15th Feb 2006, 17:56
I just found this site. I own a 1999 Grand Am SE with the 3.4l. I have had the car since 2000. So far I have 180k+ miles, replaced the front rotors 5 times, blower level 1 and 2 no longer works for the climate control, passenger window no longer goes down, intake manifold gasket was replaced twice, and sometimes the radio volume goes up when turning it down. Basically the same thing everyone else deals with, but I still love the car.
10th Mar 2006, 19:58
Found this site looking for answers to the mysterious turn signal operation. Sure wish I had found it earlier. Maybe then I wouldn't have bought 2 of them. however they were both wrecked and I did get them for cheap. one is repaired now and am driving it daily. so far the only problem to surface is the turn signals and the blower resistor. but the resistor was pre existing. GM is currently on their 3rd revision of the infamous resistor card that seems to die prematurely maybe this one will last a bit longer. I previously owned a 96 grand am that I pretty much ran the wheels off of a couple times. I managed to knock out 220,000 miles before I rolled it in a ditch. there were a few minor problems with it one including replacing the engine because it blew the head gasket. and was cheaper to replace the engine as opposed to fixing it. after seeing all of the common problems with the 99+ grand ams I am seriously considering dumping both of them I own.
15th Mar 2006, 09:10
99 Grand Am Se owner since Dec 1999. Bought the car with 29k miles on it and it currently has 140k. Overall it's not a bad car aside from the front brakes.
Issue's I have experienced:
1. Volume knob - Didn't turn down radio (Just replaced with a $99.00 radio which is 5x better)
2. Drivers side window stopped working for 2 years and then mysteriously started working again. Maybe the motor was jammed.
3. After 135K miles, the number 1 & 2 on the AC no longer work. Settings 3, 4, & 5 work fine.
4. Front-end brakes have been worked on 3x. The last time around 115k miles, the tech told me that the calipers were not releasing and this was the cause of the rotor wear and poor brake performace.
22nd Mar 2006, 12:47
I posted earlier about a humming coming from the front end and it turned out to be the Front Wheel bearings. I replaced both of those and it went away. Now I have a popping noise coming from the front end when I make sharp turns. Sometimes I even get a grinding noise from the front end when making an extremely tight turn (like a u-turn). I've removed both wheels and set the car on stands and could no duplicate the problem.
I took it to the dealership to have them check my CV joints. They said they were fine, but that I needed new outer tie rod ends and new struts and strut mounts ($1350!!!). I took it to a local place and he said that the tie rod ends and struts were fine.
I went back and re-tighten the wheel bearing hubs I replaced and it helped, but it is not gone. Still not sure what the problem is : (
22nd Mar 2006, 19:35
Popping sounds when turning is almost always the cv joints.
I suspect the first mechanic probably wanted you to pay a lot for tie rods and all that, then later, say uh oh, your cv joints are fried for ______ reason. Then rip you off again.
28th Mar 2006, 11:48
I've got a 99 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4L. It's got almost 150k miles on it. So far I haven't had any real problems with it and she still runs like a dream. I've only gone through one set of brakes and rotors which I'm told these cars are notorious for. I did have the same problem with the radio that was mentioned a few times, but I fixed that by putting in an after market head unit and new speakers all the way around. My current problem though is the suspension. The ride is starting to get a little rough and I think it's about time I got some new struts and maybe even a new set of tires. The tires are only a couple years old and have a lot of tread left on them though, so they shouldn't be an issue. Can anyone make any good recommendations on struts for this particular car? I.e. type, brand, model number, etc. Thanks in advance!!!
3rd Apr 2006, 14:43
99 Grand AM GT - purchased with 49k, first thing was volume knob (is it possible to sue for hearing loss?). Next was the window motor on driver side (just fell down), was pulling out from parts store with window motor and antifreeze was pouring out the exhuast in big white smoke, now I have to shell out 1500 bucks for gasket and possible cylinder... wish I would have read this site before purchasing!! if you are reading this...don't buy his car!!
3rd Apr 2006, 15:02
I've had my 1999 Grand Am since 2001 and it has 83,000 miles on it. When I first bought the previous owner put a new power steering pump in it, and before I could have it the dealer put another new power steering pump in it (that's 2), then a year later I had to have them put in yet another new Power steering pump (that's 3). My air controls don't work on 2, my radio volume didn't work half the time (got a new radio), and now my upper strut mounts on my front end are going out, along with my hubs (800 some dollars to fix). I will never recommend this pile of crap to anyone! Don't BUY ONE EVER!! It's been nothing, but a nightmare since I paid it off a few months ago.
25th Jan 2006, 14:55
TOO FUNNY...Well, just add another one to the list. Mine isn't exactly as bad, considering I've had the car for 5+ years and it has 116K (bought it with 12K). But all my recent problems are eerily familiar. The squeaky wheel symptoms developed over the summer, but that was eventually solved by new tires. Bought 4 Goodyear Assurances. Best purchase I could have made. Beside eliminating the noise, these tires make this car behave so much better in the snow and rain. At about 40K, It needed an entire brake job. $600 later, I decided enough was enough and started to do brakes myself. Since then I've replaced all 4 rotors, all pads twice and both front calipers. Actually for a novice the GT brakes are a breeze and relatively inexpensive. That's the extent of the good news. Earlier this month the passenger window assembly went. Took it to the dealer and found that the intake manifold was leaking (knew something was wrong when the Low Coolant light kept coming on and there were no noticeable leaks). In addition all the lifters had to be replaced. Had lived with the 3-5 blower setting, but decided to have that fixed too. All tolled, it cost $1400 to fix it all. I'll live with the radio volume control. A slow steady hand usually solves this anyway.