1999 Pontiac Grand Am

I PURCHASED MY 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT IN FEB. 2003 WITH 55000 MILES ON IT. IN JUNE 2004 WITHOUT ANY KIND OF WARNING IT DUMPED EVERY OUNCE OF COOLANT 2 BLOCKS FROM MY HOUSE. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE MANIFOLD GASKET HAD BLOWN AND MY BATTERY WAS NO GOOD. THERE HAD NOT BEEN ONE PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERY UNTIL THE GASKET BLEW. I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED (500.00 DOLLARS). THEN THIS PAST APRIL 2005 I HAD TO HAVE THE WATER PUMP REPLACED. TWO DAYS AGO I NOTICE A PUDDLE OF COOLANT UNDER THE CAR, I INVESTIGATE IT'S ORIGIN AND THERE IS A STREAM OF COOLANT RUNNING ALONG THE SEAM OF THE MANIFOLD GASKET! I HAVEN'T EVEN PUT 10,000 MILES ON THIS CAR SINCE IT BLEW THE LAST MANIFOLD GASKET. GM KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE, SHOW SOME INTEGRITY AND TAKE CARE OF THESE PROBLEMS! *JB

I OWN A 1999 GRAND AM SE. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN OCT '04 I HAVE BEEN HAVING NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. THIS PAST JUNE I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. LEADING UP TO THAT THE CAR WOULD DIE AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. I WOULD BRING IT TO THE DEALER (MORE LIKE TOW IT) AND I WOULD ALWAYS BE TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG. THEN YET AGAIN IT WOULD DIE. AFTER THAT THE STALLING BEGAN. I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF. IT WOULD USUALLY TAKE UP TO 10 MINUTES TO TURN BACK ON. ONCE THE DEALER WENT "WELL MAYBE ITS YOUR LIGHTS, YOU LEAVE THEM ON." MY RESPONSE WAS HOW DO I LEAVE ON AUTOMATIC LIGHTS? I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY ALTERNATOR 3 TIMES AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY BATTERY TWICE. IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT ONCE I SHUT OFF MY CAR THE ONLY WAY TO START IT WAS BY TAKING OUT THE MAIL RELAY CHIP FOR 2 MINUTES THAN REPLACING IT. THAN THE CAR WOULD START UP. FINALLY I WAS ON THE HIGH WAY AND OUT OF NO WHERE YOU HEAD A LOUD POP. THERE WENT THE HEADER, PISTONS, OIL GASKET. THE ENGINE BLEW. HOWEVER IT WAS NEVER A EFFECT OF THE OIL. I WAS ALWAYS CHECKING IT AND GETTING IT CHANGED ONCE EVER OTHER MONTH (I COMMUTED A LOT). SO I GOT A REBUILT ENGINE PUT IN AND THE PROBLEMS WENT AWAY... OR SO I THOUGHT. LAST NIGHT I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR STARTED SHAKING. IT WENT FROM A LITTLE TO A GREAT AMOUNT. THE MUFFLER IS MAKING AN ODD PUFF PUFF NOISE AND THE EXHAUST SMELLS LIKE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID (ONLY WAS TO DESCRIBE IT). I PULLED IT INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND ON WENT THE TRAC OFF LIGHT AND THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHTS. THANK YOU. ALSO PRIOR TO THE NEW ENGINE MY CDS WOULD NO LONGER PLAY. I WOULD GET THE E20 ERROR AND THE CDS WOULD SPIT OUT. ANOTHER PROBLEM IS MY REAR PASSENGER WINDOWS HAVE SCRATCHES UP THE MIDDLE OF THEM. I CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHERE THE MARKS ARE COMING FROM. *JB

MY 99 PONTIAC GRAND AM IS SLOWLY LEAKING ANTI-FREEZE, THE MECHANIC I WENT TO KNEW EXACTLY WHERE TO LOOK, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. HE SAID THEY ARE GETTING ONE OR TWO EACH WEEK AND DID NOT KNOW WHY THEY HAVE NOT RECALLED THE VEHICLE. I FIGURE THIS WOULD BE AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANY VEHICLES LEAKING A COOLANT AFTER ONLY 60,000 MILES. *JB

MY 99 PONTIAC GRAND AM STARTED HAVING COOLANT PROBLEMS, THE VEHICLE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WOULD GO UP AND DOWN FOR A MONTH, FINALLY THE VEHICLE JUST ONE DAY OVERHEATED. I HAD THE WHOLE COOLANT SYSTEM REPLACED, ( 600.00 LATER). ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO AFTER IT STARTED TO OVERHEAT AGAIN, BEFORE I COULD BRING IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC TO CHECK IT OUT, THE ENGINE BLEW. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE YET, NOR DO I KNOW IF I WILL AS THE VEHICLE IS NOT WORTH THE COST TO REPAIR. I REFUSE TO PAY ALMOST 2K TO GET AN ENGINE FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO GO WRONG.. I KNOW THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE COOLANT SYSTEM CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVER HEAT.. MY MECHANIC SAID MY CAMSHAFT COMPLETELY SPLIT IN HALF, AND HE HAS NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE BUT KNOWS OF A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO. IT CANT BE A COINCIDENCE. *JB

