2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.4 Ram Air from North America

Summary:

Great family sedan!

Faults:

The hazard switch on the dash gets caught up on the surrounding plastic, causing the turn signals not to work from time to time.

General Comments:

Great mid sized family car.

Excellent, it has styling and great looks inside and out.

Easy to read gauges and comfortable to drive.

Accelerates swiftly and has very decent power for the cost.

Car handles a lot better than others in its class, great for a family sedan.

Options like traction control and ABS brakes make for good winter driving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th October, 2001

9th May 2003, 19:42

I have had a problem with intermittent turn signals working... (or not working) and could find no pattern or reason for this. Problem seemed totally random. I will now look into the hazard warning light button, as I have noticed a problem with it sticking in the past, the once or twice I had to use them. I don't know if this is the problem or not, but thanks for giving me SOME hope of a quick fix for this annoying problem! -John, Colorado.

29th Jun 2003, 19:51

I own a 2000 grand am and I'm having the same problems with the turn signals, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. Nobody seems to be able to find the problem. The fuses have been replaced. It seems that if you hold the hazard lights button in for a few seconds the turn signals usually come on. If anyone has any ideas or fixes it would be greatly appreciated.

7th Sep 2004, 15:31

Replace the switch, the contacts go bad in the switch, or the relay, if you replace the switch it should work.

10th Oct 2004, 20:49

Pontiac put out a recall notice on the hazard switch in Sept. 03 but did not mail it to owners til Jan.04. I found it on the internet and took it to the dealer and said Fix IT. They did. I have had nothing, but trouble with the car since I bought it in 2003 (April). Good luck.

18th Mar 2005, 21:04

I own a 2000 Grand Am SE, when I first bought it, the turn signals would work time to time, but I found out that if I turn my hazard lights on and then off again, the turn signal works again. I haven't had it fixed, and the last time I had to do that was a few months ago and I always use my signals. Kinda weird, but I don't know why it does that?

2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.4RA from North America

Summary:

Great styling! Crappy motor!

Faults:

Cheap interior falling apart, replaced by the dealer.

General Comments:

The 2000 Grand Am GT 2 door my wife and I purchased gets a mixed review from me. One reason I went with Pontiac is their reputation for building fast cars with attractive aggressive styling. I also own a 98 Trans Am and was not expecting that type of performance from the Grand Am GT. I didn't really know how weak Pontiac allowed this model to be. For the GT you get a 3.4 liter SFI engine with "Ram Air" that puts out 175hp and 205 ft. lb torque. I couldn't really put the car through the paces on my dealer's 35mph pre-determined tour route. Sounded good enough to me on paper for a daily commuter 3000 lb coupe.

The power just isn't there when it matters. There is no sound from the exhaust, even with 4 outlets. This thing will not lift a tire for anyone! On the dry pavement or the wet roads, IT WILL NOT SPIN THE TIRES! Acceleration is decent until you reach 45mph and the engine seems to take a break reaching towards 70. Once you're there, it is a slow slow slow process of revving up to the 120mph top speed (this thing has a 150mph speedometer, why??)

Information acquired after purchase states that the 3.4 motor is nothing more than a 3.1 GM engine with a slightly larger stroke with the crankshaft.

The interior is comfortable enough for the average adult although the gauge cluster and air conditioning vents look like a child designed them. The stock stereo system is good as stock systems go. I really liked the styling and thought they did well in this department.

Grand Am's throughout the years have been extremely reliable with long lives before major replacements. This was a factor for us in purchasing this vehicle and seems to be the only value. A recent article in a car magazine summed the Grand Am GT up best calling it "A vehicle with more bark than bite".

Aftermarket accessories for performance hardly exist. We are currently looking into replacing this car with a new Grand Prix GTP. Buy it if you want an aggressively styled Pontiac that's a shame to Pontiacs everywhere. Can't lift a tire, come on now! A Sunbird can lift a tire!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd September, 2001

4th Oct 2001, 11:22

I could get my Grand Am to lay down about a foot and a half of rubber before I modified it at all. That was at 175Hp running the quarter at roughly 16.5 seconds. With a free flow muffler(10HP), straight pipes (10HP), a K&N drop in air filter (5HP) and a "Tornado" air swirler thing (12HP) I brought my horse up to 212 (roughly). I run the quarter 15.19 now! The ability to run a ported throttle body, a ported intake manifold and ported heads, which are all made for this engine, would put it along side mid-level a Corvette. Just look harder for after-market parts.

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