1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS OUT OF DRIVE TO NEUTRAL GEAR. I FOUND A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #677164 WHICH THE DEALER SAID WAS NOT A RECALL NOTICE AND WOULD NOT HONOR IT. THE NOTICE STATES TO REPAIR THE CONTROL VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY. THE POWER LOSS RESULTED IN A REEVE OF THE ENGINE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR ON INTERSTATE 10 IN ARIZONA AND ALSO WHILE DRIVING LOCALLY OFF HIGHWAY 101 AT 65 MILES PER HOUR. THE CAR GEARS SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL GEAR. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE IT CAUSES INJURY. TS

THE CAR HAS A HARD START BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR THAT HAS HAPPENED FOR THE PAST 60K AND NO ONE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM. THE CAR IS NOW AT 96K AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A P1870 CODE WHICH TRIGGERS THE LIGHT AND IS CAUSED BY A WORN TCC APPLY VALVE ON THE 4T60E GM TRANSMISSIONS. HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS ON THEIR 1997 4T60E TRANSMISSIONS. THIS ITEM SHOULD BE RECALLED SINCE IT IS ONLY THE CONTROL VALVE BODY WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED WITH A REVISED TCC REGULATOR AND ISOLATOR VALVES ALONG WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ON THE 97 PONTIAC GRAND AM CARS AND ALL CARS WITH 4T60E TRANSMISSIONS WHICH WILL RESULT IN OTHER PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VALVES AND TORQUE CONVERTER. TS

CONSUMER STATES HE HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION, SENSOR SYSTEM THAT RUNS THE ABS, BRAKING SYSTEM. CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT HE HAS BEEN DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HIS AUTO WILL NOT GO INTO THE NEXT GEAR, AND HE IS IN FAST TRAFFIC. MR

THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS PAID OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE BEING A RECALL EVEN DO I WAS NEVER CONTACT AND THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHSED BRAND NEW. I SPEND APRROX $300.00 BETWEEN TOWING FEES AND MECHANICAL REPAIR. I NEED TO GET REFUNDED THIS MONEY. OTHERWISE, I WILL CONTACT THE BBB AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS. DT

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STARTER AND HAS HAD THE VEHICLE ON THE SHOP FOR A RECALL ON THE IGNITION SWITCH. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE STATERTED HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH SO THERE FOR THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. MR

THIS CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. YOU MUST PUSH THE PEDAL COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR BEFORE THE CAR WILL STOP. I HAVE HAD BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, ALTERNATOR, SERPINTINE BELT REPLACED. I HAVE HAD MY COMPUTER REPLACED 3 TIMES AND SIX INJECTORS INSTALLED. THIS CAR IS A NIGHTMARE GM SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS HORRIBLE CAR. AS WE ALL CAN SEE THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA'S WEB SITE. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US! DT

CONSUMER STATES HAS BEEN CHANGE THE BRAKES PAD MANY TIMES, GOT BROKEN EVERY MONTHS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

IGNITION FIRE--INSERTED KEY INTO IGNITION SLOT AND THERE WAS A TERRIBLE SMELL OF INSULATION & SOMETHING LIKE GUNPOWDER--THE CAR'S ELECTRIC SYSTEM WAS AFFECTED---RECENTLY WATCHED TV & HEARD THAT PONTIAC RECALLS GRAND AM '97 BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS W/ IGNITION SWITCH AND RELATED FIRE. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AND BECAUSE OF THE RECALL EXPECTS REIMBURSEMENT IN FULL. *JG

IN AUGUST 2002, WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM PONTIAC SAYING THE IGNITION CIRCUIT THERMAL EVENTS ON OUR PONTIAC WAS A PROBLEM WHICH COULD CAUSE SPEARKS OR A FIRE AND WE SHOULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL DEALER. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO WYATT-JOHNSON, OUR LOCAL DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY--OR AT LEAST THAT IS THE PART THAT THEY SAID WERE COVERED BY THE RECALL. JUST PRIOR TO TAKING THE CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR THE RECALL NOTICE REPAIRS, MY WIFE NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE STOPPED AT A LOCAL STORE, THE IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OFF AND SHE SAW SPARKS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. WE HOPED THAT THE RECALL REPAIRS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THE MECHANIC AT WYATT-JOHNSON SAID IT SHOULD. HOWEVER, AFTER THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE MADE, MY WIFE AGAIN EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION--IT WOULDN'T STOP RUNNING AFTER STOPPING--AND SHE COULDN'T SEEM TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. AND, AGAIN SHE SAW SPARKS FROM THE IGNITION. MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTOMOTIVE DEALER--OUR LOCAL NAPA GARAGE AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE NAPA MECHANIC SHOWED MY WIFE A PONTIAC TENICAL BULLETIN WHICH CLEARLY STATES THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY WAS INCLUDED IN THE PREVIOUS RECALL AND ACCORDING TO THE NAPA MECHANIC, THE GMAC DEALER SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE PART. HE SAID THE RECALL NOTICE NUMBER WAS 97038. WE AGAIN CONTACTED WYATT-JOHNSON AND THEY AGAIN SAID THAT THEY HAD MADE THE RECALL REPAIRS AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THEY REFUSED TO EXAM THE AUTOMOBILE AGAIN WITHOUT CHARGING FOR A DIAGNOSTIC EXAM OF THE VEHCILE. THE NAPA MECHANIC SAID IT WILL COST ABOUT $400 TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS TO THE CAR. YESTERDAY, I CONTACTED A PONTIC REPRESENTATIVE AT THE TOLL FREE NUMBER (800) 762-2737 AND THEY GAVE ME A FILE NUMBER 1-38785208. THE LADY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC SCREENING AND IF THEY FIND A PROBLEM. MR

CONSUMER STATES WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL ON THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS NOT DONE,BUT ON GMC DATABASE STATES THAT IT WAS DONE.WHEN THE DEALER WAS CALLED AND INFORMED OF THIS THE DEALER REPLIED THAT THE CONSUMER WOULD BE CHARGED FOR RECALL REPAIR. *AK *YH