Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 010601007A | 07/01/2001 | 010601007 | 620835 | Experiencing excessive engine coolant consumption, or an engine coolant leak near or under the throttle body area of the upper intake manifold. *tt | 08/31/2001 |
| 010601007 | 09/01/2007 | 010601007C | 619176 | Engine coolant consumption or coolant leak (inspect for material degradation/replace intake manifolds) *tt updated 11/02/07 *nj | 05/17/2001 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 040601021 | 06/01/2004 | 10012148 | New rear main seal and special tool for installation. *tt | 02/15/2005 | |
| 010601008A | 05/01/2002 | 010601008 | 634813 | Some owners may comment on a repeat engine oil pan leak. *tt | 10/09/2002 |
| 010601008 | 02/01/2001 | 619177 | Some owners may comment on a repeat engine oil pan leak. *tt | 05/17/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 9709016116A | 09/01/1997 | 54327 | Comments of an engine oil leak that appears to originate toward the driver's side of the vehicle; rear of engine. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||||
| 040601017 | 06/01/2004 | 10008471 | New upper intake manifold and gasket kits. *tt | 08/02/2004 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| PE02050 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/13/2002 | 10/22/2002 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | ||
| Alleged engine compartment fire during startup.loud pops or backfires before the fire started | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 07/02/2008 | 122097 | 1 | |
| 1996 pontiac bonneville plastic manifold in engine from manufacture broke causing dex coolant to leak into engine destroying seals/head gaskets. replace at dealer gasket,gasket kit,valve,valve kit,upper manifold, lower manifold reseal,coolant. dealer does not honor recall. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 200 | ||
| I bought this car in december of 1999, i beleive that the car was in an accident before i bought it, because the driver side door does not have the labels on the door for the weight or tire pressure, all it has is a parts number sticker a white lable. i have asked the pontiac dealer about it and they said that some come with just that label. i payed $16.000 for the car and beleive that the car was in an accident prior to purchased date. i have had the paint peel off the hood shortly after buying it and now peeling on the roof over windsheild. but with the sticker off the door i belive that i was taken. i still owe $9.000 in payments. i also think that it was a lemon, because on the winsheild is a sticker that says sunset pontiac satisfaction, a round sticker on the driver side of windsheild. i have never seen another sticker like this on any other vechicle. | |||
| 04/14/2004 | 92203 | 3 | |
| An independent dealer replaced the manifold gasket and upper plenum on 01/16/04, 03/15/04 the gasket and egr valve was replaced, and the plenum gasket was replaced on 02/27/03. coolant leaked from the intake manifold. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The egr valve stuck 67% in the open position at idle which caused coolant to leak into the engine. *ph plastic air plenum was replaced.*mr | |||
| 11/23/2003 | 174000 | 1 | 02/14/1996 |
| The plastic air intake plenum failed on my car. this allowed water from the cooling system to enter the combustion chamber. the engine hydraulically locked up. this damaged the pistons and valves. engine is damaged beyond repair. salvage or replacement is the only option. *jb | |||
| 09/19/2002 | 87000 | 5 | 02/10/2002 |
| Car was at aproximately 87000. turned the car on, there was a loud explosion and smoke came out from under the hood, didnt see any flames, popped open the hood, and smoke just continued to pile out. engine light came on, and the mechanic found the engine was on its last breath. had engine relaced for a used engine with 4500 miles on it for $1500. soon after the engine the alternator started to die, where just by standing next to the car you can hear metal to metal grinding noise coming from it. paid $100 to get new alternator. right after alternator the eg r valve died, had it replaced, another $300 spent. now come spedometer saying 99000 but the second engine only having 60000 the serpentine belt cracked and worn out beyong believe. another $75 spend. while having that replaced the mechanic pointed out puddles of oil on the engine, thus the manifolds/gasket on engine#2 will soon need to have work done.should i contact the local dealer about the gaskets leaking...does it relate to the recall that was made on the manifolds. *ak | |||
| 06/21/2003 | 14840 | 2 | 10/02/2001 |
| 1st the plenum was melted by the egr valve, which caused me to be stranded. when that was fixed, i began hearing a high pitched whine once the engine is heated up. we have replacedthe harmonic balancer power steering pump, water pump, all belts, checked the timimg chain, and everything else we could think might be causing it, but i still have the whine. cause is unknown still.*ak | |||
| 01/14/2003 | 1 | ||
| The engine leaked coolant.*ts *jb | |||
| 03/10/2003 | 28000 | 20 | 07/31/1998 |
| Cooling system leakage-the black plastic cover on the intake manifold leaks coolant/water. it leaks when the weather is cold, it does this when ever parked and the car is allowed to sit and get cold. there is clear evidence it is leaking around the base of the plastic cover where it seals against the aluminum intake manifold. it has done this every winter for the past four winters. it is getting worse, and from the complaints i have read it is common to the 3.8 l engine. it does not leak at all in the summer or fall, only in the winter below 35 degree's. what is the real problem and is there a solid fix for this, or are all repairs just temporary until the new gaskets start leaking again? is there any type of recourse or recall? the colder it gets, the bigger the leak and the puddle under the car. it also stinks when you drive it while the coolant cooks on the motor. *jb | |||
