Faults:
Tape player on radio went bad the day I took it home. It took the dealer 2 weeks to get a remanufactured replacement in!
Key would stick in ignition, lock replaced 3 times under warranty, but it never fixed the problem.
Water pump went bad and was replaced under warranty.
Air Condition went 2 times. First time was the compressor and was replaced under warranty. Second time was the condenser and I had to pay for that out of pocket.
Needed a full brake job, rotors and brake pads, at 40000 miles.
Clips on driver's side door panel, exterior, that held trim on were bad and never replaced.
The following problems occurred AFTER the warranty expired:
2 coil packs went bad and had to be replaced.
Alternator went bad and had to be replaced.
The A/C condenser mentioned above went bad.
One of the cells in the battery went bad and the battery had to be replaced.
Although I don't remember at what mileage most of these problems occurred I can tell you that the car only had 60000 miles on it when I traded it in.
General Comments:
Other than the numerous and frequent problems mentioned above, the car was decent. It was very sharp, mine was bright red, and had nice performance.
Unfortunately these cars are very cheaply made. Mine was a real head turner, but constantly in the shop for something.
Also it wasn't the most comfortable vehicle to ride in. The seats, old Sunbird types, had NO lumbar support and would leave you with an aching back after extended travel. Also the ride wasn't that great either.
My suggestion to anyone looking at one of these vehicles is to stay away from them. To this day I think they are cheaply made, as friends complain about their late model Grand Ams. They may be eye candy, but they're not reliable.
22nd May 2006, 22:42
We own a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am. After coming home from vacation, we found 4 inches of water in our car. It had rained the entire time we had been gone. None of the seats were wet, no windows were down, there was just a lot of water on the floors. The next day, my husband was turning left off our 25 mph street and without warning the airbag went off on him. It gave him a swollen face and friction burns on his arms. The mechanic we talked to said the water could have fried or shorted out the electrical system. It will cost us $150 to have him find out what was wrong and about $700 to replace the airbag (unless we can get one from a junk yard). Not to mention what it might cost to replace the electrical that is bad. Before the airbag went off, one by one our lights started coming on on the dash. We have never had engine trouble, but anything hooked up to the electric system (anti-lock brakes, traction control, airbag, etc.) has given us terrible problems. We are not hard on our car and we don't put many miles on each year. We also get regular oil changes. Something is just wrong with these Grand Ams. I miss my car, though. I loved it more than any I ever owned.