When I was gassing up my car, a fuel leak occurred in the gas tank and my car caught on fire. The gas station attendant used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. I had 113,262 miles on my car. As you can see, the leak in the plastic gas tank caused the gas tank fuel pump to burn up and burn up its wiring harness. I don't want any money but I just thought the federal safety agency should know. I do not need money because my insurance company will be reimbursing me for my total loss of the car.
Pontiac Grand Am fire or smoke problems
166 of the 5,457 owner complaints about the Pontiac Grand Am describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 166
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 84,300
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 22Wipers 3Steering noise 3Overheating 3Engine failure 3Grinding brakes 3Brake failure 3Stalling 2
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 pontiac grand am. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. The contact exited the interstate and attempted to brake as the transmission made an abnormally loud sound. The contact pulled into a fuel station, raised the hood, and observed smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The contact waited a while and then drove home with the brake pedal down to the floorboard. The contact's husband was a mechanic and diagnosed the vehicle, but no failure code was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 pontiac grand am. The contact stated that the turn signals became inoperable. While driving 10 MPH, the vehicle began to smoke. The hood was raised and the engine caught fire. A pedestrian extinguished the fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact sustained smoke inhalation that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
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.
1999 pontiac grand am. Consumer states the vehicle was scraped because of the dash catching on fire and all the electric parts in the window stopped working. *tgw also, the transmission was inoperative.
There is a clicking sound like the signal light is not working. With out having the signal is not on. We have replaced the multifunction switch and the hazard switch. This has not taken care of the problem. We have also seen smoke coming from the steering column two different times, once before replacing multifunction switch one after, the sound is coming from the dash. Have also had problems with the back drivers side tail lights, sometimes the worked others not.
Letter from senator brown on behalf of constituent re vehicle recall. *smd on january 8, 2013, the vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment. The consumer received a post card in the mail, in june 2014 regarding a recall concerning a possible engine fire. The consumer no longer owns the vehicle.
Electrical issues big time: (so far, these are the issues I have found) blinkers & hazards randomly work, smell burning wires, ignition switch problems when trying to get car to start, gear shift sticks when attempting to take it out of park to reverse, smell fuel & low coolant button comes on but cannot determine leaks. "I'm being told by gm's customer service department that I have to go to a certified gm repair shop, pay out of pocket for the diagnose of issues which isn't going to be cheap, and then submit the information back to gm who may or may not fix it?!?!?! If they don't, I'm stuck with the bill!!! Which is going to cost me thousands to fix, because I can't sell it with all the issues." "as a single mother of two, I am highly appalled by this!! With all these recalls from gm, makes me wondering what else will go wrong with this vehicle, I "pinched pennies" and we went without necessaries to purchase said vehicle for my 17 yr old daughter. I pray for my two daughter's safety and the passengers that may ride with her everyday, I can only hope gm will add her "VIN" to the recall list and fix all problems, so I don't end up at anyone's funeral, as a result of gm's several years of failure to provide consumers with the big mistakes they made."
Car did not start, security light flashing. Called mobile mechanic, he had no clue, cost $85. Decided not to tow the vehicle to dealer as recommended by user manual. Did my own research online, wow, a lot of people with the same issue! Used 10-minute fix seen online, which worked. This happened approx. 1xweek almost every wk., keep using 10-minute fix. 6 months later, while making a right turn in a parking garage, the engine stopped dead, the security light flashed - I almost hit another car as the steering went out. Afraid this will happen again on the road. Still having pass lock issues about once weekly, scary not knowing when it will occur or where. I cannot afford $1,000+ to get this 'fixed' (no guarantee I'm told); this is a product defect and should be recalled before someone gets hurt, whether by being stranded in a dangerous situation (night, weather, location) or in an accident while driving. Just because the car hasn't burst into flames doesn't mean this isn't dangerous.
1999 pontiac grand prix. Consumer states vehicle fire from under hood *tgw the consumer was able to extinguish the flames.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Recall number 14V400000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles. If the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the "start" position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts.
- Risk
- If the switch is damaged, a fire could occur in the steering column, even with the engine off and the key removed. The fire could spread to the interior of the car, which could injure occupants or cause damage to adjoining structures.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch, and check that your car will start with a properly charged battery and, if necessary, replace the ignition switch. Owner notification will begin on march 1, 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537. Customers can also check their vehicle online by going to www.mygmlink.com and entering the vehicle's identification number.
Recall number 04V036000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles. If the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the "start" position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts.
- Risk
- If the switch is damaged, a fire could occur in the steering column, even with the engine off and the key removed.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch. Owner notification began march 27, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, buick at 1‑800‑521‑7300, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 02V070000 · Recall details
Electrical system: starter assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the engine starter fails to engage and the driver hold the key in the "start" position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, producing heat that can melt switch parts.
- Risk
- A fire could occur in the steering column and spread to the interior of the car.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a relay kit and verify that the vehicle will start with a properly charged battery in good operating condition (adequate reserve capacity, or cold cranking amps). This campaign does not cover battery replacement or unrelated starting system or electrical system repairs.
Recall number 00V287000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood
- What is wrong
- The protective cover for the underhood fuse center was omitted. Without this cover, the positive terminal bolt on the fuse block is exposed and can contact the insulated negative battery cable. If the insulation on the negative cable becomes sufficiently worn, an electrical short circuit can occur between the positive terminal and negative cable resulting in extremely high current flow.
- Risk
- This high current flow can cause arcing and result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles for the presence of the protective cover and, if necessary, install a protective cover to the underhood fuse center.
Recall number 97V059000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- The neutral start safety switch could have been fractured during installation.
- Risk
- A fractured switch can result in a no-start condition.also, a vehicle with a fractured switch can be started in gear, causing thevehicle to move unexpectedly, possibly resulting in an accident.
- Remedy
- The dealer will replace the neutral start switch. The manual switch of the automatic transaxle assembly will be inspected and replaced if an oversized condition exists.
Recall number 93V153000 · Recall details
Questions about the Pontiac Grand Am fire or smoke
Which Pontiac Grand Am years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (36 complaints), 1994 (24 complaints) and 1999 (16 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Pontiac Grand Am?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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