14 of the 236 complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Grand AM are about the steering — 6% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 92,000 miles.
14
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
FLUID WAS LEAKING BY PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE. ALSO, NOTICED A WHINING NOISE WHEN TURNING. CAR HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT. REPAIR SHOP HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK & PINION AND HEATER CORE. COST FOR REPAIRS: $700.00.
NHTSA complaint #10193293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
GENERAL MOTORS NEED TO RECALL THEIR VEHICLES TO DIAGNOSIS THIS MAJOR ISSUE. MY CASE NUMBER WITH GM 1382341310 HOWEVER, THEY WONT ASSIST ME AND SAID THEY ARE CLOSING MY CASE. I INFORMED THEM NOT TO I AM NOT DONE WITH THIS ISSUE WITH THEM... THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM OR DEFECT WITH MY GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC GRAND AM SE 3.1L V6 ENGINE IN THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD, 3 INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURES IN LESS THAN 40,000 MILES, THE FIRST OCCURRING AT APPROX 24,000 MILES THE SECOND AT APPROX 27,000 MILES AND NOW AGAIN AT 40,000 MILES BUT I HAVE SUSPECTED THE ANTI-FREEZE I HAVE BEEN SMELLING IN THE CAB WHEN I TURN THE HEATER BLOWER ON, IS SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO THIS LEAK. WHICH MEANS ITS BEEN LEAKING FOR SOME TIME JUST NOT BAD ENOUGH TO DRIP ONTO THE GROUND BRINGING MY ATTENTION TO IT. I AM ONLY ONE OF THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS THAT GENERAL MOTORS HAS RAPED FINANCIAL OVER THE YEARS. THE REPEATED FAILURES OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET STARTED LONG AGO AND DUE TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS TO THE BBB AND GM YOU WOULD THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO ALARM GENERAL MOTORS THAT THEY ARE HAVING A MAJOR ISSUE, AND THEY SHOULD OF BEGAN A RECALL OF THEIR VEHICLES LONG AGO. IN THE YEAR 2002 THEY COULDN'T SUPPLY ENOUGH INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS TO KEEP UP WITH THE GM VEHICLES THAT NEEDED REPAIR EITHER UNDER WARRANTY OR OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE HAD OTHER MAJOR NON-RELATED REPAIRS TO MY VEHICLE AS WELL, 19,693 MILES THE SWAY BAR BUSHINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED, ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, HEATER CORE REPLACED, THE RACK AND PINION STEERING ROD REPLACED. NOW MY CAR AND MANY THOUSANDS OF OTHER GM OWNERS VEHICLES ARE OUT OF WARRANTY AND GM WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR OWN VEHICLES, EVEN THOUGH WORK WAS DONE REPEATEDLY UNDER WARRANTY ON MY VEHICLE. I AM CURRENTLY 3 YEARS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT ONLY 12,900 APPROX MILES SINCE THEY DID THE LAST REPAIR ON MY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS. I BELIEVE A CLASS ACTION SUIT IS THE ONLY THING GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION WILL RESPOND TO.
NHTSA complaint #10146314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO TURN LEFT. DEALER STATED THAT RACK AND PINION FAILED. A RECALL FOR THE STEERING RACK AND PINION WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN.
NHTSA complaint #10099421 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
WHILE BACKING OUT IN REVERSE OR DRIVING VEHICLE HAD A RATTLING SOUND. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT WHILE SHIFTING THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED. CONSUMER DROVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
NHTSA complaint #10094563 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH ON A WET ROAD SURFACE VEHICLE SWERVED. CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AN DIT WAS WAS FORCED OFF THE ROAD INTO A WOODED AREA, WHERE VEHICLE SPINNED SEVERAL TIMES AND HIT SEVERAL SMALL TREES. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE RIGHT TIE ROD WORE OUT AND THE LEFT TIE ROD WAS GETTING WORN OUT. CONSUMER STATED, THAT FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPAIRED UNDER A RECALL ON MAY 5, 2004 AT A DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #10092725 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE, THEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY LOOSE WITH A LOT OF PLAY. THE MECHANIC STATED THE STEERING MECHANISM BROKE FROM THE FIREWALL. THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER.
NHTSA complaint #10073417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE
WHEN TRYING TO TAKE KEY OUT OF IGNITION THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT LOCK IN PLACE AND KEYS COULD EITHER NOT BE REMOVED OR WOULD BE REMOVED BUT WHEEL STILL WOULD NOT LOCK IN PLACE.
NHTSA complaint #10043610 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
THE STEERING BECAME LOOSE WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA complaint #10019509 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
WHILE PUTTING STEERING IN DOWN POSITION STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT MOVE UP OR DOWN. *AK THE STEERING WHEEL WAS IN THE TOP POSITION AND COULD NOT BE MOVED. WHEN CONSUMER TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT LOCK IN POSITION.
NHTSA complaint #8013621 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
AFTER TAKING KEY OUT OF IGNITION SWITCH STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT LOCK IN PLACE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTCTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.
NHTSA complaint #8013622 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE
THEFT SYSTEM ACTIVATES ON CAR W/O WARNING WHEN TRYING TO START CAR. CAR THINKS IT'S BEING STOLEN. IT STARTS AND THEN SHUTS DOWN WITH THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT BLINKING. CAN ONLY MOVE BY TOWING IT AWAY. HAVE HAD IT TO DEALER ON 5 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. LAST TIME REPLACE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MODULE, THE NEXT DAY HIT A BUMP AND THFT SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. DID THIS ON 4 OCCASIONS BUT CAR STARTED AFTER CUTTING IT OFF. LAST TIME ABOUT 5 WEEKS AFTER LAST REPAIR, IT GAVE ME NO WARNING WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. THE THEFT SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND IT SHUT THE CAR DOWN. IT WAS TOWED TO DEALER THAT DID PREVIOUS W ORK (FROM GA. TO FLA.), THEY INFORMED ME I NEEDED NEW KEYS AND A LOCKING SYSTEM. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE FEBRUARY 2000, I HAVE HAD THE CAR TOWED 5 TIMES, TWICE IN ONE DAY.
NHTSA complaint #733867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING , CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #856730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
POWER STEERING FAILS WHEN ON WET ROAD. LOSS OF POWER STEERING CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL INTO DEEP PUDDLE AND SUBSEQUENT WATER DAMAGE TO ENGINE
NHTSA complaint #714574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
TRANSMISSION- R&R TRANS TO REPLACETHIRD GEAR INPUT AND REPLACED BUSHING RECONDITIONED TRANS ASSSEMBLY AND REPLACED AXLE SEAL / STEERING WHEEL REPLACED STREERING WHEEL SENSOR BUSHING , DEALER CLAIMS THEY COULD NEVER FIND PROBLEM / BRAKES DEALER SAID THIS WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY WENT TO MIDAS REPLACED PADS, LEFT CALIPER , RIGHT CALIPER BOTH HAD DAMAGED BOOTS UNEVEN PAD WEAR DRUMS WERE HARDSPOTTED AND OUT OF ROUND HOSES -STEELINED WERE RUST SPOTTED ./ REPLACED FRONT BUSHING.DEALER SAID THEY COULD NEVER FIND PROBLEM WITH BRAKES WHEN FIRST REPORTED TO THEM
NHTSA complaint #711418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.