1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

I RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE--AND IT RELEASED REALLY HARD. WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS SMOKE. MY COIL SPRING (RIGHT, FRONT) BROKE AND PUNCTURED MY TIRE. I HAD TO GET TOWED TO A GARAGE TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS. THE OLD COIL SPRINGS WERE DISCARDED. *NM

I HAVE CLICKING PROBLEM WITH MY 99 GRAND AM. IT HAS RECENTLY BECAME WORSE. THE NOISE IS COMING FROM THE DASH BOARD UNDER THE HAZARD BUTTON. IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY AND THIS SWITCH IS FAULTY AND CLICKING EVERY TIME I START THE CAR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS ONLY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN ACTIVATED, THE SIGNALS WORKED FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

MY 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM HAS A TICKING SOUND ON THE DASH BOARD WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THE BLINKER GOING NUTS. THIS MOSTLY OCCURS WHEN YOU HAVE JUST USED THE TURN SIGNAL. I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD SOME TYPE OF A SWITCH REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE. NOW IT IS BACK AND GETTING INCREASINGLY WORSE. I FOUND AN INTERNET FORUM WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT GRAND AM MODEL YEARS AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SOME OF THEM HAVE HAD THE HAZARD AND MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH REPLACED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE COST OF REPAIRS IS HUGE. I HAVE A STUDENT DRIVER NOW USING THIS VEHICLE AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DISTRACTION THIS TICKING NOISE IS CAUSING WHILE HE IS LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE. MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED TO PONTIAC, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. *NM

THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME, IN AUG. 2003, I WAS MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. I GOT OUT TO INVESTIGATE BUT COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG. JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE I DROVE IT TO A MECHANIC WHO UPON INVESTIGATION INFORMED ME THAT THE COIL SPRING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD BROKEN. IT WAS REPLACED. THEN IN AUG. 2006, I WAS BACKING OUT OF A GARAGE WHEN I HEARD THE FAMILIAR BANG BUT THIS TIME THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DROPPED SO I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC WHO SAID THE COIL SPRING HAD BROKEN. AGAIN IT WAS REPLACED. WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST ABOUT THIS IS THAT SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME THING HAPPENING THE MANUFACTURER OBVIOUSLY KNOWS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE PART YET NOT ONLY DO THEY REFUSE TO ISSUE A RECALL , THEY CONTINUE TO SELL DEFECTIVE REPLACEMENT PARTS!!!!!!!! I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AS I KNOW THE PART IS DEFECTIVE AND COULD BREAK AT ANY TIME. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO NOT HAVE BEEN DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THE FIRST 2 TIMES BUT WHO KNOWS ABOUT THE NEXT TIME. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN!! I DON'T WANT ME OR SOMEONE I LOVE TO HAVE TO DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!*JB

THE CALIPERS FREQUENTLY FAIL TO RELEASE PROPERLY AND HAVE REPEATEDLY DAMAGED THE ROTORS, MORE OFTEN IN THE FRONT THAN REAR. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002 AND A FEW MONTHS LATER BEGAN TO HAVE BRAKE PROBLEMS. IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE CALIPERS WERE FOUND FAULTY DUE TO THEIR ASSEMBLY TO THE FRAME. THIS DAMAGED THE ROTORS, REQUIRING THEM TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. THE WARRANTY COVERED THE CALIPERS BUT NOT THE ROTORS, PLUS I HAD TO PAY A $50 DEDUCTIBLE. I'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN. IN THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT, I HAD THE FRONT ROTORS REPLACED AT INSPECTION IN OCTOBER 2005. BY FEBRUARY 2006, THE RIGHT FRONT CALIPER WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND HAD TO BE REPLACED ALREADY. THE PART WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SINCE IT HAD ONLY BEEN 4 MONTHS SO I WAS NOT CHARGED FOR THE PART, BUT STILL HAD TO PAY FOR LABOR. I'VE OWNED THIS CAR FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN FOUR YEARS AND THE CALIPERS AND ROTORS CONTINUALLY NEED TO BE MACHINED OR REPLACED. I ALWAYS FEAR THAT THE BRAKES WILL FAIL WHEN I NEED THEM THE MOST. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT WORK UNLESS IT WAS SET ON HIGH. ON THE LOWER LEVELS, THE COMPRESSOR WOULD NOT INITIATE. THE AIR CONDITIONER WORKED UNTIL JANUARY, 2005. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SERVICED. *AK UPDATED 10/25/2006 - *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER COIL SPRING SEVERELY THE TIRE WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH DOWN A CITY STREET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THAT BOTH FRONT COILS SPRINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. UPDATED 08/25/06. *JB

CONSTANT RATTLING LED TO DISCOVERY OF DAMAGED COIL SPRINGS.......ALL 4 OF THEM HAD TO BE REPLACED AS EVERY ONE WAS BROKEN. *JB

I WAS PULLING MY 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CAR WAS MAKING A STRANGE SCRAPING NOISE. I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING TOUCHING THE GROUND. I DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR. MY HUSBAND CHECKED IT OUT AND PULLED THE CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. THE WHEEL POPPED AS HE WAS DOING THIS. THE CAR WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET SO HE HAD TO PULL IT FORWARD. THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED. AFTER JACKING UP THE CAR, HE SAW THAT THE SPRING WAS BROKEN AND WAS POKING INTO THE TIRE. LUCKY FOR US THIS HAPPENED AT HOME. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD STILL BE HERE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE GARAGE. WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK YET. WE ARE A BIT WORRIED, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW ALSO HAS A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM AND ALL FOUR OF HIS SPRING ASSEMBLIES BROKE WHEN HE HIT A POT HOLE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. *JB