NHTSA Complaint #10165702 — 2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THE SECURITY LIGHT ON MY 2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM WOULD COME ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF UNTIL I STOPPED THE CAR LET IT SIT FOR AWHILE. ON 8/15/2006 THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO GOODYEAR. THE GOODYEAR STORE INFORMED ME THAT THEY COULD NOT START THE CAR AND SUSPECTED THAT THE COMPUTER WAS BAD SINCE THEY COULD NOT GET A NEGATIVE FEED TO THE FUEL INJECTORS. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I TOW THE CAR TO A DEALER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS UNLOADED IT STARTED. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE PERSON THAT IT APPEARED TO BE A RESULT OF THE IGNITION NOT BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CHIP ON THE KEY. AFTER THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER WAS ACTIVATING THE KILL SWITCH AND THAT IT HAD SHORTED THE BCM THEREBY PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STARTING. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH OF THEM OR THE CAR COULD SHUT DOWN AT ANY TIME. THE CAR HAS 40,000 MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY THE COST TO REPLACE THESE ITEMS WAS $752.00. I HAVE NOTICED ON SEVERAL WEBSITES THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON TO THIS VEHICLE AND IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. FURTHERMORE, BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED AT THE DEALER THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *NM