1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Complaints

THIS ENGINE FAILURE TOOK ME BY SURPRISE. I CAN'T SAY THERE WAS A SINGLE EVENT THAT GAVE A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WAS IN STORE FOR ME. LUCKILY, FOR ME, THANK GOD, THAT I HAD JUST PARKED THE VEHICLE AT MY JOB SITE AND GONE INTO MY WORK BUILDING;ALSO, MY CO-WORKERS THAT PARKED THEIR VEHICLES NEXT TO MINE HAD MADE IT SAFELY TO THEIR JOBS. WITHIN ONLY APPROXIMATELY 11 MINUTES THE "TIME BOMB" BURST INTO FLAMES. *TR

I RECEIVED A LETTER TODAY INFORMING ME OF A GM RECALL FOR MY 1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 3.8L V6 W/SUPERCHARGER CONCERNING ENGINE FIRES BECAUSE OF A LEAKY GASKET. I HAD A SIMILAR OIL LEAK ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WHICH CAUSED MUCH SMOKE AND SMELL. I HAD TO REPLACE BOTH ROCKER ARM GASKETS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY CONCERN IS THAT GM IS RECALLING MY CAR TO FIX THE FRONT GASKET LEAK AND NOT THE REAR GASKET LEAK. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT MY REAR GASKET LEAK WAS MUCH WORSE THAN THE FRONT LEAK AND WAS DRIPPING DIRECTLY ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. I HAD NO IDEA THIS COULD EVER CATCH FIRE. I SAW DOCUMENTED PICTURES OF ANOTHER BURNED GRAND PRIX ON THE INTERNET TODAY AS I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE TODAY. I WAS UTTERLY SHOCKED. AND WHEN I HEARD GM IS ONLY GOING TO FIX THE FRONT GASKET, I KNEW I HAD TO OPEN UP A COMPLAINT. I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN THE NEXT VICTIM OF GM'S INACTION. MY PROBLEM WAS FIXED ON 4/24/07 BUT PRIOR I DROVE THE CAR AND WOULD PUT UP WITH THIS SMELL UNTIL I SAW THE SMOKE ARISING WHILE I WAS AT A DRIVE-THRU RESTAURANT. GM ALSO IMPLIES IT WAS RELATED TO HEAVY BRAKING. WELL THAT MAY BE TRUE INITIALLY, BUT ONCE IT STARTED LEAKING IT NEVER STOPPED. YOU MUST FORCE THEM TO FIX BOTH GASKETS BEFORE SOMEONE DIES IN A FIRE BECAUSE OF THEIR DESIGN FLAW. I PAID $44.47 FOR BOTH GASKETS AND THAT WASN'T WITH GM'S VOLUME PURCHASING DISCOUNT. SO THE DIFFERENCE IS $20 DOLLARS. I CANNOT BELIEVE GM IS ONLY FIXING HALF OF THE PROBLEM, BUT YOU NEED TO GET INVOLVED AND FORCE THEM. ANY OF YOUR ENGINEERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO ARGUE THIS POINT WITH THEM. IF YOU NEED ME TO GET ON A CONFERENCE CALL WITH THE ENGINEERS AND PRODUCT MANAGERS, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO. THIS WAS THE URL WITH THE BURNED GRAND PRIX: HTTP://WWW.GMINSIDENEWS.COM/FORUMS/F33/UPCOMING-RECALL-07035-97-03-GP-REGAL-3800-S-C-VIN-1-A-61961/INDEX3.HTML THE FIRE WAS HORRIBLE! *TR

I WENT TO WORK FEBRUARY 21, 2008. WITHIN 10 MINUTES THEY WAS ANNOUNCING MY LICENSE PLATE OVER THE INTERCOM. THE SECURITY OFFICE MET ME ON MY WAY DOWN AND SAID MY CAR HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE AND THAT THEY TRIED TO PUT IT OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME BUT IT WAS A BAD FIRE AND IT WAS NOTHING EITHER ONE OF THEM COULD DO. MY CAR HAD TO BE JUNKED. EVERYTHING UNDERNEATH THE HOOD BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION. *TR

