NHTSA Complaint #10082433 — 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM

MY 1999 GRAND AM DEVELOPED A "LOW COOLANT" PROBLEM. I HAD ADDED NEARLY A GALLON OF THE RECOMMENDED DEX-COOL IN A 50/50 MIX WITH WATER. ON MY WAY TO WORK ONE MORNING, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. AS I WAS ON A HIGHWAY, IT TOOK A MINUTE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. WHEN I DID, I FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO MEASURABLE OIL ON THE DIP-STICK. IN ADDITION, WHEN I REMOVED THE OIL CAP, I FOUND A THICK MILKY SUBSTANCE ON IT. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND THE TOTAL REPAIR BILL CAME TO NEARLY $5,000.00! I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT ALL OF THE SYMPTOMS I HAD WITH THE CAR PRIOR TO THAT DAY WERE COMMON WITH THE GM 3.4 ENGINE IN MY CAR AND THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS OCCUR. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILS AND THE ANTIFREEZE GOES INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING FAILURE. I CALLED PONTIAC AND ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR BILL AS IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL GM ENGINES. THEY INVESTIGATED AND THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE REASON FOR THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS THAT THE CAR WAS DRIVEN WITH NO OIL. I MAY BE WRONG HERE, BUT WHEN ANTIFREEZE MIXES WITH OIL THAT IS THE SAME AS HAVING NO OIL. I AM TOTALLY FRUSTRATED AND NOW HAVE NOT ONLY A CAR PAYMENT, BUT A LOAN PAYMENT FOR THE REPAIR BILL. I WOULD BURN THIS CAR IF I THOUGHT I COULD! *JB