NHTSA Complaint #10103978 — 2000 PONTIAC PONTIAC

RECENTLY MY LOW COOLANT LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON IN MY 2000 GRAND AM GT (3.4 LITER). I ADDED COOLANT TO THE TANK BECAUSE IT WAS LOW, BUT WAS CURIOUS AS TO WHY I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PUDDLES FORMING UNDERNEATH MY CAR. ALL WAS FINE TILL A FEW WEEKS LATER MY LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I LOOKED AT THE TANK AND IT WAS LOW AGAIN, BUT NO SIGNS OF WHERE THE COOLANT WAS GOING. SO, I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM. AS IT TURNS OUT, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS GO BAD AT FAIRLY LOW MILEAGE, RESULTING IN COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE OIL. SURE ENOUGH I TOOK OFF THE OIL CAP AND DISCOVERED A MILKY RESIDUE INSIDE WHERE THE OIL WAS. EVEN MY COOLANT TANK HAD SOME OF THIS IN IT. I HAD JUST CHANGED THE OIL A MONTH PRIOR AND SAW NO SIGNS OF IT, SO IT OBVIOUSLY JUST OCCURRED. I'M JUST SHOCKED THAT MY CAR HAS AROUND 50,000 MILES ON IT AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS HAPPENING TO WHERE IT COULD LITERALLY DESTROY MY ENGINE. I AM TAKING IT IN FOR REPAIRS IN A FEW DAYS BEFORE IT GETS WORSE, ESTIMATED AROUND $500. PRETTY MUCH THE GASKET IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH FLUSHING THE COOLANT SYSTEM AND CLEANING THE OIL. I'M JUST AMAZED AT HOW MANY COMPLAINTS I'VE SEEN ONLINE AND THAT GM HASN'T ISSUED A RECALL FOR IT.*AK