2005 SV6 Vibration

I just bought a 2005 Montana SV6, and it has 500 miles. I noticed with the transmission in drive, brake applied, vehicle stopped, that when I release the brake and slowly move forward without pressing the accelerator, there is a vibration in the vehicle. It feels like the engine is missing out. When I press the accelerator the vibration goes away and does not return at any other driving condition. No idiot lights are activated. I also here a whistling noise upon acceleration. I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow, but I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this.

There are numerous things that could cause this ranging from cheap to expensive. Being that its under warranty and only has 500 miles on it, just take it to the dealer and let it be their problem. Its probably a spark plug wire something simple though as the van is new. Other than that, do you like it? I'm thinkin bout upgrading cause they look sweet and my wife would actually want to drive one

There are numerous things that could cause this ranging from cheap to expensive. Being that its under warranty and only has 500 miles on it, just take it to the dealer and let it be their problem. Its probably a spark plug wire something simple though as the van is new. Other than that, do you like it? I'm thinkin bout upgrading cause they look sweet and my wife would actually want to drive one

I took it to the dealer and they couldn't find anything. I told them that the problem did not start until we filled up van with gas from Sam's. The dealer put a gas additive in the fuel which helped. I have since done some research on the web about gas, and all the major gas companies, shell, phillips 66, mobile, chevron, amoco/bp, marathon, sunoco, put performance and cleaner additives in their fuels, but the off brand companies, speedway, citgo, sams, walmart, etc. do not. We will see if this is true as we are now ready for another tank of gas and will probably go with shell.

To answer your question about how I like the van, I am very impressed with the vehicle so far. Performance and handling are very good. I bought the 1SB package which includes the tighter suspension, not availible on the 1SA package. We also got the second row captain's chairs, which the kids really like, also only availible with 1SB. The interior in general looks much more sporty, and the DVD entertainment center is standard for both packages.

I think we need a seperate forum for the new Montana SV6 van, instead of putting in with all the other Montana van threads.

Hi
Just read your post, I just bought a new 05 saturn relay which is the same as a Pontiac SV6, I too am getting the same whistling on acceleration, also there is a problem with the dash lights flickering, I took it to the dealer, they told me Detroit knows about the problems but dont yet know how to fix them, (what the ???? )I couldnt believe it. Anyway they are working on a fix.

Thats what happens when the first models of a new vehicle role off the line its to be expected. All manufacturers have that problem.

Our Montana's lease is up and we're looking at the new SV6. Love the interior, now that is a nice redo.

Yes, first year production run will always yield a few bugs, its expected. Whats that new motor like? Is it a SOHC?

Not sure if the old 3.4L is a pushrod or SOHC but I know its gives the Montana one of the best milage out of any minivan. Wonder how the new engine will be...

Hi
Just read your post, I just bought a new 05 saturn relay which is the same as a Pontiac SV6, I too am getting the same whistling on acceleration, also there is a problem with the dash lights flickering, I took it to the dealer, they told me Detroit knows about the problems but dont yet know how to fix them, (what the ???? )I couldnt believe it. Anyway they are working on a fix.

I owned a 98 ford windstar with the same issue. It turned out to be in the air intakee system, but never caused a problem. The van had 113,000 miles when I got rid of it.

I took it to the dealer and they couldn't find anything. I told them that the problem did not start until we filled up van with gas from Sam's. The dealer put a gas additive in the fuel which helped. I have since done some research on the web about gas, and all the major gas companies, shell, phillips 66, mobile, chevron, amoco/bp, marathon, sunoco, put performance and cleaner additives in their fuels, but the off brand companies, speedway, citgo, sams, walmart, etc. do not. We will see if this is true as we are now ready for another tank of gas and will probably go with shell.

To answer your question about how I like the van, I am very impressed with the vehicle so far. Performance and handling are very good. I bought the 1SB package which includes the tighter suspension, not availible on the 1SA package. We also got the second row captain's chairs, which the kids really like, also only availible with 1SB. The interior in general looks much more sporty, and the DVD entertainment center is standard for both packages.

After running a couple tanks of shell through the engine, the problem still persisted, so I took it back to the dealer. They did every diagnostic that they could do and couldn't find anything. They then worked with the GM engineers, sending them data and pictures of the inside of the cylinders, and still no solution. Finally GM sent a field engineer to the dealer with his equipment, spent a half day on it, and gave up. The dealer then told me that the vibration was just inherent to the vehicle's control system, and told me to look for a service engine light or bring it back if the problem gets worse.

The night after picking up my vehicle, I noticed that the vibration also occurred at higher RPM's right when the vehicle starts rolling from a stop, and then goes away. I produced that incident by driving up my inclined driveway very slowly. The engine speed was about 1200 RPM when the vehicle started to roll and then vibrate. I tried to reproduce the vibration with the transmission in reverse, but could not. I am now going to take it to a transmission repair shop that does a lot of work with the dealerships and who seems to diagnose transmission problems more effectively, and he also has a vehicle dyno. He said that he will take a drive with me for free and can usually tell the difference between an engine problem and a transmission problem with respect to vibration.

Also the loaner SV6 that Pontiac gave me while my vehicle was in the shop exhibited the same problem, but was not as noticeable. I told the dealership, and they let the field engineer know. I don't know what the field engineer is going to do with all this, but I filed a complaint with GM customer service. I will also file a complaint with the Pontiac district sales manager, and then on my new vehicle survey.

I wonder if the vehicle will qualify for the Lemon law.

I wonder if the vehicle will qualify for the Lemon law.

