2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

I WAS DRIVING APPROX. 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY IN MY 2003 GRAND AM GT WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITH NO WARNING AT ALL, MY CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY!!!! THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, THE BRAKES FELT VERY HARD TO PUSH, AND THE CAR ALMOST CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP. THE ONLY THING THAT DIDN'T STOP WORKING WAS THE RADIO. I STARTED THE CAR AFTER FIVE MINUTES AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME AGAIN, ABOUT 4 MONTHS LATER. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR SHUT OFF WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING WHAT-SO-EVER!!!!! THE CAR STARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES BUT THE "SERVICE VEHICLE SOON" AND TRAC OFF" LIGHTS CAME ON. THE NEXT MORNING WE STARTED THE CAR AND THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH DIDN'T COME ON. MY HUSBAND DROVE THE CAR THAT MORNING AND IT CUT OFF ON HIM WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH ON TELEGRAPH. HE STARTED THE CAR AFTER WAITING ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND IT STARTED WITHOUT A PROBLEM. WE PAID BELLE TIRE TO HOOK UP THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE TO THE CAR TO SEE IF THEY COULD DETECT THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID SOMETHING SHOWED UP THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE ABS SENSOR. WE HAD THAT FIXED AND THOUGHT IT HAD SOLVED THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY IT DIDN'T.....THE CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN!!! IT HAPPENED ABOUT 10 MONTHS LATER (WHICH WAS JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO). I WAS AT A LIGHT, TURNED RIGHT AND ABOUT 3 SECONDS AFTER I TURNED, THE CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN WITH NO WARNING!!!! I WAITED A COUPLE MINUTES, STARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED RIGHT AWAY. THE "SERVICE VEHICLE SOON" LIGHT AND THE "TRAC OFF" LIGHT STAYED ON WHILE I DROVE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO MY HOUSE. I PARKED THE CAR FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, STARTED IT UP AND THE DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT. EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE, AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. THERE'S A LITTLE OVER 59,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. LESS THEN TWO WEEKS LATER, JUST YESTERDAY 11/27/06, I WAS TURNING ONTO JEFFERSON IN DETROIT, WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. *NM

I OWN A 2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT1 VIN NUMBER[XXX]AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS IN HOT WEATHER AND I FOUND A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER I NEVER RECEIVED A NOTICE BECAUSE I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS CAR. I CONTACTED A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE VIN DOES NOT FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF CARS AFFECTED, SO I CALLED GM TWICE. THE FIRST PERSON TOLD ME IT DID AND THE SECOND TOLD ME IT DIDN'T. IT HAS THE SAME SYMPTOMS REGARDLESS OF VIN AND IS DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC BECAUSE IT WILL NOT THROTTLE DOWN. THE CAR HAD ABOUT 25,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE MY WIFE DROVE IT FOR THE MOST PART, BUT SAID SHE HAD ALSO NOTICED IT PRIOR. THE CAR IS UNSAFE IN HOT WEATHER FOR OUR DRIVING CONDITIONS HERE IN MARYLAND, AND I WANT GM TO COVER THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE CAR IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND IT'S A FACTORY DEFECT JUST LIKE ON THE OTHER GRAND AM'S. *NM *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEVERAL TIMES SINCE PURCHASING MY 2003 PONTIAC, THERE IS INTERMITTENT CLICKING COMING FROM THE HAZARD SWITCH AREA IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND SEVERAL INSTANCES OF TAIL LIGHT, TURN SIGNAL, AND HAZARD LIGHT FAILURE. HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED BY A MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT IS COMING FROM THE MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND WILL COST MORE THAN $300 TO FIX. I HAVE FOUND OTHER REPORTS OF THIS MALFUNCTION FROM PONTIAC OWNERS FROM 1999 UP THROUGH 2004 AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A RECALL FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE HAZARD SWITCH. MY HAZARD SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED AND DID NOT ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

DRIVER SIDE FRONT WINDOW WONT ROLL UP OR DOWN AND THE REGULATOR IS FINE AND SO IS THE MOTOR. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT START. THERE WERE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD WHICH INDICATED THE BATTERY WAS WORKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT A SECURITY FEATURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDED THAT IF THIS OCCURRED AGAIN THE KEY SHOULD BE TURNED TO THE ON MODE WITHOUT COMPLETELY STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE KEY NEEDED TO SIT IN THAT POSITION FOR TEN MINUTES THEN TURN THE VEHICLE OFF FOR 5 MINUTES. AFTER THIS PROCESS, THE VEHICLE SHOULD START NORMALLY. IF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT START REPEAT THE PREVIOUS STEP TWO TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A COMPLAINT WAS TAKEN. *NM

GRINDING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END AT LOW SPEED RATTLE FROM THE FRONT END AT SLOW TURNS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW DID NOT GO DOWN. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE MOTOR AND SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

FAST CLICKING SOUND(SOUNDS LIKE THE BLINKER IS GOING BUT IT IS NOT) VERY IRRITATING AND I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND PONTIAC WILL NOT RECALL IT. AND IT COSTS OVER 400 DOLLARS TO FIX. *JB

NO PRIOR WARNING. CAR DIED IN MIDDLE OF FREEWAY. UNKNOWN OR UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *JB

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THE SECURITY LIGHT ON MY 2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM WOULD COME ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF UNTIL I STOPPED THE CAR LET IT SIT FOR AWHILE. ON 8/15/2006 THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO GOODYEAR. THE GOODYEAR STORE INFORMED ME THAT THEY COULD NOT START THE CAR AND SUSPECTED THAT THE COMPUTER WAS BAD SINCE THEY COULD NOT GET A NEGATIVE FEED TO THE FUEL INJECTORS. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I TOW THE CAR TO A DEALER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS UNLOADED IT STARTED. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE PERSON THAT IT APPEARED TO BE A RESULT OF THE IGNITION NOT BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CHIP ON THE KEY. AFTER THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER WAS ACTIVATING THE KILL SWITCH AND THAT IT HAD SHORTED THE BCM THEREBY PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STARTING. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH OF THEM OR THE CAR COULD SHUT DOWN AT ANY TIME. THE CAR HAS 40,000 MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY THE COST TO REPLACE THESE ITEMS WAS $752.00. I HAVE NOTICED ON SEVERAL WEBSITES THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON TO THIS VEHICLE AND IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. FURTHERMORE, BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED AT THE DEALER THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *NM