1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Complaints

DURING SPRING OF 2000, DRIVING ON RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHEN LENS TO PASSENGERS SIDE HEADLIGHT FELL OFF. 1/12/01 DRIVING ON RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHEN DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT LENS FELL OFF. *AK

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THIS WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING FLAW.

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE, CAUSING COOLANT LEAKAGE. DEALER / MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED THAT VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL. *AK

I WAS DRIVING BACK TO SAN DIEGO ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2000 ON I-15. THE HIGHWAY HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONGESTED AND TRAFFIC WAS MOVING AS SLOW AS 20 MPH. A FEW MILES NORTH OF BAKER, CALIFORNIA THE CONGESTION EASED AND TRAFFIC SPED UP TO ABOUT 60 MPH. SHORTLY AFTER ACCELERATING TO 60 MPH, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CONFIRMED THE TIRE HAD BLOWN. I DROVE ANOTHER 100 FEET ALONG THE SHOULDER AT 2 MPH TO A PLACE WIDE ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE TIRE. I REMOVED THE FLAT TIRE AND REPLACED IT WITH A SPARE. AT THAT POINT I NOTICED THE SEVERITY OF THE BLOW OUT, AS THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALLS OF THE TIRE. I PLACED THE BLOWN OUT TIRE IN THE TRUNK AND DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES TO BAKER AND PULLED INTO THE FIRST GARAGE. THERE I HAD THE TIRE REPLACED AND RESUMED MY RETURN TO SAN DIEGO. LATER I NOTICED EXTREME WARE ON THE OUTER EDGE OF MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE AND TOOK MY CAR AND THE BLOWN OUT TIRE TO MY LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER. I ASKED FOR A REPLACEMENT TIRE AND SHOWED THEM MY BLOWN OUT TIRE EXPECTING A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT AS THIS TIRE CARIES A 70,000-MILE WARRANTY. THE FIRESTONE DEALER REJECTED MY WARRANTY CLAIM, CITING POOR ALIGNMENT AND UNDER INFLATION OF THE TIRES.*AK (DOT NUMBER: EJA6CLH448 TIRESIZE: 22560R16)

CORROSION IN COOLING SYSTEM THAT LED TO FAILURE IN SEVERAL COMPONENTS. I THINK THERE'S BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE "DEXCOOL" COOLANT GELING UP AND CAUSING CORROSION BUT THE DEALER WOULDN'T ADMIT ANYTHING AND SAID A COOLANT FLUSH WASN'T EVEN NECESSARY WHEN THERE'S OBVIOUS CORROSION AND RUST FLOATING IN THE COOLANT.

FRONT HEADLIGHT LENS COVER FALL OFF, EXPOSING HALOGEN LAMPS TO ELEMENTS AND FAILURE. *AK

WHILE USING WINDSHIELD WIPERS THEY WOULD STAY UP AND THEN MALFUNCTIONED. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER. BUT, DEALER STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL.*AK WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CRANK FAILED. WIPER ARM PIVIOT FAILED. *YH

THESE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE BY THE PONTIAC DEALER BECAUSE THEY FELL OFF OF THE CAR WHILE BEING DRIVEN. I WAS LUCKY THE LIGHTS DIDN'T FALL OFF AT NIGHT OTHERWISE AN ACCIDENT WITH FATALITIES WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. *AK

LENS COVER, WAS INDICATED NOT TO BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY WHEN IT WAS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT, IN THAT THE GLUE CHOSEN TO ATTACH THE LENS COVER WAS NOT ABLE TO HANDLE THE HEAT OF THE HALOGEN LIGHT BULB AND/OR SOLAR HEAT COMBINED; THE GLUE BECAME BRITTLE AND CRACKED. BOTH FACIA ON THE FRONT DOOR PANELS HAVE COME LOOSE ON THE END. WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED THIS FACIA BENDS THE QUARTER PANEL IT HITS AND AFFECTS THE ABILITY OF THE CAR DOOR TO BE OPENED. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM ON BOTH FRONT DOORS AND NEWER MODELS HAVE BEEN ALTERED TO ALLOW FOR A CLEARANCE BETWEEN THESE PARTS THAT IS NOT ON THE 1997 GRAND PRIX.

TIRES HYDROPLANED EVEN THOUGH ALL CARS IN FRONT OF ME WERE GOING THE SAME SPEED (45 MPH). HYDROPLANING CAUSED THE CAR TO GO UP EMBANKMENT AND ROLLOVER AND CRUMPLING DRIVERS SIDE FRONT FENDER ALONG WITH 75% OF ALL THE WINDOWS BEING KNOCKED OUT. THIS CRASH DID NOT DEPLOY THE DRIVERS SIDE NOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS.*AK (TIRESIZE: 225R 15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225R 15 )