1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

THE MOTORS ON THE WINDOWS GO OUT AROUND 97K MILES. MY DRIVERS WINDOW WENT OUT A MONTH AGO. MY RIGHT, FRONT WINDOW IS ABOUT TO GO OUT, AND MY BACK RIGHT WINDOW WENT OUT TODAY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH FAULTY WINDOW MOTORS WITH THIS MODEL. THE TOTAL COST OUT OF MY POCKET FOR THIS INCIDENT IS ABOUT $1000 INCLUDED WITH A LOT OF FRUSTRATION!

ENGINE FAILED.HIS CAR HAS 58250 MILES. MY DAUGHTER CALLED ME AT WORK TO INFORM ME THAT SOMETHING IS MAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR, BUT IT GOES AWAY ONCE YOU EXCEED 20MPH. AFTER DINNER I PUP THE HOOD OPEN AND TRY TO START THE CAR. I DISCOVER THAT NOISE DURING STARTUP WAS NOT NORMAL, AND CAR HAS GREAT DIFFICULTIES TO START. WHEN IT FINALLY STARS, I HEAR KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE NOISE WAS CONCENTRATED ON THE CYLINDER NEXT TO TIMING CHAIN. I STOPPED THE ENGINE AND CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, IT WAS OK. I CONTACTED LOCAL AUTO REPAIR SHOP. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO BRING THE CAR TO THE SHOP, BUT TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND TRY NOT TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. WHEN I GOT THERE AND PARKED THE CAR I ALSO NOTED THAT MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON DURING IDLE. MY MECHANIC DETERMINES IMMEDIATELY THAT MY ENGINE COMPLETELY FAILED. HE ALSO MAKE SAYS THAT HE IS NOT SURPRISED AT ALL ONCE HE SAW THAT THIS IS 4 CYLINDER 2.4L ENGINE. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE REPAIR COST WILL BE OVER $3000.00. THIS IS ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS THEN THE BLUE BOOK VALUE. IM DRIVING MY FRIENDS SPARE CAR 1988 MAZDA MX6 AND MY DAUGHTER DRIVES MY OTHER PONTIAC 1996 BONNEVILLE SSE, (WHICH BY THE WAY JUST HAVE WATER PUMP FAILURE AFTER 48000MI) I SEARCH MANY BULLETIN BOARDS ON THE NET AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS NOT ISOLATED INCIDENT. MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCED EXACTLY THE SOME PROBLEM BETWEEN 50000 AND 80000 MI. HAVING ENGINE FAILURE @ LESS THEN 60000MI SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. BASED ON MY RESEARCH THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY CPA FOR RECALL. BY THE WAY I PURCHASED MY FIRST CAR IN 1974 IT WAS THE BUICK ELECTRA, SINCE THEN MY FAMILY OWNED 9 DIFFERENT CARS (ALL GM) BUT IM 100% POSITIVE THAT THIS GRAND AM WAS MY LAST GM CAR. MY NEXT CAR WILL BE JAPANESE. MY FRIEND JUST CLOCK 250000MI ON HIS HONDA ACCORD, THE ONLY MAJOR COMPONENT THAT FAILED WAS THE ALTERNATOR @ 165000MI. SORRY GM, BUT THERE IS NO MORE GAS IN YOUR THANK FOR ME.*AK

BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES APART. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR ANY WARNING OF POSSIBLE CAR PROBLEMS BEFORE OR AFTER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. PASSENGER SIDE DEPLOYED AROUND 7:30 WHILE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND DRIVERS SIDE DEPLOYED AROUND 7:40 WHILE PULLING OUT OF A BUSINESS PARKING LOT.*AK

CAR HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT, WAXED AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR. WHEN WAXING FOUND PAINT WAS PEELING ON ENGINE HOOD ALONG THE SIDE THAT GOES DOWN INTO THE ENGINE.*AK

PROBLEMS WITH GOODYEAR TIRE EQUIPMENT ON 1997 A PONTIAC GRAND AM.*MR THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE TIRES, ONE OF THE TIRES EXPERIENCED A FLAT AND THE LOCAL TIRE SHOP RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF ALL FOUR TIRES, GOODYEAR INTEGRITY XNW9608B TIRES WERE CHOSEN, AFTER ABOUT 100 MILES OF DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD A STRANGE NOISE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THE TIRE SHOWED SIGNS OF TREAD SEPARATION, 200 MILES LATER THE NOISE CAME BACK. *JB *NLM

I HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION DUE TO SEVERE SLIPPAGE 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. 82000 MILES ON IT. DRIVERS POWER WINDOW SYSTEM NEEDED REPAIRED. PASS FRONT INOP. RADIO KNOW IS SCREWED UP.*AK

SERPENTINE BELT WAS OFF PULLEYS CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH STEERING.*MR THE VEHICLE STEAMED OVER AND DEX COOL BOILED OUT. *PH

WHILE DRIVING 25-35 MPH THE CONSUMER'S SON DROVE THROUGH WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A PUDDLE, BUT WAS ACTUALLY A POT HOLE. THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED CAUSING ABRASIONS ON THE DRIVER'S ARMS. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE INFORMED. THE DEALER FOUND NO CAUSE FOR THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. *AK *TS *NLM

AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE BECAME SATURATED BY WATER CAUSING IT TO FAIL. I REPLACED IT AT MY OWN EXPENSE BUT I NOW UNDERSTAND THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN BY GM. *LA

FRONT PASSENGER'S AND DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS OPENED AND CLOSED VERY SLOWLY. THE REAR PASSENGER AND DRIVER WINDOWS DID NOT OPEN AT ALL BECAUSE THE MOTOR FAILED. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE FRONT WINDOWS ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING MOTOR FAILURE. *AK *PH *NLM