1999 Pontiac Grand Am

MY CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING ANTIFREEZE WHICH CAN BE SMELLED IN THE CAR. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE AS OF YET WHERE IT IS COMING FROM. HOWEVER, SHORTLY AFTER IT HAD BEEN NOTICED THAT MY CAR WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, MY ALTERNATOR WENT OUT. WHEN IT WAS PULLED OUT FROM THE ENGINE, IT WAS ASSUMED THAT IT HAD BEEN ON FIRE. IT IS FELT THAT THE ALTERNATOR LOOKS LIKE IT HAD BEEN ELECTROCUTED. ALL OF THE RUBBER THAT COVERS THE WIRES HAD BEEN COMPLETELY BURNED AWAY. CONSIDERING THAT I DRIVE MY INFANT SON AROUND IN THIS VEHICLE, NOT TO MENTION MYSELF THIS CAN NOT POSSIBLY BE SAFE IF THE VEHICLE IS CATCHING ON FIRE. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 68000 MILES ON IT. IT ALSO HAS ALL TYPES OF PROBLEMS WITH THE LOCKS AND THE IGNITION. THIS IS THE WORST CAR THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED IN MY LIFE, NOT TO MENTION THE MOST DANGEROUS. I AM JUST WAITING FOR IT TO BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE I AM DRIVING DOWN THE STREET!!!! NOT TO MENTION, MY VEHICLE HAS ALL OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION PROBLEMS THAT OTHERS HAVE REPORTED. ESPECIALLY THE PULLING TO VARIOUS SIDES WITHOUT WARNING AND THE SHAKING THAT HAPPENS AROUND 55 TO 60 MPH. THIS IS JUST NOT A SAFE VEHICLE AT ALL.*AK

I HAVE A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT, AND HAVE HAD PROBLEMS THAT THE DEALER REFUSES TO FIX SINCE DAY ONE! THE FIRST DAY THAT WE BROUGHT IT HOME, DEALER HAD TO COME AND TOW IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT, SUDDENLY WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. DEALER FIXED THAT PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATOR SOON AFTER THAT, DEALER REFUSED TO FIX IT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET, STILL. RECENTLY, WITHIN THE PAST 2 MONTHS, THE INTAKE GASKET MANIFOLD IS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE. CAR RAN HOT SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER REFUSES TO FIX THIS BECAUSE THE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IN ITSELF WILL COST ME ANOTHER $700 OUT OF POCKET, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE OTHER THINGS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE LEATHER ON THE DOOR IS PEELING AND FOLDING, DEALER REFUSED TO FIX EVEN THOUGH WE HAD WRITTEN ORDERS FROM THE MANAGER TO FIX IT. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SQUEAKS AND RUBS WHEN OPENING AND CLOSING. WE HAVE CALLED AND TALKED WITH DEALERSHIP OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH NO AVAIL! I HAVE MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE CAR EVERY 3000 MILES, SO THIS IS DUE TO NO FAULT OF MY OWN! ALL IN ALL THIS CAR IS A LEMON! I WILL NEVER BUY A GM MADE CAR AGAIN! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. MY SON COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND MY HUSBAND AND I ALSO! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. OBVIOUSLY GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, WILL THEY WAIT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED? *NM

WATER PUMP FAILURE, 5 MONTHS LATER LEAK IN INTAK MANIFOLD GASKET. REPLACED IN 5/2004 SIX MONTHS LATER ENGINE CLATTERED AND LOST COMPRESSION (TERM LACKING) FOUND THAT THE CAM AND LIFTERS DESTROYED BECAUSE ANTIRFREEZE LEAKED IN TO ENGINE PREVENTING OIL LUBRICATION TO LIFTERS DESTROYING ENGINE. ANTIFREEZE FUMES LEAKED INTO CAR WHILE DRIVING PRIOR TO GASKET REPAIR. THE POTENTIAL DANGER OF ENGINE SEIZING UP WHILE IN MOTION IS GREAT AND I FEEL THAT THESE VEHICLES SHOULD BE RECALLED DUE TO DEFECTIVE GASKETS. 3.4LT V6 ENGINES ARE NOTORIUS FOR THIS PROBLEM PLEASE SEE GMCONSUMERS@GROUPS.MSN.COM FOR MORE POSTINGS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHY SHOULD DEATH BE THE ONLY MOTIVATOR TO GET SOMETHING DONE. SHOULDN'T THIS BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOME GETS KILLED AS DIRECT RESULT OF FAILURE?*AK

