2001 Pontiac Grand Am: engine overheating

Filed Oct 30, 2014 · Electrical · 75,000 miles · GA

Ignition switch failure ,3 times , 1st occurrence in 2005 car was parked and would not start . 2nd occurrence in 2008 car was parked and would not start. 3rd occurrence in 2012 was traveling on highway and re-started only to stall at a stop light , re-started and took to dealer to diagnose problem , which dealer failed to diagnose. Took to a local mechanic who replaced the ignition switch which solved the problem. So said ignition switch has been replaced 3 times. In my opinion there is a wiring problem which causes the ignition switch to overheat , thereby shorting it out over time.

Filed Jan 5, 2012 · Electrical · 28,500 miles · FL

The car was purchased with 26,700 miles from my father. He bought it new. There were no major problems with it other than the A/C, which needed to be recharged. The car had approximately 28,500 miles when the engine shutdown suddenly. It happened on a busy highway where the speed limit is 55 MPH. The car could would not restart after several frantic attempts. Finally, it started after 10 minutes and ran long enough to drive it three miles to the house. The ignition switch was replaced and the car ran well for another 200 miles before the engine shutdown suddenly again. A battery cable had overheated due to a poor factory terminal connection that only used a portion of the cable strands to supply power to the main fuse box under the hood. The cable was replaced. The car ran well for another 300 miles when suddenly all the instrument warning lights started flashing, but the engine didn't shutdown. The battery was damaged during the battery cable meltdown. It was replaced. The car was driven the next day and the engine shutdown suddenly again. It eventually restarted. It failed again after making a left turn on the way home. It restarted and was parked on the driveway. A search on the internet indicated the problem could be caused by the body control module (bcm), which is located under the dashboard on the passenger side. The bcm was removed and one of the three electrical connectors (pink) was found to be wet and corroded at three of the male and female connector pins. It could not be determined where the water came from. The connector pins were dried and the corrosion removed. A dielectric grease was applied to avoid further corrosion. The car has operated properly, so far. Possibly, the passlock system was intermittently losing a critical sensor input due to corroded bcm terminals. Investigate the faulty battery cable connector, and water corroding the bcm terminals.

Filed Jun 21, 2011 · Engine · 100,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 pontiac grand am. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine stalled with the illumination of the ABS warning indicator. The vehicle restarted after the consumer waited for a period of five hours. Also, there was a small amount of coolant and water leakage on the ground as the engine would overheat sporadically. The vehicle was diagnosed by two different independent mechanics who informed the contact that the head gasket, intake gasket and thermostat would need to be replaced. The failures continued to occur. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 08/01/11*lj updated 08/11/11

Filed Feb 22, 2011 · Engine · 130,000 miles · FL

Coolant level was going down on car and light was coming on, took car for checkup and intake gasket cracked and coolant mixed with oil, had gasket repaired , but while driving gasket blew again and powersteering functions of car did not work and coolant leaked all over ground , hard to control car and since in traffic almost was in accident < pontiac knows about issues with pontiac garnd am se 2001 and also with signal turn problem since signals stop working,now car needs new motor since gasket replaced about 3 times and each time it blew after taking out of repair shop and while driving.when someone is hurt is that what they are waiting for so that thes cars will be recalled?

Filed Dec 1, 2008 · Engine, Visibility · 89,000 miles · CA

3 window regulator are broken on driver side, and passenger. The rear window defroster only defrost half the window, interior lights do not go off when the switch is on auto, engine overheats, turn signals do not work, the engine is hard to start . I have not fixed the windows but I been to the dealership for the overheating and I was told there was no problems. I had to replace the fuel pump because the car would not start. These issues began over a year ago.

Filed Jul 30, 2008 · Lights · 106,500 miles · MA

Gm recall #03043 the federal safety agency action#03v327000 hazard warning switch overheats leading to solder joint cracking which in turn leads to an open circuit that causes intermittent/inoperative use of hazard lights/turn signals they have refused my recall because they say the car was built 10 days after the cutoff of 670,740 units that were affected.

