Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Pontiac Aztek, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system40
- Fuel system, gasoline29
- Engine and engine cooling28
- Air bags27
- Equipment27
- Service brakes, hydraulic27
- Power train22
- Visibility13
- Unknown or other11
- Vehicle speed control10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 18 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 3 2001 Aztek vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 2 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2001 Pontiac Aztek failed the safety check 1.82% of the time — 9% less often than the average 2001 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 109,433 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 12.0–12.5 L/100 km (about 19–20 mpg US), CO₂ 276–288 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aztek · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.8 | 9.8 | 12.0 |
| Aztek AWD · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.3 | 10.3 | 12.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2001 Pontiac Aztek.
| 2006199 15 Aug 2006 | Suspension On certain Aztek (AWD), Montana (AWD), Relay (AWD), RendezVous (AWD), RendezVous (FWD), Silhouette (AWD), Terraza (AWD), Terraza (FWD), Uplander (AWD) and Ventu… |
| 2002234 4 Dec 2002 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger air bag was manufactured without a check pin. An air bag without the check pin could produce increased pressure at the onset… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, VARIATIONS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR EXPOSURE TO HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES MAY LEAD TO FRACTURE OF THE FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE (ICV).
CERTAIN MINIVANS, PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEM." THE OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE LOCATION SYMBOLS FOR THE CHILD RESTRAINT LOWER UNIVERSAL ANCHORAGE SYSTEM.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND MINI VANS, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER AIR BAG THAT WAS MANUFACTURED WITHOUT A CHECK VALVE PIN. AN AIR BAG WITHOUT THE CHECK VALVE PIN COULD PRODUCE INCREASED PRESSURE AT THE ONSET OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND REDUCED PRESSURE AFTERWARD.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN MINI VANS BUILT WITH SECOND ROW 50/50 SPLIT BENCH SEATS OR CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS, FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE SEAT LATCH ANCHOR WIRE DIAMETER IS GREATER THAN 6.1 MM.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND MINIVANS. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG INFLATOR MODULES WERE BUILT WITHOUT THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF GENERANT, WHICH PRODUCES THE GAS THAT FILLS THE AIR BAG. SOME WERE BUILT WITH A DOUBLE LOAD OF GENERANT AND SOME WERE BUILT WITHOUT GENERANT.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Pontiac told its dealers about the 2001 Pontiac Aztek: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636617 | SUBJECT REGARDING INTERCHANGEABILITY BETWEEN THE 2001 AND 2002 LIFT GATE REAR SPOILER. *TT |
| 636615 | SUBJECT REGARDING SLIDING REAR CARGO CONVENIENCE TRAY DAMAGE. *TT |
| 636607 | SOME CUSOMTERS MAY REPORT A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR ROOF HEADLINDER AREA WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON A VERY ROUGH ROAD. *TT |
| 636584 | SUBJECT REGARDNG DIFFICULTIES WITH SPECIAL TOOL J45920 USED TO INSPECT AND RESIZE THE CHILD SEAT ANCHORS. *TT |
| 636481 | THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THE NEW FMVSS NON-COMPLIANCE RECALL 01077 REGARDING CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634931 | SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0716 AND / OR P0717, P0730, P0753, P0758, P1860, P1887 OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 634833 | SERVICE MANUAL UPDATE ON REVISED VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 628862 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED WITH HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. *TT |
| 627695 | INFORMATION REGARDING AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER REPLACEMENT OF SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE. *YH |
| 627671 | HARD START, NO START, STALL, AND/OR FUEL GAUGE INOPERATIVE OR FLUCTUATES. *YH UPDATED *EH |
| 625447 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN BULLETIN #01060 - VALVE SPRINGS REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 625296 | INFORMATION ON DRIVE AXLE FLUID CHANGE WHEN TOWING A TRAILER. *SLC |
| 625101 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN VALVE SPRING REPLACEMENT. *JG |
| 625083 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN VALVE SPRING REPLACEMENT. *JG |
| 625021 | SUBJECT REGARDING REPLACEMENT VALVE SPRINGS. *JG |
| 624679 | INFORMATION REGARDING ONSTAR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) *JG |
| 624597 | REVISION OF BRAKE AND SUSPENSION FASTENER TIGHTENING SPECIFICATIONS *JG |
| 624065 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ABOUT AN EXHAUST SYSTEM MUFFLER HEAT SHIELD RATTLE / CLANG TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. *TT |
| 624039 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE TRAILER WIRING HARNESS PIGTAL WHICH WAS OMITTED FROM CERTAIN VEHICLES BUILT BETWEEN VIN BREAKPOINTS 1S527230 TO 1S540390. *TT |
| 623974 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE CARPET IN THE PASSENGER FOOT WELLOF THE VEHICLE IS WET AND THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE HAS AN ODOR. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation