1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 1 from North America - Comments

Hello!

I bought a 1996 Grand Am SE back in Feb. of this year, and it seemed like a great car. Shortly after I bought it, my radiator light came on. After getting a flush and fill, it turned off and was running fine for about a month. Then, it came on again. Couldn not determine source of leak, put some ultra-cheap aluma-seal stop-leak in it and filled it, the problem went away for about another month or two. Radiator light came on again about a month ago, turns out after a pressure test that the water pump was leaking. This little item cost about $79 for the part, but $500 for labor. Seems they placed the water pump in a very secure spot behind the timing mechanism. So, after paying the mechanic for the work performed, he asks me, "Has your ABS light always been on?" I just gave him a stupid look, because the ABS light never had been on before. So now, I too am trying to figure this little glitch out. I have not noticed any degradation in performance; from what I have read here, it sounds like a common yet bothersome problem. Oh, had the brakes inspected because that little high pitched squeak was warning me, I thought. Turns out the brakes were fine, I have another 20,000 miles left on them. Any troubleshooting tips about ABS indicator lights are much appreciated. Leave it to a computer to diagnose maintenance on an auto, this is what we deserve, I suppose.

About to buy a 96 Pontiac grand am for 2k all in. The dealer is telling me that they need to replace the Fuel Pump first, but I won't have to pay for that. I used to own a 96 grand am for several years before it was stolen and I can say that I never had a single problem with it and it was the best car that I have ever owned. That being said, when buying a used car, you are subject to the level of maintenance that the previous owner put into it. Certain things will always need to be replaced in a used car, you just have to try to avoid the big things (engine, transmission, etc.). Replacing brakes once a year isn't so bad if you drive it a lot. Same with tires and wipers and computers no matter how good will get glitches and malfunction from time to time... especially if you put in a new radio and mess with the wiring. The only advice I can give to anyone reading this about to buy one is that Texas has a 3 day lemon law and I imagine other states do as well. Buy the car, get it checked out by a mechanic that day and if he says a bunch of stuff is wrong, take it back to the dealer for your refund. P.s. They aren't allowed to charge you anything extra, have to take the car back and have to give you the refund. If you notice stuff wrong with it in the first few days, get a fix estimate and if you can't afford the repair, take it back.

Hope that helps,

Jessica.

I have a 1997 Grand Am and I have to say that it is a great car overall. It has it's little problems (driver's window is slow) but the engine has not let me down yet. It has 133,000 miles and the only thing I have replaced is the alternator (when it went every light in the car started flashing and the locks started clicking open and shut). the big mystery I have is my anti theft system light-I haven't seen any comments about it, but mine starts to blink when I am starting the car and then the car won't start until I leave the key on for 10 min. when the light stops blinking (exactly 10 min.) then the car will start. any ideas about how to put in a code or something? I don't have an owners manual it wasn't in the car when I got it.

Just bought a 1997 Grand AM. Noticed that the driver side window motor misbehaves. Feels like motor overheats and just stops dead. Wait 1/2 minute and motor works again. I thought I might just live with this, but with all the comments here I fear that motor replacement is soon a sure thing. I appreciate the advice that one reader gave on how to do this, and the other hint that maybe it is a loose wire.

I have owned my 1996 grand am for about four years now and I have all the problems and now for the most part the big ones seem to have passed. however I live in north dakota and it is winter and for some reason only in the winter when its really cold once my car has heated up when I come to a stop the rpms will drop and the car will die so you have to wait a few seconds and the car will start again. so you then let the car cool down again and it will run fine that is until it warms up which makes no sense I have taken it too many many auto shops and they think they have found the solution to the problem I spend any where form $75-$250 get it home same problem... spring summer and fall car runs great I have had this problem for 3 winters now any one have a clue what this problem is???

Also for those who have the water leaking in to car try resealing your front windshild... i had water leaking in and just had it resealed problem went away...don't know what it would cost you because the guy who put the window in before I bought the car did it for free.

