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Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61
Both headlight lens covers fell off, within a couple months of each other. The dealer was advised, but no assistance was offered.
One day windshield wipers parked in the upright position. Brought it into the dealer they advised it was due to ice buildup. At the same time they made a recall repair to the wiper connecting arm under the windshield cowling. A week later, the passenger wiper stopped in the middle of the windshield and the other wiper kept going... the result, both wiper blades flew off the car. Dealer did not accept any responsibility, except to charge my credit card $100 for new blades and parts.
A couple months after the wiper problem I lost the low speed settings on my blower motor; the fan only worked on high; then within a few weeks, the high speed quit too. Staff at the dealership were on strike so the problem was brought to another shop. The heater motor resistor was blown. Repaired at a cost of $200 ($40 parts, the rest labour)
Four months later, I lost the fan low speeds again. The dealer looked at it and explained the damage was due to water leaking in and hitting the unit. They estimated the repair cost to be nearly $500 (the blower motor was now going too) so I got into an argument about the water leak with the service rep and told them to put the old parts back in. The blower motor continued to work at the high speed for a few more weeks then seized up.
I removed and replaced the blower and resistor units myself and when I removed the motor, water ran out of the housing under the dash. Further investigation revealed an improperly installed weatherstrip under the windshield cowling which allowed water to run off the windshield straight down into the blower housing. All these problems for lack of less than $1 worth of weatherstrip adhesive. Poor workmanship both at the factory and the dealership.
Noted during two consecutive oil changes that the coolant had to be topped up. The guys at the lube shop I deal with noted an oil film in the rad, which they indicated may be a head gasket problem. Brought back to the dealer and head gaskets had to be changed at 105,000 km. Cost approached $1500, most of which was covered by a used car warranty. They guys at the lube shop advised the problem with the head gaskets may be related to the problems with the Dex-cool coolant.
Within 500 km of having the head gaskets changed the water pump went, leaving small puddles of coolant under my car when I parked. The dealership obviously did not diagnose the full problem with the coolant leak.
A recall notice was received for a steering bushing problem. I brought it in for that repair at the same time as the water pump problem. When I got the car back, the steering was "clicking" when I turned. I brought it back to the dealership again and they advised that my upper strut bearings had gone. I left in anger. Later, a buddy sprayed some lubricant into the top of the struts and the problem disappeared.
The clock and display lights on the radio occasionally go out completely, but can be fixed quickly with a good solid "Fonzie" tap.
Lots of other minor problems too.
I've lost faith in General Motors. I've owned dozens of their vehicles over the years and none have demonstrated such poor quality in workmanship as this Grand Prix. Many of the problems are safety issues; many are costly; some are just a nuisance and aggravating.
The dealership will never see me again. In fact the service manager invited me to 'find another place to have my car serviced'. That is easy advice to follow.
Couldn't agree more with your conclusion on the workmanship and quality of the 1997 Grand Prix. My wife has a GTP and it has been plagued with problems including, water pumps, alternators, a blown transmission at 80,000 miles, all kinds of electrical problems (radio, gas gage, ABS light, etc.). Windshield wiper design is the absolute tops in stupidity! Must be replaced at least twice per year due to stripping (the fitting is basically a friction fitting since the splines are formed on the grommet when installing). Thanks for letting me vent.
Hello.
Your problems with the car almost mirror the problems I've had as well. I owned an 85 Chevy Caprice for 12 years and in that entire time frame never had as many problems as I had with my Grand Prix in the first two years.
My water pump went out at around 30,000 miles and I was extremely fortunate to not have major damage. I now believe this pump went due to that tempermental dexcool which did look like a sludge in my overflow tank, but I assumed that was its natural state. Before the car was 2 years old I noticed the headlight cover was broken and on the ground, I assumed I had been hit. Then several months later when parked in a private spot I found the other headlight cover laying on the ground. I super glued and taped it back on. Also, around 15,000 miles my battery died several times. The dealer couldn't find the problem. However, I noticed the glove compartment light would not go off due to the fact that the door did not push far enough against the switch to shut it off. Amazing that the dealer couldn't figure this out as later I found many people were having the same problem. I simply built some cardboard up on the compantment door and duct taped it on so the switch would push fully in. Later, I unplugged the light for fear my contraption might fall off and I would be stranded again. This problem of course caused my battery to drain several times and shortly thereafter my alternator died.
I had my car into the dealer for the windshield wiper recall and later that winter my wipers died. Obviously the recall did not fix the problem which apparently is due to water leaking into the motor and causing it to freeze.
I've had the same problem with the clock inexplicably going out or showing only half a digit. Interestingly, this was something that would happen to my Caprice as well - so perhaps it is a GM thing.
I recently had the heat go out except when the blower was on high. After suffering with the condition for about a month the blower went out all together - hence the blower motor had died. Apparently the resister went first, and than perhaps due to some kind of change in power the blower motor followed thereafter - at least this was the explanation of the mechanic who says he sees this problem all the time with GM cars.
