2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

WATER LEAKED INTO FLOORBOARD FROM AIR-CONDITIONER. GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT AND BACK WHEELS. TRIM CAME LOOSE FROM BACK BUMPER. REARVIEW MIRROR FELL OFF. HAD NUMEROUS TIMES WHERE THE CAR WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START (DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM) FRONT DRIVER WINDOW WOULD NOT COME DOWN ON OCCASION. CAR CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE DASHBOARD WHILE PARKED IN OUR GARAGE. THE FIRE DID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. THE INSPECTOR SENT OUT TO LOOK AT THE CAR (BY GM) SAID THE FIRE WAS ELECTRICAL AND NOT CAUSED BY ANYTHING WE DID TO THE CAR. THE CAR WAS REPURCHASED BY GM ON JANUARY 7, 2004 AFTER BASICALLY CALLING THEM ON A DAILY BASIS TO GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT. *LA

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES ABS SYSTEM LOCKED. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. *AK

I HAVE A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM. I RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE MODEL AND YEAR HAVING TO DO WITH HAZARD WARNING SWITCHES THAT ARE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING TURN SIGNALS/HAZARD LAMPS TO BECOME INTERMITTENT OR INOPERATIVE (RECALL #03V327000, GM RECALL #03043). I HAD THIS INTERMITTENT TURN SIGNAL PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE, SO I CONTACTED GM AND WAS INFORMED THAT MY VIN NUMBER [XXX] IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL PONTIAC DEALER ON 12-31-03 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR. THEY REPLACED THE HAZARD SWITCH. THE SUMMARY ON THEIR INVOICE SAYS: 44337 BAD SWITCH REPLACE HASARD SWITCH 770.5. THIS SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL, BUT SINCE THIS VEHICLE VIN NUMBER IS NOT IN THE RECALL, I HAD TO PAY THE COST OF PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX THIS PROBLEM ($89.16). I AM SUBMITTING THIS INFORMATION TO YOU BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVED AND BECAUSE IT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE RECALL MENTIONED ABOVE. THANK YOU.*AK *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

BLOWER MOTOR FOR HEATER/AIR CONDITIONER HAS FAILD TWICE. FIRST TIME DID NOT WORK ON 1 OR 2. SECOND TIME FAILD TO OPERATE ON 1,2, AND 3.*AK

I OWN A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT. I BOUGHT IT 1 YEAR USED FROM SOMEONE WHO TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT AND HAD ALL THE SERVICE WORK RECEIPTS. THERE WAS A VERY NOTICEABLE CONSTANT GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT TIRES, ESPECIALLY AT LOWER SPEEDS AROUND 35 MPH AND UNDER. I TOOK IT TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS WITH NO HELP. THE FIRST ONE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, AND THE SECOND SAID IT WAS THE TIRES (GOODYEAR EAGLE). THE TIRE DIDN'T FIT THE RIM PERFECTLY AND WAS RUBBING ON THE RIM. THEY ONLY HAD 22,000 MILES ON THEM AND IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THEY SAID PONTIAC PUT 2 DIFFERENT STYLE TIRES ON THE GRAND AM AND WOULD ONLY REPLACE ONE TYPE, EVEN THOUGH BOTH STYLES MADE THIS NOISE. I BIT THE BULLET AND BOUGHT 4 NEW TIRES - COOPER, NOT GOODYEAR. IT TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT I AM STILL VERY UPSET THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRES EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. *LA

WHEN SHIFTING GEARS THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THE SHAFT INSIDE OF TRANSMISSION BROKE OFF AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK IN ADDITION, THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *PH *NM

I OWN A 2001 GRAND AM. FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, I HAD NOTICED A CLUNKING SOUND WHEN GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS ACOMPANIED BY VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I TOOK THE CAR IN TODAY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. IT TURNED OUT THAT MY STRUT MOUNTS AND ON BOTH THE DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE WERE BROKEN. THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY KIND OF ACCIDENT. I WAS SHOCKED THAT SUCH A SERIOUS DEFECT WAS DISCOVERED. LUCKILY, THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO NO EXPENSE WAS PASSED ON TO ME BUT, THE CONCERN THAT THIS COULD HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT IS VERY REAL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 21,000 MILES ON IT.

2 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE, FLOORBOARD WAS DRENCHED AND TOOK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE REPAIRED.THEY SAID IT WAS;HOWEVER, THE NEXT BIG RAIN THE CAR WAS DRENCHED AGAIN. THE CAR STAYED FOR ALMOST 2 WEEKS DURING WHICH TIME, THE MECHANICS COULD NOT "FIGURE IT OUT" AND I WAS INFORMED THAT SOME "EXPERIMENTAL" FLUID WAS USED TO TRY TO STOP THE LEAK, BUT THAT DID NOT WORK SO IT WAS BEING REMOVED. THE MECHANICS WERE PUTTING IT UNDER THE WATER HOSE TO SEE IF THEY COULD DETERMINE THE LEAK. THIS WAS FINALLY FIXED, THOUGH I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN OR WHAT THE FINAL FIX WAS DONE. 6 MONTHS LATER, THE BLINKERS WENT OUT AND WERE HAPHAZARD WORKING. THIS WAS REPAIRED UNDER A DIFFERENT PONTIAC DEALERSHIP AS I WAS LEERY TO "EXPERIMENTS." 3 MONTHS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON OR THE CHECK VEHICLE LIGHT, HEADLIGHTS WERE ACTING FUNNY. DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THIS WAS DUE TO CORROSION AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. LAST WEEK, THE TRACTION OFF LIGHT KEPT COMING ON, THE HEADLIGHTS KEPT BLOWING BULBS, THE SERVICE VEHICLE LIGHT WAS ON, THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER WOULD NOT WORK, AND THE DAYLIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE MAP SENSOR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL CIRCUIT CONTROL MODULE WAS NOT COVERED. I WAS INFORMED BY DEALER#2 THAT THE FAULTY PARTS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE PRIOR WATER LEAKAGE. BOTH THE WARRANTY COMPANY AND DEALER #2 TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH HEADLIGHTS AND A LIGHTING SYSTEM WAS PERTINENT, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO FIX IT AT NO COST TO ME. DEALER #2 FIXED THE MAP SENSOR AND I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE. NOW OTHER PROBLEMS AFTER MAP REPAI. SINCE THE CAR WAS WATERLOGGED AND IT IS ONLY LOGICAL THAT ANY WATER DAMAGE SHOULD BE COVERED BY SOMEONE. I CALLED DEALER#1 AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION. AT THIS TIME, WHEN THEY PULLED UP THE RECORD OF THE CAR, I WAS INFORMED THE WATER LEAKAGE WAS ON A SERVICE BULLETIN I DID NOT GO PUT MY CAR IN THE LAKE AND I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS KIND OF HASSLE.*AK

CAR HAS A VERY SLOW AND HARD START MOST OF THE TIME, AND CRANKING NOISE WHEN TRYING TO START. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE IT HAS BEEN BOUGHT AND NOBODY CAN SEEM TO FIGURE THE PROBLEM OUT.*AK

SETTINGS 1 & 2 DO NOT WORK ON AC/HEATER BLOWER FAN SETTINGS 3,4,5 WORK FINE. *JB