2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

LETTER FROM SENATOR BROWN ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE VEHICLE RECALL. *SMD ON JANUARY 8, 2013, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A POST CARD IN THE MAIL, IN JUNE 2014 REGARDING A RECALL CONCERNING A POSSIBLE ENGINE FIRE. THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. *JB

ELECTRICAL ISSUES BIG TIME: (SO FAR, THESE ARE THE ISSUES I HAVE FOUND) BLINKERS & HAZARDS RANDOMLY WORK, SMELL BURNING WIRES, IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEMS WHEN TRYING TO GET CAR TO START, GEAR SHIFT STICKS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TAKE IT OUT OF PARK TO REVERSE, SMELL FUEL & LOW COOLANT BUTTON COMES ON BUT CANNOT DETERMINE LEAKS. "I'M BEING TOLD BY GM'S CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT I HAVE TO GO TO A CERTIFIED GM REPAIR SHOP, PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE DIAGNOSE OF ISSUES WHICH ISN'T GOING TO BE CHEAP, AND THEN SUBMIT THE INFORMATION BACK TO GM WHO MAY OR MAY NOT FIX IT?!?!?! IF THEY DON'T, I'M STUCK WITH THE BILL!!! WHICH IS GOING TO COST ME THOUSANDS TO FIX, BECAUSE I CAN'T SELL IT WITH ALL THE ISSUES." "AS A SINGLE MOTHER OF TWO, I AM HIGHLY APPALLED BY THIS!! WITH ALL THESE RECALLS FROM GM, MAKES...

WHEN TURNING A CORNER THE CAR WILL DIE AND LOOSE ITS POWER STEERING. IT SOMETIMES WILL HAPPEN JUST GOING DOWN THE ROAD AS WELL. AFTER PUTTING CAR IN NEUTRAL IT WILL RESTART. *TR

THIS CAR HAD THIS PROBLEM WHEN I BOUGHT IT BUT I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE, I HAD TO BUY SOMETHING. BESIDES, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY "THOUGHT" THAT THEY MAY HAVE FIXED IT....WRONG! WHEN THEY HAD THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR, APPARENTLY EVERYTHING WAS CHECKED & REPLACED BUT WITH NO LUCK. THE 02 SENSOR WAS REPLACED A COUPLE TIMES, TUNE UPS, FUEL FILTERS, ETC....THEY EVEN HOOKED IT UP TO A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND IT DIDN'T DETECT A THING. I AM NO EXPERT BUT............1ST OF ALL; THE CAR ONLY STALLS WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE PEDAL. I COULD BE DOING 65 DOWN THE HIGHWAY, BUT AS SOON AS I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS....DEAD! THE CAR TOTALLY CUTS OFF. NO FUNNY SOUNDS, HESITATION, SMELLS, ETC. IT JUST DIES. WHEN I 1ST START THE CAR (THE INITIAL START UP), I MAKE IT ABOUT A COUPLE BLOCKS BEFORE I HAVE...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. HE STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE OVER HEATED. THE DEALER ADVISED HE WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 120,000.

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAS GONE BAD AND MY CAR HAS NEVER GOTTEN HOT OR OVER HEATED FOR ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO OCCUR. I BELIEVE IT IS DEFECTIVE GASKETS IN THE 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THE ISSUE OCCURRED OVER TEN TIMES, SOMETIMES 3-4 TIMES PER DAY AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. OTHER TIMES, THE CONTACT COULD BE DRIVING 5 MPH IN A PARKING LOT AND THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. THERE WAS NO POWER AT ALL AND THE SERVICE ENGINE, SECURITY, AND OTHER WARNING INDICATORS WOULD ILLUMINATE PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THREE DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOPS AND THE FIRST TWO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE THIRD MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, BUT COULD NOT PRODUCE A CODE FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 77,000.

