2001 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Complaints

I HAD DRIVEN MY CAR A SHORT DISTANCE AND CAME BACK HOME, WITHIN 30 MINUTES IT WAS IN FLAMES. THE NEIGHBORS WERE OUTSIDE WHEN IT HAPPENED AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPT. IT BURNED UP THE WHOLE FRONT END, STATE FARM ISN'T COMING TO INVESTIGATE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COVERAGE. GM/PONTIAC DOESN'T SEEM TO BE TOO INTERESTED, BUT I AM VERY UPSET. THEY MADE THIS CAR, THEY SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THIS. CARS DON'T JUST BURST INTO FLAMES FOR NO REASON. *TR

MY FATHER HELPED ME PURCHASE A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX JUST OVER A MONTH AGO. ORIGINALLY I NOTICED A HESITATION THAT WOULD HAPPEN TWICE JUST FOR FRACTIONS OF A SECOND. AFTER THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED I NOTICED THAT MY TAC WOULD DROP TO 0 THEN THE "TRAC OFF" LIGHT WOULD COME ON. ON MARCH 9TH I WAS DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE CAR STARTED HESITATION. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN THE CAR DID NOT PICK BACK UP, I AM NOT SURE IF THE ENGINE HAD COMPLETELY STOPPED BUT MY POWER STEERING WAS GONE AND PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL DID NOTHING. I HAD TO MILK THE CAR UP TO A SPOT WHERE I HAD TO FORCE THE CAR TO TURN. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF FOR MAYBE A MINUTE THEN STARTED IT BACK UP. MY 3 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE BACK SEAT CRYING THAT SHE HAD TO POTTY SO I TURNED AROUND IN HOPES THAT THE CAR WOULD MAKE IT UP TO A GAS STATION. WHEN I PULLED OUT THE "TRAC OFF' LIGHT CAME ON AND THE TAC DROPPED BUT THE CAR RAN FINE. I HAVE DROVE THE CAR ANOTHER 60MILES SINCE AND HAVE NOT EVEN THE TRAC AND TAC ISSUES SINCE RIGHT AFTER THE INCIDENT. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE I WAS SCARED TO HAVE MY DAUGHTER RIDING IN MY OLD ONE BUT NOW I AM MORE WORRIED ABOUT THIS CAR. I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF POST ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED A BURNING ODOR. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD AND NOTICED FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES, WHICH WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE ORIGINATED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PRIOR TO THE FIRE UNDER A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V118000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE REPAIR REMEDY AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL WAS NOT PERFORMED DUE TO THE LEFT ROCKET COVER GASKET AVAILABILITY HOWEVER, THE WIRE LOOM AND SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE CONSEQUENCE OF A FIRE AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL DEFECT, AS A RESULT OF THE INSUFFICIENT REMEDY PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000.

CAR, WHILE DRIVING, EXPERIENCED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND BEGAN TO STALL. SMALL FIRE YIELDING SMOKE BEGAN IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE PARKED AND ENGINE OFF. WITHIN 10 MINUTES ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES REQUIRING FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH. *TR

