Good's and Bad's on the Pontiac Aztek

[blueyamaha]

Yeah so my girl friend is lookin at getting a 2001 Pontiac Aztek Anyone own one or know someone who has one and if there are any known problems with them?

[Peelz]

nothing real..other than it is a Gm rebadged coupe. Think Cavalier, Sunfire, Grand-AM, Alero. Oh, and ugly.

[blueyamaha]

I'm not to fond of the style. But thats what she wants. I'm not the one driving it. Haha

[Peelz]

looks like maybe head gaskets were an issue? Nothing new for GM.

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Pontiac/Aztek/2001/index.shtml

[dick-84]

They have a big problem with the Lower Intake leaking. I dont recall if it has the 3.1 or the 3.4 But both motors are knowen for it. I have never seen a head gasket leak tho. I worked at A Gm dealer ship for almost 2 years and have done alot of intakes on those motors. And that one is a bitch and cost around $700 to do at the dealer ship If i remember right i have done alot of wheel bearings on them also.

[throttlesteer]

They have a big problem with the Lower Intake leaking. I dont recall if it has the 3.1 or the 3.4 But both motors are knowen for it. I have never seen a head gasket leak tho. I worked at A Gm dealer ship for almost 2 years and have done alot of intakes on those motors. And that one is a bitch and cost around $700 to do at the dealer ship If i remember right i have done alot of wheel bearings on them also.

X10.5

Those things only came with the 3.4 I believe.  One of the worst V6 engines ever made in terms of intake design.  As dick84 explained, ALL the 3.1 and 3.4 engines WILL have an intake leak at some time or another.  It's only a matter of when.  When it does happen it's VERY expensive.  I had a side mechanic do my g/f's Grand Am with the same motor and it was $400 in labor alone.  I worked in a dealership for a little while in the service department.  The way they taught me to look for this leak is on either side of the block where the bellhousing or front cover meet the engine, if it looks damp or looks like it's dripping, it needs new intake gaskets.  If it IS leaking and you want to change them, make sure to buy the FelPro Perma-Dry gaskets.  Supposedly these gaskets will fix the problem the stock gaskets had.  If you replace with stock gaskets, I'm told it could reoccur every 30-60k miles.

The Aztek is a big hunk of ugliness.  Resale sucks (I know, I tried to sell them too) and with the intake problems, its not worth it.  I would suggest something like a Chevy Blazer, Chevy Equinox, Pontiac Vibe, etc. for comparables.  I know my g/f's mom has an 03 Vibe with 120k miles and she's done absolutely ZERO maintenance other than regularly scheduled oil changes and it still runs like a top.  Of course though, it does have a Toyota drivetrain in it. 

[fire raptor]

The bad is it is Pontiac, the bad is it is fugly, The good is

[dick-84]

If you have any questions sbout a GM car/truck/suv ask away. They all have there ups and downs. Just some more than others.

[Peelz]

They have a big problem with the Lower Intake leaking. I dont recall if it has the 3.1 or the 3.4 But both motors are knowen for it. I have never seen a head gasket leak tho. I worked at A Gm dealer ship for almost 2 years and have done alot of intakes on those motors. And that one is a bitch and cost around $700 to do at the dealer ship If i remember right i have done alot of wheel bearings on them also.

X10.5

Those things only came with the 3.4 I believe.  One of the worst V6 engines ever made in terms of intake design.  As dick84 explained, ALL the 3.1 and 3.4 engines WILL have an intake leak at some time or another.  It's only a matter of when.  When it does happen it's VERY expensive.  I had a side mechanic do my g/f's Grand Am with the same motor and it was $400 in labor alone.  I worked in a dealership for a little while in the service department.  The way they taught me to look for this leak is on either side of the block where the bellhousing or front cover meet the engine, if it looks damp or looks like it's dripping, it needs new intake gaskets.  If it IS leaking and you want to change them, make sure to buy the FelPro Perma-Dry gaskets.  Supposedly these gaskets will fix the problem the stock gaskets had.  If you replace with stock gaskets, I'm told it could reoccur every 30-60k miles.

The Aztek is a big hunk of ugliness.   Resale sucks (I know, I tried to sell them too) and with the intake problems, its not worth it.  I would suggest something like a Chevy Blazer, Chevy Equinox, Pontiac Vibe, etc. for comparables.  I know my g/f's mom has an 03 Vibe with 120k miles and she's done absolutely ZERO maintenance other than regularly scheduled oil changes and it still runs like a top.  Of course though, it does have a Toyota drivetrain in it. 

Hey couldn't it be had with the 4 cylinder? If so, even worse.

Correct Vibe is joint project with toyota.    As well as what dick84 carries in his pocket.

[Flynbyu]

The Aztec was designed by a woman that was a former Renault designer. The Aztec was supposed to target younger people as an entry level SUV.

That didn't work. It was an epic failure.

Pontiac began the build in 2001 and dropped the Aztec from the lineup in 2005. GM had to sell 30,000 of the units per year to break even, and sold short of 30,000 for 4 consecutive years. The Buick Rendezvous was built on the same platform, but was dropped from the lineup in 2007. It was a much more sucessful, but it's production was short lived. It was replaced by the much improved Enclave which was on the GMC Acadia platform.

Aztec production:

2001: 68,110
2002: 27,728
2003: 26,928
2004: 22,696
2005: 10,648

Since it's not a production model any longer, that tends to seriousl hurt value. If she's gotta have one, you should be able to buy one dirt cheap. Much less than book value.


~Brian

[BRAD]

goodluck with the purchase man.  If you decide to go through with it

[blueyamaha]

Thanks for all the replys guys. Ill have to take a look at the intake gasket. We test drove it the other day and when pushing on the gas it made a weird sound around 2,500 rpm I heard it could be the awd? Or the rear diff? To me it sounds like a exaust leak but its not.

[throttlesteer]

Thanks for all the replys guys. Ill have to take a look at the intake gasket. We test drove it the other day and when pushing on the gas it made a weird sound around 2,500 rpm I heard it could be the awd? Or the rear diff? To me it sounds like a exaust leak but its not.

Right there is a good enough reason to drop the thought of buying it.

[Flynbyu]

Thanks for all the replys guys. Ill have to take a look at the intake gasket. We test drove it the other day and when pushing on the gas it made a weird sound around 2,500 rpm I heard it could be the awd? Or the rear diff? To me it sounds like a exaust leak but its not.

I would probably steer clear of that one.

Especially if it's an AWD model. Those models were problematic.

~Brian

[Colorado700R]

and the Fugly Factor is uber high