WHEN DRIVING STEADILY OVER 50 MPH FOR A PERIOD OF 15 MINUTES OR MORE THE ENGINE REVS AT 2000 RPM OR HIGHER. WHEN GOING INTO NEUTRAL OR PARK IT REACHES 3000 RPM. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. IN THE BEGINNING IT WOULD STOP ONCE I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED IT. NOW I MUST SIT AND WAIT FOR THE ENGINE TO COOL IN ORDER FOR IT TO STOP HAPPENING. I HAVE NOT YET REPAIRED THIS BECAUSE I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM WHEN BRINING IT IN FOR SERVICE. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON.

DT: THE PROBLEM BEGAN ON 6/14/05 WHEN ALL LIGHTS CAME ON AND ALL GUAGES WENT TO ZERO, THE POWER DOOR LOCKS AND WINDOWS FAILED AS WELL. THE VEHICLE HAD NO BRAKES, IT COASTED TO A STOP, AND SHUT DOWN, OWNER WAS LOCKED IN VEHICLE. THE ALTERNATOR AND BELT WERE REPLACED, OWNER GOT IN BACK SEAT BECAUSE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. TOW TRUCK DRIVER TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE BUT IT HAD A COMPLETELY DEAD BATTERY. OWNER WAS ABLE TO GET OUT FINALLY WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO RESTART THE BATTERY. SHE GRABBED THE HANDLE AND WAS ABLE TO GET OUT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT, AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS CHANGED AT TOW PLACE BY A MECHANIC. IT WAS 90 + DEGREES OUTSIDE AND NO FRESH AIR WAS COMING IN THE VEHICLE. *AK

I HAVE A 1999 GRAND AM GT THAT I BOUGHT A MONTH AND HALF AGO. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR STARTED TO OVER HEAT AND LOSING A LOT OF COOLANT! WE REPLACED THE THEROMSTATE, RADIATOR CAP, FLUSHED THE SYTEM AND STILL WAS OVER HEATING!!! NOW THE CAR IS BROKE DOWN AND NEEDS A HEAD GASKET OR EVEN NEED TO REPLACE BOTH HEADS!! NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE WHOLE COOLANT SYSTEM!!. I THINK THAT THIS IS PRETTY BAD THAT GM KNOWS THAT THESE TYPES OF VECHILE'S ESPECIALLY 3.4 ARE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS, BUT ARE NOT TRYING TO NOTHING ABOUT IT. WHEN I BOUGHT MY CAR I EXPECTED IT TO RELIABLE SINCE IT WAS THAT NEW, THE WORST THING IS THAT I PAID STRIAGHT CASH FOR IT AND DON'T EVEN GET TO ENJOY IT!!!. I THINK GM KNOWS THAT THEY MESSED UP AND THAT DEX COOL IS WHAT THE WHOLE PROBLEM IS, BUT THEY DON'T CARE SINCE THERE NOT THE ONE WHO HAS THE WORRY'S. PLUS PEOPLE HAS TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION SO THEREFOR THEY TAKE IT TO THE GM DEALERSHIP TO GET FIX. SO THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT GM KNOWS IT SHOULD BE RECALLED BUT WHY SHOULD THEY WHEN THATS JUST PUTING MONEY IN THERE POCKET.!!!!!!!!!!

COOLANT LIGHT BEGAN TO COME ON INCREASINGLY OFTEN SO I HAD IT CHECKED OUT AT THE GARAGE WHERE I WORK. I WAS TOLD THE LOWER INTAKE GASKET WAS LEAKING AND IF IT DIDN'T GET FIXED WATER AND ANTIFREEZE WOULD GET INTO MY OIL. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 76,XXX MILES ON IT. I KNOW OF TWO OTHER PEOPLE THAT OWN THESE CARS AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM I DO. THIS IS NOT SAFE IF THE ENGINE FREEZES UP.*AK

VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO OVERHEAT WITHOUT CAUSE. HAD COOLANT SYSTEM CHECKED AND REPLACED WATER PUMP, RADIATOR CAP AND COOLANT. NOTICED THAT OIL COLOR HAD BEGAN TO TURN A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN. REPAIRMAN INFORMED ME THAT WATER WAS LEAKING DUE TO A FAULTY GASKET AND LEAKING INTO THE LOWER INTAKE. 700 DOLLAR REPAIR. ALSO INFORMED THAT A TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED AND THAT GM WAS PAYING FOR SOME REQUESTS.