Letter from senator brown on behalf of constituent re vehicle recall. 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.

- Mansfield, OH, USA

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 me wondering what else will go wrong with this vehicle, I "pinched pennies" and we went without necessaries to purchase said vehicle for my 17 yr old daughter. I pray for my two daughter's safety and the passengers that may ride with her everyday, I can only hope GM will add her "VIN" to the recall list and fix all problems, so I don't end up at anyone's funeral, as a result of GM's several years of failure to provide consumers with the big mistakes they made."

- Dorr, MI, USA

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.

- Coffeyville, KS, USA

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 to drive "two footed" so the car wont stall. There were a few more problems with the car when I first bought it that have since stopped or just got worse. All electrical issues. For example: The car has day time running lights. At times I would have to actually turn the lights to the "off" position B/C the high beams would start going nuts and flash like a police car. But that has stopped, so idk wth that was. My blinkers stop working whenever they feel like it, and then will work again just like that. I have a "service engine soon" light and a "check engine" light; both light up on occasion. So does my traction control, etc...... but nothing is wrong"!?!?! I beg to differ. However...........if there is already a really screwed up electrical problem, would the diagnostic machine actually be able to find a problem?" this car is a death trap.

- Cape May Court House, NJ, USA

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.

- Pinola, NC, USA

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.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

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.

- Oskaloosa, IA, USA

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.

- Marysville, OH, USA

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.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Loss of power, service engine light and smell of smoldering material. Don't know what failure is, found melted trunk liner and personal jacket.

- Grandview, KY, USA

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.

- Savannah, TN, USA

: 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.

- Mandeville, LA, USA

: 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.

- Jacksonville, NC, USA

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 could be something else.

- Ardmore, PA, USA

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. 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.

- Jackson, NJ, USA

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.

- Orlando, FL, USA

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.

- Hampton, VA, USA

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.

- Taunton, MA, USA

Problems with braking system on 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. 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.

- Medina, OH, USA

While driving vehicle automatically shut down. Consumer contacted the dealer.

- Cowpens, SC, USA