My girlfriend bought a 96 Grand Am two years ago, and like others, it had been nothing, but trouble. The window motors have gone bad, the serpentine belt has needed work several times, etc. Recently the struts have gone, the power steering is leaking, and we are told that the ball joints are on their way out. The car has needed about 3,000 in repairs in the last two years, with mechanics currently recommending 2,800 in repairs. I am wondering if anyone has had the following two problems:

When starting the car, it has a tendency to rev out of control. Sometimes turning the car off and restarting it will solve this problem, sometimes you just have to deal with the fact that if you take your foot off the break the car will quickly accelerate to 45mph. No mechanics have been able to solve this problem.

The other problem is that periodically (it mostly happens when turning to the right, but sometimes at idle) there is a very distinct knocking coming from the front passenger side of the car. The knocking ALWAYS sounds exactly the same: there are 5 knocks, starting with a low pitch and alternating with a higher pitch, and after five knocks it stops. It all takes place in the course of about 1.5 seconds. It doesn't seem to be a problem yet, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. Thanks everyone

96 GA in Houston.

I bought a 1996 Grand AM about 15 months ago. After a few weeks I noticed that the car smelled of antifreeze. I assumed that the radiator had a leak. My brother-in-law took the car back to the car lot where I purchased the car from to have them look it over. They said everything was fine. My brother-in-law drove the car back to his house and when I went to pick it up the car would not start. I left and came back a few hours later to find out from my brother-in-law what had happened because I wasn't having any problems with the car starting. He wasn't home yet so I tried to start the car again. It started right up. I drove it without any problems for about three months. At that time I went to pick up my children from school (it's January in OH very cold so I kept the car running about 10 minutes) and the car died on me. I couldn't get it started. My daughter had to go back into the school and have my dad come and pick us up. Went back a few hours later to try starting the car and yes it started without any problems. Once it got warm didn't have any problems except when I try the key back to listen to the radio (which I won't do anymore because I'm afraid the car won't start) without having the car run while waiting on someone at which time the car wouldn't start. Once started, it ran like it was going to die any second. When it died (which it eventually always did) my check engine light would stay on. Took it to have it tested and was told that I either got bad gas or my gas cap wasn't put on all the way. Not really those problems. It turned out to be fuel filter, then fuel pump. (Luckily I have some friends and family that can work on my car without charging me much for labor.) I also had to replace battery & alternator. Don't have any more problems with check engine light coming on. Now I am having problems where my car won't start right away and when it does my antitheft light will stay on until the car is turned off and started again. I also have the same problems with my windows. However it is the front passenger and the back driver side windows that will go down, but takes the rest of the day to get them to come up. Any suggestions on the antitheft light would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I own a 96 grand am SE.

I've had the same problems pretty much as everyone else

i bought it in 2002 with 116k miles on it.

I've had the fuelpump die on me. new brakes needed, powersteering failure and just recently the manifold seems to have failed where the oil and antifreeze mixed together.

Took it to the shop (3days ago) the mechanic tells me whats you p and it will be 500 bucks repaired.

I get it repaired and drive it home and its leakign antifreeze ALL over the road. A BIG flood of antifreeze.

It was never leaking before from 2002-2004 since I've owned it.

So I bring it back and now the guy continues to tell me its fine today I drive it today only to find out that When Pressing on the gas to go from 0-40 its SUPER slow at speedin up and realyl sounds bad compared to how it ever sounded since I've owned the vehicle.

I droped it off AGAIN today and this time I'm not accepting it back until its fixed and I'm not paying a dime more either.

I also have had the same flood problems from rain.

When it rains I get water trapped in the back passenger side door. you can open the door and actually hear the water traped inside the door. It slowly drips out of the door in 2-3days of not raining.

ALso some flooding from either the AC or rain on the front drivers side of the car. Luckily a floor mat covers this problem up. But this is yet another problem added to the list.

