2004 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 3.4 from North America

Summary:

Very fun, yet can be a real pain

Faults:

Transmission blew out 3 times - at 2,000, 5,000 and 36,000 miles.

Cruse control stopped working.

Dome light does not light up when the rear passenger side door is opened.

Have lost the entire dash board for random amounts of time.

ABS is acting up causing the entire car to shake during braking.

General Comments:

For a little 3.4, the car is very quick. It beats out most other V6 cars that are naturally aspired.

The car handles like a dream. Very smooth ride.

Transmission is rated at 220hp, and all it took for me to reach that limit was a custom exhaust and a cold air intake.

GM decided that it would make the factory radio part of the computer system, so if you take it out of the car, it wreaks havoc on the computer after a while.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th May, 2006

5th Jan 2013, 17:35

If you hot rod and hammer on a car, it will break. I don't care what brand or who makes it.

2004 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 V6 from North America

Summary:

Extra Sexy!!!

Faults:

-Inside locks will unlock the car, but will not unlock car.

-Right rear door is not very tight. I can hear wind when I'm on the highway.

-Inside light on the ceiling does not work properly. The light doesn't come on when I open the door.

(Dealer is paying for the above)

-Poor gas mileage

-Brakes already squeaking

-Change oil light came on already.

General Comments:

I just got the car 2 days ago, and I love it! I bought it for $12,495 USD. The car is extra fast, and looks awesome! I smile every time I see it. I like the inside of the car, and the inside lighting is awesome!

I had a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix SE & the transmission went out 3 days ago, and the next day I got the Grand Am SE1. Total big step up.

If anyone has any info., please e-mail me at Toya_05@hotmail.com.

Have there been any recalls on the car??

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 18th January, 2006

20th Jan 2006, 09:02

I thought my inside locks would not lock my car, but I figured it out after reading someone else's review. You have to hold the locks for about 3 seconds, and then it'll beep, and the locks will lock. :-) Guess my locks work just fine.

27th Jan 2006, 20:30

I have the same car as you and am also pleased with it. If the check oil light has come on you should have it changed. GM includes an oil life monitor in the engine that tells you when to change the oil based on your driving habits.

These cars tend to be hard on the brakes if you have a bit of a lead foot. If you are some what mechanically inclined, changing the brake pads and/or rotors is not very difficult. If you are easy on the car, generally they hold up just fine.

Lubricating the calipers doesn't hurt either

And yeah they are good looking cars. I don't think they have a bad line on them.

27th Jan 2006, 23:32

Not sure if the same goes for the Grand Am, (I don't have one), but I know that with my GM vehicle, Hummer H3, you either hold down the lock button 3 seconds, or you push it twice (like double clicking a mouse) and it locks immediately as it beeps. I know GM has a lot of cars that share the same components, so maybe it's the same with Pontiac. Not sure, hope it helps.

10th Apr 2006, 12:39

It could be that the dealer forgot to "reset" the change oil light when/if the oil was changed. If not reset, the computer is still using the previous oil change as a reference. The procedure to reset it is in the owners manual: Turn key to "on" (not running) / fully depress accelerator slowly 3 times in 5 sec (chime will sound if successful) / Turn key off.

20th Aug 2006, 14:03

The Grand Am is a great looking car, though they looked a lot better with the body cladding that they had before the 2004 model, and it also offered a lot of protection from parking lot dings. My 2001 has performed flawlessly for nearly 6 years without a single problem. since the G-6 is so dorky looking I will most likely buy something else next time though. I'll probably look at the Ford Fusion unless Pontiac comes out with something more appealing than the G-6.