NHTSA Complaint #10088090 — 1999 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON AS VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND THEN SPUTTER AND MISFIRE, ALMOST CAUSING A MULTIPLE CAR ACCIDENT. VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER TOWING THE CAR TO THE DEALER(CLOSE TO CLOSING TIME), THEY DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE ENGINE HYDRO-STATIC LOCKED AND THEY NEEDED TO INVESTIGATE WHY IT HAPPENED. AS AN UNCANNY COINCIDENCE, ANOTHER GRAND PRIX SIMILAR TO MINE(DOWN TO THE SAME COLOR CAR AND TOWING COMPANY) WAS THERE FOR THE SAME REASON. THE NEXT MORNING THE DEALER STATED THEY COULD FIX IT FOR AROUND $1,200, BUT NOT STATING WHY IT HAPPENED OR WHAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO LOCK UP AND THAT THEY WERE WORKING ON IT RIGHT THEN. AFTER NONE OF MY QUESTIONS WERE GETTING ANSWERED I STORMED INTO WHERE MY CAR WAS(IN THE BACK LOT... PARKED!!!!), WHILE I CALLED A TOW COMPANY, AND DEMANDED MY KEYS BACK. A MECHANIC THAT SUPPOSEDLY LOOKED AT MY CAR STATED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS THE PROBLEM CAUSING THE ENGINE TO HYDRO-STATIC LOCK AND THAT MY STARTER SHATTERED UPON RESTART TESTING. AFTER LEAVING WITHOUT REPAIRS AND TOWING MY CAR TO MY RESIDENCE, I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND DISCOVERED THAT MY CAR WASN'T EVEN TOUCHED...NO BOLTS LOOSENED OR DUST WIPED OFF OF THEM, THE BRITTLE WIRE HOLDERS AND CLIPS WEREN'T DISTURBED...THERE WAS NO WAY TO FIND A FAULT LIKE THAT WITHOUT TAKING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OFF. I FINALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM MYSELF BY REPLACING THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET AND STARTER(NO PROBLEMS SINCE THEN, WATCHING IT CLOSELY AND KEPT THE OLD INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET). SQUEALING SOUNDS STARTED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD (BELT TENSIONER AREA) SO I REPLACED THE SERPENTINE BELT(SQUEALING CONTINUED THOUGH). I FOUND THE THAT BELT TENSIONER BOLT THAT HOLDS IN THE PULLEY WAS WORKING ITSELF OUT...NOT A GOOD THING. THE POWER WINDOWS AND LOCKS WENT OUT ABOUT 5 DIFFERENT TIMES ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, AND THE RADIO DISPLAY GOES CRAZY AND/OR BLANKS OUT AT TIMES. *JB