1997 Pontiac Grand Am

WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. CONSUMER HEARD SOUNDS AS IF SOME ONE HAD DROPPED MARBLES IN THE ENGINE. SOON AFTER THE VEHICLE STALLED. A MECHANIC EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS DEFECTIVE. ALSO, CONSUMER HAD TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION, AND ABS SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

1ST. MY RECALL (NHTSA#02V070/GM #02008) STARTED MARCH 2002 AND WE JUST NOW RECEIVED THE LETTER IN MARCH 2004. AND MY VEHICLE DID EVERYTHING THE LETTER SAID IT WOULD DO EXCEPT, THEY'RE WAS NOT A FIRE BUT TRYING TO START IT CAUSED IT TO JUMP TIME --CAUSUNG A HOLE IN THE PISTON AND BROKE VALVE!!MUCH BIGGER AND COSTLIER OUTCOME//IN OTHER WORDS I NEED A NEW ENGINE SINCE HAVING THE PISTON AND VALVE FIXED IS COSTING AROUND $2500.00!!!!!!!!!!!!*AK

97 GRAND AM 4CYL PUR NEW 5/97 SERIES OF PROBLEMS.GT VERSION BUT DRIVEN CAUTIOUSLY BY 40 YEAR OLDS.AT 2 YEARS AND 39,000 MILES WATER PUMP FAILS.IS UNDER CAR AND IS 600.00 DOL TO REPLACE!NOBODY SHOULD BUY THE 4 CYLINDER WHEN AN ITEM PRONE TO FAILURE LIKE A WATER PUMP CANT BE ACCESSED WITHOUT REMOVING THE MANIFOLDS ON THE CAR.AT 50,000 KEY COMES OUT OF IGNITION WHILE CAR RUNNING.IGNITION SWITCH FAILS,HAS TO BE RE KEYED AND COST IS 500.00 BY LOCAL MECHANIC SERV STAT.AT 55,000 MILES AT INTERLOCKS UP,CAR STUCK TOWED AT THIS TIME A ALTERNATOR CHECK SHOWS THAT IS NOT CHARGING.REPLACE BOTH COST 800.00 PLUS BATTERY.DEC 2000 FRONT LEFT TIRE ON ALUM WHEEL IS FLAT-TAKE TO SEV STAT,THEY REFILL DRIVE CAR AFTER X-MAS IT DEFLATES CAUSES CAR TO SPIN HIT LIGHT POLE MOSTLY ON TIRE AREA AT 40 MPH ,NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT BUT A HIGH SNOWBANK DECELERATES CAR.ALUM WHEEL LEAK AGAIN?EVER SINCE W.PUMP REPLACED A TAPPING COMES FROM CAM AREA.AT 75,000 MILES AUTO DR LOCK IN DRIV SIDE FAILS AND IS REPLACED.CAM NOISE CONT. AS SERV. PEOPLE SAY IT IS A LIFTER,FINALLY IN 2002 DEC. CAR RUNS ROUGH ,IS PUT ON COMP. AND FOUND TO HAVE BAD CAM TIMING.CHAIN IS INSPECTED AS IT IS STEEL AND FOR LIFE OF CAR.A TINY CHEAP BRACKET KEEPS THE CHAIN IN PLACE AND IT HAD CRACKED AND SLOWLY BROKEN AT 80,000 MILES.ENGINE GOT BY WITH NEW CHAIN AND LABOR FOR 800.00 DOL.85,000 NEW BATTERY,95,000 NEW BATTERY.108,000 4 SPEED AUTOTRANS STARTS SLIPPING INTO NEUTRAL.CAR STOPS ON HIGHWAY WONT MOVE.HW PATROL TOWS ,CHARGED 129.00 TO REPAIR SHOP.SAY TRANNY IS BAD.AND WATER PUMP IS LEAKING AGAIN.BILL WOULD BE THOUSANDS DUE TO PREMATURE FAILURE OF THESE PARTS AND CAR WILL BE SOLD AS PARTS CAR.TOO BAD,LOOKS GOOD.-MARCH 06,2004.*AK