So I have put in about 2500 in repairs over a 2 year period

I dnt mind repairing little things, but this has really been a constant repair nightmare.

I'm hopingto just sell it and get rid of this headache once and for all.

The periodic knocking coming from the front passenger side is likely the ABS system doing a self-check. I think it does this every time you start the car (I haven't paid attention to it since I found out what it is), but there seems to be a variable length of time after you start the car before it does it.

Has anyone replaced the control arm bushings themselves? Easy or hard? I'm getting the clunking.

Quite a few problems with my 97 GT. Two alternator replacements, front struts and mounting plates, other things I can't think of right now, and one problem that no one can seem to track down: When I turn it off and then start it again after 30-60 minutes (while it is still cooling down), it will buck for a few seconds, but then it will be fine.

I had the automatic revving and speed up problem, too, and had to have the Power-train Control Module re-flashed at a dealership ($100).

I just acquired a '96 Grand AM 4-cyl from my son who owned it for 7 years. with 157, 000 miles, it has been a great car with no major problems overall. It does have one annoying problem that seems to keep occurring. It has been mentioned a couple of times in previous posts, but no response regarding a fix.

The "CHECK ENGINE" light AND the "ETS OFF" light occasionally come on at the same time. When they are on, the button on the gearshift has no control over the ETS light and the car periodically "jerks" like it is missing, or trying to find the right gear. This generally happens once or twice per day and will stay like this for several miles even when the engine is turned off and restarted. My mechanic can find nothing wrong and apparently the computer codes don't tell him anything. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding what to check??

I own a 2001 grand am se.. the check engine light,ABS light and ets light are on and the security light is also on... so far I found that the ets, ABS and check engine lights are indicators that I need to have my hubs and bearings changed... the security light makes it so I have to have my key in the on position for ten minutes till the car will start... and my blinkers don't work.. there is a recall for that...I'm broke and was wondering how hard these problems are to fix on my own?

I bought my 1996 grand am in July of 2004. And since then I have replaced the front and rear 02sensors the alternator fuel pump twice the brain the transmission. My check engine light comes on and goes off. I get it fixed and its off 3 days later sometimes longer the light comes back on. I'm about to get my catalytic converter replaced. Also my driver side window is also dying on me slowly along with the rear driver side window.. My tires have been replaced a lot do to the fact that the car does not stay aligned well. And I've had other problems too numerous to mention..

I bought a 96 pontiac grand am with 130,000 miles on it, about 7 months ago, I have had to put new brakes on one time and the airbag light stays on all the time the car has over 180,000 miles now and that is really the only things that I have had besides buying tires and oil changes I guess I got lucky.

1996 Grand AM SE

Same problems as everyone else

Check Engine Light and ETS Off... I was told a sensor was bad

code PO172, but no one can tell which sensor it is, I'm afraid to take to a mechanic shops because of the labor charges. any suggestion.

I recently purchased a 1996 pontiac grand am se, 2 door, 16 valve four cylinder. I soon learned it needed an alternator. I pulled the old one out and it turned out just to be the wire from the alternator to the starter (cheap wiring harness). Next I put in a battery. After driving less that 10 miles the radiator began to leak antifreeze, I put in a new radiator and now the radiator light is on (doesn't make too much sense if you ask me). The motor for the passenger side window only works when it wants too. I am also having electrical problems with my headlights and interior gauge lights. The switch does not turn them off so as long as the car is on the lights are on. They do go off when hand brake is pulled up, but go right back on when brake is released. I am not having the other problems metioned by everyone else with the ABS and ets lights. I hear that the light for the radio goes bad quickly and is an expensive repair. Mine seems to be going bad because as radio is played the light flickers (might be just another electrical problem). At about 80,000 miles the motor mounts need to be replaced and the timing chain should be inspected if not replaced, it is better to replace before it actually lets go.