The rest of my family have gone to buying Toyota and they never and I mean never have any problems with their cars. Oil changes and tire rotation are the only maintenance needed.
However, I actually feel fortunate compared too many of my friends and neighbors who have had bad experiences with American cars. I actually feel like mine has been rather reliable in comparison. I just wish I would have kept the old chevy, I'm almost certain that it would have been cheaper to maintain.
I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a recall on the intake on the 1997 Grand Prix's. I was recently told that there had been a recall, but I just bought my car a year ago and when I had first bought it the polley broke and I lost all power steering and almost crashed. And now my coolant is really thick and clumpy. My boyfriend said a guy at work told him there was a recall on the plastic intake's and that I needed to look into it. The low coolant light comes on now and again, but doesn't stay on unless I am on the freeway. I don't have coolant in my oil, or oil in my coolant, and the trans. fluid. Some one else had said I may need and new transmission. PLEASE HELP.
This is for PLEASE HELP. I own a '98 Bonneville and my plastic intake (plenum) just blew apart. Very similar if not the same engine as your Gran Prix. This is a major problem with these 3800 series engines (look at the Bonneville comments on this great website). I've checked for recalls and the only one that shows up on my VIN, is for the fuel pressure regulator. The posted date for this recall was 06/23/2004. Check with your nearest dealer and get it fixed if need be. This regulator is what my mechanic and I think caused my intake to blow. The parts and labor are no joke. As far as many are concerned, GM should take note of this continuing problem and send out a recall.
Everything you said happened to my wifes car exactly, and then some. Except I refuse to let them work on it. I have my 16 year old do the work! He is better qualified. I will never buy another one again!
I have a 1997 Pontiac Gran Prix and I have had just as many problems as the previous people. I have owned the car for about 2 years now and have had problem after problem. About a month into owning the car I started to have major problems. I would be driving along and all of a sudden the car would die, I have no idea why, but I wouldn't be able to start the car back up while I was driving so I would have to pull over and it usually took about 5 times to try and get it started again. I have had the car serviced and I have taken it to 3 different repair shops and no one knows what is wrong with it. They tell me the only way for them to figure it out is for the car to die and not restart. I really do not feel safe driving this car, I drive on 3 different highways each day and this car will randomly die while I am going 65 miles an hour in the fast lane!! Sometimes it won't even start after it has been parked. I have tried to eliminate reasons why it dies, but to no avail I have not found any correlation between any of them. It could die on a rainy day, sunny day, with or without the radio and/or heater on, and doesn't matter if I am traveling at 30 miles an hour or 70 miles an hour.
I've also had problems with the windshield wipers. When I turn them off sometimes they stay stuck in the upright position. I've tried to get them fixed, but it obviously didn't work.
I also had the problem with the rack and pinion going out. One day I was driving and I wasn't able to turn left without using all of my muscles to steer the car. Two weeks after I took it to the repair shop and spent $1500 I received a recall notice in the mail and fortunately I was reimbursed for most of my bill. I still have problems with the steering to this day. Whenever I turn left there is a creaking sound and it feels as if my tires are about to come off!
All I know is that I will NEVER, EVER buy another Pontiac vehicle!
I purchased a 1997 Grand Prix and had the headlight covers blow off.
GM refused to replace them and stated they had No problem with this happening. In my job, I have knowledge that this has happened a lot not only with Grand Prix, but the newer Luminas as well. We had over 100 cars with the same problems over a period of time.
It has happened three times with this car so far.
Wheel bearings are another problem with GM.
Replaced a front on a new Montana Van 25000 km,
Front on a 2 yr. old Montana van-75000 km.
Front right on my 1997 Grand prix at 125,000
Front left on same car at 175,000
Heater motor module replaced twice in passed 3 years.
(No 3 or 4 speed).
Electric driver's side window control last year.
Wipers stopped in the middle of the windshield after a car wash. Same old problems over and over.
I have been a GM guy for years now, but I'll tell you 1 thing... The next car I buy will be European make.
It's No wonder GM are closing plants down all over.
I'll keep this short since my problems with my '97 pontiac GP mirror everyone elses' headaches. Added to my key getting stuck in the ignition and numerous trips to the mechanic to diagnose the problem with no avail. pretty much paid to have them guess at the problem; replaced steering wheel, column, shifter, etc. turned out to be a linkage problem, $1700 later. and all that was just the 1st time I had it in the shop! another trip involved a 'popping' noise in the front passenger side wheel hub. (turned out to be a faulty wheel bearing I had replaced earlier that year)..I've lost count as to how many times I've had that piece of junk in the shop.. seems like every other month something major has gone wrong with it. the most recent problem was an oil leak that got into the manifold that cost more in labor than parts to fix. I get sick to my stomach everytime I hear a new noise in my bucket of bolts b/c it's never a cheap fix. I hate that car with a passion and I only wish I had enough money to get another car... ANYTHING other than a pontiac grand prix.