| 01/30/2003 | 1 | ||
| The engine experienced a coolant leak. *ak *jb | |||
| 01/23/2003 | 63000 | 1 | 10/14/1999 |
| 1996 pontiac bonneville 3800 k engine . upper intake manifold failed at 63000 miles causing coolant to leak. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 07/24/2003 | 87000 | 3 | 06/21/1996 |
| Replaced plenum on 1996 pontiac bonneville three times. last time was approximately at 87,000 miles. faulty (plastic) part allowed antifreeze and oil to mix in the engine causing stalling (in the middle of a busy state road intersection, a safety hazard). the mixing of the fluids allows the engine to burn the antifreeze and by the time you realize anything you are overheated. this was the third time i had the same problem.*ak | |||
| 09/21/2003 | |||
| My 1996 bonneville was towed to a repair facility on monday morning, sept. 22, 2003. i was informed that my engine had gone into hydraulic lock. the plastic intake had cracked and filled the cylinders with coolant. i had to have the head removed and surfaced, the head gasket replaced and several other related items. the repairs totaled to over $2000. this was very frustrating because i am very careful to have all of my maintenace done on time and all of the fluids changed every 30,000 miles. if you can help with this, it will be most appreciated. i have discovered that there is a continuing problem with this design of intake. *la | |||
| 01/08/2003 | 106000 | 03/09/1996 | |
| Failure of intake manifold and gasket on my automobile. allowed engine coolant to leak into the cylinders of the engine. car: 1996 pontiac bonneville with 3.8l v-6 engine, using the dex-cool gm coolant. repairs required a complete replacement of intake manifold and all engine gaskets. repairs costs exceed $1400. | |||
| 11/01/2002 | 1 | 07/01/2000 | |
| 11/01/2002 i had my car serviced. the mechanic told me that the manifold had coolant on it. 11//02//2002 i went to the part department at the pontiac dealer and asked if there had been any notices about the intake manifold. they told me on 11/05/2002 the car would not start. finally i got it started and had white smoke filling the area. i got it to the mechanic because i was not sure what had happened and also because pontiac had said they had no information on the manifold. 11/07/2002 i picked up the car with the replaced manifold. they also gave me a copy of bulletin no. 01-06-01-007 dated feb. 2001. the bulleting identifies the problem and the redesigned parts that are the replacements. it is a design problem in many engines in many cars that are listed in the bulletin. the mechanic said i was lucky i did not lose the engine. it seems pontiac has identified the problem, has designed a solution but will not acknowledge they created the problem and do a voluntary recall. your help is appreciated. dt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 03/14/2002 | 2 | ||
| While driving, engine light illuminated. checked under hood, and realized there was no coolant in tank. took vehicle to dealership, mechanic had to replace the plenum. also, would have to replace it again at 90000 miles.*ak *yd | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 170000 | 1 | |
| Around jan 2008 while driving a plastic water hose burst. i replaced it and had no other problem until around aug 2008. this time the water pump started leaking. i replaced that and the thermostat and radiator cap, but i still kept loosing coolant. then i found a crack in the radiator which i replace around the end of aug 2008. i still kept having to top off the coolant reservoir ever two days. about june 2008 i started having trouble with the veh starting, it would seem like it wasn't getting enough gas or flooding. it would be running but barley and it would not accelerate when you press the gas pedal. finally it would start. it doesn't do it all the time but it's doing it more often now. i've fuel system and injection cleaners with no change. then i went to nhtsa and found a recall 96v-116 that seems to be the cause of my problem. i went to the local pontiac dealers and they said that my vin was not part of the recall and that there was nothing they do. i told them that i would bring back to get a diagnostic test. *tr | |||
| 06/14/2004 | 54820 | 2 | 08/18/2001 |
| Coolant from upper intake plenum found to cause mis-fire cylinder. replaced upper intake plenum twice once at 54,820 miles and again at 107,181 miles. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The plastic intake manifold melted causing coolant to leak into the engine. *ph egr valve is stuck at 67% open position at idle, which in turn heated the egr pipe connection at the plastic air plenum and led to the leaking of coolant into the engine. dealer replaced plastic air plenum which has much thicker walls at the egr entrance. vehicle also doesn't run well at highway speeds and gas mileage dropped. in addition, consumer also noticed loss of oil pressure, no one knows when the leak on the motor started. *la | |||
| 11/23/2003 | 174517 | 1 | 02/14/1996 |
