2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

RENTER CAR I SECURED IN APRIL 2004 HAD STEERING PROBLEMS WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH. *BF *SC

COMPLAINT AGAINST GENERAL MOTOR CORPORATION. *BF ABS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. VEHICLE SERVICED THREE TIMES AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *TC

THE VEHICLE WAS FLOODED. WATER LEAKED THROUGH THE SUN ROOF BECAUSE OF A MALFUNCTION IN THE DRAINS. THE PATH THE WATER WENT WAS THE FLOOR BOARD, IT SOAKED THE COMPUTER ON THE SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD PANEL. THIS CAUSED ELECTRICAL FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION CAUSED BY THE WATER. ALSO, THE MOLD AND MILDEW WAS MAKING THE CONSUMER'S CHILD SICK. THEY HAVE HAD RESPIRATORY INFECTION ETC. *JB

GAS TANK RUPPTURED TRAVELING ON A ROAD FREE OF DEBRI AT A SPEED OF 20-25 MPH/ I HEARD A LOUD THUMP IN REAR OF VEHICHLE UPON ARRIVING HOME WHEN GETTING OUT I SMELLED A VERY STRONG GAS AROMA, LOOKING UNDER THE CAR GAS WAS STREAMING OUT OF BOTTOM OF GAS TANK IN ABOUT 6 STREAMS APPROXIMATELY 1-1 1/2 INCHES IN FRONT OF MY EXHAUST SYSTEM. NO ONE WITH GM SEEMS TO FEEL THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE FOR THE GAS TANK TO FAIL AT THIS SPEED OR THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAD BEEN IN THE HAIRDRESSER FOR ABOUT 2 HR SO THE CAR WAS COLD AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I AM SCARED TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD BEEN RUNNING A NORMAL DAY OF MY ERRANDS AND THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WAS WARM WITH GAS STREAMING OVER IT. THEY ARE MAKING ME PAY $750.00 TO REPLACE THE TANK. I FEEL THAT THIS IS UNFAIR ALSO ANYONE OWNING THIS CAR LIKE MYSELF IS IN DANGER, AS THEY ARE MAKING LIGHT OF THE SITUATION AND COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TO MYSELF AND OTHER OWNERS. *AK

WHILE APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE UNCONTROLLABLY ON IT IS OWN. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. *AK

CONSUMER COMPLAINED THAT INTERIOR/EXTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD DIM WHEN APPLYING BRAKES OR ROLLING DOWN THE POWER WINDOW ON DRIVER'S SIDE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT IT WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THAT VEHICLE.*AK

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER PULLED TO THE RIGHT. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DELARSHIP. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MPH THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. ALSO, THE BRAKE LINE WAS LEAKING AND THAT THE MOUNTING OF THE BRAKE LINE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE ENGINE WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKE LINE TO LEAK. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS VERY CAVALIER IN HIS APPROACH, THUS IRRITATING THE CONSUMER. *AK *SC *JB

DURING LOW SPEED MANUEVERS, TURNING INTO A PARCKING SPACE,PARRALLEL PARKING, WHEN TURNING AT IDLE SPEED STEERING TIGHTENS UP LIKE IT IS MANUAL STEERING. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP THEY ORDERED A NEW POWERSTEERING PUMP. CAR CURRENTLY HAS 10,000 MILES BUT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE NEW.. JUST A LITTLE INFO INCASE ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM.*AK

NO OTHER MANUFACTURER, AMERICAN OR FORIEGN, HAS A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF WARPED FRONT ROTORS, AND WITHIN THE LAST DECADE THIS PROBLEM INCREASINGLY SHOWS ITSELF AT RELATIVEY LOW MILAGE. MY MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE (LAST 3 YEARS) WAS A NEW GRAND AM SE DEVELOPING PULSATING BRAKES AT 20K MI. THE DEALER FOUGHT WITH US TOOTH & NAIL AND SAID "THAT'S YOUR FAULT, WE AINT PAYING FOR ANYTHING!" I CALLED THE PONTIAC ZONE AND RAISED HELL, ..NO CIGAR. FINALLY GOT WITH THE SHOP MANAGER TO PULL THE ROTORS & PUT THEM ON THE LATHE AND SEE HOW TRUE THEY WERE. THEY WEREN'T, BUT WE KNEW THAT BEFORE WE GOT STARTED. THE BRAKE PADS SHOWED VERY LITTLE WEAR. CONCLUSION, I GOT HUSTLED OUT OF THE SHOP WITH "WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT." THEY DID, A NEW BRAKE JOB AT NO CHARGE. THE SECOND CAR WAS A 2000 MALIBU. CHEVROLET, THEY SAID PAY US FOR NEW ROTORS OR TAKE A HIKE. WE HIKED. REPLACED THE BRAKES MYSELF AND THE PROBLEM CAME RIGHT BACK AROUND 18K MI. I SOLD THE CAR INSTEAD OF FIXING IT. MY LAST GM CAR IS AN 04 GRAND AM, AND WITH JUST 11K MI, ...HERE WE GO AGAIN!! GENERAL MOTORS KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM. IT'S RAMPANT IN THE PRODUCT LINE- UP. TO ANNOUNCE A CHANGE WOULD BE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN AS A MATTER OF CORPORATE POLICY AS THAT MIGHT DRAW LIABILITY LEADING TO POSSIBLE CLASS ACTION SUITS. KEEP IN MIND THAT BRAKES ARE A SAFETY ITEM NOT SUBJECT TO LIMITATIONS OF WARRANTY OR LIABILITY WHERE IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT GM "KNEW, OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN", THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. ERGO, OPENED ENDED LIABILITY. FURTHER, GM HAS KNOWN OF THESE POORLY PERFORMING PARTS THRU THEIR DEALERSHIPS AND HIGH VOLUME REPLACEMENTS ORDERED THRU THE DEALERS AND INDEPENDENT PARTS OUTLETS. AND FINALLY, THE ASTONISHING THING ABOUT THIS PART IS THAT IT'S AS LOW TECH AS IT GETS. IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN CAST PIG IRON. THE FIX IS IN THE METAL CHEMISTRY AND CASTING TECHNIQUE. WHERE GM GETS A FREE RIDE IS TO ARGUE THAT THIS ITEM IS "CONSUMABLE" AND SUBJECT TO WEAR AND ABUSE BEYOND THE MANUFACTURERS CONTROL.