THE IGNITION OFTEN SLIPS INTO ACCESSORY MODE AND MY CAR WILL BE DEAD THE NEXT MORNING. VERY ANNOYING. THE GEAR SHIFT WILL ALSO SHIFT IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY KNOCK IT WHILE DRIVING EVEN WITHOUT PRESSING THE BUTTON. *TR
2005 Pontiac Grand Am
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 82.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Am years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
79 reports with mileage · 23 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
40 reportsI HAD SEVERAL TIMES I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND EVEN THE HIGHWAY IT HAS DIED ON ME. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DOOR LOCKS COME UNLOCK THAT I KNEW THE CAR DIED. WHEN I AM DRIVING MY FLASHERS ON MY CAR CONTINUE TO MAKE A TICKING NOISE. WHEN I TRY TO START THE CAR SOMETIMES I HAVE TO PUMP THE GAS AND I HAD ALREADY HAD F…
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I HAD SEVERAL TIMES I WOULD BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND EVEN THE HIGHWAY IT HAS DIED ON ME. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DOOR LOCKS COME UNLOCK THAT I KNEW THE CAR DIED. WHEN I AM DRIVING MY FLASHERS ON MY CAR CONTINUE TO MAKE A TICKING NOISE. WHEN I TRY TO START THE CAR SOMETIMES I HAVE TO PUMP THE GAS AND I HAD ALREADY HAD FUEL PUMP REPLACED. WHEN I START IT I HAVE TO WAIT FOR A SERVICE ENGINE SOON BEFORE I CAN START IT. SOMETIMES I BE DRIVING AND MY HEADLIGHTS WILL GO DIM AND I TURN IT UP AS FAR AND BRIGHT . IT STILL DON'T WORK. *JS
IGNITION SWITCH IT STICK AND SOMETIME DOSE NOT WANT TO TURN OFF. *TR
MY CAR WOULD NOT START. WHEN THIS HAPPENED ,HAD TO TURN KEY TO ACC AND LET IT SIT FOR 9 TO 10 MINUTES. FLASHING SECURITY LIGHT WOULD GO OUT AND CAR WOULD START. I CALLED GM ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND I WAS TOLD THERE HAD NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO DO A RECALL. WHEN YOU HAVE A 89 YEAR OLD MOTHER IN …
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MY CAR WOULD NOT START. WHEN THIS HAPPENED ,HAD TO TURN KEY TO ACC AND LET IT SIT FOR 9 TO 10 MINUTES. FLASHING SECURITY LIGHT WOULD GO OUT AND CAR WOULD START. I CALLED GM ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND I WAS TOLD THERE HAD NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO DO A RECALL. WHEN YOU HAVE A 89 YEAR OLD MOTHER IN THE CAR AND IT IS 90 OR 32 DEGREES IT IS A PROBLEM. I POSTED ON THEIR PAGE ABOUT IT AND WHY GM IS NOT A CAR TO BUY. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE! IF YOU GOOGLE IT THERE ARE STORIES ABOUT IT FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE (HAD)THE PROBLEM. YOU HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER SWITCH PUT IN, WHICH I DID. *TR
SECURITY SYSTEM FAILURE- ACCORDING TO A >120 PAGE ONLINE FORUM, MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING A PASSLOCK FAILURE. I TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, NOTHING HAPPENS, THE CAR DOES NOT START. THEN, IN THE SAME DAY, I CAN TRY STARTING THE CAR AGAIN, AND IT WILL START. THE NEXT DAY, SAME THING, TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, NOTHING. *TR
MY 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF NOW HAS FAILED TO START EVERY TIME. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT COMES ON, WHICH SOMETIMES IS A FEW SECONDS OR MINUTES. ASIDE FROM THAT I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY HAZARD SWITCH TWICE NOW BECAUSE MY BLINKERS DON'T BLINK THEY STAY SOLI…
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MY 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF NOW HAS FAILED TO START EVERY TIME. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT COMES ON, WHICH SOMETIMES IS A FEW SECONDS OR MINUTES. ASIDE FROM THAT I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY HAZARD SWITCH TWICE NOW BECAUSE MY BLINKERS DON'T BLINK THEY STAY SOLID. THE CAR RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING OR STOPPED AT A LIGHT, WITH NO WARNING AND CAN ONLY NOTICE BECAUSE THE DOORS AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCK. RECENTLY THE CHIMING NOISE WHEN PROGRAMMING THE CLOCK SOUNDS OFF MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON AND THE DOORS BEGAN LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THEMSELVES OVER AND OVER FOR AWHILE. NOW HOWEVER THE DOORS ARE PERMANENTLY LOCKED ONCE THE CAR HITS THE REQUIRED SAFETY SPEED AND DO NOT UNLOCK WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT OFF AND KEY TAKEN OUT OF THE IGNITION, SO IN ORDER TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE THE ONLY WAY TO UNLOCK THE DOORS IS WITH THE KEY FAB BECAUSE THE INTERIOR AUTOMATIC LOCKS DO NOT WORK NOR THE MANUAL LOCKS EITHER. THIS CAR HAS HAD MORE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THAN ANY CAR I HAVE HEARD OF UNTIL RESEARCHING THE ISSUES AND REALIZING THAT THESE ARE COMMON GM PROBLEMS ON CERTAIN MODELS AND MANUFACTURED YEARS AND GM REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR
I PURCHASED MY 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE USED IN MAY OF 2008 WITH ONLY 23,000 MILES ON IT. THE FIRST ISSUE BEGAN ONLY ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE. FIRST THE KEY WOULD GET STUCK...A FEW WEEKS LATER, THAT WAS NO LONGER A PROBLEM. THEN THE CAR HAD TROUBLE STARTING. VERY RANDOM, SOMETIMES IT WOULD START AFTER A FEW TRIES, SOM…
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I PURCHASED MY 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE USED IN MAY OF 2008 WITH ONLY 23,000 MILES ON IT. THE FIRST ISSUE BEGAN ONLY ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE. FIRST THE KEY WOULD GET STUCK...A FEW WEEKS LATER, THAT WAS NO LONGER A PROBLEM. THEN THE CAR HAD TROUBLE STARTING. VERY RANDOM, SOMETIMES IT WOULD START AFTER A FEW TRIES, SOMETIMES IT WOULD START AFTER 30 MINUTES. THEN IT GOT WORSE. THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF AS I WAS DRIVING...NO WARNING AT ALL...JUST TURNED OFF AS IF I TURNED THE KEY OFF. THIS ALSO IS EXTREMELY RANDOM..MECHANICS HAVE CHECKED MY FUEL PUMP PRESSURE, CLEANED THE LINES TWICE...I WAS TOLD THE PRESSURE WAS RIGHT TO SPECIFICATIONS. IT HAS BEEN 3 YEARS THAT I HAVE THE CAR..COULD NOT AFFORD TO TAKE IT TO A GM DEALER. I CHECKED AND CLEANED THE FUSES RELATED TO THE IGNITION..AFTER I DID THAT, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS MY CAR DID NOT SHUT OFF. THAT LASTED ABOUT 2 WEEKS, NOW IT IS STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN. I HAVE GOTTEN STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, UP ON MOUNTAINOUS ROADS, AT RED LIGHTS, VERY DANGEROUS. MY CAR STILL HAS TROUBLE STARTING AT TIMES AND NOW IT RETURNED TO THE DANGER OF THE CAR SHUTTING OFF. MY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SOMETIMES GOES CRAZY WHEN THE CAR SHUTS OFF..SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT. SOMETIMES THE CAR SHUTS OFF WHEN TURNING ON MY DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL..SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT. SOMETIMES IT SHUTS OFF AT A STOP SIGN..SOMETIMES IT SHUTS OFF DRIVING 55 MPH. IF THIS WERE MY FUEL PUMP, IT WOULD HAVE DIED YEARS AGO. THIS IS GM'S POOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS PROVEN TO BE A PROBLEM IN THE GRAND AM AND OTHER MODELS AS WELL. *TR
I OWN A 2005 PONTIAC GRAND-AM. THE ISSUE I'VE BEEN HAVING IS THAT PERIODICALLY THE 'SECURITY' LIGHT WILL DISPLAY. SHORTLY AFTER (NO SPECIFIC OR EXACT TIME ELAPSE) THE CAR WILL NOT START AND THE 'SECURITY' LIGHT ON DASH BLINKS. I WAIT 10 MINUTES (AS SUGGESTED IN OWNERS MANUAL), KEEPING THE KEY IN THE 'ON' POSITION, THEN CAR WILL …
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I OWN A 2005 PONTIAC GRAND-AM. THE ISSUE I'VE BEEN HAVING IS THAT PERIODICALLY THE 'SECURITY' LIGHT WILL DISPLAY. SHORTLY AFTER (NO SPECIFIC OR EXACT TIME ELAPSE) THE CAR WILL NOT START AND THE 'SECURITY' LIGHT ON DASH BLINKS. I WAIT 10 MINUTES (AS SUGGESTED IN OWNERS MANUAL), KEEPING THE KEY IN THE 'ON' POSITION, THEN CAR WILL START UP. I HAVE HAD THE CAR SERVICED (FOR THIS ISSUE) IN A GM DEALERSHIP TWO TIMES...THEY CHANGED THE STARTER AND SOME OTHER PART (NOT THE SECURITY CONTROL MODULE) AND THIS PROBLEM REMAINS. IS THERE A DEFINITIVE 'FIX' FOR THIS PROBLEM. TIRED OF LIVING WITH THIS. THIS ISSUED HAS HAPPENED 7 TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE SECURITY SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE SECURITY CODE WAS RESET. THE FAILURE RECURRED NINE MONTHS FOLLOWING THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE TEMPOR…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE SECURITY SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE SECURITY CODE WAS RESET. THE FAILURE RECURRED NINE MONTHS FOLLOWING THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE TEMPORARILY. A PERMANENT REPAIR WAS NOT PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
"SECURITY" WARNING LIGHT SUDDENLY APPEARED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PASSLOCK ISSUE. I'VE ALSO BEEN TOLD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT BEEN DEALT WITH A RECALL. *TR
Official recalls
214V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
05V054000 · Suspension:rear
Feb 14, 2005
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH REAR SUSPENSION KNUCKLE BOLTS THAT ARE NOT TO SPECIFICATION AND COULD FRACTURE UNDER HIGH LOADS THAT CAN OCCUR IN SOME DRIVING CONDITIONS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE BOLT FRACTURE, THE REAR SUSPENSION LINKAGE COULD DETACH FROM THE KNUCKLE AND THE REAR WHEEL WOULD BE ABLE TO TURN INBOARD OR OUTBOARD. SUDDEN CHANGES IN VEHICLE HANDLING COULD OCCUR, PARTICULARLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS, AND THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH REAR SUSPENSION KNUCKLE BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 9, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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