26th Jan 2002, 01:05
I bought my 1995 Grand Am three years ago and have put approx. 53,000 miles on it. It's been reliable and an overall good vehicle. However, a couple of months ago I noticed that it wasn't handling as well as usual. Took it to a service center and they found nothing. It has increasingly become worse and has been back to the shop twice since. It is hard to describe, but the front end seems to drift. It feels loose or something...
11th Dec 2002, 10:28
To the person with the ignition coil problems. I have experienced similar set backs with my 1996 Grand Am. If you could please e-mail me at jgalecke@hotmail.com, I am putting together a list of names to send to Pontiac and force them to face this problem.
1st Feb 2003, 08:00
In regards to the ignition coil problems, my daughter has had two ignition coil failures on her 1996 Grand Am, which she purchased new, in the past 12 months. These repairs are very expensive and do not fit well into the budget of a teacher.
5th Jan 2005, 19:10
I recently purchased a 1996 Grand Am GT. The car drove just fine the day I bought it. I was told by the previous owner that the only thing the car needed was an O2 sensor. 2 days later, I get in and the transmission goes. I also have the same problem with the water underneath the driver's side door mat. My mechanic told me this car is one of the worst ones you can buy, and I'm starting to believe him. It's really a shame because it's such a nice looking car!
Adrian - Boston, MA.
7th Apr 2005, 15:06
Purchased a 96 Grand AM GT, with 83,000 Miles on it. In the span of a year, replaced water pump, brakes, Batter, Alternator, Starter (Those 3 the first week!), and, had to replace the engine.
On the outside, it's a good car. But poorly Made engine wise. I'd advise people NOT to buy them, unless warrantied for A LONG TIME.
12th Feb 2007, 23:16
I have a 1999 Grand Am 2 door SE. I recently had to change the ignition modulator in it because it was dying in the middle of the street. Also, I'm having trouble with water under the driver seat and the back passenger seat. If there is anybody out there that know the solution to this problem, please let me know.
16th Apr 2007, 00:45
To all those that posted about the coil housing and ignition problems in general. I've been having to go through this at least twice a year as well. the entire ignition system is complete junk. I have reoccurring ignition and seal problems that no one has been able to diagnose and which the replacement of the housing does not fix. My car has 200,000 miles on it. It would take a book to list all the problems I've had. If anyone has questions regarding their grand am GT 1996 email me at lyeraflyersfan@hotmail.com. I've seen it all and probably know whats wrong with your car.
On a different note, does anyone know how to fix the problem of water getting on the floor mats on the drivers side??? It's driving me CRAZY! I've been dealing with this for years.
15th Mar 2008, 23:15
My 1996 Pontiac Grand Am...
After owning my Pontiac Grand Am for 8 years I decided to send it to the junk yard. I kept all my repair bills, and added them up... a total of $14000 in repairs. My biggest repair was the transmission $3200. Everything you can imagine went wrong with this car like; leaking head gaskets, water pump, brakes, air conditioner, electrical problems, etc...
I finally gave up... after 8 long years of constant repairs every 2-3 months. I now am driving a brand new 2007 BMW... and I will strictly only buy European or Japanese cars from now on.
20th Apr 2009, 18:04
I have a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am and have had nothing but repair bills and Christmas tree lights coming on. I have fixed and fixed, and am still fixing. Why did GM do this to people?
23rd Apr 2009, 21:33
Thanks for helping to sink the U.S. economy. When unemployment is 30% and people are rioting in your neighborhood maybe, just maybe, they won't torch your Beemer.
My 9-year-old Grand Am looks like it rolled off the showroom floor. It has had a whopping $27 in repairs in its entire life. A $10 light bulb and $17 for front brake pads (the rear are STILL the originals). If you only owned the car for 8 years, that means someone else may have totally trashed it for 5 years prior to your getting it. It makes little sense to blame the manufacturer for owner abuse. How many miles did the car have? 100,000? 200,000?
Oh, and my family has had two 5-series Beemers. They weren't any more reliable than our Grand Am, just faster and MUCH more expensive.
2nd Aug 2009, 21:24
Just a note. If you're getting a wet floor, especially on the driver's side, it could be that the sunroof is not draining properly and will cause the front and back floor to be very wet and STINK!!
I found that car is a fun ride, but it seems the entire bottom is rotting out... mufflers, actually entire exhaust system and gas line filler neck all at once... and then some.
17th May 2001, 06:56
Open comment to the person with the ignition coil problems...
I have a 1995 Grand Am GT with the same 3.1L engine and have had no ignition coil problems in 126K miles. Regarding recurring problems like this: If you use a GM dealer to fix a problem that you pay out of pocket for, the repair is then guaranteed for life. I have this guarantee in writing regarding an alternator that I had replaced. You should talk to your dealer about this. GM publicizes this warranty as a way to get owners to use their service departments instead of independent garages. Best of luck. Hopefully, the part you are having trouble with is not one of the fine print exclusions from this policy.