| Air intake plenum on the bonneville 3.8 liter engine failed allowing coolant to enter the engine. the engine immediately locked up when the water entered the piston area. this failure caused damage to the pistons and the valves. engine is damaged beyond repair and must be replaced. *nlm | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 115000 | 1 | 01/27/1996 |
| The engine on this car failed. it has 115,000 miles. it was maintained from the start. we purchased it new. the intake manifold failed and leaked antifreeze throughout the motor. we had the manifolds, oxygen sensors, and catalytic converter replaced. we found out there was a tsb issued on this vehicle regarding the manifold problem. pontiac and the dealership were contacted. they both told us it's a common problem, but they'll do nothing. i'd understand given the mileage that this is not a new car, however, knowing there's a tsb issued on it, it seems they are failing to provide a good product to their customers. | |||
| 11/19/2002 | 1 | ||
| The engine failed.*dt *jb | |||
| 01/06/1999 | 01/01/1999 | ||
| Engine:gaskets:oil pan replaced, vehicle has a repeated engine oil pan leak. engine leaks oil at other locations. concerned about engine fire.*ak | |||
| 07/24/2000 | 0 | ||
| Oil had been leaking frequently from the engine rear seal. technician could not find out what caused the problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 09/01/2002 | |||
| Dealer says intake manifold cracked & needs replaced. will this be recalled? i read a news bulletin saying you are investigating this. dt | |||
| 11/01/2002 | |||
| Consumer states the motor locked up while driving at highway speeds. mechanic diagnosed that antifreeze is leaking into engine cylinders. ts | |||
| 02/18/2002 | 2 | 11/05/1998 | |
| While starting vehicle, it exploded and caught on fire. had a recall done on jan 1998 for engine backfire, dealer contacted . *ak original recall nhtsa campaign #96v116000. kentucky basic fire incident report stated that fire possibly started around the injector area of the engine. consumer states that gm would not accept responsibility for fire and that there was nothing they could do. *tt | |||
| 02/18/2002 | 1 | 04/23/1996 | |
| When starting vehicle it backfired and caught fire in engine. vehicle was repaired under nhtsa recall 96v116000/ manufacturer's recall 97c02. dealer was notified. *akconsumers car backfired, causing the manifold to fracture allowing water into the engine. the engine has been replaced and warrantied. *jg | |||
| Engine knocks. dealer has put two engines in vehicle, and problem stills exists. manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| While driving the car over 45 mph, it begans to shake and vibrate and create a noise that was very unpleasant and also caused ear pain, like a helicopter was in the car. | |||
| 1 | 04/01/1996 | ||
| Engine backfires at start up, resulting in an engine fire. referenced in ea02-030 | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 04/03/2007 | 150000 | 2 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1996 pontiac bonneville. the vehicle backfired when the ignition was started, and the check engine indicator light illuminated. the intake manifold was damaged. this failure occurred twice before and the manifold was replaced. a local mechanic stated that this vehicle was included in recall # 96v116000. however, the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was excluded from the recall. the contact possessed the repair invoices. the current and failure mileages were 150,000. *ak | |||
| 04/18/2005 | 121200 | 4 | 05/08/2004 |
| My 1996 bonneville started acting up, roughly idling, and hesitating when taking off. there was loss of power, poor gas mileage, car would shut it self off while driving down the highway.check engine light came on and started flashing. took it to auto zone to get it checked. scanner idicated that it had multiple misfires, and that my map sensor was bad. replaced map sensor. still didnt change on how the vehicle operated. replaced one of coil packs, still nothing. put new plug wires and nothing cahned. new oxygen sensor installed, and still nothing. changes. over all i just got done spending $150.00 on this car and i cant even afford that, and still have not resolved the problem. i replaced basically everything that the computer came up with. what can i do here to solve this problem without me hurting my financial status, and me blowing the car up.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 04/14/2004 | 92203 | 3 | |
| An independent dealer replaced the manifold gasket and upper plenum on 01/16/04, 03/15/04 the gasket and egr valve was replaced, and the plenum gasket was replaced on 02/27/03. coolant leaked from the intake manifold. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The plastic intake manifold melted causing coolant to leak into the engine. *ph egr valve is stuck at 67% open position at idle, which in turn heated the egr pipe connection at the plastic air plenum and led to the leaking of coolant into the engine. dealer replaced plastic air plenum which has much thicker walls at the egr entrance. vehicle also doesn't run well at highway speeds and gas mileage dropped. in addition, consumer also noticed loss of oil pressure, no one knows when the leak on the motor started. *la | |||
| 09/19/2002 | 87000 | 5 | 02/10/2002 |
