2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

WHILE BRAKING AT ANY SPEED THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE LEFT/RIGHT, AND CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED VEHICLE ONCE, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

THE IGNITION SWITCH SYSTEM KEEPS LOCKING THE CAR UP AND WILL NOT LET IT START. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AND AT A COST OF BETWEEN $500.00 AND $700.00 EACH TIME. THE DEALER REPLACES SWITCH AND OTHER COMPONETS EACH TIME. THIS STARTED WHEN THE CAR REACHED 50,000 MILES AND WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *JB

09/01/04 - LOW COOLANT WARNING LIGHT FOLLOWING COLD ENGINE STARTS. NO VISIBLE COOLANT LEAKS, ADDED 16 OZ. COOLANT TO FIX PROBLEM. 11/01/04 - SAME PROBLEM, ADDED 16 OZ. COOLANT TO FIX PROBLEM. 12/23/04 - LOW COOLANT LIGHT ALWAYS ON WHILE DRIVING. 01/14/05 - INTAKE GASKET WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING COOLANT EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY. POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE TO ENGINE. POTENTIAL FOR ENGINE TO OVERHEAT, WHICH IS DANGEROUS TO PASSENGERS IN SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES DURING WINTER MONTHS. INTAKE GASKET WAS REPLACED AT COSTLY $650 REPAIR BILL. *JB

RECALL CAMPAIGN: THE CONSUMER STATES THE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. A RECALL FOR IT WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE'S VIN NUMBER IS OUTSIDE OF THE REMEDY SCOPE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

I AM ONE OF MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. I OWN A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM. AT ABOUT 53,000 MILES I NOTICED A COOLANT LEAK ON MY GARAGE FLOOR. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION I NOTICED THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET. I PROMPTLY CALLED UP MY LOCAL DEALER, JACK WALKER PONTIAC IN DAYTON, OHIO. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR JANUARY 4, 2005 TO HAVE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. WHEN THE PHONE CALL CAME IN FROM THE DEALER WITH THE ESTIMATION OF $765, I WAS STUNNED, BUT KNEW IT WAS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT HAD TO BE ATTENDED TO. SO I OK'D THE PROCEDURE. ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2005 MY CAR WAS FINALLY READY FOR PICKUP. I WENT TO PICK IT UP, PAID THE $780 AND GOT IN THE CAR. AFTER I TURNED IT ON, IT FLASHED "LOW COOLANT". I PROCEEDED TO WALK BACK INTO THE REPAIR CENTER, AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE MAN THERE TALKED TO THE MECHANIC, WHO SAID THAT IT WAS JUST AIR IN THE COOLANT LINE; IT COULD BE CLEARED IN ABOUT 10-20 MINUTES. ONE HOUR LATER THEY FINALLY RELEASED THE CAR TO ME. I THINK IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT GM IS NOT FORCED TO RECALL THIS MANIFOLD HEAD GASKET SINCE IT IS SUCH A PROMINENT ISSUE IN MOST GM V6-STYLE ENGINES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.*AK

TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. IT STARTED WHEN THE WEATHER WAS GETTING COLDER. THEY EVENTUALLY MAY START WORKING. I FOUND IF I WOULD WIGGLE THE HAZARD SWITCH THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD WORK. I BOUGHT AND REPLACED THE HAZARD SWITCH 22624799 AND IT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A RECALL BUT IT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY VIN. *AK

FAILURE OF TURN SIGNALS ON 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM. TURN SIGNALS FREQUENTLY WILL NOT OPERATE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF DRIVING. THIS FAILURE OF THE TURN SIGNAL SYSTEM GREATLY INCREASES THE DANGER OF DRIVING ON FREEWAYS AND IN GENERAL. TURN SIGNALS MAY NOT OPERATE IN EITHER DIRECTION FOR HOURS, THEN HAPPEN TO WORK PROPERLY FOR A WHILE, BEFORE RETURNING TO NON-FUNCTIONING. TOOK CAR FOR REPAIR, BUT SIGNALS WORKED THAT DAY. NO INCIDENTS OR INJURIES, JUST MORE DANGER WHEN NON-FUNCTIONING ON A CAR THAT IS RELATIVELY NEW. THANKS. *AK

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW GT AND SINCE I'VE HAD IT THE BRAKES MADE A SLIGHT GRINDING NOISE IN THE FRONT, I JUST FIGURED THE CAR WAS NEW AND 4 WHEEL DISC BRAKES JUST MAKE THAT NOISE. I DRIVE A LOT OF HIGHWAY MILE SO OF COURSE AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED THE NOISE GOT WORSE. AFTER 38000 MILES I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC HE REPLACED THE FRONT PADS AND RESURFACED A ROTOR BUT COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS, HE THOUGHT IT WAS A BUSHING OR A BOOT WORN OUT. HE GREASED IT AND THE NOISE DISSAPEARED FOR ABOUT A WEAK . THEN I TOOK IN WITH 56000 MILE AND IT NEEDED PAD, A CALIPER AND HE RESURFACED THE OTHER ROTOR.AGAIN, AFTER A WEAK THE NOISE CAME BACK. NOW, WITH 64000 THE NOISE IS WORSE THAN EVER , A CONSTANT GRINDING, SCRAPING SOUND. I GOING TAKE IT TO THE MECHANIC AGAIN. FOR ALL THE HIGHWAY I DRIVE I SHOULDN'T BE GOING THROUGH BRAKES LIKE THIS.*AK

STARTED SEEING COOLANT LEAKING FROM UNDER HOOD. WENT TO DALER AND THEY PRESSURE TESTED AND FOUND NOTHING. A DAY LATER STARTED LEAKING EVEN MORE. DEALER THEN SAID HEAD GASKET FAULTY AND HE ALSO SAID HE HAS SEEN SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE AT ABOUT THE 60K MILE MARK. THEY REPLACED THE GASKET AT A COST OF OVER $800.00. EVERY SHOP I CONTACTED SAID THEY KNOW OF THE PROBLEM. SHOULDN'T THIS BE REPLACED AT PONTIAC'S EXPENSE. *AK

RECALL 03V327000 CONCERNING HAZARD WARNING SWITCH: AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A CLICKING SOUND IN THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, BUT ANOTHER ISSUE NOT PERTAINING TO THE RECALL. *AK