10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 27
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 100,686 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.
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that the vehicle engine oil was leaking on top of the exhaust manifold and caused smoke to emit from under the vehicle hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to have a diagnostic performed that located the failure code at the valve cover and informed that the vehicle could catch on fire as a result of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 200,000. Invalid VIN.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
The engine leaks oil on the manifold which started a fire and electrical some of my sensor connectors and not working.. the fire started after I pulled in to drive way and I can feel from the inside of the car that the engine was getting real hot so I popped the hood and there was a small fire on the manifold.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
The contact owned a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. While the vehicle was parked in a parking lot, the driver attempted to start the vehicle and heard a clicking noise. Afterwards, thick smoke appeared under the hood. Within seconds, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was totaled and towed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Knoxville, TN, USA
While driving my 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix to the tire shop it burst into flames. The fire started under the hood and totally damaged the vehicle.
- Detroit, MI, USA
Rear valve cover leaking. As in recall 09047 for front valve cover.
- San Bernardino, CA, USA
I have received a notice once a year about a recall on the engine and called a dealership last year and was told there was no recall for my car. I let them know I had a notice and was told they would look into it and call me back. Well I never received a call back and I also did not follow through. I just received another notice and not even sure where to start to call. I would like to get this fixed and be able to get my car smoged.
- Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Fuel gage doesnt work always reads full- shows over full when its hot out-oil and radiator leak- followed last engine recall-new radiator hoses etc 1250$-air bag? I got recall work done last year
- Antioch, CA, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. While driving 20 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate and a strong burning odor was present inside the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle off the roadway and it filled up with smoke. The contact exited the vehicle and no flames were evident. The fire department arrived, but the smoke had already cleared from the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire department advised her not to drive or attempt to start the vehicle. The contact signed a form from the fire department and was unsure if a report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 09V116000 (engine and engine cooling) two months after the failure occurred. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Victoria, VA, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. After stopping at a stop sign from 20 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle accelerated without warning, but then failed. In addition, when the vehicle was in park, smoke began to emit inside and outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V116000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Victoria, VA, USA
The contact owned a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact noticed smoke entering the vehicle from the doors and flames under the hood. The police and fire departments were called and the fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The failure mileage was 114,000.
- Trenton, NJ, USA
Purchased a used 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix for my son in 2003 when he turned 16. During a short trip home from a livestock judging contest in the spring of 2005, he had pulled away from a stop sign and immediately noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. He pulled over and opened the hood to see his entire engine engulfed in flames. The car was in a rural area and by the time fire personnel got to the scene, the entire car had been burnt up in flames. Approximately a year or two after the incident we received a recall notice from GM identifying the exact problem we had encountered. After numerous contacts with GM wanting some sort of restitution they denied our claim because we no longer had the car for them to investigate or any pictures. We did have the testimony of the tow truck and the West brooklyn il fire personnel but would not accept that. Over the coarse of the years they keep sending us recall notices on the same vehicle wanting us to bring it into the dealer for repair. We just received another notice with the information on who to file a complaint with which is what has prompted this complaint letter.
- Dixon, IL, USA
The contact owned a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. While driving over a bridge, smoke appeared on the interior and exterior of the vehicle without warning. The contact was able to quickly coast the vehicle over to the side of the road and exit the vehicle. A fire erupted under the hood and caused catastrophic engine failure. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. A fire report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a yard and destroyed. The insurance company was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 08V118000 (engine and engine cooling) several months after the fire. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Willis, MI, USA
The contact owned a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. While driving at an unknown speed into a driveway, smoke was observed from the front end of the vehicle. The contact and her daughter quickly exited the vehicle before it erupted in flames. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The vehicle was destroyed. There were no injuries. The remnants of the vehicle were towed to a junk yard. Two years later, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that nothing could be done right away. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
- Riverview, MI, USA
On the 10th of June in 2016 driving down the freeway at 65 mph with the cruise control engaged, I noticed a white colored smoke coming from the car. In the process of pulling over to the shoulder of the freeway the engine stopped and the smoke continued. Popped the hood and saw a fire on the middle/ frontfront of the motor. The fore was coming from the cover on the top of motor.
- Graham, WA, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.
- Mocksville, NC, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Chicago, IL, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Wapello, IA, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to charge the battery. When the technician started the vehicle, he heard a noise under the hood. The technician opened the hood and a big explosion occurred and smoke appeared out of the exhaust manifold. There were no injuries. The technician informed the contact that the front valve cover exploded without warning. Meanwhile, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,088.
- Glendale, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact was not experiencing a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Talladega, AL, USA
- Los Angeles, CA, USA