I just remembered a few more things I've had done to my bucket..all the lights on my dashboard would light up if I hit a bump in the road or went up the slight curb in a driveway... turns out a sensor in the front wheel hub went bad and was covered under the shotty mechanics warranty.. and another problem I had was a constant squeak when I went over speed bumps or any other bump... bad struts were the culprit that time..I'm only writing all this to half gripe about my car, the other half is to hopefully save some people time and money dragging their pontiacs to the mechanic to help diagnose what could go wrong next... believe me, it will.
I have a 97 Grand Prix SE, which I bought it for 1500 restored. Now since I've only had this car for 2 months, lemme tell you the situation I'm in as we speak..
First, since I bought the car, every day for a hour or so, everytime I stop, the rpms drop and the car dies, so I throw it in neutral and keep going.
I then moved to Canada and I was fine all the way up here, which was about a 400 mile drive. When I got here, it's icy and snowy out, so when my car died, I was goin kinda fast, so the steering locked up and I did like a 540 onto a snowbank, and my car was lifting off the ground, and had to be towed.
The week after that, my car wouldn't start, blah blah blah, had air in the gas pressure pump. The next day I'm driving on the highway, I stop at a light, the car dies.. This time when I turned the key there was nothing.. I thought the battery needed to be recharged. Got someone to jump me, still nothing. Got a new starter, still nothing. Turns out my antifreeze mixed with my oil, clogged up somthing or other, and my engine blew.
So let's add this all up - I spent 1500 dollars on a car where the engine blew in 2 months, now I gotta buy a whole new engine plus the man hours to put it in, which is gonna cost more to fix then I paid for it. I really dislike GM... thanks.
To the commenter above: Are you really blaming GM for the troubles with your car? You paid $1500 for it, so obviously there were going to be issues. From what you wrote above, it doesn't sound like maintenance was an issue for you. You should have spent another $1500 on the car and I bet it would be working just fine. People, please stop blaming GM for your own lack of judgement. It's your fault that your car broke, not the manufacturer.
Woah Woah buddy, give this guy a break. I read every comment on this page and he was the first one who might be half way in the wrong. Everyone else on this page has very good reason to complain about GM, including myself. I drive a 98 grand prix se and I've gone through every one of their problems. The only difference with me is that I just dealt with my problems, never brought it in once. I fix my wipers everytime they break, I'm in the process of shopping for a new water pump that I'm going to put in myself, I did the lubricant to get rid of the clicking noise when turning the wheel, I've replaced 2 resistor packs which have gone wrong and I once again only have a fan that works on high. I have to add coolant whenever it gets cold out, or else I won't have heat, I even replaced my serpentine belt because the coolant leaking all over it ate it away. GM may suck, or the engineers for the grand prix may suck, but I must say, I got 160,000 miles on it right now, if I replace the water pump, I'm going for 200k. if you can deal with it and tell it who's boss it'll keep kickin. Bottom line guys, I feel your pain, I've just saved a ton of money by just dealing with it.
To the commenter above: Most of the items that you have replaced on your car sound like routine wear parts. Coil packs, wind shield wipers, and serpintine belts have to be replaced. It's nice to see a person who actually maintains their vehicle to a proper standard. It seems that others here have this idea that a car will have some sort of mythic ability to withstand all and never have an issue. I work with machines for a living and believe me, they all break. They only difference between them is how easy they are to service. I think that GMs are generally pretty easy to work on.
All, I feel your pain and suffering with all the issues listed above. I have experienced most of the issues with my 97 Grand Prix. I refuse to go to any Pontiac dealer for repairs, other than the recall on the Rack and Pinion. I do have a good mechanic that will fix each issue that occurs with my 97 Grand Prix it can be costly for a budget, but I look at it as restoring my vehicle. 160,000+ miles. Can anyone shed light on possibly replacing bulbs in the radio, volume control on the steering wheel and different areas of the dash board, or is this to big of an issue for home repair?
Seriously? GM's are not "easy" to work on. My 87 Dodge ram.. now that's easy to work on. Try removing the battery on a 95 generic motors pontiac grand prix. It involves the removal of a windshield washer bottle, and body brace (which was removed and never replaced).
I have an engineering degree and am an avid car enthusiast. I have torn down and rebuilt two complete vehicles from the ground up and regularly maintain all my vehicles (including the wife's Pontiac). I can tell you this... all the busted knuckles and cuss words resulting from my "fun" tinkering (which at times isn't so fun)...don't even come close to the hell of a single day with that POS Grand Prix. I hope GM goes out of business. They deserve nothing less. They are very poorly engineered. Folks, don't waste your time and hard earned dollars on them.