LAST YEAR WENT TO MY DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE TECH "SUGGESTED" I BUY A NEW CAR, BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS THEY DISCOVERED WERE GOING TO BE OVER $4,000 TO FIX. THOUGHT THIS WAS STRANGE AS I HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 3 YEARS. MY MECHANIC FIXED THE COOLANT INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR A LOT LESS THAN THE DEALER BUT SAID HE HAS SEEN THIS IN GM CARS BEFORE AND GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THEY HAVE RECALLED VEHICLES IN THE PAST FOR THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THE GLYCOL COOLANT EATS THE GASKETS AND CAUSES THE LEAKS TO THE REST OF THE SYSTEMS. FIXING THE GASKET WITH THE NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION JUST DELAYS THE DAMAGE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE, AND THE RECALL THAT MAY HAPPEN ONE DAY, AFTER WE HAVE ALL SOLD OR JUNKED OUR CARS. WHICH I AM SURE IS WHAT GM IS WAITING FOR. NEXT TIME I BUY AN IMPORT. *JB

(1)OUR LOW COOLANT LIGHT ILLUMINATED SO WE TOPPED OFF ENGINE COOLANT. WE WERE TURNING AROUND A CURVE AT ABOUT 45MPH AND WHEN THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. (2) FORTUNATELY WE WERE JUST FINISHED A RIGHT CURVE ON A SECLUDED ROAD OR WE WOULD HAVE VEERED INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC WHEN ALL POWER STEERING WAS LOST. WE REGAINED CONTROL WITHOUT POWER STEERING,LIGHTS OR BRAKES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. UPON INVESTIGATION WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE FLUID DISCHARGED FROM THE RESERVOIR AND COVERED ENGINE BELTS,BRAKES AND TIRES ON PASSENGER SIDE THEREFORE MAKING THEM SLIPP. THIS IS WHAT CAUSED POWER STEERING,LIGHTS,BRAKES AND TRACTION LOSS. IF THE DRIVER WAS OF LESS STRENGHT AND AWARENESS, THE CONDITIONS WERE WET OR TRAFFIC WAS HEAVIER THIS COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN A DISTURBING ACCIDENT AND POSSIBLY FATAL. (3) IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLES LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKED WHICH CAUSED THE OVERHEATING AND DISCHARGE OF FLUID. VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 60,000 MILES. A FRIEND OF OURS HAS THE EXACT SAME VEHICLE AND RECENTLY REPAIRED THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

LOW COOLANT LIGHT WOULD COME ON FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN SHUT OFF. MADE SURE COOLANT WAS FULL, STILL KEPT HAPPENING. STARED OVERHEATING AND NO HEAT. MECHANIC LOOKED SAID THERE WAS AIR IN THE COOLING LINE SO HE FLUSHED AND REFILLED, COULD NOT SEE ANY LEAKS. SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN WITH IN A WEEK. BY THIS TIME MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WENT BACK TO MECHANIC AND HE THEN DID A NUMBER OF TESTS AND FOUND THAT IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. AFTER PAYING $700.00 TO HAVE THAT FIXED GOT THE CAR BACK AND ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND USING ALLOT OF FUEL. SO TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AND AFTER EXTENSIVE TESTING FOUND THAT IT WAS MY PISTON RINGS WERE BAD ON THE 3RD CYLINDER AND THAT IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO REPLACE THE ENGINE THAN FIX THE PROBLEM. WITH SO MANY CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM (NOT JUST A FEW, MOST OF THEM) I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT PONTIAC WILL NOT BACK UP THEIR PRODUCTS. PONTIAC HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT.*AK