1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AND TURNING TO THE LEFT THERE WAS NO STEERING. ALSO, BRAKE FAILED, AND VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED. *AK

WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AT 25 MPH TO MAKE A TURN, THE DRIVER'S FRONTAL AIR BAG INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED. PLEASE DESCRIBE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM

REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP WHICH MADE THE VEHICLE IMMOBILE. EVERY 15,000 MILES, THE ROTORS AND PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED. SINCE LAST REPORTED, THE CONSUMER CHANGED THE ROTORS, SENSORS AND BRAKE DRUM'S. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. *PH *JB

THE CHECK OIL LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE STALLED AND SHUT DOWN. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DRIVER REQUESTED THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TO LOOK AT VEHICLE BECAUSE IT WAS ON RECALL A YEAR AGO. *AK

NHTSA RECALL 02-V-070-000: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILED TO START AND THE DRIVER HELD THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLEW THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCED ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS. THIS RECALL FAILED AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE.*AK CONSUMER HAD BACKED UP APPROX. FIVE FEET IN AN PARKING LOT WHEN THE ENGINE DIED AND SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. AT FIRST THE CONSUMER COULDN'T GET THE KEYS OUT AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN "PARK". AFTER WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEYS THE SMOKE STOPPED. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ARRIVED, HE COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE LINKAGES. *PH *JB

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT A RECALL PERFORMED ON IGNITION WIRING HARNESS. STATED THAT AFTER THE RECALL WAS DONE THE BATTERY DRAINED INTO THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF RECALL REPAIRS DONE. DEALER WAS CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WAS WRONG WAS THAT THE BATTERY DRAINED, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO.*AK

NHTSA RECALL 02V070000, IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE RAN HOT AND SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE OWNER DID RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF THE RECALL. PONTIAC CUSTOMER RELATIONS DECLINED ANY SERVICE TO ASSIST THE CONSUMER, INCLUDING TOWING AND RECALL PART EXPENSES. THE KEY HAD BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION PRIOR TO RECEIVING THE RECALL NOTICE. *AK *CB *JB

PERIODICALLY THE KEY GETS STUCK IN THE "ON" POSITION. THIS HAS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE SENDING UNIT TO THE CRANKCASE. *AK

I HAVE A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM WITH A QUAD 4 ENGINE IN IT. THE ENGINE HAS 100,050 MILES ON IT, I TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT, OIL CHANGES ON TIME DID ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE ON IT REQUIRED IN THE BOOK, ETC, ETC. I STARTED THE CAR THE OTHER DAY AND THE WHOLE THING JERKED FORWARD, MADE A LOUD BANG THEN WOULD NOT DO ANY THING BUT TURN OVER REALLY FAST. I HAD IT TOWED IN TO MY MECHANIC AND FOUND OUT THAT MY ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE EXHAUST VALVES SMASHED INTO THE PISTONS AND DID A LOT OF DAMAGE. FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THREE DIFFERENT MECHANICS IS THAT THE QUAD 4 ENGINE MADE BY GM IS THE WORST ENGINE EVER DESIGNED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT ON THE MARKET. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT ON THIS TYPE OF CAR OVER 100,000 MILES WAS LUCKY AND THAT KIND OF MILES ON THIS ENGINE IS CONSIDERED HIGH MILEAGE. I WAS TOLD ONE OF TWO THINGS COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS AND THAT BOTH PROBLEMS ARE COMMON IN THIS CAR. THE FIRST CAUSE COULD HAVE BEEN THE HYDRAULIC FLUID THAT CAUSES THE MANIFOLD GASKET TO OPEN WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT OFF SLUDGED UP AND THIS CAUSED THE TIMING TO MIS ALIGN AT START UP AND CAUSED THE VALVES AND PISTONS TO SMASH TOGETHER. THE SECOND COMMON CAUSE FOR THIS IN THIS TYPE OF ENGINE IS THE PIN IN THE CAM SHAFT SNAPPED OFF AT START UP AND CAUSED THE TIMING TO JUMP AND CRASH THE PISTONS AND VALVES TOGETHER. BOTH PROBLEMS ARE KNOWN BY GM, YET THE CONSUMER IS NOT ALERTED SO THEY CAN GO IN AND GET THE CAM PIN CHECKED OR HAVE THE FLUID CHECKED FOR SLUDGING. *JB

MY DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHILE I WAS DRIVING EASTBOUND ON RT. 251 WITHOUT CAUSE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS BY MYSELF AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. LUCKILY, I SUSTAINED MINOR ABRASIONS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY FACE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY WOULD NOT PAY FOR REPAIRS, DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORT.*JB