I looked into the lemon laws for my state, and it does apply since Pontiac has now admitted that it is a problem that they cannot fix right now. However, the problem with that is that Pontiac has now admitted after investigating my vehicle and all that were on the dealer's lot, that this problem is inherent to all SV6, Uplander, Relay, and Terraza minivans. Apparantly I was the first to complain about it, and the problem in my vehicle was more noticeable than the others on the lot. In fact in some vehicles, it would probably go unnoticed, unless you were looking for it.

I did take the vehicle to the transmission shop, and they had never seen a transmission problem like this, and thought that it might be that the brakes are grabbing due to tight tolerances in the calipers or pads. I let the pontiac service manager know that, and he is convinced that it is an engine/power train control system problem and not a mechanical or electrical component problem. If it is a brake clearance issue then it will go away when the brakes wear.

I looked into the lemon laws for my state, and it does apply since Pontiac has now admitted that it is a problem that they cannot fix right now. However, the problem with that is that Pontiac has now admitted after investigating my vehicle and all that were on the dealer's lot, that this problem is inherent to all SV6, Uplander, Relay, and Terraza minivans. Apparantly I was the first to complain about it, and the problem in my vehicle was more noticeable than the others on the lot. In fact in some vehicles, it would probably go unnoticed, unless you were looking for it.

I did take the vehicle to the transmission shop, and they had never seen a transmission problem like this, and thought that it might be that the brakes are grabbing due to tight tolerances in the calipers or pads. I let the pontiac service manager know that, and he is convinced that it is an engine/power train control system problem and not a mechanical or electrical component problem. If it is a brake clearance issue then it will go away when the brakes wear..

I tested the brakes in neutral and they do not cause the vibration. All I can do now is wait until more people complain, so that the problem gets fixed. So if you own an SV6 and notice this problem, please complain or it may never get resolved

We have purchased a 2005 SV6 and every complaint I have heard (the jerking at idle with the foot off the brake, the whistling on acceleration, the flickering lights) happens to us too. I have also had a few other issues:

At freeway speeds, I went to use the On-Star phone, and the speedometer dropped to 0, then back up to 70. It continued to do it until I hung up the On-Star.

I get a buzzing noise through the speakers while playing a DVD and driving. It's not alternator whine, and it doesn't change with RPMs. It changes depending on how hard I am pressing on the gas pedal.

GM needs to read all the surveys I've sent in. Then they need to figure them out soon so we can all get them fixed.

Nate

I think all of you need to look into the Lemon Laws in your state. It appears you are in for the long haul on these vehicles and if GM can't solve the problem then they should at least give you a new vehicle to replace the ones you have.

We have purchased a 2005 SV6 and every complaint I have heard (the jerking at idle with the foot off the brake, the whistling on acceleration, the flickering lights) happens to us too. I have also had a few other issues:

At freeway speeds, I went to use the On-Star phone, and the speedometer dropped to 0, then back up to 70. It continued to do it until I hung up the On-Star.

I get a buzzing noise through the speakers while playing a DVD and driving. It's not alternator whine, and it doesn't change with RPMs. It changes depending on how hard I am pressing on the gas pedal.

GM needs to read all the surveys I've sent in. Then they need to figure them out soon so we can all get them fixed.

Nate

Nate,
Thanks for the info. I will continue to hound GM every chance I get. I don't say that to be a pest, it's just the squeky wheel principal and I'm as guilty as the next guy, probably worse.

Just a note on pursuing the lemon laws. I was told that with a lemon law case, GM can freeze your warranty until the case is settled if things get nasty. Doesn't seem right to me, but he who has the gold makes the rules.

Well, as far as the lemon law goes, I think it's too soon. It's a newly designed vehicle, and we totally expected to have buggy problems. We completely expected the issues we have to not get fixed so soon. It usually takes the auto makers a while to figure these things out and release a TSB on them. Why they can't figure this stuff out BEFORE they release a new vehicle, I have never been able to figure that out.

The problems aren't making it undrivable. They're just annoyances. I haven't had the time to get it to the dealer for all this stuff, and I need the van because it's our family vehicle.

As for the jerkiness at idle at a light, it's hard to tell. It's not really jerking, it's more of a shake than anything. If you notice, when you're sitting at a light with your foot on the brake, it idles at ~600 RPM. When you let your foot off the brake, it idles up to about 800 RPM, and that's when it starts the jerking. If you let it roll for a little bit and gain a couple of MPH, it stops. One thing I have noticed is the engine mounts seem to be a little "sloppy." Meaning, they made them so soft to avoid NVH, they might actually be too soft. What I'm getting at, is when it kicks up the RPMs to start a roll, just the drag from the vehicle on the drivetrain makes it shake a little in the mounts. It's definately not a brake or suspension problem. I've driven enough cars and torn down and rebuilt enough cars to know the feeling, and this simply feels like drivetrain movement in the mounts.

Just a theory.

As for the rest of the problems, I haven't figured those out yet.

Nate

Guess what, our 1999 Montana has this problem too, but it has never gotten worse than as described within this text.

I don't know if this is the root cause, but many modern transmissions exhibit a condition or symptom called 'chuggle' when the torque converter fails to un-lock properly at low speeds. It ‘feels’ like a misfire, but goes away once the vehicle shifts to a higher gear. May be most noticeable if creeping in a parking lot at about 1000 to 1200 RPM.

It can become extremely exaggerated (ours hasn’t yet) and result in stalling when shifting from park into gear for instance.

Another way the vehicle may exhibit this symptom is in coming off a highway off ramp to a full stop; the torque converter may not un-lock and the vehicle will stall due to the direct load applied by the transmission on the engine.