1998 Pontiac Grand Prix

I'VE OWNED A 1998 GRAND PRIX GT FOR 7YRS AND I HAVE OFTEN HAD PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE. ON THE 30TH OF MAY, I WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE SPIKED AND SMOKE BEGAN POURING OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I STOPPED THE CAR QUICKLY AND DISCOVERED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS BLOWN AND IT WAS SPEWING WATER INTO THE OIL RESERVOIR AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON OTHER SITE ABOUT THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT'S INCLUDED WITH THE 1998 GRAND PRIX AND I THOUGHT I SHOULD POST A COMPLAINT. THE BEST ESTIMATE I'VE HAD FOR REPAIRING MY CAR IS $1000.00... I THINK THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS ERROR AND PAY FOR MY REPAIRS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED. SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT CALLED PONTIAC AND INFORMED THEM ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. HE RECENTLY RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AFTER THE FIRE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V118000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE, MISFIRE, AND THEN COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE FINALLY RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND THEN BEGAN SMOKING INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT THE CONVERTER WAS FIERY RED. SHE PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE VEHICLE, WHICH PRODUCED CODE NUMBER 1374. THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED TWICE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 122,749 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,439.

I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER,THEN I MOVED TO A NEW RESIDENTS 2WKS. LATER I PARKED MY CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY WENT INTO THE HOUSE MAYBE 2-3 MIN I NOTICED FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. I RAN AND GOT THE WATER HOSE AND PUT IT OUT. I CALLED THE DEALER THEY WEREN'T AWARE OF A RECALL I HAD TO SHOW PROOF LETTER. I FAXED IT THEN THEY TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALERS GMC WAS CALLED THEY CALLED THE DEALER .04-25-08 I CALLED GMC STATED SINCE THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE THEY NEED TO SEND FIRE INVESTIGATOR OUT. HE CAME TO THE DEALERS TOOK PICTURES AND REPORT AND FEDEX IT TO GMC MICH. THEN THEY GAVE ME ANOTHER ADJUSTER DARLENE CLEMENS. ON MAY 2ND I CALLED GMC AGAIN I WAS GIVEN ANOTHER ADJUSTER WHY SHE WOULDN'T TELL ME JUST GAVE ME THE PERSONS NAME JEMEIA PRICE SINCE THEN I BEEN PLAYING PHONE TAG NO ONE CAN HELP ME I AM WITHOUT A CAR NO LOANER OR ANY CONCERN SINCE MY CAR IS PAID OFF. SINCE THEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT OTHER RECALL THE DEALER SAID NO NOT ON GMC LIST OR WEBSITE THE RECALL#FOR THE CAR IS #07035 AND MY OTHER CONCERNS WERE RECALL# 02V286000 OR 02049 AND#07E021000 IM WORRIED I COULD DIED OR MORE DAMAGE TO MY CAR I KEEP GO CARE OF MY CAR GMC DOESN'T CARE I NEED HELP *TR

2 DAYS AGO WE HAD A HUGE SNOW STORM. I WAS TRYING TO GET MY CAR UNSTUCK. THE CAR WAS IDLING AND I WAS OUTSIDE DIGGING OUT THE CAR, AND MY GIRLFRIEND WAS SITTING IN THE CAR, SHE SAID IT WAS SMOKEY INSIDE. I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS OVERHEATING, AND IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE. I FINALLY THOUGHT, OK THIS JUST ISN'T OVERHEATING, SO I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND POPPED THE HOOD. THE WHOLE REAR OF THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. I GOT THE FIRE OUT AND MANAGED TO SAVE THE CAR. ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO I HAD A ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND THE CODE SAID SMALL EVAP LEAK. HE SAID IT WAS MY COLD AIR INTAKE AND MY GAS CAP. SO I REPLACED THE GAS CAP AND DROVE AROUND WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT ON, NOT KNOWING THAT THERE WAS A ACTUAL EVAP LEAK. SO IT WAS COINCIDENTAL THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 2 DAYS AFTER I PUT MY INTAKE ON. AND ALSO IT WAS COINCIDENTAL THAT IT HAPPENED ON THE DAY WITH ALL THE SNOW. SO MY MECHANIC SAID, THAT I DID HAVE A PINHOLE LEAK, AND THAT THE SPARKS FROM THE ALTERNATOR IGNITED THE VAPORS. ALSO THE FOAM UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE COVER ACTED LIKE A SPONGE SUCKING IN THE ALL FUMES AND THEN BOOM. *TR

I DROVE FROM MY WORK LOCATION AT 2PM TO A STORE 15 MINUTES AWAY. THE CAR WAS RUNNING NORMAL. I ENTERED THE STORE FOR 10 MINUTES AND WHEN I CAME OUT, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR HAD SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE REAR OF THE HOOD HAD BROWN DISCOLORATION MARKS. I ATTEMPTED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH AN EXTINGUISHER BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. A POLICE MAN ALSO ATTEMPTED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH ANOTHER FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT ALSO WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED IN 9 MINUTES AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE COMPLETE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS DESTROYED. *TR

I HAVE A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GTP THAT CAUGHT FIRE WHILE DRIVING YESTERDAY, 12/6/07. I HAD NOTICED NOTHING ODD OTHER THAN ON THE EVENING OF 12/5/07, MY CRUISE CONTROL CUT-OUT ON ME TWICE WHILE DRIVING HOME, WHICH I JUST THOUGHT OF AS ODD. 12 HOURS LATER, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND THE CAR STARTED STUTTERING. I THEN LOST ALL POWER AND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AS I LOOKED UP AFTER POPPING THE HOOD, I NOTICED FLAMES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, LOCAL FIRE CREWS WERE ONSITE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. THE WHOLE ENGINE COMPARTMENT MELTED AND THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS, BUT AM READING REPORTS OF 1999-2002 SUPERCHARGED GTP'S HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM, BUT WANTED THE NHTSA TO BE AWARE OF THIS OCCURRING IN A 1998 VEHICLE. THE CAR IS TOTALED AND I AM QUITE FRUSTRATED. I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD OCCUR IN A MILLION YEARS. *TR

MY PONTIAC GRAND PRIX WAS TAKEN TO JIFFY LUBE FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND ENGINE FLUSH. AFTER THE WORK WAS COMPLETED, THE EMPLOYEE DROVE THE CAR OUT TO THE PARKING LOT. WHILE HE WAS DRIVING IT, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT FIRE. THE EMPLOYEE ESCAPED WITH MINOR INJURIES. THE ENGINE WAS TOTALED AND THE CAR WAS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. *JB

THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLANT (DEXCOOL) USED IN GM VEHICLES SUCH AS THE 1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GT. THAT IS THE CAR I HAVE. THE COOLANT USED IIN THE VEHICLE DETERIORATES THE GASKETS AND ALLOWS FOR COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE CYLINDERS WHICH CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE AND POSSIBLY A FATAL CRASH? GM IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND ISSUED FIXES FOR IT, BUT WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACT. THE PROCEDURE TO FIX IT COSTS UPWARDS OF $800 AND ISN'T COVERED BY WARRANTY, UNLESS ITS NEW. I'M SURE THIS ISN'T THE FIRST COMPLAINT YOU RECEIVED FOR THIS PROBLEM, JUST SEARCH THE GRAND PRIX CLUB WEBSITES AND SEE ALL THE SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THE COUNTRY, IT'S IN THE MILLIONS. *TR