| Car was at aproximately 87000. turned the car on, there was a loud explosion and smoke came out from under the hood, didnt see any flames, popped open the hood, and smoke just continued to pile out. engine light came on, and the mechanic found the engine was on its last breath. had engine relaced for a used engine with 4500 miles on it for $1500. soon after the engine the alternator started to die, where just by standing next to the car you can hear metal to metal grinding noise coming from it. paid $100 to get new alternator. right after alternator the eg r valve died, had it replaced, another $300 spent. now come spedometer saying 99000 but the second engine only having 60000 the serpentine belt cracked and worn out beyong believe. another $75 spend. while having that replaced the mechanic pointed out puddles of oil on the engine, thus the manifolds/gasket on engine#2 will soon need to have work done.should i contact the local dealer about the gaskets leaking...does it relate to the recall that was made on the manifolds. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 06/07/2001 | 105000 | 1 | 05/01/2000 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1996 pontiac bonneville. while driving between 35-40 mph, the vehicle gradually lost power and shut off. when the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, it backfired. the vehicle was pushed to the side of the road and towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the upper intake manifold was cracked and would cost $503 to repair. the current mileage was 176,000 and failure mileage was 105,000. updated 04/08/08. *lj the battery was replaced due to the vehicle not starting. | |||
| 04/10/2004 | 76600 | 1 | 07/10/2003 |
| 1)coolant loss from plastic upper intake. 2)egr pipe burn through failure, upper and lower gasket failure. 3)replace upper plastic intake, upper and lower gaskets, coolant elbow oil and filter change. (5 hrs labor). *nm | |||
| 04/05/2004 | 174000 | 1 | |
| After starting vehicle intake manifold failed, and vehicle became inoperative. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The plastic intake manifold melted causing coolant to leak into the engine. *ph egr valve is stuck at 67% open position at idle, which in turn heated the egr pipe connection at the plastic air plenum and led to the leaking of coolant into the engine. dealer replaced plastic air plenum which has much thicker walls at the egr entrance. vehicle also doesn't run well at highway speeds and gas mileage dropped. in addition, consumer also noticed loss of oil pressure, no one knows when the leak on the motor started. *la | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 110000 | 1 | |
| While driving at 35 mph vehicle overheated. vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop, and mechanic determined that intake manifold cracked, spilling fluid into the engine. *ak *mr | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 122477 | 1 | 01/10/1997 |
| While cranking my 1996 pontiac bonneville i heard a big explosion. i look under the hood and found the plastic cover over my intake with a hole blown fron the engine. i further removed the intake cover and tha intake had a ripping hole in it also, as if the top of my engine blew up.*ak | |||
| 10/29/2003 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle stalled intermittently without warning while driving. vehicle was taken to the dealer, and they found that the intake manifold was cracked, and caused coolant to leak inside the engine. *ak | |||
| 09/19/2002 | 87000 | 5 | 02/10/2002 |
| Car was at aproximately 87000. turned the car on, there was a loud explosion and smoke came out from under the hood, didnt see any flames, popped open the hood, and smoke just continued to pile out. engine light came on, and the mechanic found the engine was on its last breath. had engine relaced for a used engine with 4500 miles on it for $1500. soon after the engine the alternator started to die, where just by standing next to the car you can hear metal to metal grinding noise coming from it. paid $100 to get new alternator. right after alternator the eg r valve died, had it replaced, another $300 spent. now come spedometer saying 99000 but the second engine only having 60000 the serpentine belt cracked and worn out beyong believe. another $75 spend. while having that replaced the mechanic pointed out puddles of oil on the engine, thus the manifolds/gasket on engine#2 will soon need to have work done.should i contact the local dealer about the gaskets leaking...does it relate to the recall that was made on the manifolds. *ak | |||
| 02/01/2003 | 71208 | 1 | 01/04/2002 |
| The vehicles plastic intake manifold cracked which caused antifreeze to leak into the engine. the consumer had to pay for a new engine. *mr *cb *nlm | |||
| 02/18/2002 | 10 | 09/01/1998 | |
| On 02/18/2002, 04:20 am, my wife went to start the car to let it warm up before going to work. upon start up, there was an explosion and there was a fire instantly. i ran out and rolled the car out of the carport and into the back yard. the neighbor came running with a fire extingusher and put out the fire just before the fire department arrived. there was a recall (your number 96v116000). the upper intake manafold did fracture from one end to the other...gapping open about two and a half inches.. my car was repaired for this recall on 01/19/1998. i guess that this was not a fix for the problem. the gm investigater looked at the car and told me that there was nothing that we had done to cause this problem. he would not say anymore. on 02/18/2002, the prrson for gm called and said that they would not accept any liability for the problem. if the recall was not a fix for the problem, there are (accourding to your figures),275,811 vehicles out there that this could still happen to. lord, help the person that is looking over the engine when it is being started. it will take their head off. thank you, jerry l. moore*ak referenced in ea02-030 | |||