2004 Pontiac Grand Am

MY 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM WOULDN'T START, CHANGED A FEW SMALL THINGS, FUEL FILTER, ETC, BUT STILL WOULDN'T START. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. I READ ABOUT THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM AND IT WORKED. WHEN I GOT TO THE DEALER, THEIR DIAGNOSTIC DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I HAVE NOT HAD IT HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE I ALSO READ THAT AFTER THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM FAILS MULTIPLE TIMES, IT FOULS THE COMPUTER AND THE CAR COULD DIE WHEN I'M DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70, AND NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. *TR

MY 2004 GRAND AM IS HAVING SEVERAL ONGOING PROBLEMS. IT WONT START AND WHEN IT DOES IT DIES CONSTANTLY. I ALMOST RAN INTO A DITCH AFTER IT LOST POWER GOING 50 MPH. ANOTHER TIME IT LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A THREE LANE STREET WITH A GREEN LIGHT. I WAS BARLEY MISSED BY TWO DIFFERENT VEHICLES GOING 45MPH. MY PONTIAC GRAND AM' HAS A SECURITY PROBLEM INVOLVING A PASSLOCK FAILURE. I GOT IN MY CAR TODAY, AND IT WOULDN'T START AGAIN. PONTIAC SAYS TO TURN THE KEY ON FOR 10 MIN AND RESET THE COMPUTER EVERY TIME I TRY TO START MY CAR. I WORK LATE NIGHTS. I CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE TO SEE IF ITS GOING TO START OR I HAVE TO SIT IN THE DARK FOR TEN MINUTES AND WAIT FOR MY CAR TO START. I ALSO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HAZARD RELAY AND THE MULTIFUNCTION RELY LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHER GRAND AM OWNERS. IN 2003 PONTIAC RECALLED CARS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. IM NOT SURE WHY THEY AREN'T TAKING CARE OF THE 2004 PROBLEMS. *TR

ON MY 04 GRAND AM AFTER USING TURN SIGNAL,CLICKING NOISE STARTED COMING FROM BEHIND HAZARD SIGNAL AND NOW SOMETIMES A PUFF OF SMOKE HAS STARTED COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WITH ONLY 43K ON CAR, REPLACED HAZARD SWITCH, FIXED FOR ONLY 2 DAYS THEN SAME PROBLEM, NOTICED COMPLAINTS OF SAME PROBLEM AND THIS WAS A RECALL ON EARLIER MODELS, SHOULDN'T THIS RECALL BE EXTENDED?? PLEASE GO TO WWW.MYCARSTATS.COM THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE PROBLEM. MORE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS. 2ND COMPLAINT OF TURN SIGNAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. RESULT OF DEFECTIVE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ALSO PRESENT IN OTHER YEARS AS WELL AND OTHER GM VEHICLES. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM I HAVE FOUND IT IS NOT A MATTER OF IF BUT WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. CAR WAS REPAIRED 1/18/08. THIS IS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE REPAIR FROM THE MECHANIC: DIAGNOSE CLICKING NOISE IN DASH, REMOVE DASH FACE - CHECK WIRING, SWITCHES, TBS'S AND RECALLS. PROBLEM CAUSED BY SHORT IN MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH THAT DAMAGED FLASHER UNIT. R&R STEERING COLUMN COVERS AND AIR BAG TO REPLACE MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH, REPLACE HAZARD LAMP FLASHER UNIT. PART DESCRIPTION: MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH ASSEMBLY (HEADLAMPS, WIPERS, TURN SIGNALS, DIMMER ALL IN ONE UNIT.) HAZARD LAMP/FLASHER UNIT ASSEMBLY. TOTAL COST $474.31. IF YOU WILL REFER BACK TO 2000, GM RECALL NO03043 AND 2001 GM RECALL NO03043 YOU WILL SEE THEY WERE RECALLED FOR THE SAME THING! IN ADDITION TO A POSSIBLE CRASH DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE SWITCH THAT YOU NOTED, YOU MIGHT WANT TO ADD THAT 1) VERY DISTRACTING 2) IF NOT REPAIRED, THE BRAKE LIGHTS START TO FAIL 3) STEERING ASSEMBLY STARTS SMOKING. I HOPE SOMETHING IS DONE BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. THIS SAFETY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOME GETS HURT OR DIES. I MADE PONTIAC AWARE OF CONDITION WITH OUT RESOLVE. ALSO THE PERSON WHOM I SPOKE TO DID NOT SPEAK OR UNDERSTAND ENGLISH VERY WELL. PLEASE HELP GET THIS RESOLVED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STARTING. HE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE KEY IN FOR TEN MINUTES AND WAIT FOR THE SECURITY LIGHT TO STOP BLINKING. THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM WOULD RESET ITSELF AND THEN HE COULD START THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO ASSIST. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 67,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000.

