The Pontiac Aztek is a bit of a pop culture icon. Its polarizing looks — combined with its stardom in Breaking Bad — has led to a bit of a “Zero to Hero” transformation, with the Aztek eschewing its “nerd” title for a very clear spot at the jock’s table. Here’s what it’s been like daily-driving the thing.
I’ve already written a full, unironic review of the Pontiac Aztek, and now that I’ve been daily-driving the thing, I can tell you: That review is pretty much spot on. The Aztek is a lovely machine to drive every day. It really is just a four-door minivan with two rows and a tailgate. The driver sits up high like in a minivan, the ride feels minivan-esque, there’s an absurd amount of space inside, and handling is… uh, cumbersome in the corners but magic carpet-smooth on the straights.
Add the fact that the seats are amazing, the sound system is way better than you’d expect, and the visibility makes new cars feel like bunkers, and the result is an absolutely wonderful daily driver whose main downsides, really, are its ho-hum fuel economy and perhaps its lack of Bluetooth capability.
It still feels about a century older than my BMW i3S, but it’s still great.
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The power from the 3.4-liter V6 is plenty. 185 horsepower is really not bad, and though it’s held back by a four-speed automatic, zero to 60 times of 9 to 10 seconds are more than enough. I’m delighted every time I get behind the wheel of our extremely well-bought Aztek, though there is one thing that really holds it back. Here, allow me to let Mercedes explain the problem:
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The car wants to accelerate up to about 65 mph on a (flat) highway. All on its own.
This has been a problem since we first took ownership of this hideously-charming SUV, but it seems to have gotten worse, particularly when the engine is warm. The revs climb to the sky, overheating the transmission, causing it to upshift and downshift really hard.
I’m not worried about the brakes, which get a bit hot while slowing the car down on long downhills (Matt says they were smoking on Mulholland Drive), since those are easily replaceable — I’m worried about frying this transmission, so I’m going to have to get to the bottom of this high-idle issue. Usually I’d suspect an issue with the Idle Air Controller sensor, but given that this is only an issue when the engine is hot, I wonder if it might be something else. Perhaps a vacuum leak? (I checked this already, but I’ll try again). Or perhaps a mass airflow sensor issue? Or perhaps a coolant temperature sensor issue?
If you have any suggestions, hit me in the comments. Because this lovely machine is pretty much perfect, except for that one rather significant issue, which I’d love to fix before I begin living in this in a week or so after my strained back heals up a bit.
My ’98 Trans Am had a similar issue. (similar not exactly the same). The battery had gotten flaky. Had plenty of charge to start but the computer would cause the engine to Rev high. I’m guessing the ecm was trying to spin the alternator faster to maintain a steady electrical current. Once I replaced the battery, all went back to normal.
David- not the same, but on my Renix jeep there was a similar issue. When it warmed up, the revs climbed. On that, the issue was the throttle position sensor. That would be my first guess here if there are no codes, and it runs fine cold. If it was an intake or vacuum leak, i would expect it worse cold. So start small (maybe smoke test or just use something flammable. Note:dont use fiances hairspray.)
You might check for carbon buildup in the throttle body. That can cause the butterfly valve to stick open a bit so it keeps sucking in air.
Engines do not accelerate on their own, they need something to tell them to do so. This would be normally be a gas pedal. To do so without using the pedal the ECU has to receive a signal telling it to do so. I would verify that the throttle position sensor is working correctly. Before you go just replacing parts though, I agree with others that the correct way to solve this is to 1) get a code reader on it, and 2) put a scanner on it to see what the different sensors are telling the ECU.
According to an online Monte Carlo site, your engine has…”The 3.4 L engine is known to have intake manifold gasket problems causing engine damage if the owner of the car neglects to check or change the gaskets (if necessary).” Which also causes the problem you’re having.
That sounds like more air than the IAC could move. Most IACs are a pretty small opening – they’ll rev to 2000rpm in neutral but not 65mph on the freeway.
You know why there aren’t many Aztek enthusiasts?
The curse of Montezuma?