I HAVE READ NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PONTIAC GRAND PRIX'S FROM 1997-2003 CATCHING FIRE. THE REMEDY OFFERED BY GENERAL MOTORS WAS TO REPLACE THE FAILED VALVE COVER GASKET IN THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE (RADIATOR SIDE). THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE FAILURE IT IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE FRONT GASKET, AS THE FRONT AND REAR VALVE COVER GASKETS ARE IDENTICAL, AND THE REAR ONE FAILS AND LEAKS JUST AS MUCH AS THE FRONT. THE REASON GENERAL MOTORS REPAIRS ONLY THE FRONT GASKET IS THAT IT IS FAIRLY EASY TO REPLACE AND IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE. THE REAR VALVE COVER GASKET, HOWEVER, HAS A MYRIAD OF COMPONENTS IN THE WAY THAT HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND DISCONNECTED FOR ACCESS TO THE VALVE COVER AND GASKET, WHICH IS A MUCH MORE TIME CONSUMING AND COSTLY REPAIR. GM DENIES THIS FACT AND FORCES US TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS ONLY THE FRONT GASKET THAT IS TROUBLESOME. I OWN THREE GRAND PRIX GTP MODELS (1999,2001,2002) AND EVERY ONE HAS LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKETS, WITH SOMETIMES THE REAR ONE LEAKING MORE THAN THE FRONT DUE TO ITS CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE FIREWALL, RESULTING IS LESS COOLING AND AIRFLOW, MAKING IT MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE FROM HEAT, ESPECIALLY FOR A POORLY DESIGNED OR MADE OF INFERIOR MATERIAL GASKET IN THE FIRST PLACE. NOW I AGREE THAT THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE MAY BE AN ISSUE AS GASKETS DRY UP AND PERHAPS CRACK DUE TO THE MANY HEATING AND COOLING CYCLES OVER THE LIFE OF A VEHICLE, BUT SINCE GM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED A GASKET PROBLEM AND HAS REDESIGNED THE GASKET, BOTH SHOULD BE REPLACED AS A MEASURE OF RESPONSIBILITY ON GM'S PART, AND AS CONSIDERATION FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMER BASE. WHY GM DOESN'T DO THE RIGHT THING IS ANYONE'S GUESS, BUT IGNORING CONSUMERS COMPLAINTS ON SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE IS SHAMEFUL!. *TR

I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH THIS PONTIC GRAND PRIX GT WINDOW MOTORS THREE ABS BRAKE BRAIN LEAKING COOLANT I HAVE SPENT OVER 3000 DOLLARS REPAIRING THIS CAR AND NOW I HAVE COOLANT LEAKING IN MY MOTOR. BY FAR THE WORST CAR I EVER HAD SHAME ON YOU GM YOU HAD TO KNOW. *TR

DRIVING TO WORK DECEMBER 1, 2011, I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL AND THEN A FIRE THROUGH THE DASH. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND REMOVED DASH PANEL AND THREW SNOW INTO DASH TRYING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. WITHIN A NUMBER OF MINUTES THE ENGINE FIRE WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THIS RESULTED IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS BELIEVED THE UNDERHOOD FIRE WAS A RESULT OF THE ISSUE OF GM SAFETY RECALL #09047. THE SAFETY RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED BY A DEALERSHIP ON MAY 18,2009. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS "FIX" HAS PREVENTED THE UNDERHOOD FIRES ON MANY OF THESE RECALLED VEHICLES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR IN A SUBURBAN AREA AT APPROX 20 MPH WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ONTO A SIDE STREET AND WITHIN 15 SECONDS OF NOTICING THE SMOKE THERE WERE FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDER MY HOOD AND THE DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL WELL. I THREW THE CAR INTO PARK AND GOT OUT. A PASSERBY WAS ALREADY CALLING 911 AND WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE OF MY EXITING THE VEHICLE THE ENTIRE FRONT END WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND PUT OUT THE FIRE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE CAR THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO GIVE A DEFINITE CAUSE, BUT SUSPECTED ELECTRICAL. THE ENTIRE CAR IS TOTALED, THE FIRE WAS SO HOT IT MELTED THE DRIVER WINDOW AND THE WINDSHIELD AND DESTROYED IT WITHIN MINUTES. NO ELECTRICAL ISSUES WERE NOTICED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, ONLY CHANGE NOTED WAS THAT THE PASSENGER WINDOW ROLLED UP A BIT MORE SLOWLY THAN NORMAL. *TR

OUR CAR GAS GAUGE MOVES UP AND DOWN. I CAN FILL IT UP , THEN THE NEXT IT GOES TO E AND THE FUEL LIGHT COMES ON WARNING YOU TO GET GAS. THE NEEDLE GOES TO FULL TO EMPTY MOVES BACK AND FORTH. I SAW THIS IS HAPPENING ON GM MODELS. THIS IS A GM. IS THERE A RECALL YET. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. WHILE PARKED, THE UNOCCUPIED VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY IGNITED INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES AND ADVISED THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE AREA. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE MONTHS AFTER THE RECALL REMEDY REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V118000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS DECLARED DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A SAVAGE FACILITY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.