THIS IS THE 2ND TIME MY CAR IS RUNNING FINE WHEN I TURN IT OFF AND WHEN I GO OUT TO RUN AN ERRAND, THERE IS NO POWER AT ALL. WHEN I TURN THE KEY, THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL. EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY DEAD, NOTHING LIGHTS UP AT ALL. IT HAPPENED THE 1ST TIME EARLIER THIS WINTER AND THE GARAGE WAS ABLE TO RESET IT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I HAVE TRIED PUTTING THE KEY TO THE ON POSITION AND WAITING 10 MINUTES AND TURN IT TO THE OFF POSITION AND THEN TRYING TO START IT. THERE IS STILL NOTHING. I ASSUME I WILL HAVE TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE GARAGE AND POSSIBLY HAVE THE IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED. I FIGURE THAT IS WHAT IT MUST BE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND ALOT OF CONSUMERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT IS WHAT WAS WRONG AND I ALSO NOTICED THAT IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN AT ANY TIME LEAVING PEOPLE STRANDED. I JUST HAPPENED TO BE THAT BOTH TIMES I WAS IN MY OWN YARD WHEN IT DID IT TO ME. *TR

THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AND WON'T ALLOW ME TO START THE VEHICLE UNTIL I LET IT SIT FOR 10 MINUTES WITH THE IGNITION IN THE "ON" POSITION. THERE ARE INTERNET MESSAGE BOARDS WITH TONS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND GM WON'T REPAIR IT. THE COST FOR THE REPAIR IS $400.00 AND THE DEALER SAYS IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM TO HAVE THE PASSLOCK FAIL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 49,00 MILES ON IT. WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS FIXED? *TR

SECURITY SYSTEM FAILURE...NO WARNING. SECURITY LIGHT ON AS I WENT TO WORK. THE CAR SAT ALL DAY...THEN IT WOULDN'T START. THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE MY KEYS. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR ALL GRAND AMS, NOT JUST FOR 2004 MODELS. WHY DOES PONTIAC CONTINUE TO USE DEFECTIVE PASSLOCK SYSTEMS IN THEIR CARS. COST TO REPAIR RUNS APPROXIMATELY 450.00. IN MY RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT EVEN AFTER IT IS "FIXED" IT CAN AND DOES HAPPEN AGAIN. I WOULD THINK THAT PONTIAC SHOULD QUIT USING THEM AND PUTTING THEM ON THEIR CARS, OR PAY FOR THE REPAIRS SINCE THEY KNOW IT IS BAD AND GOING TO GO BAD OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT ISN'T LIKE THE CAR IS A BMW OR ROLLS OR SOMETHING. I FOR ONE COULD LIVE WITHOUT THE PASSLOCK SECURITY SYSTEM. *TR

THE PASSLOCK ANTI-THEFT DEVICE INSTALLED IN THE IGNITION SWITCH OF MY '04 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE WILL ENGAGE AND MAKE MY CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO START. IT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIME PER WEEK SINCE I PASSED 36,000 MILES, NOW AT 36,868. I THOUGHT MINE WAS AN ISOLATED CASE, BUT AFTER READING COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT FROM CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE THIS DEVICE INSTALLED IN THEIR VEHICLES IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THIS DEVICE HAS A DESIGN FLAW SINCE MANY HAVE HAD THEIR IGNITION SWITCHES REPLACED ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN. GM EVEN LISTS A PROCEDURE TO "RESET" THE ANTI-THEFT SENSOR IN MY OWNERS MANUAL. I HAVE A PREGNANT WIFE AND TWO OTHER SMALL CHILDREN. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY WHEN I GET INTO MY CAR AND CAN'T GET IT STARTED BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY DEVICE? WAIT 10 MINUTES FOR THIS CONTRAPTION TO "RESET" ITSELF WHILE PRECIOUS TIME IS TICKING AWAY? WHEN THIS ANTI-THEFT SENSOR ISN'T KEEPING ME FROM STARTING THE ENGINE THE IGNITION SWITCH AND EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY. I WOULD LIKE FOR GM TO COME WITH A SOLUTION TO THIS ANNOYING AND POSSIBLY LIFE THREATENING FAULTY SENSOR AND REPLACE THE THE IGNITION SWITCH WITH A MORE RELIABLE SWITCH OR PAY TO HAVE THE DEALERSHIP DISABLE THIS USELESS HEADACHE ALTOGETHER. *TR