Well, technically there WERE many Aztek enthusiasts, there just aren’t many left alive. Apparently the car is a damn serial killer.
You can guess and fire the parts cannon at it, but keep in mind that the extra air to make that happen has to be getting in there somewhere, if the vehicle is indeed idling higher than it intends to. So yeah a vacuum leak or bad IAC is the likely culprit, but first you should really find out if there is a mismatch in actual and desired idle speed.
So yeah you need a scan tool and not just a code reader. From cold retrieve and record the code(s) and their associated freeze frame data, if any. Clear the codes, then pull up the PIDs related to the codes and pretty much anything to do with temps, rpm, idle, air, fuel, O2, STFT, LTFT ect, start it up, press record and go for a drive making sure to try and replicate the freeze frame operation parameters.
Just throwing this out there…I had a very similar issue on my ‘96 K1500 for about a year after I bought it. The truck idled at 1500rpm, which of course made it slam into gear. It would accelerate on its own to about 30-40mph on flat ground. I replaced every sensor (TPS, IAC, Crank pos., MAF, maybe the temp sensor too) I could think of with no change in symptoms. Never had check engine light either. After 4 trips to 3 different shops, I finally just told them to stop wasting my time and money replacing known-good sensors and to just replace the ECU. Dang if that didn’t fix all of my issues. Not sure if that’s what you’re dealing with here, but being a GM vehicle of relatively the same vintage, something to keep in mind.
I’m pretty sure one of the late 90s Grand Ams in the family stable had the same issue. If I remember correctly, we used to pop it in neutral and tap the gas pedal a time or two and it would drop back down to normal revs.
For Pete’s sake check the codes. Reduce the guesswork.
My guesses: vacuum leak, idle air controller or…does it have a throttle position sensor?
Can’t believe I’m the first to say it, but David, just turn the vehicle off when you want to sleep and then the noise won’t bother you.
My Chrysler Pacifica of the same vintage had a similar issue with unintended high revving. I eventually resorted to putting it in park at all stop lights.
It was traced back to the alternator spitting out alternating current at times, which was actually a relatively common issue with that car. I’m guessing the AC fried some of the ECUs because that car had several electrical gremlins that caused it to throw random codes and fail smog.
I suppose, if you’re trying to, smoking brakes on Mulholland would be a badge of honor, but in your case…
Anyway, being 20-iah years old, the vacuum leak or MAF sound like a place to start. That said, when I took my old 525it for a test drive, it started doing something like that. The accelerator cable housing had come out of the barrel adjuster, on the throttle body, and got stuck on the upper edge. (I’d have to draw you a picture…) Take a look and make sure that all of the mechanical bits are seated correctly.
I’ve had a similar thing happen on a BMW motorcycle – the Bowden cable at one of the carburetors popped out of the adjuster, and got stuck on the top of the adjuster itself.
Even more fun is when the cable isn’t properly routed, so when you turn the handlebar, it pulls on one of the throttle cables, making for an unexpected jolt of juice from its corresponding cylinder…
That exactly it. What I think happened, is that after I floored it (test-drive alone), when I let off, the cable pulled the housing/Bowden far enough back, and… There was a clip that hadn’t been reattached, so there you go.
That’s surprising, isn’t it? I’ve worked in a motorcycle shop, and I there were a couple of times that cables got routed the wrong way. It’s alarming.
Well, well well. Serves you right for not buying the black one I found.
I bet it’s a floormat issue.
And what on earth are you doing up on Mulholland in an Aztek?
That’s exactly not the road for it.
Pico – That’s the road for an Aztek.
The gas pedal is in the resting position while all of this is happening!
Oh dear – No Bueno!
Is the throttle cable actuated? The nether end (or even in the cabin) could be improperly seated (more commonly seen on motorcycles) and the pedal looks normal, but the throttle is open. I like the idea of spraying carb cleaner or aiming an unlit stream of propane at the manifold base and throttle body to check for uncontrolled air.
The easternmost part of Pico.
Maybe it needs a rivet in the gas pedal.
