1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Complaints

RACK AND PINION STEERING LOCKED UP. CONSUMER WAS AT A STOP AND STARTED TO TURN RIGHT AND STEERING WHEEL STUCK IN TURN POSITION. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED HAD TO REPLACE RACK AND PINION STEERING. *AK

COVERS WERE REPLACED BY MANUFACTURER AT 40,000 MILES COVER FELL OFF AGAIN AT 85,000 MILES, BOTH COVERS WERE REPLACED AT 40,000, AND BOTH COVERS WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THEY ARE HELD ON WITH GLUE AND IT KEEPS FAILING. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS COULD PUNCTURE A TIRE IF IT FALLS OFF ON A MAJOR ROAD AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER TO HAVE OIL CHANGED AFTER WHICH BRAKES LOCKED UP ABS LIGHTS UP DEALER COULD NOT FIX AFTER INSTALING NEW EBTCM TOOK TO ANOTHER DEALER SEVERAL TIMES THEY SAID THEY INSTALLED NEW EBTCM STILL HAD PROBLEMS GOT THE FEELING I WAS GETTING THE RUN AROUND DIDNT GO BACK I FEEL THEY DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING BUT I DONT KNOW WHERE TO GO I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED PROBLEM THEY SAY NOW ITS NOT UNDER WARRENTY NOW I WOULD SUPPOSE IF THEY FOOL AROUND LONG ENOUGH WITH PROBLEMS THEY WILL BE OUT OF WARRENTY THANK YOU GEO ANDERSON. *AK

SEALT BELT INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD MOMENTARY BLINK FOR A FEW MINUTE OR MORE BEFORE GOING OUT. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER ALSO STATES CRUISE CONTROL IS INOPERATIVE. *ET

DOME LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND REMAIN ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES OR MORE WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK LOCKS, SEAT BELT INDICATOR, AND CRUISE CONTROL ACTING WEIRD, FUSE REPLACED AND AS SOON AS IT WAS STARTED, THE VEHICLE BLEW A FUSE. *YD

POWER LOCKS WOULD CONTINUALLY LOCK AND UNLOCK BY THEMSELVES WHEN DRIVING UNDER 45 MPH. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK *YH

THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT LENS/COVER FELL OFF IN AUGUST, LEAVING HALOGEN LIGHT UNIT EXPOSED WHICH LED TO PREMATURE FAILURE OF BULB. CONDENSATION INSIDE THAT HEADLIGHT WAS OBSERVED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE THERE WAS OFTEN CONDENSATION IN THE LENSES OF MY 1987 OLDS CUTLASS WAGON FROM 1990-2000 (WHEN I OWNED THE CAR) BUT NOTHING EVER HAPPENED TO THE HEADLIGHT LENSES OR THE BULBS. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT REPLACING THE LENS AS DEFECTIVE THREE TIMES. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE LENS WAS NOT AVAILABLE AS A SEPARATE PART AND OFFERED TO SELL ME A NEW HEADLIGHT "BUCKET" (LENS AND HOLDER ASSEMBLY) FOR $70. SERVICE COUNTER MAN DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO LOOK UP THE PRICE AS HE HAD "JUST SOLD ONE" THE PREVIOUS DAY. I TOLD BOTH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND PARTS MANAGER THAT I THOUGHT THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. DON'T GET ME WRONG - I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS DEALER - THEY SEEM TO BE GOOD PEOPLE, BUT I'VE BEEN IN MANUFACTURING MOST OF MY CAREER AND THIS IS THE OLD "PRETEND WE DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY GO AWAY" DANCE. RESEARCH AMONG OTHER GRAND PRIX OWNERS, AREA SERVICE MEN (OFF THE RECORD, OF COURSE) AND HTTP://WWW.GRANDPRIX.NET/PROBLEMS INDICATES THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM THAT PONTIAC REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE AS A DEFECT. WHAT HAPPENS IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS THE LENS TO THE HEADLIGHT "BUCKET" DRIES, ALLOWING MORE MOISTURE TO ENTER, WHICH FURTHER DETERIORATES THE GLUE AND CAUSES THE LENS TO FALL OFF. WITHOUT THE LENS, THE $20 HEADLIGHT BULB WILL BURN OUT WITHIN 1-2 WEEKS FROM WEATHER EXPOSURE. I HAD PLANNED TO COMPLAIN TO PONTIAC, BUT RESEARCH INTO OTHERS WITH THIS PROBLEM INDICATES THAT PONTIAC DOES NOT SEEM WILLING TO ADMIT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. I HAVE OWNED CARS FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS. HEADLIGHT PIECES AREN'T SUPPOSED TO JUST FALL OFF - ARE THEY? IS THIS THE CORRECT FORUM IN WHICH TO MAKE THIS COMPLAINT OR SHOULD I BE CONTACTING SOME OTHER AGENCY? PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

ENGINE WILL "SHUT-DOWN" FOR NO APPARENT REASON AT VARIOUS TIMES, WITHOUT WARNING; THIS OCCURS AS THOUGH THE KEY WAS MOVED TO THE "OFF" POSITION. MANUFACTURER'S DEALERS ARE UNABLE TO DETECT THE PROBLEM AND FIND NOTHING "WRONG" WITH THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND POSES AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE RISK.*AK

NON-OPERATIONAL HEADLIGHTS DUE TO LENS COMING OFF HEADLIGHTS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED OF NO MANUFACTURER'S RECALL ON THAT PARTS.*AKBOTH FRONT HEAD LIGHT LENS CONERS FEELL OFF, THEY FELL AT SEPARATE TIMES AND THE BULB IMMEDIATELY FAILED AS WELL LEAVING LIMITED TO NO VISIBILITY FOR NIGHT DRIVING. NLM

HEADLIGHTS FOG UP WHICH CAUSES DIFFICULT VISIBILTY. DEALER ADVISED CONSUMER THAT DEFECT WAS DUE TO WATER BUILD UP, AND WAS A "MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT". ALSO , DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS BEGINING TO FALL OFF.*AK