WHEN YOU RUN THE AIR, THE CAR STALLS AND WON'T START ANYWHERE FROM ONE HOUR TO THREE OR FOUR POSSIBLY THE NEXT DAY. THE HORN WORKS SOMETIMES, THE RAIDIO WORKS SOMETIMES AS DOES THE DISPAY, THE VOLUME GOES UP AND DOWN. THE FUEL SYSTEMS SHUTS DOWN ALONG WITH THE CAR WHEN THE AIR IS RUNNING. THE POWER WINDOW QUIT WORKING IN APRIL, I REPLACED THE ONE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE ONLY TO HAVE THE ONE ON THE DRIVER SIDE TO STOP WORKING. THE BRAKES WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING. ANYTIME THE CAR HAS ANY PROBLEMS NO LIGHTS COME ON TO WARN YOU IT WILL JUST STOP WORKING. THE SHOP THAT PUT THE USED ENGINE IN STILL CAN'T TELL ME WHY IT STARED KNOCKING. THE ETS SYSTEM COMES ON AND OFF ALL THE TIME WITHOUT PRESSING THE BUTTON, I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE 1997 PONITAC GRAND AM GT.

THE MOTORS ON THE WINDOWS GO OUT AROUND 97K MILES. MY DRIVERS WINDOW WENT OUT A MONTH AGO. MY RIGHT, FRONT WINDOW IS ABOUT TO GO OUT, AND MY BACK RIGHT WINDOW WENT OUT TODAY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH FAULTY WINDOW MOTORS WITH THIS MODEL. THE TOTAL COST OUT OF MY POCKET FOR THIS INCIDENT IS ABOUT $1000 INCLUDED WITH A LOT OF FRUSTRATION!

ENGINE FAILED.HIS CAR HAS 58250 MILES. MY DAUGHTER CALLED ME AT WORK TO INFORM ME THAT SOMETHING IS MAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR, BUT IT GOES AWAY ONCE YOU EXCEED 20MPH. AFTER DINNER I PUP THE HOOD OPEN AND TRY TO START THE CAR. I DISCOVER THAT NOISE DURING STARTUP WAS NOT NORMAL, AND CAR HAS GREAT DIFFICULTIES TO START. WHEN IT FINALLY STARS, I HEAR KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE NOISE WAS CONCENTRATED ON THE CYLINDER NEXT TO TIMING CHAIN. I STOPPED THE ENGINE AND CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, IT WAS OK. I CONTACTED LOCAL AUTO REPAIR SHOP. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO BRING THE CAR TO THE SHOP, BUT TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND TRY NOT TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. WHEN I GOT THERE AND PARKED THE CAR I ALSO NOTED THAT MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON DURING IDLE. MY MECHANIC DETERMINES IMMEDIATELY THAT MY ENGINE COMPLETELY FAILED. HE ALSO MAKE SAYS THAT HE IS NOT SURPRISED AT ALL ONCE HE SAW THAT THIS IS 4 CYLINDER 2.4L ENGINE. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE REPAIR COST WILL BE OVER $3000.00. THIS IS ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS THEN THE BLUE BOOK VALUE. IM DRIVING MY FRIENDS SPARE CAR 1988 MAZDA MX6 AND MY DAUGHTER DRIVES MY OTHER PONTIAC 1996 BONNEVILLE SSE, (WHICH BY THE WAY JUST HAVE WATER PUMP FAILURE AFTER 48000MI) I SEARCH MANY BULLETIN BOARDS ON THE NET AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS NOT ISOLATED INCIDENT. MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCED EXACTLY THE SOME PROBLEM BETWEEN 50000 AND 80000 MI. HAVING ENGINE FAILURE @ LESS THEN 60000MI SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. BASED ON MY RESEARCH THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY CPA FOR RECALL. BY THE WAY I PURCHASED MY FIRST CAR IN 1974 IT WAS THE BUICK ELECTRA, SINCE THEN MY FAMILY OWNED 9 DIFFERENT CARS (ALL GM) BUT IM 100% POSITIVE THAT THIS GRAND AM WAS MY LAST GM CAR. MY NEXT CAR WILL BE JAPANESE. MY FRIEND JUST CLOCK 250000MI ON HIS HONDA ACCORD, THE ONLY MAJOR COMPONENT THAT FAILED WAS THE ALTERNATOR @ 165000MI. SORRY GM, BUT THERE IS NO MORE GAS IN YOUR THANK FOR ME.*AK