Lets start with the whole "key not coming out of the ignition" nightmare! Well this is caused by a loose, broken or damaged ignition cable and will run you $100-$300 to repair. The "service engine soon" fiasco will ease you in to your dealership with a 3 day repair on your cooling system (water pump, and the removal of the "orange Dex Cool coolant from HELL"), and your first of 3 fuel pumps and filters to be replaced in the next 6 months! After which, your car will be sitting there "OK" and you will go to start it... and the engine will start... but NOTHING ELSE WILL HAPPEN!!! No windows, a/c, heater, radio, or dash lights AT ALL, NOTHING.. PURE DARKNESS!!
And this folks is where I am left... a faulty fuse, wire or relay just begging to be found the 4th time I have taken it to the dealer (because there is not a problem until the mechanic can RECREATE it himself!!) and my 3 year old is no longer safe in a car that does not tell me how fast I am driving, my coolant temperature, or allow me to put up or down the windows OR even allow me to put on the A/C!!! I live in ARIZONA!!!
This car, as all Pontiac's can suck my *^$% (!!!
It rides smooth and is bad ass to look at... and then run away from it screaming!!
Don't EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER BY THIS CAR OR ANY PONTIAC EVER!! (I AM TALKING MOMMY DEAREST "NO WIRE HANGERS" SERIOUS!!!)
For the safety of you and ALL of your children, family and friends... PLEASE DO NOT BUY A PONTIAC!
I totally agree with you there its nothing, but a money pit. I will never buy another one EVER!!!
I agree with you I have a 2003 Grand Am and they are POO!!
I will never buy another one!!!
ONE bad car should NOT be used to condemn an entire manufacturer (if it were, Toyota would long ago have gone out of business!!).
My family currently owns 2 Pontiacs. One is a 2001 Grand Am. It is PERFECT. The only repairs have been ONE battery and the front brake pads replaced (at a cost of $18) at 70,000 miles (it still has the original rear brake pads). It is fast, very reliable, and (with a high-performance tire upgrade) handles better than a Mustang.
Our family's other Pontiac has 250,000+ miles and has had one engine rebuild at 150,000 miles (rings, rod bearings and cam bearings replaced). It was running perfectly when we rebuilt it, but was puffing a slight amount of smoke and using a quart of oil every 1500 miles. The rebuild was fairly easy and cost under $200 total. The transmission has never been touched.
We also have a 1977 Buick with 277,000+ miles and NO problems or major repairs. GM builds VERY good, dependable vehicles. I'm sorry you got an incredibly rare bad one. Maybe it was badly abused before you got it.
My 2003 grand am GT is doing the same thing. The dash is BLACK, no radio, A/C or Heat. If you go to your local auto zone or place like that they can pull the codes for free.
The exact code I got was; The PMC has determined that a malfunction exists in the electrical circuit for the purge control valve in the evaporative emission control system. It has something to do with a vent on your emission system. It says that the vent solenoid or the purge is defective. I just bought this one a week ago and the dealership is going to take care of it.
It doesn't sound like it is your Pontiac but it is your dealership's repair man.
I would suggest you write the head of your dealership and Pontiac. Our dealership repair is the same way and I don't trust them at all. My husband can fix most anything but also I have a very good repair man.
I owned a 1997 Grand AM for 11 years (got it when I graduated High School) before this one and it was the best car. It went forever. It ran strong and little things were going on it but it was also 11 years old. I drove it from Idaho to California and there was no problems. If you keep up on the maintenance they will last forever.
Oh and the key not coming out of the ignition… there is a button under the steering wheel that will release the key (it is in the owner’s manual). You turning the steering wheel while the car is not started and the key in the ignition, will damage your ignition cable.
The “Service Engine Soon” light is also a sign that you emission control system is having issues (it’s in the book). Did you read the owner’s manual? Did you read what coolant to put in the car? Or what type of fuel to put in the car? If you are putting 85 in yeah, you are going to need a new fuel pump. You are supposed to be putting in 87 or above.
Like I said above… the “Service Engine Soon” light was a sign of the ‘pure darkness’ from that solenoid. I think you need a new repair man and to read your owner’s manual!!!
I have NEVER had a computer trouble code that checked out CORRECTLY. All mine have come up as an emission system problem and there never WAS any problem. I checked them myself (I'm a mechanic) and no part of the emission system was defective (including the gas cap, which can trigger the light). I finally just put a piece of black tape over the stupid light and ignored it. It obviously was no big deal, as the car was driven another 160,000 miles with nary a problem!!
