1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE STEERING WHEEL MADE A CERTAIN TURN. UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, HIT A TREE, AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK

THE DELCO BATTERY IS EITHER FAULTY OR NOT PROPERLY SECURED AND PRONE TO LEAKING. WE HAVE HAD FOUR BATTERIES GO BAD IN FIVE YEARS IN THIS VEHICLE.*AK

BOTH HEADLIGHT LENSES ON MY WIFES 1998 GRAND PRIX WENT FLYING THROUGH THE AIR AT DIFFERENT TIMES WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY.*AK

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT LENS SEPARATION. LEFT SIDE LENS HAS WATER INSIDE OF IT. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY GM, BUT GM REFUSES TO ADDRESS IT. THEY HAVE EVEN MFG'D A NEW PART THAT, IN THEORY, DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS THE EXPENSE IN REPAIRING IT IS ROUGHLY 150$ IN PARTS ALONE. IN ADDITION, THIS PROBLEM CAN (AND DID IN MY CASE) CAUSE THE HALOGEN BULB TO EXPLODE FROM WATER IMPACTING IT.

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT WITH ITS STEERING RACK AND PINION AS STATED IN RECALL 02 V 286 000, BUTTHE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED. *TT THE STEERING WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FROM A STOPPED POSITION AND WAS A LITTLE LESS DIFFICULT WHILE IN MOTION. *SCC *JB

I OWN A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX. MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP IN THE UP-RIGHT POSITION. THIS HAS CAUSED IMPAIRED VISION. I KNOW THAT THE 1997 MODEL WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAME MALFUNCTION. I AM THE MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN AND SAFETY IS MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE WHEN I PURCHASE A CAR. UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND A VERY EXPENSIVE PART TO REPLACE. I DO NOT FEEL THIS SHOULD GO OUT AT ONLY 94,000 MILES. *NLM

SEE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. 02V286000: MY 1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX IS HAVING THE EXACT SYMPTOMS AS DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE, WHICH I OBTAINED FROM THE ODI.NHTSA.DOT WEBSITE. ON 6/4/03, AT 9:48 A.M., I CONTACTED BRALEY & GRAHAM PONTIAC, IN MY HOMETOWN OF SACRAMENTO, CA, AT 916-481-2200 AND SPOKE TO BRIAN AT EXT. 4248. BRIAN CHECKED MY VIN AND TOLD ME, "THERE IS NO RECALL OR OPEN CAMPAIGN ON YOUR CAR". I THEN CONTACTED PONTIAC AT 800-762-2737 AND SPOKE TO SEAN ARMSTRONG, (GM REQUEST NO. 1-105820909) WHO, AT FIRST, COULD FIND NO RECALL AT ALL. WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER AND THEN THE GM RECALL NO (02049), HE PUT ME ON HOLD THEN CAME BACK AND SAID THAT HE HAD, IN FACT FOUND THE RECALL, BUT IT DID NOT INCLUDE MY VIN. I EXPLAINED THAT MY PROBLEM WAS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM LISTED AND HE SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED. HE SUGGESTED I TAKE THE CAR INTO A DEALER AND HAVE THEM CHECK IT, (AT MY OWN EXPENSE), AND POSSIBLY IT COULD BE USED TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF VINS COVERED. I REQUESTED THAT GM PROVIDE A FREE INSPECTION TO DETERMINE THE FACT, RATHER THAN TAKING IT IN AT MY EXPENSE (AND AT MY PERIL, AS I HAVE ALREADY HAD AN EXPERIENCE WITH THE LOCAL DEALER THAT CONVINCES ME THAT THEY ARE NOT COMPLETELY HONEST !). HE SAID THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. I THEN TRIED TO CALL NHTSA AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 888-327-4236 TO REQUEST FURTHER ASSISTANCE IN GETTING THIS SAFETY ISSUE RESOLVED. I GOT A RECORDED MESSAGE THAT "DUE TO AN UNEXPECTED EMERGENCY...(THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO ANSWER MY CALL)" I LEFT A RATHER FRUSTRATED MESSAGE WITH MY PHONE NUMBER AND NAME, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON MY T.V. TO SEE WHAT UNEXPECTED EMERGENCY HAD SHUT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DOWN. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THE INDICTMENT OF MARTHA STEWART MAY BE OF INTEREST TO MANY, BUT (SINCE IT IS THE ONLY LEAD NEWS STORY I CAN FIND) I HAVE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT COULD BE THE SOURCE OF SHUTTING DOWN THE NHTSA SAFETY HOTLINE. *NLM

TRANSMISSION SOMETIMES WILL START TO MAKE A LOUD WHINING NOISE AND START TO SHIFT HARD AND SUDDEN. DOESN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME,USUALLY AFTER I HAVE BEEN DRIVING A WHILE. ALSO SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE IT IS SURGING. I HEARD THE 3800 TRANSMISSIONS WERE A GOOD TRANSMISSION, I DON'T KNOW. *NLM

DEFECTIVE AC DELCO BATTERIES INSTALLED IN NEW VEHICLES LEAK ACID FROM THE POSITIVE TERMINAL (KNOWN PROBLEM TO DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT) POSING A POSSIBLE EXPLOSION HAZARD IN A CONFINED SPACE (UNDER HOOD). LEAKS CONTRIBUTE TO GASES UNDER HOOD AND OVER TIME BUILD UP OF CORROSION ON THE TERMINAL LEADING TO ARCING. DISCOVERED THIS WHILE INSPECTING VEHICLE DURING ROUTINE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. AC DELCO AND GM IS UNWILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PRODUCT. *NLM

NHTSA RECALL 02V286000 THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE RACK & PINION, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED UNDER THE RECALL, DUE TO THE DATE OF MANUFACTURING. *AK *JB