2005 Pontiac Montana Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 7%of 81 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 44,888miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2005 Pontiac Montana, 7% of the 81 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 44,888 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“This vehicle is equipped with an all wheel drive system, which is necessary in our environment to climb icy or muddy hills to get to our house, or friends' houses, all on dirt roads. It's also very beneficial for driving on icy and slushy roads which are frequent around here. We have three vehicles, all awd or 4wd. On the 2005 Pontiac Montana sv6, however, there appears to be a sensor on each wheel which is integral to the awd system. …”
NHTSA complaint #10221777, filed 2008-03, 12,000 miles“Our 2005 Pontiac Montana sv6 minivan, less than 3 years old with 44,888 miles on it, recently failed the north carolina vehicle safety inspection because both front wheel hubs had developed unacceptable play. Pontiac refused to correct the problem under the vehicle warranty because the vehicle was over the 36000 mile limit (but under the 3 year time limit). …”
NHTSA complaint #10225559, filed 2008-04, 44,888 miles“The transmission seems to be having a problem shifting into second gear. This vehicle only has 42,000 miles on it. It seems to stall everytime it tries to shift to second gear. This could easily cause an accident if the transmission quit while driving. I took it to a dealership, who verified that the second gear is skipping but they said they were fixing the same type of van (older model) with 100,000 more miles than mine with the same problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10208814, filed 2007-11, 42,000 miles“When I start the engine & try to put in another it it nearly impossible. With engine on, it smells of gasoline! I'm afraid I will die from the fumes. Transmission only goes up to 20 mph. I know there is a gas leak and I want others to be notified before my family or someone else's family catch fire and burn to death! If I have to run the heater then it takes power from the engine/transmission and I can only go 10mph. When I am in on on the highway the van will shut off. It shut off out of nowhere and I almost lost my life that day!”
NHTSA complaint #11517939, filed 2023-04“The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Montana sv6. The contact stated that he has to repeatedly replace the brake pads and rotors on his vehicle because they keep wearing out. He also had to replace the front wheel bearings on both sides of the vehicle. In addition, the front stabilizer has failed. The vehicle is able to be driven and the repairs were performed by a mechanic. The failure occurred without warning. The failure mileage was 66,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10238749, filed 2008-08, 66,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11001321May 16, 2024This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- 10249579Jan 12, 2024This PI bulletin advises the technician on the proper way to install the pistons in an engine.
- 10245395Nov 6, 2023This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with the appropriate Vibration Analysis-Road testing procedure when diagnosing…
- 10234619Apr 6, 2023This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- 10222770Sep 16, 2022This service bulletin provides information on OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic Transmission/Transaxle Identification.
- 10224273Sep 1, 2022This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician to not remove the torque converter bolts and start the engine as this may cause damage to the…
- 10200152Jun 7, 2021This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- 10194079Apr 30, 2021This Warranty Admin service bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required to Contact the PQC for engine or transmission assembly replacement and…
- 10191207Mar 11, 2021This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission Assembly Replacement Under Warranty, Policy or Customer Enthusiasm and…
- 10178949Jul 28, 2020This Bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required to Contact the PQC for engine or transmission assembly replacement and explains the PQC…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 4 | 11% |
| 2005 | 6 | 7% |
| 2004 | 2 | 5% |
| 2003 | 4 | 5% |
| 2002 | 11 | 9% |
| 2001 | 20 | 13% |
| 2000 | 16 | 7% |
| 1999 | 32 | 14% |
| 1998 | 4 | 8% |
| 1997 | 1 | 6% |
Other parts of the 2005 Pontiac Montana
21 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
19 complaintsElectrical system
17 complaintsAir bags
7 complaintsBrakes
7 complaintsOther or unknown
7 complaintsEngine
4 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsSeats
4 complaintsSuspension
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Pontiac Montana
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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