MY GRAND AM IS IN THE SHOP FOR MANIFOLD GASKET REPAIRS CAUSED BY COOLANT. I HAD A SMALL LEAK LAST FALL 2008, DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM UNTIL I TOOK TO MECHANIC FOR STEERING REPAIR. *TR

THE SECURITY LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND I WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO A PONTIAC DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR AND THEY REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THE BODY CONTROL MODULE TWICE. THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED NOW BUT TOOK SEVERAL SERVICES TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP, HEAD GASKET. THERMOSTAT AND VALVE COVER GASKET 3 TIMES. REPLACED ALL GASKETS TWICE. HEADLIGHT STAY ON AT ALL TIMES WHEN CAR IS RUNNING. *TR

LOSS OF POWER, SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT AND SMELL OF SMOLDERING MATERIAL. DON'T KNOW WHAT FAILURE IS, FOUND MELTED TRUNK LINER AND PERSONAL JACKET. *TR

I HAVE REPLACED VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF MY ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM, ACCORDING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF A GM DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THOSE WERE HOSES, BELTS, WATER PUMPS, COOLANT RETURN SYSTEMS, ETC DUE TO LOSS OF ANTI-FREEZE. I HAVE ALWAYS USED THE DEX-COOL TYPE TO REFILL, AND SURELY THE DEALERSHIPS HAVE DONE THE SAME. YET SINCE MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED I HAVE SPENT CLOSE TO $2,000 IN PARTS AND LABOR FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS. MY CAR IS SITTING RIGHT NOW, AND I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY A 4TH TIME FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED CORRECTLY THE FIRST TIME. THERE DEFINITELY SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE SYSTEM.*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH ON CITY STREETS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND STALLED. IT WAS MANEUVERED OFF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND WATER PUMP LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE. THE NON SERVICE DEALER DETERMINED THE WATER PUMP AND ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO FIX THE ISSUE.

I WAS DRIVING ALONG A HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE ENGINE JUST DIED ON ME. FORTUNATELY, TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND I MANAGED TO COAST ONTO A SLIP ROAD. ONCE I HAD STOPPED, I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TRIED TO START THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WOULDN'T EVEN TURN OVER. A FEW MINUTES LATER, I TRIED STARTING THE ENGINE AGAIN. THIS TIME THE ENGINE TURNED OVER FINE (NORMAL SPEED) BUT WOULDN'T START. I LEFT IT ANOTHER 10 MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE ENGINE STARTED FINE AND I COULD CONTINUE ON MY WAY TO WORK. I SUSPECT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SECURITY FEATURE ("PASSLOCK") ON MY CAR, AS I HAVE HAD OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS STARTING MY CAR IN PARKING LOTS WHEN THE "SECURITY" LIGHT HAS COME ON. BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE HAD A PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING (AT HIGH SPEED) SO OF COURSE IT...

DT: THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, NO CODES HAVE BEEN DETECTED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE ABS LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER FOUND LACK OF VOLTS FOR EBCM, THE PROBLEM WAS TRACED TO A FAULTY RELAY. THE LOWER INTAKE GASKET HAD RUPTURED. THE HORN HAD STOPPED WORKING DUE TO A BLOWN FUSE. THE LEFT POWER WINDOW WAS SLOW TO ROLL UP. THE REAR DEFOGGER GRID SHORTED OUT. UPDATED 01/11/06. *JB

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. NOTHING ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE REPAIR SHOP. *AK

HELLO MY NAME IS KEITH TUCKER, I RECENTLY TOOK MY PONTIAC GRAND AM 2000 TO A CAR SHOP AND WAS DEVASTATED BY WHAT THE MECHANIC TOLD AND SHOWED ME. SOMETHING IS GOING ON WITH THE COOING SYSTEM WITH THE CAR, EVER SINCE I PURCHASED MY CAR MY COOLING LIGHT HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY BEEPING ON WITH LOW COOLANT AT THE TIME THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND I TOOK THE CAR TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT FROM THE DEALER WHEN I BOUGHT IT,THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THIS PAST SATURDAY 11/13/04 THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP TO WHICH I TOOK MY CAR SHOULD ME WHAT WAS GOING ON. FROM WHAT I SAW THE COOLING SYSTEM ANTIFREEZE IS LEAKING AND ITS GOING TOWARDS THE ENGINE AND THE MECHANIC SAID ITS BEEN LIKE THAT FOR A WHILE, MY CAR NEEDS A RECALL ON IT BADLY. *JB

VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHUT DOWN . CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK

PROBLEMS WITH BRAKING SYSTEM ON 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM. *MR THE BRAKES SQUEALED, THE FRONT END WOULD SHAKE, THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE WINDOWS WERE BROKEN, THE REGULATORS IN THE DOORS WERE BUSTED, THE VOLUME ON THE RADIO CONTROL WAS IMPROPER, THE STEERING HOSE BROKE, THE BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED 12 TIMES, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE WHEN BRAKING, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, THE VEHICLE BURNED EXCESSIVE OIL, THE PASSENGER SIDE STRUT WAS BAD, THE POWER STEERING LEAKED, THE ENGINE ACTED AS IF IT WAS GOING TO STALL, THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER WAS INOPERATIVE, AND THE REAR COMPARTMENT FILLED WITH WATER. *SC *JB

HAZARD/SIGNALS WORK INTERMITTENTLY, INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET DEVOLPED A LEAK RESULTING IN ANTIFREEZE LEAKING INTO MY ENGINE OIL WHICH CAUSED A $1000.00 REPAIR, AS WELL AS BOTH FRONT BEARINGS WENT RESULTING IN A $1000.00 REPAIR AS WELL. THIS IS ON TOP OF THE 4 WINDOWS SEVERLY SCRATCHED AND LOOSE IN THEIR TRACKS, RADIO STOPPED WORKING & BRAKES/ROTORS CONSTANTLY NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO WARPING. I FOUND A FEW RECALLS ON 2000 GRAND AM'S, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT MY VIN# ISN'T ONE OF THE ONES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL???... I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO CONTINUE POURING INTO THIS "LEMON"!

HEARD LOUD NOISE COMING FROM FRONT PART TIRES WHILE DRIVING. I KNEW IT WASN'T THE BRAKES. TOOK IT TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD WHEEL BEARING. $400 LATER IT WAS REPLACED. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. 1ST PROBLEM: BLOWER MOTOR WENT, 2ND: WATER PUMP WENT, 3RD: WAS TOLD IGNITION COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, 4TH: SHOE OVER TIMING BELT WORE AWAY BECAUSE OF WATER PUMP PROBLEM. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKES. MY CAR ONLY HAS 53,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN JUNE OF 2000. FOR THE MONEY I HAVE SPENT ON IT, I COULD'VE HAD A LEXUS! *JB

PAST VEHICLE WARRANTY. ESTIMATED COSTS THROUGH THE DEALER WERE WELL OVER $900.00 FOR A BLOWN INTAKE GASKET ON THIS VEHICLE. COMBUINATION OF DEX-COOL AND AN INFERIOR GASKET MATERIAL IS WHAT CAUSE THIS. THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND GM ADMITS THE INTAKE GASKETS ON THE 3.0,3.1,3.4 AND 3.8 LITER MOTORS ARE BAD AND FAILING WAY BEFORE THEIR SUPPOSED LIFE EXPECTANCY. THE GASKETS ARE FAILING AND RUINING MOTORS JUST AS MOST OF THE VEHICLES ARE PAST THE WARRANTY MILEAGE. THE DEALER WILL FIX BUT WILL CHARGE ME FULL PARTS AND LABOR. I AM A MECHANIC AND WILL PEROFRM THE REPAIR MYSELF.

OUT OF WARRANTY. EXPERIENCING ENGINE COOLANT LEAK AT INTAKE MANIFOLD. DEALER WANTS TO REPLACE $100.00 GASKET AND ALSO FLUSH & REFILL COOLANT @ $130.00. $970.00 FOR LABOR SEEMS EXCESSIVE TO ME. APPAENTLY THE ENGINE HAS TO BE REMOVED TO PERFORM THIS REPAIR. PONTIAC ADVERTIZED 100,000 MILE COOLANT ON WINDOW STICKER!

