While driving on the highway, the engine stopped running. There was no indication that anything was wrong with the car prior to the engine shutting off. The engine started back up again and the issue did not occur again for several months. As of mar 8, 2014 the vehicle has stopped running in this fashion 5 times. Twice it would not restart and had to be towed. The vehicle has been seen by two mechanics for this issue with no resolution to the problem.
2002 Pontiac Grand Am engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 65, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 pontiac grand am. The contact stated the intake manifold gasket was leaking. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure also occurred prior to the recent failure. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 96,000.
After having the 2nd catalytic converter in 2 yrs put on the electrical went haywire. The ABS,trac off & service engine lights come & stay on for no apparent reason. I've had it serviced and nobody knows why this is happening. I had the brakes inspected and given a clean bill of health so to speak & yet at random times I have no brakes even after having them inspected by professionals. The car now overheats due to the dex cool I was told to use because it ate thru the cheap gaskets put on by the dealership which they will not cover. The blinkers have a mind of their own and only work during the daylight hours, I've had those checked & new ones installed as well and they still only work in the daytime and finally the plastic window clips on the passenger side(both) break constantly. I've had everything replaced even he engine! This car has cost me over 20,000.
My complaint is with the lower manifold intake gasket leaking. I have a 2002 pontiac grand am se. I purchased this vehicle new. The lower manifold gasket has had to be replaced 3 times on this vehicle. At 54,566 miles,- $1000 140,735- $1200 and 169,750 miles $1500.
I have a 2002 pontiac grand am with a 3.4 litre engine. The vehicle overheats. I did some research and found out that general motors installed plastic gaskets on these vehicles and recommended dex-cool. The antifreeze eats the gasket up from the inside out and causes the vehicle to overheat. General motors refuses to fix my vehicle even though they knew about this problem for years.
This is a second vehicle with very limited mileage, which is driven by my wife. The car was purchased new from a pontiac dealer so I can verify mileage and that it was maintained. The first indication of a problem was while I was driving on the expressway the temperature gauge shot into the red zone. Fortunately, I was near an exit and able to pull off the road before car stalled out. Since I had already started to slow down I was able to control car and to get it stopped safely without having power steering and power brakes. Car was towed to a local mechanic who pressure test cooling system and informed me of the problem and told me that gm was aware of problem and that they might help with repair cost. Gm insisted that vehicle be checked by one of their dealers before anything could be done. The gm dealer did verify the fact the intake manifold gasket cracked causing car to overheat, and stall out. This problem is a result of the anti-freeze gm uses, dex cool, which reacts with intake manifold gasket causing the gasket to break down. Gm has issued a service bulletin #03-06-01-010, back in 2003 to its dealer, but did not notify vehicle owners. It seems when the manufacturer installs bad parts or incompatible parts/fluids like this, that they should offer a solution that is reasonable and except the responsibility at the very least.
My wife's car is a 2002 pontiac grandam 2.2l ecotec engine. At 95000+ miles, the car just lost all power and my wife was able to get to the side of the road and the car died. Car was taken to 2 garages and found to have a broken timing chain (not belt). Gallagher buick in new britain ct found that the engine is now destroyed and needs to be replaced. It is an interference engine. She has kept up with required maintenance.I have looked online for more instances of this happening and seems to be a common problem with this engine. One individual had his timing chain break at 57000 miles. Gm is not accepting responsibility for this problem. They are telling us to deal with the repair dealership about this. Please investigate since you can read many horror stories online about this engine and the defective timing chain breaking premature (as my mechanic has said ) and engines being ruined.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that the engine on his vehicle, at times, will not start. The owner stated this is a safety issue due to not being able to move his vehicle if needed. The weather or the temperature of the engine makes no difference. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but they cannot diagnose they failure. The failure mileage 19,000. The current mileage was 39,653. Updated 11/03/10. *lj updated 12/22/10 *bf the consumer stated the problem was the passlock security was defective which caused the vehicle not to start. Updated 12/30/10
2002 pontiac grand am se - intact manifold gasket leaking. I have had this repaired twice in 2 yrs. I am being told that the gasket is faulty and gm is aware of this but they refuse to do anything about it. I have also seen articles stating that there is a law suit pending in the us and canada. I have spent approx. $800.00 to repair this problem.
2002 pontiac grand am 2.2 engine will crank but will not fire. Security light is on. Will not start on several occasions. Believed to be ignition switch/theft protection issue. Cannot rely on car to start.
