pontiac should have to pay for this part being replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #10067614, filed 2004-04, 128,123 miles“A block from home our engine shut down. The upper manifold had a hole in it due to the manifold being plastic, and crystalizing over a period of time. It cost us $729.00 to get it fixed. Luckily our engine wasn't hot or we would have had more serious problems.”
NHTSA complaint #10037097, filed 2003-09, 113,000 miles“The intake manifold gasket on my 1997 Pontiac Bonneville 3800 series engine failed causing coolant to gain access to internal engine parts. This caused the engine to seize and become totally inoperable requiring the engine to be replaced at a cost of $2200.00. This failure also happend in a Pontiac grand prix, that I also owned, with the same series of engine. The cost of the repair to the grand prix was approx. $650.00. The engine in the grand prix did not have to be replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #10118651, filed 2005-04, 82,000 miles“While driving a 100 miles from home the car overheated & had to be towed. We found that the problem was due to a hole in the air plenum in the upper intake manifold. We have found that there are over 20 such cases in our small community alone. All on 3800 motors in Pontiac's. This is a four hundred dollar repair bill that occurred only because Pontiac decided to use plastic in their part which in turn melted & caused our motor to overheat. I hope that Pontiac will recall these plenums & reimburse us for the cost of repairing & towing our car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10023674, filed 2003-06, 99,548 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10246631Sep 1, 2013Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10012148Jun 1, 2004New rear main seal and special tool for installation.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 | 4% |
| 2004 | 2 | 7% |
| 2003 | 6 | 11% |
| 2002 | 10 | 11% |
| 2001 | 22 | 17% |
| 2000 | 37 | 17% |
| 1999 | 59 | 41% |
| 1998 | 194 | 70% |
| 1997 | 50 | 34% |
| 1996 | 43 | 29% |
| 1995 | 55 | 23% |
| 1994 | 14 | 16% |
| 1993 | 20 | 14% |
| 1992 | 9 | 8% |
| 1991 | 3 | 14% |
| 1990 | 1 | 3% |
| 1989 | 1 | 4% |
| 1987 | 3 | 16% |
Other parts of the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
28 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
16 complaintsSteering
14 complaintsBrakes
12 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology