1996 Pontiac Grand Am

EARLY 2002 PAINT STARTED PEELING OFF MY REAR QUARTER PANELS OF MY 1996 BLACK GRAND AM. NOT LONG AFTER THE FRONT QUARTER PANELS STARTED DOING THE SAME THING. AT THE TIME, THE AREAS WHERE THE PAINT WERE STARTING TO PEEL WERE SMALL BUT AS TIME WENT BY THE AREA STARTED PEELING MORE. NOW, I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN 1998 WITH ONLY 26,000 KM ON IT AND THE PAINT WAS FINE (ORIGINAL PAINT). I HAVE ALWAYS HAD MY CAR RUST PROOFED EVERY YEAR AS WELL IN THE SPRING AND FALL I GET A COMPLETE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SHAMPOO AND WAX DONE ( I TAKE CARE OF IT). THE PAINT DID NOT RUST FIRST....IT JUST STARTING PEELING. AT THE PRESENT TIME SEPTEMBER 2003 IT ONLY AS 93,000KM ON IT. BECAUSE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, BEING THAT I BOUGHT IT USED AND DID NOT HAVE THE EXTRA MONEY TO BUY BEYOND THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY THAT WAS LEFT ON THE CAR, I COULD NOT AFFORD TO TAKE IT TO GET REPAINTED. ALSO I HAD JUST BEEN PROMOTED TO A NEW JOB WITHIN MY COMPANY AND MY HOURS WERE CRAZY. LATE FALL OF 2002 I BECAME VERY ILL AND FROM JANUARY TILL MARCH 2003 I WAS HOSPITALIZED AND WAS NOT SURE IF I WAS GOING TO PULL THROUGH...I DID. BUT IN JUNE OF 2003 I WAS BACK IN HOSPITAL HAVING MAJOR SURGERY AND AM NOW AT HOME STILL RECOVERING FROM IT. THE REASON I AM TELLING YOU THIS IS BECAUSE THAT IS WHY I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED WITH THE PEELING PAINT ON MY CAR. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE PAINT DELAMINATING ON THE GM CARS, WHICH INCLUDES THE YEAR OF MY CAR. I CALLED GM AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL. I FOUND OUT ON THE INTERNET ABOUT COURT CASES HERE IN ONTARIO, WHICH WERE RELATED TO THE SAME PROBLEM I WAS HAVING. I WENT TO A GM DEALERSHIP...THEY TOOK PICTURES, SENT AND CALLED THE GM REPRESENTATIVE FOR THIS AREA AND THE ANSWER WAS NO...THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPAINT THE CAR...END OF DISCUSSION. NOW I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO BECAUSE SURFACE RUST HAS STARTED TO APPEAR. I WANT TO PAINT IT BEFORE I RUSTPROOF IT BECAUSE BY NEXT SPRING IT WILL RUST THROUGH WHICH WILL BE A MORE EXPENSIVE SITUATION.

MY MAIN PROBLEM IS THE STEERING COLUMN. WHEN IT IS TIME TO TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION IT GETS STUCKS. YOUR UNABLE TO TAKE THE KEY OUT UNTIL THE CAR WANTS TO LET IT GO. SOMETIMES THIS ENDS UP TO BE A 45 MINUTE TO AN HOUR WAIT. THE PLACE I BOUGHT IT FROM SAID THEY FIXED IT. OF COURSE, AFTR THE WARRANTY WAS UP SO WASN'T THE KEY ONCE AGAIN GETTING STUCK. HAD THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED FOR ABOUT $500.00 NO PROBLEMS FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND NOW ONCE AGAIN KEY IS GETTING STUCK.

NHTSA RECALL 02 V 070 000/MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 02008 CONCERNING IGNITION SWITCH: AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT, OIL LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT WOULD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT BEFORE THE RECALL KIT WAS INSTALLED THE CAR HASN'T BEEN RUNNING PROPERLY. ONE INCIDENT THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AND A SEMI-TRUCK WAS FOLLOWING. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A BAD SENSOR WHICH STILL DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEN ON ANOTHER OCCASION WAS TOLD THAT IT WASN'T THE SENSOR BUT A BAD FUEL PUMP. THE LIGHTS ARE STILL ON 75 PERCENT OF THE TIME. *SCC

CAR RUNS HOT. WHEN STARTING UP WINDOWS WOULD FOG, COULD SMELL ANTIFREEZE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED HEATER CORE, THEY SAID IT HAD A PIN HOLE IN IT. CONSUMER SAID CAR WASSTILL RUNNING HOT, CONSUMER COULD HEAR A FLAPPING NOISE, LIKE A HELICOPTER UNDER THE HOOD.*AK THE POPING FRONT RIGHT SUSPENSION WAS DUE TO SWAY BAR LINK FAILURE WHICH MADE STABLIZER BAR LOOSE. HORN MALFUNCTIONS DUE TO DIRTY CONTACTS. WINDOW DOES NOT GO UP OR DOWN PROPERLY DUE TO WINDOW MOTOR FAILURE. THE NOISE IN ENGINE AREA WHEN COLD WAS DUE TO ALTERNATOR FAILURE. WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING. TEMPERATURE GUAGE WAS INACCURATE. THE NOISE FROM FRONT AND REAR BRAKES WAS CAUSED BY WORN BRAKE PADS. DRIVER SIDE MIRROR CONTROL FELL INTO THE DOOR PANEL. *YH

MY MOST RECENT PROBLEM INCLUDED TRANSMISSION FAILURE, AND ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC THIS HAD BEEN HAPPENING FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THE FOURTH GEAR OF THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CLUTCH WERE BURNED OUT. I'VE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE A WATER PUMP ON THE VEHICLE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE, I NOTICED ANTI-FREEZE LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JUST DIE WHILE DRIVING ALONG. I ATTEMPTED TO GET THE DEALER TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AND DID GET HIS VERBAL AGREEMENT HOWEVER, HE LIED AND WOULDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH. I SUPPOSE BECAUSE HE KNEW HE'D SOLD ME A LEMON AND WAS MORE THAN EAGER TO STATE HIS CASE, THAT HAD NO LEMON LAW. THERE ARE VARIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY WITH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND I SUPPOSE IT MAY BE SOMETHING ELECTRICAL THAT CAUSES MY VEHICLE TO DIE WHILE DRIVING ALONG. THERE IS NO WARNING, THE VEHICLE JUST GOES DEAD. DURING STOPS IT SEEMS THAT AT TIMES THE REAR END JUST HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN; ALMOST AS IF IT WANTS TO KEEP GOING WHILE THE FRONT END HAS STOPPED - IT'S SORT OF LIKE A SKIPPING EFFECT. OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDE THE PASSENGER DOOR LOCK NOT OPERATING WITH THE POWER DOOR LOCK, THE RADIO DISPLAY IS LIT AT TIMES AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT, SINCE I'VE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ETS LIGHTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ON SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, ARE NO LONGER LIT. DURING THE WATER PUMP FAILURE THE DEALERSHIPS REMEDY FOR IT WAS TO DISCONNECT THE ELECTRICAL WIRING WHICH PROMPTED ME THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ARE NUMEROUS. MY CAR IS A LEMON!

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ONE FOR A DAY AND GO OFF DID THIS 3 TIMES BEFORE TOTAL FAILURE OF ALTERNATER & BATTERY/FRONT END/STEERING/BRAKES(ABS) ABD SHOCKS. CAR WILL PULL HARD TO THE LEFT WHILE BRAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAVE TO FIGHT STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP CAR IN LANE. HAD BRAKES CHECKED AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. ( FRONT BRAKES WERE VERY HOT) HIT SMALL BUMP OR POTHOLE OR TAKING TURN OR GOING DOWN THE STREET/HIGHWAY AND CAR WILL WANDER LEFT AND RIGTH WHILE YOU ARE HOLDING THE WHEEL. SOMETIMES IT IS BAD ENOUGH TO HAVE TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION TO KEEP GOING STRAIGHT. NHTSA RECALL #96V249000 MY CAR DOES NOT FALL IN THE MANFACTURED DATE OF JULY 96 CAN I STILL HAVE CHECKED NO CHARGE? I WAS TAKING WAX OF MY CAR WITH KEYS IN THE IGNITION CAR OFF, THE POWER DOOR LOOKS LOCKED CAR. I HAVE SEEN MORE COMPLAINTS IN YOUR CONSUMER COMPLAINT SECTION OF THESE ISSUES I HAVE JUST REPORTED. *AK