Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/16/2007 | 1 | 06/15/2001 | |
| Last fall , 2006, heater wasn't working. taking the radiator cap off, found heavy accumulation of gunk inside radiator. mechanic advised that i have the radiator and cooling system flushed. had that done;. was not told at that time what caused this to happen. all seemed okay until about march of 2007, heater stopped working again and check engine light came on. took it to dealership this time, for oil change and check up. they changed the oil, did some adjustments to computers ,which cost me over $200 , and said the lower intake manifold was leaking and wanted $913.00 to fix that. after feeling very ill from this news i told them, i did not have that kind of money at this time. it took everything i had to get the computers adjusted. took it to another mechanic to get an estimate on getting the lower manifold repaired, and they told me that they had never seen a vehicle with only 79,000 miles on it with as much gunkinside the radiator and in as bad a shape as this one was in. they were not equipped to make the repair, so i am now in the process of saving my money and trying to find someone that can fix it for less than the dealership, or get the money to take it back to them. am borrowing vehicles from my children till then. after reading complaints on this website, i find that this is not an uncommon complaint or problem. i had purchased the extended warranty, 5 years or 75000 miles), for my vehicle shortly after i purchased it new, and that was good until june of 2006, before it reached the 75000 mile mark. probably, last fall, it still had not reached the 75000 mile mark, but now i am told there is no recourse from manufacturer to get help in fixing this problem. told this by the dealer. *ak | |||
| 09/09/2006 | 60168 | 1 | 09/15/2001 |
| I have a 2001 aztec pontiac. during a routine visit in a car shop, they told me my car has an intake gasket leak and they cannot repair it. they suggested me to see gm in direct and find a deal with them. how can it be possible since my car has only 60,000 miles ?*jb | |||
| 04/08/2005 | 1 | 12/31/2002 | |
| I took my vehicle to my dealership(buick,pontiac,gmc) in dublin after my engine started overheating. i was told by the mechanic that the intake valve seal is leaking coolant. my query is this a defect by the manufactuer? *ak | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 62000 | 1 | |
| The consumer took the vehicle in to have it serviced for an oil change. the consumer was informed that the head had separated from the engine. *jb | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 52000 | 5 | 11/21/2003 |
| I purchased my 2001 pontiac aztek in november of 2003. since then it was diagnosed with a leaking gasket requiring a repair of $750, which i have since discovered is not an usual problem with this vehicle. i have also noticed some very odd things about this vehicle: 1.when on an incline, once i remove my foot from the brake pedal the vehicle immediately starts to roll back, which risks me striking anything behind me. this requires me to put my left foot on the brake and my right foot on the gas and simultaneously lift off the brake as i begin to accelerate. i have never encountered this problem in an automatic transmission. 2.when on a level surface as soon as the brake pedal is released vehicle will accelerate on its own prior to applying gas. 3.steering is very difficult to control in even the slightest wind, and often feels like it will veer off the road. i have not experienced this to that extent in any other vehicle i have ever owned, including mini vans, full size vans, cars or trucks. 4.vehicle has an intermittent burning smell as yet unable to be identified by a mechanic, although they have hypothesised that it might be the result of the underside of the car being lower to the ground in some areas and more prone to catch debris on the road, for example plastic bags, which then stick and melt to it. | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 16000 | 2 | |
| While applying the brake pedal the consumer heard a loud noise and the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. the consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic determined that the brakes needed to be replaced and replaced them. however, the problem recurred. *ak the transmission felt as if it was falling out, the tire exploded while driving, the power lost, and hatch (rear) would not open. *sc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 08/10/2001 | 13745 | 4 | 07/01/2000 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 pontiac aztec. she stated that the condenser would not blow cold air when engaged. the dealer stated that there was a hole in the condenser. the condenser has been replaced on four occasions. the manufacturer offered her a voucher for a new vehicle. as of august 7, 2007, the failure has not been rectified. the failure mileage was 13,745 and the current mileage was 92,000. the consumer was told that brackets were punching holes in the condenser. after the last condenser replacement, the consumer smelled something burning and noticed anti-freeze leaking only when the air conditioner was on. the consumer returned to the dealership and was informed that a new radiator was needed and there was a problem with the intake. the consumer was then told the intake was ok, but a radiator was still needed. updated 09/11/07. the blower motor was also replaced. updated 09/11/07. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/20/2008 | 1 | ||
| My car started to run hot as soon as the car was drove about a quarter of a mile, but the fluid wasn't hot. my husband replaced the thermostat, hoses, a cooling sensor, and some other things. when none of that worked, we took it to a radiator shop and they told us we need head gaskets. we have a 2001 aztek and when we got the car in 2004, the gaskets blew but it was under warranty. that is an expensive job. gm needs to recall this vehicle and give us all some reliable cars and trucks! *tr | |||
| 10/12/2004 | 43130 | 3 | 01/01/2002 |
| The consumer stated she saw fluid leaking from under her vehicle in her driveway. she says she took her vehicle to the mechanic, who said it was her radiator. she then took the vehicle to somewhere else to get a second opinion, that mechanic told her that the problem was the radiator, air conditioning, and the engine intake manifold. the vehicle was leaking coolant into the intake manifold. she says her vehicle is not old enough to have this kind of problem. front brake rotors are rusting and must be replaced. *jb *sc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 10/19/2005 | 50000 | 3 | 07/03/2001 |
| Dt: the contact owns a 2001 pontiac aztec. five months ago the exterior and interior lights malfunctioned while driving. the contact replaced two oxygen sensors; one in may 2005, and one in august 2005. the contact was still experiencing the same problem. the contact went back to auto zone today and their computer showed her that she needed another oxygen sensor. the car was no longer under warranty. the contact has not spoken to the manufacturer. the contact stated she had gone to several mechanics, and they did not know what the problem was. the only thing showing up was a bad oxygen sensor. *ak | |||