1999 Pontiac Grand Am

WHERE TO START, .BOUGHT 1999 GRAND AM GT IN AUGUST OF 2002 AND ITHAS BEEN DOWNHILL EVER SINCE. REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR TWICE, HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET PROBLEM, WHICH WAS REPLACED, BUT STILL LED TO THE DEMISE OF MY ENGINE, CAUSING CAMSHAFT TO SNAP IN HALF. THOUGHT THE TROUBLE WAS OVER WITH THE REBUILT ENGINE THAT WAS PUT IN, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. THE WINDOW REGULATOR BROKE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SNOWSTORM ,CAUSING ME TO DRIVE WITH NO DRIVERSIDE WINDOW. WITH THE NEW REGULATOR I ASSUMED THAT THE WINDOW WOULD STOP SQUEAKING, WHICH DID NOT. I ASSUMED THE SCRATCHES ON WINDOWS WERE JUST FROM ME-SAND OR SOME OTHER ABRASIVE MATERIAL IN THE WINDOW TRACKS--AFTER REVIEWING OTHER COMPLAINTS I DISCOVERED I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. HAVE EXPERIENCED VARIOUS ISSUES WITH THE NO TRAC/ABS LIGHTS, REPLACED THE WATERPUMP, DONE BRAKES 4 TIMES IN 4 YEARS, FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE MILKY AND MAKE IT HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT. HAVE REPLACED THE STARTER 4 TIMES IN JUST THE PAST 2 YEARS. NEEDLESS TO SAY AFTER READING ALL COMPLAINTS I FEEL MUCH BETTER KNOWING THAT IT IS NOT JUST ME, OR MY CAR, BUT ALL PONTIACS. BOUGHT THE CAR FOR $10000, HAVE PUT OVER $5000 WORTH OF WORK INTO IT. WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER PONTIAC. *AK

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

GRAND AM 1999, MY PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR FELL OFF AFTER TOUCHING IT, FOUND THAT ALL THE PLASTIC SCREW HOLDERS WERE BROKEN, WE DISCONNECTED THE MIRROR AND CALLED FOR PRICING, VERY EXPENSIVE TO GET THAT PLASTIC SUPPORT PIECE. MY DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR WAS HANGING BY THE CABLES ONE MORNING WENT I WENT OUT TO GO TO WORK. I HAD USED PLASTIC TYPE STRING TO TIE IT ON, THEN TRIED DUCK TAPE BOTH TO NO AVAIL. MY NEIGHBOR TIRED SCREWS BUT THEY HAVE COME OUT, WILL TRY LONGER ONES TODAY. WHY DOES GM USE SUCH CHEAP PLASTIC TO HOLD A MIRROR THAT IS SUBJECT TO PRESSURE FROM NORMAL DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS. MY OTHER BIG ISSUE IS MY BACK PASSENGER WINDOW, I CAME OUT FROM WORK AND FOUND IT COMPLETELY OPEN, IT WILL NOT GO UP WITH THE MOTORIZED SWITCH AND WILL FALL DOWN WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT, IT IS DIFFICULT DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, HAVE TRIED WEDGING IT, WILL HAVE TO GO DUCK TAPE I GUESS THAT AFTER READING REPORTS ON MY CAR STATS IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. IT IS A SHAME THAT THE CAR FALLS APART BEFORE IT IS PAID FOR. *JB

BOTH DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOWS HAVE FAILED. THE CABLES AND PULLEYS USED TO MOVE THE WINDOW UP AND DOWN GOT TANGLED WHICH CAUSED THE CABLE TO BECOME ENTANGLED IN THE MOTOR AND EVENTUALLY BROKE THE WINDOW CLIPS, CAUSING THE WINDOW TO DROP UNEXPECTEDLY. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS THE FIRST TO GO. IT TOOK MANY WEEKS TO FIND AN AFFORDABLE REPLACEMENT (PARTS RANGED FROM $100 TO $350). THREE DAYS AFTER REPAIR WAS MADE, THE PASSENGER WINDOW TOO DID THE SAME THING. NOW I HAVE ONLY ONE WINDOW THAT WORKS UNTIL AGAIN I CAN FIND ANOTHER AFFORDABLE PART TO FIX THE INCONVENIENCE. *NM

DT: 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDOW TRACK HAS BROKE. THIS HAS BEEN FIXED TWICE, AND STILL DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES. THE ROTORS HAVE BEEN TURNED TWICE AND REPLACED ONCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. *AK

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