In January of 2002 my daughter bought me a 2002 Grand Am SE. Shortly after, I discovered that the carpet in the trunk was soaked and the trunk had to be sealed. There is no "play" in the steering; the Good Year performance tires kept losing air and wore crooked as are the second set of the same; the rotors and brake pads were replaced twice within 48,000 miles, whereas the rear brakes wore not at all as the self adjusters are on backwards. On the plus side, the car handles well on curves and has a lot of power.
This is in regards to the commenter who stated the differences between the GT package versus the SE: The final drive ratio on the 4T65E transmission in the GT is actually 3.29 vs. 3.05 in the 4T60 tranny in the SE. This equates to a quarter mile time differences of about.2 -.5 seconds. The exhaust is 1/4" larger, the springs are slightly stiffer, and most everything else is trim packaging. The "ram air" is nothing more than a marketing gimmic. Yes there are differences, but by no means is the GT dramatically more sporting then the SE model.
HI there folks... i bought a 02 grand am in may of last year... recently my remote only works when it wants to and I get a crazy and fast blinking sound from the blinkers even when I do not have them on... any ideas on if this is expensive to fix?
The remote may be because the batteries in it are starting to die. As for the clicking sound it is the combination switch in the steering column. Go to grandamgt. com and look in the "how to" section. There is a step by step with pictures. The whole process is quite easy and should take about 1/2 hour.
I just bought a 2002 Grand Am GT from Car Max. That was on Monday. For the four days after I had to take it back to get things replaced. First it was the blinker, turn signal switch. Now I have to take it back again because the passenger window came off its track and won't go up. Then the switch to move the seat back and fourth on the passenger side is stuck. I love the car, and I have a warranty, but my time is getting spent way to much. I hope this is the last of them for a while.
I went through four ignition switches. A constant problem that leaves me stranded. Gm will not provide sufficient warranty on its parts.
I just recently bought a 2002 Grand Am GT.. within the first 24 hours of purchase I noticed engine purging exiting and entering 2nd and 3rd gear. I took the car to the dealer and was told it may be my EGR valve. Upon closer inspection the so called mechanic discovered that the valve was fine, and told me.. (I'm a girl) "you must be feeling your traction control kick on." HELLO the road is dry and warm.. no snow, and I think I know what traction control is. Can anyone tell me if the purging I feel is my torque converter? Or is this a transmission problem? Has anyone encountered any similar experiences with engine purging? Thanks Grand Am Drivers!!
I purchased a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am GT about 4 1/2 years ago. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE my car. For the over 50,000 miles I have put on this vehicle, I find it to be an awesome ride. I have had to change the tires once and the front brakes twice and the back brakes once so far. Another problem I had with it was the vehicle speed sensor circuit. The dealer performed a thorough inspection and found that the speed sensor "burned" through on the manifold. This problem was resolved by the dealer repairing the wires and retaping and relocating the wire harness. This problem occurred one more time and they had to completely replace all the wiring. When you drive with this condition, the car acts extremely funny when you accelerate, like it does not have enough power to move. By the way, I am a woman and it's kind of scary when you are driving on the thruway with a car full of kids and a problem of this nature occurs like it did for me. Needless to say, the dealer repaired this problem (that was back in November, 2004) and I'm pleased to say I haven't had a problem with that since. However, as of today, I am getting a squeaking sound in the front-end - I am wondering if it is the stabilizer bar or something else in the suspension - at least I'm not getting a "bouncy" ride. I am planning on taking it to the dealer to have it looked at. Other than these very few problems, I have to say this is a very reliable, fun to drive, vehicle and would highly recommend it to anyone.
I have a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am GT with ram air V6. It's a great car if you keep up with the maintenance.
The purging is your spark plugs might be going bad.
I've had to replace the passenger side door motor, upper and lower intake manifolds, and I'm soon gonna have to put new pistons and rockers in it, but yeah, I've gotten mine up to 125mph, but the radar was going off, so I had to slow down, and that was going up hill.
Mine's stock with a K&N filter, ha yeah, big difference.
All the problems you other people are having; it's just some Grand Ams do it and some don't; it's kind of a hit and miss with them.
I own a 2002 Pontiac grand am ram air... aka a piece of crap.
I will never buy a Pontiac again.
My trunk leaks.
It clicks (blinker sound) when I'm not even turning...
My heat and air knob has broken off. I could continue for a while.
Needless to say I am a 20 year old female whom will never ever purchase another car again, and will forever only drive my truck.
We own a 2002 Grand Am GT. I like the car, but do not enjoy trying to figure out what's wrong with it. The complexity of this car vs my old Chevy S-10, for instance, puts it in a whole 'nother ballpark. In older cars, when it felt like the transmission was going, it was the transmission going. Now, that's only one small part of the larger equation (OK, I may be oversimplifying the machines of the past, here). One thing that does drive me crazy is the use of cheap plastic parts at integral points - for instance, when the plastic window clips break, you must replace the entire window regulator assembly. I've replaced two on my grand am in the past year. And we rarely open our windows!! When everything is working, it sure is a nice car to drive, though.
I've owned my 2002 Pontiac Grand Am GT for... going on three years now. As a teenager, this was my first car, and it has been such an amazing ride for me, I debate fixing it up as things give out, and keeping this car for as long as I can milk it.
The only major problem I have ever had with the car was at one point it refused to start, but if you jumped it from another car, it would start right away, and stay running until you turned it off again. Took it in to get it looked at, and a deposit (I forget what mineral exactly) had formed over the negative connection on my battery, and had to be replaced. (Hence, when jumped my car got the other car's negative, and was fine, but couldn't get its own)
My GT is stock performance, minus a Weapon-R Short Ram Intake, and runs like a dream. Over time I intend to improve the car's aesthetic appeal for uniqueness, but even completely stock this car can turn heads.
I bought a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am and I simply love my car. I would like to see if anyone knows about stabilizer bars on these cars. I don't know if mine is broken or about to break. It is making a horrible noise. It sounds like a pan being hit, it has a grinding noise and it sounds like my tires have a bump in it. I have had the brakes changed and my rotors are fine. My calibers seem to be okay as well. The noise is extrememly loud to me. Can someone give me some advice as to what is wrong with my car and can you give me some advice on how to fix it the cheapest but safest way?
These are awesome cars, and VERY under rated cars. Mine is the best car I have ever owned, and after 8 years, not a single problem.
Your noise might be a bad bushing where the stabilizer bar flexes. If dirt or water gets into these bushings they can cause LOTS of really bad noises that really don't hurt a thing. Check them, and if there's a problem it's a quick, easy and cheap fix.
2002 Grand Am GT; a joke.
My car has only 50,000 miles on it, and so far I have replace both front window regulators/motors/clips for $600, and also replaced an intake gasket due to GM using the red antifreeze. This also cost me around $700.00. What is next is the turn signal/emergency flasher component must be replaced. Not to mention the lifters and/or cam bearings are ticking. What a lemon.