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1999 Pontiac Grand Am engine problems

148 complaints (17% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 75,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
148
of this car's complaints
17%
typical mileage
75,000
crashes
1
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Engine
    34
  • Engine: gasoline
    27
  • Cooling system
    27
  • Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
    19
  • Exhaust system
    3
  • Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys
    2
  • Cooling system: fan
    2
  • Exhaust system: emission control
    1

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 engine problems in other years

1990199520002005

Specific symptoms reported on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Stalling 34Overheating 31Knocking 12Loss of power 11Won't start 11Check engine light 8Engine failure 8

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 1999 Pontiac Grand Am owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jun 15, 2016 · Engine · 120,000 miles · KS

The oil pressure switch went out causing me to lose a massive amount of oil.

Filed Mar 17, 2016 · Engine · 175,000 miles · OH · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 1999 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, there was smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle engulfed in flames. The fire department was contacted and was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

Filed Jan 27, 2016 · Engine · 120,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that the engine was dripping oil onto the exhaust manifold. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the engine was dripping oil onto the exhaust manifold. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the contact was informed that the VIN, year, and model were not included. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Oct 19, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 85,000 miles · VA

Ignition has shut down numerous times also activating gm passlock system, vehicle has been towed numerous times, raw fuel has disintegrated muffler and catalytic converter, notified gm numerous times about this, stonewalled, given local number to call, they had no knowledge of it, car not safe to drive, parked it, incurred insurance/taxes etc to keep car in driveway, mostly inoperable now waiting on gm to address, they refuse to even acknowledge phone calls/e-mails nor will they try and reach an accord in regards to a car unsafe to drive. I am disabled and relied on this car to go to doctor offices, being left stranded numerous times and waiting to be towed by aaa was difficult enough yet when I asked about being at least disabled, they wanted to then charge a "diagnosis" fee on top of being treated like dirt. I sent them a "lien" ( I know it holds the weight of air!) to try and work this out...and have heard nothing. The car is now a brick in the driveway. I have the repair bill, totaling 700.00 dollars and the tax bill and insurance cost for having a vehicle unsafe to drive. I have the bills and no resolution for an issue I did not cause, gm hid this and then did nothing to make it right. Can you help or at least investigate the ignition and passlock problems?

Filed Apr 13, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 111,000 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 pontiac grand am. While driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The failure recurred twice. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000. Updated 6/30/15*cn updated 07/02/15

Filed Mar 27, 2015 · Engine · 180,678 miles · CA

Hi I've bought a car from car hop the first time it broke n 3 months after I bought it and car hop had it towed to one of there shops and I was told they put a new engine in it 6 months ago car broke down again they wouldn't get it fix so I stopped make n payment on car for 3 months and they call me and asked me if I'd like to start there fresh start program were I'd have a warranty n I'd just have to keep up with my payment but they will fix the car so they put n another engine 4 months after new engine car broke down again now they are telling me I have no warranty and that I will have to pay 700 dollars on top of my 340 payments to get cardiac is there anything I can do I'm a single mom of two kids and this is stressful I've give in car hop 5,000 n payments and they are not being far.

Filed Jul 2, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 171,683 miles · IN

I noticed the ignition key could be removed from ignition regardless of position. Since hearing of gm including the 99 grand am in its recall I called the local gm dealer. I was told there was noting that could be done until I receive a recall notice from gm. I contacted gm and was told I could get it repaired at my expense and them file paperwork to get reimbursed. I relaise there is probably a huge back-up related to parts. As this is a known problem and my car is effected by the recall, this is unacceptable. I would not expect gm to fix the problem immediately, but I do think it is reasonable to be able to be put on a waiting list. As things stand right now, gm will do nothing to correct the problem. I am a toyota master technician, ase master technician, and was a nissan master technician, so I do understand how recalls work ate the dealer level.

Filed May 17, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 182,000 miles · MN

Well I own a 1999 pontiac grand am se coupe, and I noticed about two months ago at 50-60 MPH (or 2000 rpms), the cars speed and rpms would decrease about 2 MPH and the rpms would decrease about 500 rpms, then it would return and it would do this every time I was at that speed, also now when I accelerate to 60 and if I let the car decrease speed the temp gauge would skyrocket and after about 1/8 a mile it wouldn't let me increase speed along with that my electric fans in the car have never engaged, I love this car and I don't want to get rid of it. Also I had the transmission checked and its not that.

Filed Apr 23, 2014 · Brakes, Engine · NJ

In approximately 2000 to 2002, our 1999 pontiac grand am stalled with engine shutdown, loss of braking power, and loss of steering on the nj garden state parkway at high speed, when my knee hit a few keys and my key ring along with the pontiac key in the ignition, I.e. Shutting off the car. This was a very dangerous situation. Fortunately, with almost no steering, braking, or engine power, I was able to steer the vehicle into the break down lane and stop the car. I am reporting this now because it never dawned on me then that it could be a car defect, and I am concerned that others might be injured or killed by these older gm vehicles if faulty ignition switch is an issue for them, given that gm is recalling millions of vehicles for faulty ignition switches. I believe the federal safety agency should investigate other models and ages of gm vehicles, including 1999 and later year pontiac grand ams, as the danger we experienced from that vehicle seems like it might be the same as what is now being reported. We no longer own the pontiac. You can see this incident made a big impact on me, because I remember it 12+ years later.

Filed Mar 14, 2013 · Engine, Lights · 180,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that the turn signal switch failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who diagnosed that the hazard switch and the turn signal switch needed to be replaced. On another occasion, the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle overheated and stalled. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage 205,000.

Questions about the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am engine

Does the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am have engine problems?

Owners have filed 148 complaints about the engine of the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am, 17% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 1999 Pontiac Grand Am engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 75,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Pontiac Grand Am have bad engine?

The Pontiac Grand Am model years with the most engine complaints are 1999 (148 complaints), 2000 (121 complaints) and 2001 (84 complaints).

Other 1999 Pontiac Grand Am problems

Brakes 219Electrical 132Suspension 107Visibility 89Airbags 76Lights 70Steering 70Body 45Fuel system 41Transmission 32Acceleration 23Seat belts 17Seats 16Wheels 14Tires 11Locks 4Driver assistance 2

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