Filed Jul 21, 2006 · Engine · 54,848 miles · MD

Service engine soon light and coolant light came on at the same time, eventually causing the head gaskets to blow. Besides having to replace the gaskets, the oxygen sensor had to be replaced as well. Also, while the car was still under warranty, at 32,567 miles, the dealer found a coolant leak at the upper intake gaskets and lower intake gaskets, and replaced both gaskets, as well as the oil pump drive seal and related parts.

Filed Apr 24, 2006 · Brakes, Engine · 50,000 miles · ME

I purchased my 2001 grand am gt second hand in september 04. The 1 previous owner was my mechanic's brother in-law and has been well maintained when he owned it as well as since I have owned it. My problems started as soon as I left the lot. Within a month the car had been back into the dealership to have break pads replaced and rotors re-surfaced. My breaks have made a constant rubbing/grinding noise and no amount of work has solved the problem. I also have this intake manifold gasket issue. In december of 05 the low coolant light began coming on as well as the service engine soon light. I attempted to add coolant but the cap to the coolant tank was badly broken and required the replacement of the entire tank - since the cap would not come off even with a mechanics help. This solved the problem for a couple of months - but in february 06 the coolant alarm started again - I added more coolant and continued to drive it for another month. When the coolant alarm sounded again in march I took it to my mechanic who found the coolant leak from the intake manifold. $800-$900 to fix the problem. This was the second intake manifold he found on a gm car the same day and he told me there is a service bulletin on this. Why is gm not being forced to re-call this? Come on - I have been researching for 1 day and found hundreds of examples of this problem. I am a single mother on a very tight budget - owe more on this piece of $)%& than it is worth as it is! My car has been parked for a month and I am bumming rides while I make monthly payments on a pretty car - nice to look at sitting in my driveway !

Filed Mar 7, 2005 · Engine · IL

Defective intake gasket. See complain #'s 79007,10086421,10065717. Low coolant light started coming on every week and a half or so, starting back in october of last year (2004). It came on every couple weeks so I just kept filling it with coolant and had my thermostat replaced. Problem still kept happening. Finally my car overheated on the way home from work on the interstate so I had to pull over. I put it in the shop on 3/7/05 and was just told that I needed my intake gasket replaced costing me $800.00. Mechanic says this is ia common problem due to defective equipment. Did some research and due to the number of complaints regarding this same problem, ponitac needs to be held responsible for this.

Filed Jan 14, 2005 · Engine · MN

09/01/04 - low coolant warning light following cold engine starts. No visible coolant leaks, added 16 oz. Coolant to fix problem. 11/01/04 - same problem, added 16 oz. Coolant to fix problem. 12/23/04 - low coolant light always on while driving. 01/14/05 - intake gasket was found to be leaking coolant externally and internally. Potential for damage to engine. Potential for engine to overheat, which is dangerous to passengers in sub-zero temperatures during winter months. Intake gasket was replaced at costly $650 repair bill.

Filed Jan 7, 2005 · Engine · 53,000 miles · OH

I am one of many people with this same problem. I own a 2001 pontiac grand am. At about 53,000 miles I noticed a coolant leak on my garage floor. Upon further inspection I noticed that it was coming from the exhaust manifold gasket. I promptly called up my local dealer, jack walker pontiac in dayton, ohio. I made an appointment for january 4, 2005 to have my vehicle inspected for further diagnosis. When the phone call came in from the dealer with the estimation of $765, I was stunned, but knew it was a major issue that had to be attended to. So I ok'd the procedure. On friday, january 7, 2005 my car was finally ready for pickup. I went to pick it up, paid the $780 and got in the car. After I turned it on, it flashed "low coolant". I proceeded to walk back into the repair center, and told them what was going on. The man there talked to the mechanic, who said that it was just air in the coolant line; it could be cleared in about 10-20 minutes. One hour later they finally released the car to me. I think it is ridiculous that gm is not forced to recall this manifold head gasket since it is such a prominent issue in most gm v6-style engines. Thank you for your time.

Filed Dec 9, 2004 · Engine · 59,992 miles · NH

Started seeing coolant leaking from under hood. Went to daler and they pressure tested and found nothing. A day later started leaking even more. Dealer then said head gasket faulty and he also said he has seen several times before at about the 60k mile mark. They replaced the gasket at a cost of over $800.00. Every shop I contacted said they know of the problem. Shouldn't this be replaced at pontiac's expense.