On my 2002 pontiac grand am the timing chain failed in the 2.2l ecotec engine at 75000 miles. When the timing chain failed there was no warning and the car stalled suddenly and could not be restarted. I was able to coast the car into a parking lot and later have the car towed to a pontiac dealer. The dealership has advised that the engine is ruined and needs to be replaced. I have found a great deal of information on the 2.2l ecotec engine online and this appears to be a common problem with 2002 and 2003 models of this engine. Gm is aware of the problem and has issued a service bulletin to replace the timing chain oilier nozzle on these engines but gm has not 'recalled' the engine. Had we been on a busy highway this would have been a very dangerous situation.
I have a 2002 grand am gt. I drove it off the lot new with 34 miles on it. I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. The low oil sensor has been replaced 3 times. The gasket intake valves were leaking causing my lifters to melt together. I had to have the lifters replaced in the engine at 70,000 miles. Being that my salesman worked with me, all I had to pay was the cost of labor. That was still $1000. At 81,000 I had to have a new catalytic converter put in. One year later I have been told that I need another new catalytic converter. I have also had trouble with the blinkers and brake lights as others have written. My security light has also just started coming on. I have had nothing but gm vehicles up to this point, as have the rest of my family. I even had family that worked for gm. I had a grand prix before this, and it was great. However, I will never, ever, buy another gm vehicle for as long as I live. They do not produce a product that they will stand behind. No wonder they need a bailout!
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 pontiac grand am. The contact heard a noise coming from the hood. She took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the failure was due to a cracked oil cap, which caused the oil to evaporate. The contact stated that the oil pressure light did not illuminate on the instrument panel. The driver side window was also defective. The dealer replaced the hook three times. The manufacturer took a report; however, they did not offer to assist with the repair. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.
I went to start my 2002 pontiac grand am and it wouldn't turn over, just a very high speed spinning noise. The day prior there had been a rattle during start up. I had the car towed to the dealership where I bought it. They checked it and the timing chain had broken. They told me that it was an interference engine, and as a result there was valve and cylinder damage. They had to rebuild the engine almost completely as a result. This was at approximately 85,000 km.
While driving a 2002 grand am with 77k miles, the car suddenly stalled in the middle of the street. After having the vehicle looked at I was informed the timing chain had gone bad- extremely rare for the year and mileage on my car. I did some research, and found out that gm recalled 20k+ saturns for this faulty VIN f engine timing chain. This is the same engine in my car, and the same thing that broke. Once the chain broke the pieces got inside several engine compartments and caused a severe amount of damage to the car. About half of the engine needs to be replaced due to the damage of the chain breaking. I contacted gm, and the dealership where the car was purchased and neither want to do anything to alleviate the damage the faulty timing chain has caused.
Lower intake manifold gasket replace for leakage 5/06 water pump replaced for leakage 9/06 power steering rack and pinion replaced for leaking 2/08 multifunction switch still malfunctioning all work performed at dealership and records have been retained. All maintenance on car is up to date with records to validate.
Intake manifold leaking. Went in for routine oil change and was told this is a common problem with this vehicle from 1999 up.
I am the original owner of a 2002 pontiac grand am - four door vehicle. It currently has approximately 40,000 miles. All four tires leaked air and I needed to constantly to check and fill all four tires. They seemed to leak a random paces losing air at different rates. I have had multiple problems with this vehicle, including noise from the tires shortly after purchase. The dealership agreed to replace two of the tires per some service bulletin but once they were rotated, the noise started up again. Also, had problems with my windshield wipers remaining on when utilizing mist for up to 25 swipes. The wipers also stop in the middle of the windshield when using mist or the intermittent option. The electric door locks and window buttons only worked on occasion other than those on the drivers side. At approximately 33,000 miles while having a routine oil change, a valve had to be replaced due to antifreeze/oil leaking with the potential of burning out the engine. Clearly this has been just one problem after another. Am completely disappointed in pontiac. This was my first (and last) pontiac purchase due to the number of issues with the car. The intent at purchase was that this vehicle could then be passed to my teenage daughter who will begin driving this year, knowing that I have maintained the car and it has low mileage. At his point, I am concerned for her safety.
