I bought a 2003 new pontiac grand am. Within a two week period I had it back in the dealership due to shaking in the right front tire. I was told that there was nothing wrong with it. About a month later I was moving from the state of maine to texas and I got stuck in alabama for three days due to the shake in the same place. This would happen when I drove at hwy speeds and also when I applied the breaks causing the car and steering wheel to shake. It did enough damage that the master cylinder, rotor, pads, fluid, valves all had to be completely replaced. This stopped the shake most of the time. When I got to texas I had it in the shop two more times and they said they could not duplicate and there was nothing wrong. But they did turn the rotors. Well here I am three years later and still having shake in my car when it is at hwy speeds. Since I live in a small town I don't often go on the hwy. This past weekend I was on the hwy and sure enough that same shake. I have it in the shop now and they are saying that the rotors are warped very bad and that is causing the shake. My concern is this was replaced before and I still had the shake. I get told that there is no problem while it is under warranty but as soon as the coverage is ended they say that by replacing the rotors my problem will be fixed. I feel like I have gotten shafted and gm says its my problem. Is there anything more on this problem, and anything more that I can do about it?
2003 Pontiac Grand Am brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 19 of 19, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The consumer request assistance in getting a copy of the accident report. The vehicle inspection report, and written monetary settlement fm gm, his daughter was injured in the 2003 pontiac am. *bf the consumer is requesting correspondence from gm. Updated the consumers daughter was in a single accident on the interstate. The vehicle hydroplaned in wet rainy conditions and she crashed into a guardrail, then spun around and severed a light pole. The brakes did not engage and the air bags did not deploy. *sc *jb the consumer has not received requested data defined on the 0500-05/01/05 memo. *sc as of 3/28/2006 the consumer has not received the field assessment report. *nm updated 05/09/06 the consumer stated a representative from the bbb will be contacting the federal safety agency in the near future. Updated 07/13/06.
This is not a true "failure", per se, but a complaint about a manufacturing defect/flaw/practice. I own a 2003 pontiac grand am gt1, (purchased 8/02) which was recently serviced at 40,000 miles. At approximately 18,000 miles, during 4/04, I had to replace the front brake rotors for excessive wear and scoring. The dealership claimed that the wear was due to the use of road salt that winter. The front rotors hadn't been turned, or previously serviced. At the recent 40,000 mile checkup, I was informed that I would again need to replace the front rotors. As with the 20,000 mile checkup, the rotors had not been turned, or otherwise serviced, but were worn to the point of needing to be replaced. The large majority (90+%) of my driving is highway, which "should" be a bit easier on the brakes than city, or stop-and-go driving. At each instance I invoked the pontiac customer service center, who were only minimally helpful. My concern is that if the front brake rotors need to be replaced every 20,000 or so miles, and is not documented anywhere in pontiac literature, would this not constitute a documented premature failure for a safety system ? I have also noticed that this issue has been reported by other consumers, noting similar symptoms, so I'm less inclined to believe that I have experienced an isolated event. In each instance, there were no warning signs of brake wear (no noises, pedal fade, wear sensor squeal, loss of braking power, etc.) there also has been no "incidents", or accidents as a result.
I am seeking advice about a matter pertaining to the car I momentarily own. I believe that the car sold to me has been in accident and repaired. The brakes feel as if they are going to give out and have not been working correctly from the beginning. After informing and bringing the car to the dealership, they felt all that was needed was for them to be lubed. They say the car is fine but I am the one driving it and it has not been working properly. I went to a few dealerships to obtain other opinions and I was told the car was not running properly. I went back to the dealership I bought the car from and finally they realized the brakes were not in good shape. Parts were repaired. For a few weeks the car was running ok but the brakes were still not working properly. I felt a bucking everytime I put my foot on the brakes. The next time the rotors were fixed. I have invoices to back what has been repaired. I bought the car in november 2003 and in the beginning of 2004 the problems already started and have not stopped since. I did not drive the car until december 2003, since I was out of the country in november. The paint on the hood started in 2004 to come off. That needed to be repainted. The front headlights fog up, water condensation is building up. The car is running as if the bottom will fall off. It sounds like an old car. Every time I say that the car is not running correctly and ask them to test drive it, they only fix what I state what I think is wrong. I ask you to look into this matter and see if you can help me clear up this problem. Please let me know if any more information is required. I am stating the VIN [xxx]. Thank you. [xxx]. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
During an accident the air bags did not deploy. The consumer also indicated that the brakes felt choppy. *nbf the consumer was injured. *tc *tt *sc the consumer sent in a follow up letter including a police narrative that explained that the consumer was spinning out of control, went across an exit and struck a light pole on the right side of the roadway edge while it was raining. The consumer stated that during the time of the accident the brakes did not engage and the accelerator was sticking during the time of the accident. The consumer would like someone to get back to him in reference to the findings of the ongoing investigation. *tc *bf the consumer requested a listing of complaints about the pontiac grand am 2003.
Vehicle has 38,000 miles and is already having major brake issues. I think for a car that is only 2years old this shouldn't be happening. I believe that subpar parts and manufacturing procedures are to blame, and I believe that these vehicles should be repaired at your cost not the consumers.
At about 11,000 miles, my brakes began to hop badly whenever applied. I brought it to a dealer who said that it was just brake dust. The problem returned after 2 weeks. The car wobbles to a stop and the wheels lock if I apply to much pressure to the brakes
I have a 2003 pontiac grand am gt. At 13,000 miles, the front brake pads had to be replaced, the front rotors had to be turned and the rear rotors replaced. My daughter and her husband also own a 2003 pontiac grand am gt and have had the exact same problem. Two different independent mechanics have said it is due to defective (poor quality) rotors being used by gm. When we brought this to the attention of pontiac they only said that all manufacturers are have this problem. Repair costs for brake pads, new rotors and turning front rotors was $577.20. Pontiac told my daughter and son-in-law that they would not warranty the brakes and rotors as they are consumables. My mechanic recommended replacing the parts with bendix brand parts instead of standard gm parts. He said this will probably resolve the problem.
(event leading) on or about 09-29-2003 I took my grand am into hanigan chevrolet in ontario,oregon to have a brake problem fixed, the unit had 15212 miles on it, as to the unit was vibrating violently when braking. (diagnosis was) they advised me the rotors on the unit front were warped, stated the rotors were to light to handle the heat and pressure, also stated warranty would not cover them.(even though they were not worn out but were damaged due to poor construction. I paid to have it repaired. Here on the 6-28-2004 I noticed the same problem again when returning from a vacation trip, mileage now is 28158. It is going in again for analysis to the same dealer. Same failure happens approx. Every 13000 to 15000 miles....recall is needed.
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