10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 18,971 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
My daughter has a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am GT. She had been complaining about her brakes not feeling quite right before 15,000 miles at 17,000 we had to replace the front brake pads and resurface the rotors. Weeks after the repair she began complaining about the brakes again. Since they had just been repaired I told her she had to be mistaken. Six months later she was still complaining and we took the car to our own mechanic. He told us the rear brake pads were fine but the rotors were deteriorated beyond repair. The car was still under warranty at 25000 miles, mostly highway miles, so we expected the car to be fixed under the warranty. The dealer refused to fix it under the warranty. He claimed my daughter was an inexperienced driver and must have been hard on the brakes. He wanted to fix the car for $1000. Replacing both front and rear rotors and brake pads. The rotors were apparently rotting underneath the pads. This should not happen, the rotors are defective and should be recalled before someone gets hurt.
- Massapequa, NY, USA
I bought a 2003 new Pontiac Grand Am. Within a two week period I had it back in the dealership due to shaking in the right front tire. I was told that there was nothing wrong with it. About a month later I was moving from the state of Maine to Texas and I got stuck in Alabama for three days due to the shake in the same place. This would happen when I drove at hwy speeds and also when I applied the breaks causing the car and steering wheel to shake. It did enough damage that the master cylinder, rotor, pads, fluid, valves all had to be completely replaced. This stopped the shake most of the time. When I got to Texas I had it in the shop two more times and they said they could not duplicate and there was nothing wrong. But they did turn the rotors. Well here I am three years later and still having shake in my car when it is at hwy speeds. Since I live in a small town I don't often go on the hwy. This past weekend I was on the hwy and sure enough that same shake. I have it in the shop now and they are saying that the rotors are warped very bad and that is causing the shake. My concern is this was replaced before and I still had the shake. I get told that there is no problem while it is under warranty but as soon as the coverage is ended they say that by replacing the rotors my problem will be fixed. I feel like I have gotten shafted and GM says its my problem. Is there anything more on this problem, and anything more that I can do about it?
- Lockhart, TX, USA
The consumer request assistance in getting a copy of the accident report. The vehicle inspection report, and written monetary settlement fm GM, his daughter was injured in the 2003 Pontiac am. The consumer is requesting correspondence from GM. Updated the consumers daughter was in a single accident on the interstate. The vehicle hydroplaned in wet rainy conditions and she crashed into a guardrail, then spun around and severed a light pole. The brakes did not engage and the air bags did not deploy. The consumer has not received requested data defined on the 0500-05/01/05 memo. As of 3/28/2006 the consumer has not received the field assessment report. Updated 05/09/06 the consumer stated a representative from the BBB will be contacting NHTSA in the near future. Updated 07/13/06.
- South Charleston, WV, USA
During an accident the air bags did not deploy. The consumer also indicated that the brakes felt choppy. The consumer was injured. The consumer sent in a follow up letter including a police narrative that explained that the consumer was spinning out of control, went across an exit and struck a light pole on the right side of the roadway edge while it was raining. The consumer stated that during the time of the accident the brakes did not engage and the accelerator was sticking during the time of the accident. The consumer would like someone to get back to him in reference to the findings of the ongoing investigation. The consumer requested a listing of complaints about the Pontiac Grand Am 2003.
- South Charleston, WV, USA
I have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am GT. At 13,000 miles, the front brake pads had to be replaced, the front rotors had to be turned and the rear rotors replaced. My daughter and her husband also own a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am GT and have had the exact same problem. Two different independent mechanics have said it is due to defective (poor quality) rotors being used by GM. When we brought this to the attention of Pontiac they only said that all manufacturers are have this problem. Repair costs for brake pads, new rotors and turning front rotors was $577.20. Pontiac told my daughter and son-in-law that they would not warranty the brakes and rotors as they are consumables. My mechanic recommended replacing the parts with bendix brand parts instead of standard GM parts. He said this will probably resolve the problem.
- Gaithersburg, MD, USA
- Roseland, VA, USA