2002 Pontiac Grand Am GT from North America - Comments

Intake manifold gasket leak, oil leak, windows do not work, signal lights do not work, windshield wipers do not work properly, breaks and rotors wear in excess, tires wear very quickly, squeeking noise from front, clock and radio display does not work properly, molding bows and comes (unglued), and tail pipes dangle and shake.

To start off with I like the car, with exception of leaking intake manifold gaskets due to Dex Cool Antifreeze they claim you have to run which is a lie. The reason for that is that they want you to come back to the dealership to fix it since they know the Dex Cool eats your intake gaskets up. If you had to run this type of antifreeze because of aluminum heads, then why don't drag racers run Dex Cool.. (duh). So my oil leaks, water leaks, blown head gasket, complete cooling system is almost clogged up with gooey intake material, windows do not work, wipers stay on after turning them off, turn signals work once in a blue moon, hazard lights work once in a blue moon, squeaking noise coming from the front, brakes have to be replaced twice a yr along with the rotors, and when using the brakes the creek and pop, radio display is not working properly, and can't keep tires on it. Can someone give me a good reason why after spending this kind of money why there has not been a recall.. Since everyone that I have came in contact with or talked to that has or owned one of these cars with a 3.4 have had these same problems. I mean everyone of them. And I have spoke too many of them because I used to work at AutoZone. It's a complete shame that you have to keep 2 gallons of water and 3 quarts of oil with you at all times. Also if you get stuck in traffic you have to pull over and shut the car off, or call a tow truck.

I agree with you, I have a 2002 with some of the same problems, intake manifold leaking, single lights fail all the time (this is a safety issue but no recall).

This is the second Grand Am. I had the old one, which started having problems at 170000 KM. This one has the same problems 50 to 60000 Km earlier. GM did not fix any of the issues with the 94 model, and when they released the 2002, the quality went down.

They deserve to go bankrupt, I can't believe the government is wasting tax dollars on a company that screws its customers.

I agree I have the same nice looking piece of crap myself; electric problems, leaks, brakes.

I agree I have a 2002 Grand Am GT as well. Owned it for 2 years now and so far we have had trans flush and fill with filter change, cat problems, intake gaskets and head gaskets replaced.

Now the engine makes a ticking and clunking noise, which it is in the shop for now!!

"I agree I have a 2002 Grand Am GT as well. Owned it for 2 years now and so far we have had trans flush and fill with filter change"

NEVER have the transmission fluid changed in these cars unless you tow heavy stuff or do 100% city driving for over 60,000 miles. READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL!! It states "UNDER NORMAL DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID NEVER NEEDS CHANGING" (That's a direct quote from MY OWN Grand Am owner's manual).

I think one reason so many complaints show up on these cars is that NO ONE pays the slightest attention to the factory recommendations. Changing the transmission fluid in these cars can actually CAUSE problems. OF COURSE shops and dealers will tell you to change the fluid!! They want your $200. They will also tell you you need brake and suspension work when you DON'T. Wise up and get yourself a repair manual (Chilton's is an excellent choice) and learn something about your cars so you won't be at the mercy of dealers and shops.

I normally change brake pads at 70,000-110,000 miles, but I see people on here doing it at 20,000 miles and paying HUNDREDS. I did my own front pads on my GA in 15 minutes at a cost of $17. So can you.

I use to have issues with the intake gasket and certainly burned me, especially after having it changed at different dealerships. What I was told on the last repair was that it was a design/manufacturer flaw and that I was gonna get a totally new one, and have never had issues since. Other than that my 02 GT has been great (x-ctry 3 times, and slowly coming up on 94K miles).

Most of my repairs have been for high use items, like the driver's side window motor, and a pwr steering item (I was actually away for a year and my parents handled that so I'm not 100% sure which part it was). My only other issue I think is more self-induced, I've replaced the entire exhaust system, block to bumper and I'm about to go onto my 3rd Cat. I actually get better mileage when my cat is throwing service engine lights than when it's doing its job.

I love my 02 GA GT, and it's a shame Pontiac is going bye-bye. All they needed to do was up the reliability a bit, and keep going as they were going, the EXCITEMENT division of GM, but Noooooo, someone screwed it up by throwing out all the models and bringing in other GM cars, renaming them based off Asian/European number letter systems that just don't work for American cars, slapping new bumpers on them and trying to sell these bland and ugly cars. Sorry, we're not that dumb, somewhere the excitement fizzled, I suspect it was in a boardroom somewhere.

2002 Grand AMT GT1...

Yeah the strange noise at the front of the car was a stumper for the GM technician. Every time I brought my car in, I told them about the strange noise but they couldn't figure it out. To me, it sounded like rubber rubbing against each other. Eventually the tires were the cause of the problem (I believe) because the noise went away.

Like others, I seem to service the brakes a lot too (at least once a year).

Anyways, I got rid of the Grand AM. I liked the car, but it had too many problems that cost me thousands of dollars to maintain.

I have had my Pontiac for 4 years now. In those four years I have now replaced the cat twice. After the second, we found out that you have to put the good gas in, and since then that problem has been OK.

My turn signals have a mind of their own; they work when they want. I learned a trick to that; when they don't work, hit your hazard lights quick and this will get your turn signal going again.

The intake gasket has been replaced. Both of the front bearings have been replaced; when these are faulty your dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree.

Fuel pump went, but that can be expected with any car. Same with the brakes and tires.

I have to agree.. I have a 02 SE1 and I can't believe all the problems I've had. From window components being replaced, to leaky gaskets (repaired twice), overflow bottle issues, the security system has a defect, a fuel pump, and now a possible transmission problem. It's definitely a losing battle with these cars. This certainly puts a bad taste in my mouth for Pontiac! I will never buy one again.

Good look to all you Grand Am owners I feel your pain! And to any potential Pontiac owners... Stay away!