6.9
fairly significant- Typical Repair Cost:
- $450
- Average Mileage:
- 87,800 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 11 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (9 reports)
- new catalytic converter (1 reports)
- use higher octane gas (1 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Pontiac dealer.
i bought a 02 grand prix from dealer, didnt pass emmissions.took it to mechanic they out in a new cat and new egr.passed emissions and the service engine soon light came back on..took it back to shop ran code check says its a bad egr, changed it again and within 2 miles the service engine soon light was back on....whats wrong with my car????should i return it where i got it????
- Laura D., Wheatridge, CO, US
When my engine light came on, i called a mechanic friend, and he told me that i couldnt use cheAP GAS (87 OCTANE), I started using minimum 89 octane (used top of the line once every two months as well) and the light never came on again!! I used to buy the cheapest gas there was, and when my tank went under half, the light would come on... Now, it hasn't come back since
- pasialis, Holyoke, MA, US
Check engine light is on for the second time in two months. I already replaced the mass airflow sensor at a cost of about $130.00. Hoping this isn't an even bigger problem or this car and me may part company.
- Ben L., Cuyahoga Falls, OH, US
Paied $100 for them to plug it into the computer and turn off the sensor, told me it was probably just from the gas cap not being on tight. Light went back on within a week, went back. So they turned it off again, put some stuff in the gas tank to clean it out and told me to fill the tank with premium and drive it until empty to burn the dirt out. Light came back on. Because of the year of the car they never thought it would be the Catalytic converter.
- tags, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
There are a few solutions to this problem, or so I'm told. Apparently it could be the EGR Valve, EGR Sensor, Air Pump, or a clogged vacuum line. I have no idea which one will fix my problem. I have an extended warranty but the deductible is $75. If the part that i need is cheaper then that i don't want to pay more then i need to.
- Anthony Q., Pope AFB, NC, US
My local repair man came to pick up my car to take it to get an oil change and when he brought it back asked when the check engine light came on? I told him that morning on my way to work it was not on! I know this is a very common problem in a lot of vehicles, I had a diagnostic test run on it which cost still more money!
- jparfel, New Springfield, OH, US
Service engine light came on and car was sluggish. Catalytic converter was replaced. Service engine light came back on 3 days later but car ran fine. When it came time for inspection, car wouldn't pass inspection and kept kicking out an emissions code. Light was reset, but by the time we could get it reinspected (within a day) the light would come back on. We had to have the catalytic converter replaced again just to have the car pass inspection. The light came back on 2 days later. Service engine light is still on after the converter has been replaced, the car tuned-up, etc. Does anybody have any suggestions?
- John W., Indian Trail, NC, US
I need some serious advice or help!!! I have been reading stuff and apparently it can be all kinds of things... First of all the car started to bog and hesitate... so we changed the fuel filter.. a few days after that the check engine light came on, so we took it to have the trouble codes, it came back as the lovely EGR valve!!!!! So we were told the valve is $142 dollars, $161 with gasket... Well my question lies here...... What can I do?? What if its not the EGR, but a sensor, or catalytic converter?? Has anyone else been through this with there crappy Pontiac???
- jabyjirl, Lake Crystal, MN, US
Well to start off with, my wife owns the Pontiac grand prix se, and had taken the vehicle to the all known all knowing all charging dealership to have the vehicle worked on after the service engine soon light came on. The vehicle had a great loss of power and an annoying rattling. The vehicle was "fixed" under the warranty at no cost, and drove fine for about a week, then during our road trip from Indiana to California the light comes on and once again a significant lost of power occured. We got stranded in Colorado for three days since no one in the service department works on weekends. One the forth day we take the vehicle to the dealership where they fix it and in Utah, the next state over the same problem occurs. The first time the problem was the catalytic converter, and the second time was the sparkplugs, BS!, which the charge you a just to run a diagnostics. What kind of mechanics are they hiring that do not know how to fix the cars for the dealership they work for?? Oh yeah and as for the spark plugs, i checked them myself and the dealership mech did not even check the gaps which were wrong!! and left a sparkplug wire dangling on the engine which was burned!! That is some sh*tty service!!
- Jay R., Vista, CA, US
Service engine soon light constantly goes on. First time I went to the dealer to fix it.. they said that whatever the problem was, was fixed. Then the light came back 6 days later. The second time, the dealer said that the catalytic converter needed to be changed, so they did that. The light went back on 3 days later. Now I have to take the car back again, and it makes me feel like they're just going to reset the light every time I take it back. They keep telling me that the light can mean a number of things, but seriously, if it goes back on so soon after they service it, it really makes me feel like it's the same problem. I lost 2 days of work becuase of this problem, and they wouldn't give a loaner car for anything. ANNOYING! My mechanic says that this problem has something to do with the gas tank and the pressure there... or something. But the dealer won't listen to me. I think this will be the last GM car that I'm ever going to get. Pontiac keeps saying "I'm sorry to hear that." and doesn't do anything. What kind of customer service is that??? I'm really disappointed with the car and their service. Customer beware.
- lenkam99, Brooklyn, NY, US
Well let me start off my saying throw me a life jacket. Because when it rains I get a pond on my drivers side floor. My engine light comes on and off all the time. When I turn my heat on it only works on 5, that's when my blower motor isn't fried from the rain running down into my dash.
We replaced the EGR valve because the code read there was a problem with the emissions system, we still don't know whats wrong. Sometimes the ABS/traction control light comes on and my car looks like a Christmas tree all lit up with all the pretty orange lights:( This was my dream car, now it's my worst nightmare). Grand Prix's are only pretty on the outside but, very orange on the inside.
Take my advice buy foreign because American cars are pieces of junk.
- Sabrina C., Cleveland, OH, US