Vehicle began to run rough. Then immediately lost power steering and stalled. The engine died followed by flames from under both sides of the hood. No smoke was seen before the fire began. No lights came on to indicate a problem. In no time, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. The car was a total loss.
1999 Pontiac Grand Prix: sudden loss of power
9 of the 412 complaints about the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 82,174
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 19 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Sudden loss of power by model year
What owners say
(1) power loss and loss of coolant (2) intake manifold failure, 3 months out of warranty and only 67000 miles. Had to have vehicle towed to nearest garage for repair. (3) replaced intake manifold,thermostat, and hoses. Flush a fill cooling system. Changed oil and filter.
Consumer lost power steering when making left turns. *ph vehicle's rack and pinion is failing causing loss of power steering.
Intermittently vehicle's lost power steering while driving. When this occurred steering wheel became tight, making it difficult to steer. Dealership indicated this was due to an internal gear box leak, and the entire assembly was replaced. The cause of the leak was undetermined.
Engine runs rough, loss of power, engine seizes up - this occurred approximately sept 2002. Initial diagnosis: blown head gasket or headers. Initial estimates to fix: approximately $4000-4500. Initial calls to pontiac/gm were fruitless. Result: replaced engine oct 2003 (approximately $3500 w/warranty). Incident occurs a second time approximately 3 weeks after new engine installed. Diagnosis: intake manifold coolant leak, broken piston rod. Calls to pontiac/gm fruitless once again. Result: awaiting another engine and manifold repairs. To make a long and arduous 14 months short - after a considerate number of calls to pontiac, I was eventually able to speak with a pontiac engineer (pe) who specializes in fuel and exhaust systems. Pe explained the cause of my problem, worse case scenario and the solution: the problem lies within the lower (aluminum) intake manifold. Within is a tube that houses the egr valve and carries exhaust gases. This tube was made relatively large and runs either through or close to the upper (plastic) intake manifold. Over time, the extremely high temperatures of these exhaust gases causes the upper manifold to melt and creates a coolant leak into the fuel system. As this leak increases in size, increased amounts of coolant make its way into the piston chambers. Eventually, compression is lost and the piston rods can either bend or break. Both the lower and upper manifolds need to be replaced. The lower has been redesigned with a smaller tube that houses the egr valve, therefore, it does not lie as close to the upper manifold. Pe even faxed me a copy of the official bulletin in referencing this problem for 1998 and older pontiacs. Recalls: 2000-2003 manifolds. What happened to the 99's? There were no design changes on the manifolds for the 98's, 99's and 00's. Most dealership mechanics won't know about this problem. Pontiac is aware of the initial design defect. Their official bulletins prove this. Why should the consumer have to pay for their design defect?
Grand prix engine got hot, recovered, got hot, then lost engine power on the freeway (I also experienced heat exhaustion due to being broke down in 110-degree f heat.) oily sheen and orange crud noticed in radiator, discovered creamy colored motor oil. Intake manifold gasket failure has caused extensive damage to engine. This vehicle had no previous history of engine problems and was a dream to drive. $4100 for labor and engine replacement; gm service writer and mechanics acknowledge they've seen this problem many times before and that gm has re-designed both the intake manifold gasket and the manifold because of known failures in bi-metal engines; however there has been no recall.
Vehicle experienced loss of power steering when turning left at very low speeds. *mr ph
Rack and pinion steering went out. Consumer indicated that steering was okay when turning right but when turning left consumer lost power steering. He took the vehicle to the mechanic, and the mechanic found the rack and pinion steering had failed.
I lost power assist steering when making right-hand turns. Fortunately this occurred at a low enough speed where I was able to aviod an accident. This is a saftey hazard because it became very difficult to complete a right handed turn. A dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed rack and pinion assembly and replaced the assembly.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- L67 engine oil smell or odor, leak at left or front valve cover (replace valve cover gasket, gromments and...
- Engine coolant consumption or coolant leak (inspect for material degradation/replace intake manifolds) tt...
- Dealers may comment on a chuggle, surge, misfire condition
- New upper intake manifold and gasket kits
- New rear main seal and special tool for installation
- Engine start and stall after fueling with no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS)
- Engine intake manifold coolant leak
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
- Risk
- Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
- Remedy
- The remedy applied under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, or 15V‑201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1‑800‑442‑6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Recall number 15V701000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking.
- Risk
- If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537, and pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 or http://www.pontiac.com or http:www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V116000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 buick regal and pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l supercharged v-6 engine. These vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage.
- Risk
- Certain underhood fires may be caused by drops of engine oil, from seepage or spillage, being deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and, in some instances, the fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, along with the 1-3-5 spark plug wire retainers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. , free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. Until the remedy is completed, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions (1) that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, car port, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle. The dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080 or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668, or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V118000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix?
9 of 412 owner complaints about the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix (2%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix?
There are 3 recalls and 19 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
Fire or smoke 99Stalling 24Overheating 15Engine failure 13Headlights 12Power steering loss 12Misfire 9Power windows 6Airbag light 5Wipers 5
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