1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

WHILE AT WORK..CAR( 99 PONTIAC GRAND AM) SAT FOR APPROX 10 HRS DURING WORK SHIFT...LET CAR IDLE FOR APPROX 5-10 MIN TO WARM UP..SMELT SMOKE LEARNED CAR WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES,CAR LOCKED SELF AND COULD NOT GET INTO CAR,,CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS!!!!!!!!! *NM

THE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILS EVERY 18 MONTHS OR SO. I'VE REPLACED THE DRIVER'S SIDE THREE TIMES, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE ONCE. IT'S ABOUT $300 EACH TIME, WITH LABOR. THIS SAME COMPLAINT IS UBIQUITOUS ON EVERY WEBSITE THAT LISTS CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS. PONTIAC SHOULD HAVE DONE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM LONG AGO, AND SHOULD STILL DO IT NOW. BELOW, I'M LISTING ONLY THE MOST RECENT DATE. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT HAS A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT HAS FOUND THAT THE 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM HAS A SAFETY RECALL 03V327000 FOR EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER TURN SIGNAL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL WAS TURNED OFF IT CONTINUE TO CLICK AS THOUGH IT IS STILL ON. THE CONTACT'S MECHANIC REPLACED THE HAZARD SWITCH AND THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. THE CONTACT ALSO HAD TO HAVE THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH REPLACED. THE REPAIR WORK PERFORMED BETWEEN 03/01/06 - 03/24/2006. THE CONTACT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HER REIMBURSED REPAIRED UNDER THE SAFETY RECALL 03V327000. *JB UPDATED 02/22/07. *JB

I WAS TURNING FROM MY DRIVEWAY TO AN ALLEY WHEN I HEARD AN UNUSUAL POP. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND DID A VISUAL TO SEE IF I COULD NOTICE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. AT THAT TIME, IT WAS ABOUT 5:00 AM, I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY TO WORK AND DROVE APPROXIMATELY 1/2 A MILE WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE BILLOWING OUT FROM MY HOOD. BECAUSE IT WAS DARK OUT, I PARKED MY CAR FOR THE DAY AND WALKED TO WORK. AFTER I LEFT WORK, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY RESIDENCE AND I REMOVED THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL. WHEN I LOOKED BEHIND THE WHEEL I SAW THAT MY COIL SPRING WAS IN TWO PIECES. I HAD ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A GOUGE IN MY TIRE FROM WHERE THE COIL SPRING HAD RUBBED AGAINST IT. *JB I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC IN ORDER TO HAVE IT FIXED. HE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO RIDE CORRECTLY. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BECAUSE OF THE GROOVE IN IT. IN ORDER TO SAVE MONEY ON LABOR, I ALSO REPLACED THE STRUTS.

I OWN A 1999 GRAND AM SE THAT I PURCHASED USED IN 2001. IN THE 5 YEARS THAT I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE THE HEATER FAN MOTOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES. IT STARTS OUT WITH ONLY A FEW OF THE FAN SPEEDS WORKING THEN A TERRIBLE SMELL WITH SMOKE COMING UP THROUGH THE DASHBOARD THEN THE FAN DOESN'T WORK ON ANY OF THE SPEEDS. IN EACH OF THESE EPISODES THE BLOWER RESISTER GOT MELTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2006 MY CAR HAD TO BE SENT TO AN ELECTRICAL MECHANIC DUE TO A SHORT IN THE WIRING WHICH RESULTED IN THE DASH HAVING TO BE REMOVED THEN THE FAN MOTOR AND FAN RESISTER COULD BE REPLACED. IN 2006 I ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVERS DOOR WINDOW WHEN IT FINALLY JUST FELL DOWN INTO THE DOOR TO THE COST OF $250.00 AND A RENTAL CAR FOR 2 DAYS DUE TO THE WRONG PART BEING DELIVERED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I'VE ALSO HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT BRAKES AND THE PASSENGER DOOR HAS A LOUD POP EVERY TIME IT IS OPENED, I'M SCARED OF GETTING AN ESTIMATE ON THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE EVERY REPAIR FOR MY GRAND AM IS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE, WHEN I QUESTION THE COST I ALWAYS HEAR "WELL IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A GRAND AM, THEY'RE A PIECE OF CRAP, ESPECIALLY THE 1999'S". *JB

PASSLOCK SYSTEM ENGAGING WHEN YOU TURN KEY AND ARE STARTING VEHICLE. CAUSES PERSONAL PROBLEMS LATE APPTS. SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY GENERAL MOTORS. *JB

NEAR CRASH. OCCASIONALLY THE RPMS WHILE IN GEAR WILL RAISE TO 3300 RPM MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP QUICKLY ENOUGH TO AVOID AND ACCIDENT. I FOUND IF I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION THEN RESTART THE IDLE WILL RETURN BACK TO 650-700 RPMS. NOW THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ALMOST A YEAR. I WENT TO PONTIAC AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM... I HAD A FRIEND WHO ALSO HAD A 1999 GRAND AM WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN WITH HIM WHICH CAUSE HIM TO HAVE A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT ON A WET ROAD. HAS ANYONE ELSE WROTE INTO YOU ABOUT THIS PROBLEM? *NM

IN NOVEMBER 2004 MY "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH THE "TRAC OFF" LIGHT. AFTER FLIPPING THROUGH MY CARS MANUAL I DECIDED TO HAVE IT SERVICED WITH THE DEALER I ORIGINALLY BOUGHT IT FROM. AT ONLY 60,000 MILES THEY DETERMINED ALL OF MY FUEL INJECTORS WENT BAD. I HAD TO REPLACE THESE AND WITH LABOR CHARGES IT COST ME NEARLY $1,000. APPROXIMATELY 11 MONTHS LATER, THE SAME LIGHTS STARTED TO COME ON AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE THE CAR TO DEALER WHERE THEY PROCEEDED TO EXPLAIN THAT MY FUEL INJECTORS WENT BAD A SECOND TIME. THEY FIRST REPLACEMENTS WERE UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS REQUIRED TO PAY LABOR. UNFORTUNATELY THIS PAST WEEK THE LIGHTS FOR THE FUEL INJECTORS CAME ON AGAIN, AND IS CURRENTLY GETTING DIAGNOSED. THIS WILL BE MY THIRD SET OF FUEL INJECTORS IN 36 MONTHS. THE ONLY THING THE DEALER WILL DO IS REPLACE THE FUEL INJECTORS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY CAN'T PROMISE THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I FEEL THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS THAT WERE INITIALLY REPLACED, AND THE REPLACEMENTS AFTER THEM HAVE BEEN FAULTY. *NM

PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2005 WITH 68K ON IT. ONE MONTH LATER COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON, FOUND OUT THE MANIFOLD GASKETS WERE IN NEED OF REPAIR, 800.0, TWO WEEKS LATER SAME PROBLEM THIS TIME THE LEAKING CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE HEADS 1700.00 REPAIR.....HAVE A CALL INTO GM NOW. *NM

AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT OR FRONT END DAMAGE. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE AFTER INCIDENT AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *NM