2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

I JUST RECENTLY REPLACED THE COOLANT INTAKE IN MY 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE 6 CYLINDER. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS MANY TIMES BEFORE AND THAT IT IS A COSTLY MANUFACTURING ERROR. I ALSO HAVE TO REPLACE MY MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL RECALL CAME OUT. I HAVE DONE A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE COOLANT INTAKE PROBLEM AND AS I HAVE STATED I HAVE FOUND THAT AS WELL AS MY GM DEALER HAVE ALL NOTED THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE GASKET IN IT'S RELATION TO THE DEX-COOL COOLANT (THE COOLANT IS ACIDIC AND EATS AWAY AT THE GASKET WHICH LEADS TO COOLANT GETTING INTO ENGINE OR OIL GETTING INTO COOLANT). I WOULD LIKE TO LOOKED AT FURTHER. *JB

FOR ABOUT A YEAR THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ANTI-THEFT (PASSLOCK) SYSTEM, RENDERING IT DISABLED UNTIL THE IGNITION KEY IS LEFT IN THE ON POSITION FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES. IT CAN THEN BE STARTED. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS WELL AS IT IS GOING TO EVENTUALLY CAUSE A FAILURE OF THE IGNITION SYSTEM. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE WRITER AT MY PONTIAC DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD BE MY IGNITION SWITCH, BUT SHE HAD NO DEFINITE ANSWER TO MY PROBLEM. ALSO, REPLACING THE SWITCH WOULD COST ME ABOUT $400.00. WE NEED A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM! IT SEEMS THAT A LOT OF THESE CARS ARE PROBLEMATIC IN THIS AREA! *JB

THE TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS ARE DEFECTIVE AND DO NOT WORK 99% OF THE TIME. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AND THEY DID NOT FIX IT FOR ME. DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. HAVE HAD SEVERAL TICKETS DUE TO NOT PROPERLY USING MY TURN SIGNALS. *JB

SECURITY SYSTEMS KEEPS LOCKING MY CAR AND IT WON'T START. THEY SAY ITS THE HALL EFFECT SENSOR ON THE IGNITION SWITCH. I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR AND I LOVE PONTIACS, BUT I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE IF THIS PROBLEMS ISN'T RESOLVED. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 4 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR. NO KEYLESS REMOTES CAME WITH THE CAR SO I AM NOT SURE WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. THIS IS BEGINNING TO GET REALLY FRUSTRATING. *NM

FOR THE SECOND TIME I AM REPLACING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IN MY 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT. MY MECHANIC, ALSO THE PLACE THAT CHANGES MY OIL, AS WELL AS MY GM DEALER HAVE ALL NOTED THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE GASKET IN IT'S RELATION TO THE DEX-COOL COOLANT (THE COOLANT IS ACIDIC AND EATS AWAY AT THE GASKET WHICH LEADS TO COOLANT GETTING INTO ENGINE OR OIL GETTING INTO COOLANT). MECHANIC SAYS HE SEES AT LEAST ONE OF THESE A WEEK (VERY SMALL TOWN, LOW POPULATION, HIGH INCIDENCE -- IS RELATED TO THE ENGINE THAT GM USED FOR THAT YEAR AND MODEL (AND OTHERS AS WELL).. MINE HAPPENS TO BE THE 3.4 LITRE. *JB

I HAVE HAD A FAILURE WITH MY MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH CAUSING MY TURN SIGNAL SOUND TO CONSTANTLY BE GOING OFF. A COUPLE OF TIMES, MY STEERING COLUMN HAS STARTED SMOKING FROM THIS. IT IS ALSO A DISTRACTION FROM PAYING ATTENTION TO DRIVING. *JB

2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM, WENT TO START MY CAR AND THE ENGINE CRANKS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE I'M OUT OF GAS, AND WON'T START. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE RKE (REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY) SYSTEM HAS A DEFECT IN IT THAT CAUSES CAR NOT TO START. AS OF NOW THERE IS NO RECALL ON THE PASSLOCK SYSTEMS. AS FOR A FIX, THE EXPERTS ARE HONESTLY NOT SURE. THE MECHANICS I HAVE SPOKEN TO CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT AND THE ONLY FIX THAT SEEMS TO WORK IS ONE FOUND ON A DISCUSSION THREAD: TO RESET THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM, PUT KEY IN THE IGNITION AND LEAVE IT IN 'ON' POSITION FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES. THEN TURN IT OFF, AND TRY - IT SHOULD START THEN. WARNING: CONTINUED RESETTING OF THE COMPUTER THIS WAY WILL EVENTUALLY DAMAGE COMPUTER AND WILL COST LOTS TO REPLACE/FIX. IS PONTIAC GOING TO REPLACE OR FIX MY COMPUTER WHEN I GET IT MESSED UP BY RESETTING IT LIKE I DESCRIBED ABOVE? SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE AND THE BRAKES VIBRATED. THIS OCCURRED AT ALL SPEEDS ON NORMAL ROADS WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED THE OCCUPANT TO ALERT THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD TO GET THE THRID SET OF ROTORS AND BRAKES INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE. UPDATED *JB

BRAKE LIGHT ON DRIVER SIDE DEFECTIVE WILL NOT ILLUMINATE BOTH LIGHTS. BULBS WERE REPLACED. CIRCUIT BOARD WAS REPLACED, AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURS. THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ILLUMINATE BOTH LIGHTS. *NM

IT STARTED WITH A VERY ANNOYING FAST CLICKING NOISE. IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE! THEN, SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. I HAD THE HAZARD SWITCH REPLACED UNDER THE RECALL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TODAY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT IS MY MULTIFUCTION SWITCH, IT SHORTED OUT THE HAZARD SWITCH, WHICH I ALREADY HAD REPLACED. NOW, I AM GETTING CHARGED 315.00 TO GET IT FIXED! I HAVE SEEN MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ON MANY YEARS OF THE GRAND AM. YOU WOULD FIGURE THAT IF THE COMPANY KNEW ABOUT IT, THEN THEY WOULD TAKE THE TIME AND MONEY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, THE RIGHT WAY. I HAVE TOLD EVERYONE THAT I KNOW ABOUT THIS, AND NOT TO EVER BUY A PONTIAC THEY DON'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CONSUMERS!! *NM