My 2003 GT did this too, and my dealer is fixing mine for free (warranty), and it is a short in the electric system that throws that code. These cars are known for this, and if you take it to a GOOD (not saying that you above me is not good) Pontiac certified repair man, they will know exactly where the issue is and have your car in and out in under 2 hours.
Also, the check engine light can also be triggered by an air bubble in the gas line, and like what was said above, not putting in the right gas 87 or above.
They are great cars if you take care of them, and do the regular required work. If not then you will be going through 3 fuel pumps, and all sorts of other things like the writer of this article.
What is interesting is this is the only real negative thing I have seen on the Internet about these cars. Sounds to me that it is more user error than a Pontiac issue.
Hmm my experience with my 2003 Pontiac Grand Am is horrible too. I had a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT which I'm sorry we traded "up".
Things that have gone wrong with my car...
Check engine light sensor broke 250$
Passenger side mirror fell off when I bumped it - not hard either. cost of part: 80$
Tranny went about 2.5k after car rental for a week and to have it rebuilt
Broken hazard light switch 28$
Broken flash switch 90$
Cruise broke off; 80$ for part, 90$ for labor, it's broken again, less than 5 months of them putting it on. I just had them rig it, so it's not talking to me when I turn the wheel.
Oh and the climate control switch went out. I don't remember how much that part cost, that was the first to go.
Not every experience with cars will be good. I just don't like fixing them, that's not a hobby for me. It seems like mechanics these days are robbing idiots. They can't even check an air filter and be honest about it.
My Grand Am (2003) is right now in the shop because it threw a rod. The dealer is telling me it needs a new engine. I've only had the thing 8 months, and this is the second costly repair it has needed. The first was an ignition problem which cost just over $1000. (Yeah!)
For a car that is NOT that old, I've had enough expensive repairs now to put a great downpayment on a NEW car. I hate Pontiac just as I hate all American cars. They are made for our market economy like everything else... disposable.
"For a car that is NOT that old, I've had enough expensive repairs now to put a great downpayment on a NEW car. I hate Pontiac just as I hate all American cars. They are made for our market economy like everything else... disposable"
Sure, run out and help destroy MORE tens of thousands of American jobs by sending your money to boost Japan's economy. My 2001 Grand Am has cost me a whopping $10 in repairs in 8 years. ONE of my three imports cost me 100 times that in the first 50,000 miles. Yeah, go buy that "perfect" import. You'll LOVE the comfy sofas in their service department waiting room.
Today I saw a perfect example of what often happens when someone buys a used car. I was getting out of my car at Wal-Mart when a middle-aged lady drove by and parked just beyond me. Her 1996 V-6 Mustang was obviously missing on 1 cylinder (I'm a mechanic, and that sound is unmistakable). As she got out I commented that her car was missing and asked if she had had it looked at. She replied "No, I know it's not running right, but I've been out of work, had a sick kid and can't afford to have it looked at". She further told me that she was a single mother with no male friends who knew anything about cars. I was blown away when she told me the car had been running that way since 2007, and that she had not had her oil changed in TWO YEARS. The car had 150,000 miles on it and had been bought new (she had a good job then).
My point is this: When you buy ANY used car (unless it is from a rental car agency or VERY new) you run the risk of getting a car like this lady's Mustang that has had a life of terrible abuse and neglect. When these cars are hastily fixed up by greedy used car lots for resale they may be sold on the brink of literally falling apart. When they DO, we can't blame the car. I very strongly suspect that many people who are blasting their cars and the manufacturer have simply bought someone else's problems unknowingly.
Yeah, OK, I have an 03 Grand Am with over 202,000 miles on it, and it runs like new. Nothing has ever been changed. It's called upkeeping your car and taking care of it. Grand Ams are a great car with plenty of power.
My dad owned an '87 Grand Am V6. In the 12 plus years and nearly 100,000 miles that he owned it, it proved to be a very reliable car (save for one defective steering rack which was replaced under warranty - as many GM's of this era were equipped with poorly designed steering racks that failed at around 50,000 miles or so).
As with most cars, I have seen many Grand Ams that were problem free, I've also seem just as many that were not taken care of and looked used up in 5 or 6 years.
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