Tl* the contact owned a 1997 pontiac grand prix. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, another vehicle made an illegal left turn. As a result, the contact crashed into the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained head, neck, and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix airbags problems
56 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000. 14 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 56
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 14
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Frontal17
- Frontal: sensor/control module4
- Side/window3
- On-off switch assembly1
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 Prix airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Oversensitive air bag deployments
On june 26, 1998, general motors begain a safety recall, 98v‑146, to recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) in the 1996 and some 1997 j body cars, cavalier and sunfire.due to certain calibrations in the air bag sdm, there is an increased risk of inadvertent air bag deployment in a low speed crash or when an object strikes the floor pan.the recall population consists of 675,302 vehicles built from april 1995 through may 1997.odi has received 8 owner reports alleging inadvertent air bag deployment without a crash.the purposer of the rq is to determine whether gm should expand the recall to include these vehicles.closing resume note:as of august 5, 1999, odi received one additional complaint regarding the alleged defect.the incident rates for the subject vehicles are about one-thrid of the rates of the recalled vehicles (when the recall was initiated).based on the available information, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect dose not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by future circumstances.
RQ98013
What 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The engine shuts off while driving down the road. When the engine quit running, the oil light and alternator light didn't come on just the anti-lock brake light, also the tachometer stayed at 2000 RPM. I put the car in neutral and tried, but couldn't get the engine to start. Pulled over to the side of the road and tried several times before finally starting. I had to put transmission in the park position, and the key all the way off, then start the engine. I had the crankshaft sensor replaced, but made no difference. Its happened 6 times in the last 5 months and 300 miles. I quit driving it until I can get another car.
I was driving on rt 110 in amesbury and the driver side airbag deployed out of the blue. It burned my hand and was the scariest thing making me feel unconscious for a little while when I realized there was smoke in the vehicle I got out as fast as I could not knowing what happened. There was no reason for this to happen. There was no crash with other vehicles. I had the vehicle inspected and the alarm system was disconnected to stop a loud horn from blowing at chevrolet dealership. The next day on the way to work it happened again shattering the window in the front. The passenger airbag deployed on the highway .
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 pontiac grand prix. The contact was driving approximately 5 MPH when the passenger side air bag deployed independently. Within sixty seconds, the driver side air bag also deployed without warrant. The failure caused the front windshield to shatter and the contact sustained injuries to his arm. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The vehicle was not taken to a local mechanic or a dealer for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The contact called the manufacturer and was advised that they could not assist since he did not have full insurance coverage. The failure and current mileage was approximately 190,000.
Air bag problem light has been on for years and now I find there has been a recall for my car but only for newer cars like 2006 if I remember what I was told a few years ago.
While sitting at a traffic light driver's side air bag deployed inadvertently. Vehicle did not hit or run over any debris. Today, the passenger's side air bag deployed inadvertently without running over or hitting any debris.
While driving 25 MPH another vehicle t-boned the consumer's vehicle on the driver's side and then a second time the vehicle was hit head on by the same motorist. Upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained back and neck injuries. The vehicle was totaled. *ak
Most recent complaint is, heated driver seat gets too hot and makes it hard to stay seated. Heater blower quit working. Have had to replace the alternator every 3rd year (3 times). Have had oil pan gasket and valve cover leakage. Power steering failed to make left hand turns. Headlights continue to have poor range and visibility even with bulb replacement. Car lurches forward when starting up engine. Outside temperature display keeps wrong temperature. A.m. Radio would not work. Water pump had to be replaced. Abs light stayed on. Air bag light came on when going over bumps in road.
While traveling at 30 MPH going across a bridge, driver lost control of vehicle. It fishtailed, and rear bumper hit the guard rail. Finally, coming to a stop by hitting the guard rail. Upon impact, none of the air bags deployed.
Dash board airbag light stays on. This happened once under warranty and was fixed by the dealer at no charge, but then failed again approximately 8 months after the warranty expired. Dealer says the wiring is faulty and will cost a few hundred to fix. I have noticed a lot of complaints about the airbag light. Is there going to be a recall regarding this issue.
Questions about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix airbags
Does the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 56 complaints about the airbags of the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix airbags?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Pontiac Grand Prix have bad airbags?
The Pontiac Grand Prix model years with the most airbags complaints are 1997 (56 complaints), 2004 (28 complaints) and 1994 (24 complaints).
Other 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix problems
Steering 216Engine 180Lights 152Electrical 88Visibility 78Brakes 52Transmission 32Suspension 26Body 19Fuel system 18Acceleration 16Seat belts 11Seats 11Locks 9Tires 4
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