MY 1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GTP OVER HEATED LAST MONTH AND IT HAD AN ENGINE FIRE. PREVIOUSLY, THERE WERE SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN IT HAD AN ODD OILY/ELECTRICAL SMELL BUT NOTHING APPEARED TO BE WRONG. I WAS STUCK IN SOME SNOW AND WHILE I WAS GETTING IT OUT IT APPARENTLY OVERHEATED. I MADE IT OUT ON TO THE MAIN ROAD AND LESS THAN THIRTY YARDS LATER, IT CAUGHT FIRE. IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO GET THERE, AND AFTER THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT SALVAGEABLE OF MY CAR. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS DEMOLISHED AND THE INTERIOR HAD STANDING WATER FROM BEING EXTINGUISHED. BASICALLY, THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO AT THAT POINT, I HAD NO CAR AND THE INSURANCE DID NOT COVER WHAT HAD HAPPENED. *TR

MY 1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GTP HAD AN ENGINE FIRE AS I WAS PULLING INTO PARKING AREA AT WORK. AS I SWIPED MY CAR, I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I DID NOT PULL INTO THE PARKING GARAGE AS I USUALLY DO SO THAT I COULD CHECK TO SEE WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I POPPED THE HOOD AND THE BACK OF THE ENGINE NEAR THE FIREWALL WAS ON FIRE. I BACKED AWAY AND CALLED 911. POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED WITHIN MINUTES, BUT BY THAT TIME, CAR FROM THE DASHBOARD FORWARD WAS ENGULFED. FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITH FOAM MATERIAL AND CAR WAS TOWED. I DID NOT HAVE FIRE OR THEFT ON THE VEHICLE. I PROMPTLY CALLED THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO INFORM THEM OF INCIDENT AND DROPPED THE CAR FROM THE INSURANCE. I SIGNED THE TITLE OVER TO MY MECHANIC. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN FEB OF 2,000 WITH ABOUT 30,000 MILES. IT WAS A GOOD CAR UNTIL THE FIRE. IT HAD THE 3.8 LITER SUPERCHARGED ENGINE. NO OTHER PROBLEMS PRIOR TO EVENT. AT THAT TIME, THE CAR HAD ABOUT 140,000 MILES ON IT. ONLY MAJOR WORK DONE WAS TRANS WAS REPLACED IN MAR OF 2005 WITH 108,000. IF YOU NEED COPY OF POLICE REPORT, PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

THE CAR, A '97 GRAND PRIX WITH A V-6 ENGINE, HAD JUST BEEN PARKED IN THE DRIVE WAY AND SOMEONE CAME IN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER AND SAID "YOUR CAR IS ON FIRE" THE PERSON WAS ALREADY ON THE PHONE WITH 911. WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED 10 MINUTES LATER, THE CAR ALONG WITH ALL OF MY CDS AND OTHER ITEMS WERE A TOTAL LOSS AND I ONLY HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE SO IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TOOK MY BLOOD PRESSURE AND IT WAS 210 OVER 130 AND TRIED TO GET ME TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THE CAR IS STILL IN THE DRIVE WAY COVERED WITH A TARP AND THE GARAGE STILL HAS THE SIDING HANGING DOWN WHERE IT MELTED FROM THE HEAT. THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT EVEN THOUGH A DEPUTY SHERIFF WAS PASSING BY AND STOPPED AS THE WINDOWS AND TIRES EXPLODED. *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING MY 1997 GRAND PRIX WHEN IT STARTED TO KNOCK AND KILLED ON THE WAY INTO THE WALMART PARKING LOT. SHORTLY AFTER COMING TO A STOP HE NOTICED SMOKE AND THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND AFTER BREAKING INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, PUT THE FIRE OUT. AMOUNT OF DAMAGES UNKNOWN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT CAUGHT FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 143,000.

WENT TO TURN MY CAR ON AND THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. IT HAD BEEN RUNNING PERFECT. I JUST HAD MY EMISSION TEST DONE. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND WITH THE HELP OF MY BROTHER, PUT IT OUT BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT THERE. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

ON THE DAY INDICATED MY 2YR OLD AND I WERE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY CAUGHT FIRE. AFTER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE FIRE IT WAS DETERMINED THE FIRE STARTED WITH IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CAR HAD NO PROBLEMS AND I MAINTAINED ALL NEEDED SERVICE TO THE VEHICLE. *TR