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE ON MY 3.4L V6. IT WAS POINTED OUT TO ME BY THE SERVICE MANAGER, WHO HAPPENED TO KNOW RIGHT WHERE TO LOOK. BEING ON A TIGHT BUDGET, I COULDN'T AFFORD THE $800+ DOLLARS I WAS QUOTED. NOW I CARRY A GALLON OF DEX-COOL TO TOP OFF THE SYSTEM AND PRAY THE COOLING SYSTEM DOESN'T GIVE OUT BECAUSE OF THE DEX-COOL PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES. MY CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT OR EVEN OFFER A 50/50 DEAL. GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF BRAKING AND STEERING POWER. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH THE FUEL MODULE WAS REPLACED TWICE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. *NM

I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ON JAN 10, 2004 BECAUSE OF THE SMELL OF ANTI-FREEZE, CAR NOT HEATING UP AND SLUGGISH BEHAVIOR DURING DRIVING. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING IN THE OIL AND CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME OF A SERVICE BULLETIN AND CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST GM REGARDING THESE ISSUES. WHEN I NOTIFIED GM (DEAN NELSON) REGARDING THE ISSUE, THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN. THE BULLETIN NUMBER IS 03-06-01-010A AND SUPERSEDED BULLETIN NUMBER 03-06-01-010. THIS BULLETIN COVERS PONTIAC GRAND AM BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 1999-2003. IN PAST INCIDENTS, GM ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT. THIS CASE SHOULD NOT BE ANY DIFFERENT. *LA

INTAKE MANIFOLD ON 3.4L SFI V6 ENGINE ON GRAND AM'S HAVE SEVERE PROBLEM - LETS WATER OUT OF THE SYSTEM VERY FAST, WILL LET A FULL TANK OF COOLANT OUT IN LESS THAN 1 HOUR OF DRIVING TIME. THIS CAUSES DRIVER TO BE STRANDED, ALSO AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE WITH COOLANT LEAKING EVERYWHERE. THIS HAS CAUSED MY ENGINE TO BE ON FIRE, AND THE REPAIRS ARE EXTENSIVE. MECHANICS KNOW THIS PROBLEM ALL TOO WELL, EVERYONE I HAVE BEEN TO HAS HAD TO FIX IT MULTIPLE TIMES. THE PROCEDURE TAKES 6 FULL HOURS, REQUIRING PRICY LABOR ON THE CONSUMERS EXPENSE. NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS STILL DON'T LAST LONG EVEN AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED. GM NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR FAULTY PRODUCT, AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. I WILL SPEND MORE IN REPAIRS ON THE ENGINE, THEN I PAID FOR THE CAR - AND I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. PLEASE MAKE GM FIX...

MY VEHICLE IS A 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE. WHEN I DRIVE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, THE CAR WILL SPORARDICALLY TURN OFF. SOMETIMES THE TRAC OFF LIGHT COMES ON, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. THEN I WILL LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 10-15 MIN AND THEN TRY TO RESTART IT. USUALLY IT WILL. I THEN CAN GO ONLY 1 OR 2 MILES BEFORE IT OCCURS AGAIN.*AK

PONTIAC GRAND AM 2000 STALLS OUT WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING, I DON'T EVEN DRIVE THE CAR ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS ANYMORE, ONLY DRIVE ON THE BACK ROADS. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS LUCKY BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED TOO MANY TIMES, 5 IN ALL AND I AM AFRAID THE NEXT TIME I WON'T BE SO LUCKY AND I WILL HURT NOT ONLY MYSELF BUT ANYONE WHO HAPPENS TO BE BEHIND ME WHEN IT CUTS OUT AT 60 OR 65 MILES AN HOUR. IT WAS ALSO HARD TO START THE CAR AT TIMES AND THE WEATHER HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER, HOT, COLD , MUGGY, RAINY, COLD OR DAMP THE COOLANT LIGHT HAD BEEN COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY AND 3 DAYS AFTER I HAD IT IN FOR SERVICE THE CAR STALLED OUT AGAIN AND THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON, I WAS...

GM 3.4L V6 INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE CAUSING COOLANT LEAK ON 2000 GRAND AM GT.

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON THEN THE CONSUMER CAN HEAT A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

CONSUMER STATES HE STARTED HIS AUTO, AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 30 MILES AND HEARD A NOISE IN HIS ENGINE. HE DROVE THE AUTO HOME AND CALLED THE TOW TRUCK AND HAD IT TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO TOLD HIM THAT PONTIAC IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HIS KIND OF MOTOR (3.4 ENGINE). CONSUMER STATES HE CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR ALONE, BECAUSE IT COST SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $4000.00. TS