I have a 2002 pontiac grand am. I bought the car one year ago. The car now has 38,000 miles on it. A few months back, the car started doing this thing where sometimes it would start, other times it would not. I was left stranded with my son in the car numerous times. But, when I would get the car towed to get fixed somewhere, the car would start right up. Finally after weeks of frustration, the locale pontiac dealership replaced my passlock module. The car has been starting since. But now there is another problem. The car is overheating. I have had it in and out of the shop three times now, getting different things done, and it is still overheating. This car is just one problem after another. I have spent a total of 2000 on repairs, tows, and car rentals. The extended warranty hasn't paid a penny,(and it's supposed to be the best you can get), and I am now out of money, can't drive my car, and still have 3 years of 325.00 a month car payments. I am very disappointed with pontiac. I will never buy another pontiac product. They are extremely unreliable. I am not the only one having these problems either. There is a website, (edmunds.com,) where you can read about all the other people with grand am's, having the same problems.
My wife and children were driving on the autobahn and the engine died. She was able to pull over to the side of the road. The engine would not start and she had it towed to an authorized service center. The timing chain had broke and damaged the entire engine. I was told I would have to get a new engine shipped to germany at a cost of $9000. The car had 52000 miles on it and had been recently serviced. The warranty had just expired at 50000 miles and gm said the engine was not their problem anymore.
Everything electrical would turn on in the car except the engine. The engine will not turn over at all. The battery is fully charged and all diagnostic tests came back ok. I don't want to see anyone stranded in this vehicle because of something that is obviously warped.
I was driving when the engine shut off and the key in the ignition was turned to the on position. Had I been going faster instead of turning a corner I would have wrecked, been killed, or killed someone.
Gm 3.4 liter engine intake gasket failure. This is my second vehicle with this motor that has had the intake gasket fail.
My 2002 pontiac grand am has an oil leak in intake manifold and front crank seal. The car is less than 4 years with 66000 miles. I have had alot of problems with this car since I bought it new. I understand this is a constant problem with this car 3.4 engine. Why isn't anything being done about this? I had a 1997 gran am and put 140000 miles on it with no problem. The tech's say they used cheap gaskets on this car. I don't think thjis car will make 140000 miles without a major failure.and gm wonders why they are losing sales to japanese car makers. My next car will not be gm and this is after owning nothing but gm cars for 40 years!!!!!
I have a 2002 pontiac grand am. I am having problems with the turn signal switch. The blinker switch keeps clicking after I turn. It is aggravating to me and I have read of a lot of 2002 grand am owners having the same problem. I took it into the shop to see about getting fixed but it will cost me over $400. This is ridiculous and something should be done about this. Also, I have had to have the catalytic converter replaced. I wish I would have never bought this vehicle.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75mph on the interstate, the vehicle lost all power without warning. The contact managed to pull over without incident, but the engine would not restart. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The mechanic determined the timing chain fractured which caused damage to the engine. The dealer suggested replacing the engine.
On my way to an event, I heard a pop and the steering wheel became stiff; then stalled. I had it towed to a mechanic, who declared the timing belt broke and repairs are going to be costly. I have low mileage on the car, and believe some remedy should be sought.
I went to have my oil changed and car maintenance and the tech said that I have oil in my radiator. I was extremely shocked by this and he said that it could be a leaking gasket or worse that I should take it to a dealership right away. I took it to a local gm dealership and they took it in and the gaskets were leaking on my 2002 pontiac grand am gt with only 56000 miles at the time. I had never heard of such a thing on such a low mileage car and well maintained. I knew I had to get it fixed so they fixed it gm said that they would pay 50% of the repair costs. I have further researched my car and the orange antifreeze and issues many others have had with this anti-freeze and how it eats gaskets and causes many other problems. Gm does not want to admit to this and they are continuing to use this product even after all the findings. My brother has endure this same issue in his truck he has since replaced his gaskets and now is using only green anti freeze. I now have since found out that I have a wheel bearing going in my car. What is going on with these cheap parts. This could be a hazard. I am waiting for my refund from the repairs of the gaskets so I can turn around and repair the wheel bearings all the while I am still making car payments.
First, the car began with overheating. I had to continually replace the coolant to keep the car from overheating. It would not leak out of the car. Upon visual inspection the leak from the coolant did not leak out of the vehicle. The vehicle finally failed after driving. The temperature gauge reached a high level and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was clearly overheated with again the coolant levels low. Was repair began, it was found that the all the gaskets within the engine had blown. This caused water and coolant to leak into the engine. Causing the engine to work more due to the build up and causing overheating. This also caused the water to leak out of the intake manifold. Finally a build needed to be flushed out of all the hoses and engine itself. A build up mixture of water and oil.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where they determined the timing chain had broken and destroyed the engine.
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