TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
2004 Pontiac Grand Am
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Grand Am years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am are substantially higher than the model-year median of 82.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Am 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
223 reports with mileage · 70 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
140 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT THE SECURITY LIGHT LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD WAS ILLUMINATED. AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES THE WARNING LIGHT SHUT OFF. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR INTERMITTENTLY FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER S…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT THE SECURITY LIGHT LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD WAS ILLUMINATED. AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES THE WARNING LIGHT SHUT OFF. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR INTERMITTENTLY FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER START. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 92,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
PASSLOCK SECURITY SYSTEM IS FAILING. CAR WILL START UP PERFECTLY ONE DAY BUT THEN THE NEXT DAY IT MAY NOT START AND THE SECURITY LIGHT WILL BE FLASHING. TAKES TEN MINUTES TO RESET. BASICALLY YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN AND WHAT DAY THAT YOUR CAR WILL START AND ITS A HUGE NUISANCE. I'M NOT SPENDING OVER 600 DOLLARS TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN…
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PASSLOCK SECURITY SYSTEM IS FAILING. CAR WILL START UP PERFECTLY ONE DAY BUT THEN THE NEXT DAY IT MAY NOT START AND THE SECURITY LIGHT WILL BE FLASHING. TAKES TEN MINUTES TO RESET. BASICALLY YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN AND WHAT DAY THAT YOUR CAR WILL START AND ITS A HUGE NUISANCE. I'M NOT SPENDING OVER 600 DOLLARS TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN THIS PRODUCT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECALLED. IT'S RIDICULOUS. *TR
I OWN A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE CAR THAT CAUSES A SECURITY MALFUNCTION. ON NUMEROUS RANDOM OCCASIONS WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TRY TO START MY CAR AND SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON THE CAR WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY LIGHT TURNS OFF AND THEN RE-START …
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I OWN A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE CAR THAT CAUSES A SECURITY MALFUNCTION. ON NUMEROUS RANDOM OCCASIONS WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TRY TO START MY CAR AND SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON THE CAR WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY LIGHT TURNS OFF AND THEN RE-START THE CAR. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE. I BOUGHT THE CAR AUGUST OF 2010 AND HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM THE ENTIRE TIME. *TR
THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH IN THE CAR OR THE HAZARD SWITCH SEEM TO BE DEFECTIVE. IT CONSTANTLY KEEPS CLICKING AFTER I USE IT AND SOMETIMES RARELY I CAN SEE SMOKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUES I AM NOT SURE WHY IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED. *TR
SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING IN INTERSTATE 80 TO KEARNEY NEBRASKA. DEALERSHIP IN FREMONT TOLD ME NOT TO TURN OFF CAR UNTIL I GOT TO DESTINATION. TOLD IT MAY NOT START AGAIN. TALKED TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS ONE IN KEARNEY NEBRASKA AND ONE IN FREMONT NEBRASKA. THE DEALERSHIP IN KEARNEY SAID THEY COULD NOT GET TO IT DUE…
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SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING IN INTERSTATE 80 TO KEARNEY NEBRASKA. DEALERSHIP IN FREMONT TOLD ME NOT TO TURN OFF CAR UNTIL I GOT TO DESTINATION. TOLD IT MAY NOT START AGAIN. TALKED TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS ONE IN KEARNEY NEBRASKA AND ONE IN FREMONT NEBRASKA. THE DEALERSHIP IN KEARNEY SAID THEY COULD NOT GET TO IT DUE LARGE VOLUME OF BUSINESS. TOLD ME TO LEAVE IT IN ON POSITION FOR 10 MINUTES THEN RESTART CAR. I GOT BACK TO FREMONT AND THE DEALERSHIP IN FREMONT VERIFIED THE PROBLEM. THE SECURITY SENSOR WAS HAVING TROUBLE ACKNOWLEDGING THE KEY AND THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS STEALING THE CAR. THE CAR POSSIBLE NOT START AGAIN OR SHUT DOWN.THE FREMONT DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION CYLINDER AND WIRING HARNESS. IT COST $630.00. I ASKED IF THEY HAD HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAID YES, THAT THEY HAD SEEN IT QUITE FREQUENTLY. I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS BLOGS AND STATEMENTS TO THE SAME SITUATION THAT OTHERS HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON, THE VEHICLE STALLED. IF THE KEY WAS LEFT IN THE ON POSITION, THE SYSTEM WOULD RESET ITSELF AND THE VEHICLE WOULD FUNCTION NORMALLY. A MECHANIC TOLD THE CONTACT THAT RESETTING THE SYSTEM COULD CAUSE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO FAIL.…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON, THE VEHICLE STALLED. IF THE KEY WAS LEFT IN THE ON POSITION, THE SYSTEM WOULD RESET ITSELF AND THE VEHICLE WOULD FUNCTION NORMALLY. A MECHANIC TOLD THE CONTACT THAT RESETTING THE SYSTEM COULD CAUSE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO FAIL. THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY OWNED A GRAND AM THAT CAUGHT FIRE BECAUSE OF THIS FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM WAS FAILING. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 52000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL GAUGES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AND ATTEMPTED VARIOUS REPAIRS SUCH AS REPLACING THE BATTERY, INSTRUMENT PANEL AND OTHER WIRING TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER A…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL GAUGES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AND ATTEMPTED VARIOUS REPAIRS SUCH AS REPLACING THE BATTERY, INSTRUMENT PANEL AND OTHER WIRING TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,644 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,725.
MY 2004 GRAND AM I HAVE A CLICKING NOISE FROM THE DASH AREA AND EVER SO OFTEN SMOKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. ALSO THE DRIVER SIDE WEATHER STRIPPING DOES NOT FIT RIGHT. WEATHER STRIPPING FLEW OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR
PASSLOCK SYSTEM 2004 GRAND AM PONTIAC, THE SECURITY LIGHT IS BLINKING AND READ THE MANUAL FOLLOW THE STEPS BUT MY CAR WONT CRANK UP
Official recalls
214V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
04V301000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage
Jun 30, 2004
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH A FUEL TANK THAT DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATION. A WELD ON THESE FUEL TANKS MAY BE INSUFFICIENT, RESULTING IN A FUEL LEAK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL TANK, AND REPLACE IT, IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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