I feel like “it’s perfect except it’s always trying to kill me” indicates that it is not, in fact, perfect.
That’s kind of the baseline for all of David’s (Detroit style, not Hollywoodified) cars, though.
Those Detroit style cars are the ones with the thick crusts (chassis?) and square shapes, of course.
: in fact, it was not perfect.
That’s how I described my old Kawasaki KX500.
I think I speak for everyone when I say you don’t get to count time in the shop towards your month of daily driving, even if it’s during the middle of your “month”.
I’m not sure why I found the Aztek’s revving problem to be so hilarious, but I couldn’t stop laughing at it. Maybe it was the fact that I had to put it in neutral just to maintain 30 mph and each time I stopped at a red light poor pedestrians thought I was insane for just revving the thing out.
I lost count of how many times I said, “I swear it’s not me!” That probably didn’t help. 😀
What was driving it actually like? Did you peel out at every light when you put back it in D?
I wish! Instead, it just neutral-dropped, shuddered, and began accelerating on its own. There were times I had to hold the brakes because the car in front wasn’t accelerating fast enough! LOL
It also did 55 mph without any throttle input. In the longer version of the video I joked I had cruise control at all times.
As a side note, I sometimes pulled over to see if I could fix the situation without any tools. A lot of youngins took pictures of the Aztek. Have we reached the point where seeing an Aztek is special?
I’d be a nervous wreck after the first minute or so; your laughter at the whole thing is the kind of devil may car automotive insouciance to which I aspire!
It was a bit scary at first when I let off of the throttle in a 30 zone and the speedometer just kept rising. It suddenly hit me why the brakes were putting on a smoke show on Mulholland with Matt driving the night before. The darn thing was pushing us down the mountain, or whatever Californians call what we drove down. 🙂
Just putting it in neutral and coasting around with the tach pegged at 3k rpm was a simple and hilarious workaround to get me back to the hotel. Thank heavens the darn thing still has good brakes!
You people need to be more careful – driving a car in this condition should only be done long enough to get it home and fixed – and it should not be driven very far until it is fixed.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone sounding so gleeful about being murdered by a cheap crossover.
My guess would be the idle air control valve – I think it will have one, and they’re usually cheap and near the top of the engine so it’s an easy one to fire the parts cannon at. They get gunked up with engine oil and get stuck in one position, and if it was stuck open it would cause a high idle.
My old Ford Fiesta had one go bad in the other direction so it would stall whenever I put the clutch in while slowing down. It’s why I now know how to heel and toe.
I’m firmly on the vacuum leak or mass airflow sensor. As Abdominal asked, what codes is it throwing? The SES is lit up, so there must be some.
Does it have a throttle cable? I’d look at the mechanical cruise control.
I had a similar issue. Turns out after getting in and out the floor mat would slowly advance until the tip was hitting the back of the accelerator pedal and reacted like pressing the gas. I also helped a caller on Click and Click with this diagnosis.
Yeah, I suspect vacuum leaks, but being as you’re at Galpin, I’m sure you can get your hands on a good OBD2 diagnostic tool that can read out the values of every sensor and try activating various solenoids and motors. I’d double check basics first such as throttle position matches the actual pedal, intake air temp is right, long term fuel trims are reasonable, etc. just to rule out a bad sensor.
You speak much wisdom.
Yeah, but there’s no content to be had from that. “I properly diagnosed the problem using the advanced equipment available to me and replaced the bad part in a temperature-controlled repair bay at Galpin. The end.” 😉
Yeah, it needs to involve slush, a butter knife and a rock. At least.
Sounds a lot like a vacuum leak. I replaced the intake manifold on a fix and flip duratec Mazda6 and (foolishly) skipped replacing the gaskets. Thing started and revved wayyy up. I put it in drive and it squealed the tires in my garage. Replaced the intake manifold gaskets and the issue was fixed. It’s an older GM that was in AZ. Something tells me some gaskets got baked or some vacuum hoses split.
Either way, I can’t imagine that firing the parts cannon at this Aztek will be incredibly expensive, because GM (and junkyards).