I was driving down hiway the car died I turned it to the right to get off the hiway and the airbag on drivers side exploded, I had the car towed and was told the pass key system or theft system went bad in ignition switch and no explanation why air bag went off? Or how to fix any of it, this is now july and I am still having problems.
1996 Pontiac Grand Am airbags problems
104 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 124,252. 20 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 104
- of this car's complaints
- 23%
- typical mileage
- 124,252
- crashes
- 20
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Frontal63
- Side/window5
- Frontal: sensor/control module5
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Pontiac Grand Am airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Oversensitive air bag deployments
On june 26, 1998, general motors begain a safety recall, 98v‑146, to recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) in the 1996 and some 1997 j body cars, cavalier and sunfire.due to certain calibrations in the air bag sdm, there is an increased risk of inadvertent air bag deployment in a low speed crash or when an object strikes the floor pan.the recall population consists of 675,302 vehicles built from april 1995 through may 1997.odi has received 8 owner reports alleging inadvertent air bag deployment without a crash.the purposer of the rq is to determine whether gm should expand the recall to include these vehicles.closing resume note:as of august 5, 1999, odi received one additional complaint regarding the alleged defect.the incident rates for the subject vehicles are about one-thrid of the rates of the recalled vehicles (when the recall was initiated).based on the available information, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect dose not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by future circumstances.
RQ98013
What 1996 Pontiac Grand Am owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Air bag when off when I was waiting to pull aut off parking lot. Have injury to my shoulder.
Driver air bag deployed without warning.
I was leaving my place of employment, had just backed out of my parking spot and put the car in drive. Started moving forward and the driver's side airbag deployed. No bumps, no contact with another vehicle. Just deployed. Steering wheel parts hit my arm, bruised it pretty well. Have since purchased another vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that the sensor was disconnected and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
While driving home from the park, driver side air bag went off, burst of powder and horn blowing, scraped right hand. Was able to pull to side of road and undo fuse to horn. Found out by going online many others have had this happen is there any recourse to this that I can follow up on? Note: it seems gmc has known about this and really should have recalled these vehicles or taken them off the road, serious injury or death could have happened if these blow without cause.
I had just turned my car on and put it in reverse to back out of a parking spot. I only moved about two inches backwards, not even going over 5 MPH, when the air bag randomly deployed without warning. It hit me on the left side of my head/neck, chest, and arm resulting in cuts, burns, and bruises in those areas. My left ear started ringing and I momentarily lost hearing on that side. I did not hit anything with my vehicle nor did something hit me. My car did not even leave the parking spot before this incident occurred. After I gained composure and realized what had just happened, I made my way out of the car and a man who witnessed everything walked me to the fire department near by. My cuts were tended to and I was transported to the hospital by ambulance for further treatment and examining.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that the front driver side air bag deployed inadvertently while the contact was seated in the front driver side seat. The air bag was on fire and ignited the jacket that the contact was wearing. The contact was able to extinguish the fire and shut the vehicle off. The fire department reported to the scene and a fire report was filed. The fire department taped the air bag into the dashboard in order for the contact to be able to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostics or repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH the drivers side air bag exploded and then the passenger side air bag exploded. After the explosion the contact continued to drive home and park the vehicle. The air bag hit her in the chest but she did not go to the hospital. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle, found no other damage and contacted the manufacturer. The manufacturer offered her $500 as a buy back for the vehicle. Complaint file#297715 was filed with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 146,242.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the driver and passenger air bags deployed without warning. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired by a dealer or mechanic. The manufacturer was contacted but the contact was advised to call back the following day. The vehicel was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was approximately 230,000.
Questions about the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am airbags
Does the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 104 complaints about the airbags of the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am, 23% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1996 Pontiac Grand Am airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 124,252 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am airbags?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Pontiac Grand Am have bad airbags?
The Pontiac Grand Am model years with the most airbags complaints are 1996 (104 complaints), 1999 (76 complaints) and 1995 (45 complaints).
Other 1996 Pontiac Grand Am problems
Electrical 122Engine 75Brakes 64Visibility 37Transmission 33Suspension 30Fuel system 25Body 24Lights 21Steering 19Acceleration 9Tires 8Seat belts 5Seats 4Wheels 2
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1996 Pontiac Grand Am?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history