Chrysler PT Cruiser vs Pontiac Grand AM

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Chrysler PT Cruiser	Pontiac Grand AM
Complaints on file	3,420	8,105
Model years covered	2001–2010	1973–2005
Worst model year	2002	1999
Best model year	2009	1993
Crashes reported	268	635
Fires reported	155	222
Injuries reported	199	488
Deaths reported	9	37
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	18.5%	17.1%

Chrysler PT Cruiser by year

799 658 354 291 244 512 203 171 158 30

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 578 16.9%

Engine & Cooling 461 13.5%

Lights 238 7.0%

Suspension 234 6.8%

Airbags 230 6.7%

Steering 229 6.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 221 6.5%

Body & Structure 178 5.2%

Pontiac Grand AM by year

1 1 8 13 47 34 88 61 102 304 290 515 587 672 600 236 1,318 939 759 549 436 402 143

73 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 1,687 20.8%

Engine & Cooling 1,119 13.8%

Brakes 1,091 13.5%

Lights 747 9.2%

Airbags 446 5.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 429 5.3%

Steering 376 4.6%

Fuel & Propulsion 327 4.0%