IllustrationWHILE DRIVING FUEL CABLE SNAPPED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IN TRAFFIC. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
1994 Pontiac Grand Prix
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Grand Prix years
Owner complaints for the 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix are substantially higher than the model-year median of 88.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Prix 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
Limited mileage data: 10 of 213 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Visibility. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
25 crash reports2 fire reports19 injury reports
What owners actually said
213 reportsACCELERATOR CABLE BROKE WHILE DRIVING. NM
BRAKE CALIPERS WERE RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT THEY CAUSED THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP. CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND THEN CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THEM ON IS TO KEEP THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL ON. RECALL WAS PERFORMED IN 1997. DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR UNDER THE RECALL AGAIN. *AK
THIS CAR HAS COST ME A FORTUNE. FIRST I PAID FOR THE ABS BRAKE PROBLEM FROM THE TIME I OWNED THE CAR AND THE DISC BRAKES WERE NEW. I ALSO HAD THE ROTORS TURNED AND THEY STILL MAKE SQUEAKY NOISES WHEN BACKING UP THERE IS A WEIRD NOISE,PLUS THE BRAKES FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE AIR IN THE BRAKE LINE. ALSO, WHEN THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON, …
Read full complaint
THIS CAR HAS COST ME A FORTUNE. FIRST I PAID FOR THE ABS BRAKE PROBLEM FROM THE TIME I OWNED THE CAR AND THE DISC BRAKES WERE NEW. I ALSO HAD THE ROTORS TURNED AND THEY STILL MAKE SQUEAKY NOISES WHEN BACKING UP THERE IS A WEIRD NOISE,PLUS THE BRAKES FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE AIR IN THE BRAKE LINE. ALSO, WHEN THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON, IT FEELS AS IF I DONT HAVE ANY BRAKES AT ALL. I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT IT IS A GREAT LOOKING CAR EVERYONE THAT SEES IT THINKS IT; LOOKS GREAT AND THE ENGINE SOUNDS GOOD, BUT IT ALWAYS COST ME SO MUCH TO KEEP IT. AS A FEMALE FROM MCNAMARA PONTIAC DEALERSHIPS AND GOODYEAR AND FIRESTONE HAS DRAINED ME OVER HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND I HAVE THE RECEIPTS, EVEN THE WARRANTY I BOUGHT DIDN'T HELP ME WITH THE PROBLEM I HAD. THE CAR DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM WON'T TRADE OR FIX ANY THING BUT MY BROTHER BOUGHT A CAR FROM THEM AND THEY FIXED EVERY PROBLEM HE HAD FOR FREE. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME BEFORE I OR ONE MY KIDS DIE IN THIS CAR. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH HEATER BLOCK DISENGAGED FROM ENGINE WHICH CAUSED ITTO OVERHEAT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
THE FRONTS STRUTS BREAK EVERY 9 MONTHS TO A YEAR WHICH MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT. BEEN REPLACED 4-5 TIMES. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ENGINE BLOCK HEATER LOCATED AT THE BACK OF ENGINE FAILED.
ACCELERATOR CABLE BROKE.
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35MP, WHEN AT 3 CAR LENGTHS BETWEEN VEHICLES CONSUMER SLAMMED ON BRAKES SWERVED OFF ROAD AN CURB, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEATBACKS CAME FORWARD, SLAMMING PASSENGER INTO THE DASH. SEATBACK NOR SEAT SHOULDER BELT PROVIDED SAFETY FOR CONSUMERS. *AK
Official recalls
197V017000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:switch/wiring
Feb 11, 1997
SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A STRAINED OR SEPARATED WASHER/WIPER SWITCH POWER FEED WIRE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN CAUSE THE WINDSHIELD WASHER/WIPER TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY AND COULD ULTIMATELY RESULT IN INOPERATIVE WIPERS. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR IN A SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION, DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE OLD DESIGNED WASHER/WIPER SWITCHES WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SWITCH.
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
2EA96010 · Windshield Wiper Failures
Opened Jun 18, 1996 · Closed Feb 19, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility
BY LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 4, 1997, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT WAS GOING TO RECALL 349,331 MODEL YEAR 1994 AND 1995 W CAR VEHICLES.THE W CAR MODELS OF CHEVROLET, BUICK, OLDSMOBILE, AS WELL AS THE SUBJECT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX MODELS ARE INCLUDED.THE RECALL (97V-017) WILL INVOLVE REPLACING ALL THE OLD STYLE WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCHES WITH THE LATER IMPROVED SWITCH, WITH THE LONGER WIRING HARNESS.DUE TO GM'S SAFETY-RECALL ACTION, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
PE96011 · Windshield Wiper Failure
Opened Feb 8, 1996 · Closed Jun 18, 1996
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility
There is no summary currently available