1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE2 from North America - Comments

The brakes need to be changed every 8,000 miles. All the Pontiac dealers and brake shops that I talk to say that this is common.

The was a water leak in the passenger side. The dealer repaired this problem quickly.

The driver's door window fell off the track and broke all the plastic clips. The GM cost would have been $900 in parts plus labor.

The controls for the radio failed. The dealer replaced the radio without any problem.

The rear deck of the car rattles while listening to the radio. The dealer says there is nothing wrong. I paid extra for the high power system, but I have to adjust the equalizer so as to shut off nearly all the bass.

The car developed a vibration in the front end within the first year. I took the car to two dealers with no luck. Both dealers say it is the tires. So far, I have gotten GM to replace all four rims and Goodyear to replace two of the tires. After balancing and rotating the tires 5 times and aligning the front end 3 times, Goodyear refuses to replace any more tires without a written statement from GM that the tires are bad. The dealer has rotated and balanced the tires at least 5 more times and aligned it a couple more times. I took the car to a couple of local garages and I was told it looked like a transmission or axle problem, but it would be costly to start digging into the problem. I contacted GM for assistance since this problem has out-lasted my 36,000 mile warranty. GM proposed with my dealer to continue looking for the problem. The dealer took the car in twice, but refused to look into the transmission or test drive the car after they rotated the tires. I tried to talk with the service manager, but he hung up on me. I tried to talk with the store owner, but he hung up on us. GM is currently working with a 3rd dealer to try to solve this problem.

The car would be awesome if there was a dealership who stood by their product and the car stayed together.

The window clips broke on my 99 Grand Am also. I've also been to the dealership and they wanted to replace the entire power window assembly. I have the window jammed up with a piece of wood.

I own a 2000 Grand Am GT. I have experienced loud tire "squeaks" in both front tires for 18 months. The car has been serviced at least 6 times, and I am told that the bead breaks between the tire and wheel and Pontiac does not have a repair. The noise is horrible, and I have a tremendous concern with the safety of driving a vehicle that has tires moving on the rims. I lose air at such a rate that I put air in my front tires every three days. I am told that GM is in arbitration with Goodyear, and there is no "repair" at this time. My warranty apparently means nothing.

I have had problems with my alternator, the engine mount broke, and the plastic clips that hold the window to the rails broke off. I paid $650 to the mechanic to replace the altenator. The dealership wants me to pay $160 for a new rail system (I am still looking for just the plastic clips) and the engine mount will cost me only $28 from the dealership (plus $20 for overnight shipping). All in all, I am not very pleased with the quality of this 1999 Pontiac Grand AM GT. This is my third Pontiac and all have had similar problems. Next car I am going to buy is a Mustang, because atleast I will replace parts when I am driving it hard and fast.

I'm glad I found this site... I thought I was somehow being too rough with my car or something because, yes, my driver side window also is busted due to broken clips. Furthermore, the radio volume control is broken--any way your turn the dial, the volume increases. The wheels make funny noises when I brake or make turns. The coolant somehow started leaking into the manifold. The brakes always feel tight and need to be replaced constantly. I love the car, but it seems like I'm always having to take it in for something to be fixed.

Overall I think the solution may be to replace whatever fails with high-quality AFTERMARKET parts. Get some drilled and slotted rotors and carbon fiber brake pads instead of the obviously bad GM OEM parts. And do some of it yourself. Get a Hayes Manual... they tell you how to fix EVERYTHING, they pull apart and rebuild the entire vehicle, step by step, with pictures diagrams etc etc.

I have also had numerous problems with my 1997 Grand AM GT. My first car died on me, and we bought the Grand AM from a friend at my mom's work for $2500. I got the car in June of 2003 and in the year that I have had it, I've roughly done $1500 - $1750 in repairs with a lot more to come. My driver's side window motor went out and the mechanic said it would cost almost $500 to get it replaced because they have to buy the motor and the window mount all together from the dealership. However, I was able to find a motor on eBay for $25. Within the first two weeks of having the car the shifting mechanism (I have a 5-speed) broke and then two months later I had was experience vibrations and loud noises when I was making turns. The steering bushings had rotted away and left my steering column just barely attached - I could have lost my steering at any point while driving and been involved in a bad accident. I also had to replace a bunch of gaskets and pumps at the same time totally about $1000. Recently, I just had new tires put on which cost about $350. I stumbled upon your posting while looking for Grand AM engine manuals because I now have a loud griding noise coming from the timing belts or alternator area of the engine that is also causing the front end to shake. I will also be due for a clutch change in the coming months since it is starting to get a little soft and stick occasionally. All in all I feel your pain.

Hi, I can't believe I found a site like this... I currently own a 99' Grand Am SE, both of my rear mirrors fell of when I went to a Car Wash thats near my house, the Manager said that this problem was very common in this car, when I went to the dealer they were asking for $450 plus labor... I ended up getting 4 screws and I drilled through the whole thing, a little bit extremist, but at least now they are solid as a rock.

Since I bought the car it has been making a really annoying sound, I believe that is the timing belt, but every time I put a belt dressing, after a day, the sound comes back, very frustrating actually... this is my 3rd timing belt.

Last but not least, very frustrating noises coming out of my front wheels, this is the second time I have changed my breaks, including: calipers, disks, and pads. The noise is still there... Overall, I just can't wait to get rid of this car.

Change the tires I did and never heard the noise again.

I own a used 99 Grand Am SE and had a coolant leak fixed while still under warranty (between 50-60,000). I replaced the water pump 80,000 (not a big deal, $20). My brakes do make funny noises, a clicking sound when you brake. I took it in and the auto shop who disassembled and cleaned, but the noise returned shortly. Also the noise only seems to appear if the car has been rained on or washed. The gas gauge does not work anymore since about 70,000. The windows are scratched, they scratch inside the door when I roll them down. The dash is coming apart (bad glue, too much sun). Recently the car died during a flood in about 3ft of water. We did a lot of work to get water out of the engine and I am not sure how much water got in. The belt is squeaking (it wasn't before), there is a loud clunk when I turn left or right, the brakes are making clicking noises again, and we changed the oil and checked all the fluids for water, but didn't see any. I find it hard to believe that I have to climb under the car to check the transmission fluid. I think the volume on the radio and honk after locking are security settings and can be changed. The owners manual should be read on those. I just keep praying that nothing else happens to it, its only got 88,000 on it.

I just looked at a 1999 Pontiac Grand AM SE, at a car lot. I found it curious that both front windows were scratched on the insides. There was also a lot of road noise and I was nervous about the brakes. Over all the car drove and handled decently with 109K. But there was something that held me back from buying it. I felt I should check the reviews first, and I am glad that I did!! Thanks everyone for posting!