Total Complaints
47 filings
PONTIAC GRAND AM · model year
47 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1987PONTIACGRAND AM carries 47 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 2 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1987 GRAND AM is engine and engine cooling:engine with 5 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (4) and electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator (3). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 17 investigation files overlapping the 1987 GRAND AM. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
47 filings
Crashes Reported
7 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 5 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 1 |
| PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/70/14 )
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/70/14 )
MY DIGITAL ODOMETER STOPPED WORKING AT 199,999 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY PONTIAC THAT IT WAS DEFECTIVE, AND THAT NORMALLY IT WOULD CONTINUE ON TO 200,000. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE LCD DISPLAY WILL ONLY SHOW A "1" IN THE ONE HUNDRED THOUSANDS PLACE. TECHNICAR, THE COMPANY WHO FIXES INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS, SAYS THEY ALL STOP AT THAT MILEAGE, AND THE CHIP IN THE BACK HAS TO BE REPLACED. I WENT THROUGH A LENGTHY PROCESS OF COMPLAINTS AS WELL AS WRITING A LETTER ONLY TO GET A STATEMENT SAYING MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I DON'T SEE HOW THEY CAN DESIGN AN ODOMETER TO FAIL, MANY PROBLEMS RESULT - MAINTENANCE, TITLE, VALUE, ETC. HAD I GOTTEN THE ANALOGUE VERSION, IT WOULD STILL BE GOING. I NEED AN EXPLANATION. THANKS.
THE DESIGN OF THE LAP BELTS MOUNTED IN THE DOOR DOES NOT PROPERLY PROVIDE ENOUGH PROTECTION IN AN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 40MPH AND WAS STRUCK ON THE DRIVER SIDE. *AK
CAN'T SEEM TO EVER SAVE ANY MONEY TO BUY A NEW VAN BECAUSE CAR THIS ONE IS COSTING TOO MUCH MONEY TO KEEP ON THE ROAD. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK
VEHICLE HAVING TROUBLE STARTING. CONSUMER CHARGED BATTERY AND WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL FAILURE RESUTING IN INJURY TO DRIVERS HANDS.
WHILE TRAVELING ALONG A 4-LANE STREET, THE GAS PEDAL WENT TO FULL THROTTLE, VEHICLE ACCELERATED FROM 50 MPH TO PASS A BUS. ENGINE WAS THEN TURNED OFF, CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. UNABLE TO STEER, VEHICLE BRUSHED UP AGAINST ANOTHER VEHICLE , WENT UP ON CENTER OF MEDIAN AND STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A SIGN POST.*AK
THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLE BROKE, CAUSING BOTH TO BE INOPERATIVE, WHICH OFFERED NO PROTECTION FOR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. CONSUMER CLAIMS THERE IS A BULLETIN AND THERE IS NO RECALL.*AK
THE RACK AND PINION MALFUNCTION. VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO STEER.
TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. FUEL INJECTOR STARTS WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT FOR THE LAST YEAR. STARTED ONE WEEK. SEAT BELT LOCKS UP ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES CAUSING THE DRIVER TO GET BURNED ON THE NECK WHEN STOPPING.
TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. FUEL INJECTOR STARTS WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT FOR THE LAST YEAR. STARTED ONE WEEK. SEAT BELT LOCKS UP ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES CAUSING THE DRIVER TO GET BURNED ON THE NECK WHEN STOPPING.
TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. FUEL INJECTOR STARTS WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT FOR THE LAST YEAR. STARTED ONE WEEK. SEAT BELT LOCKS UP ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES CAUSING THE DRIVER TO GET BURNED ON THE NECK WHEN STOPPING.
WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED ,GOING OVER A SMALL HILL THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND WOULD NOT DISENGAGE WHEN PUSHING THE BRAKE OR STEERING COLUMN SWITCH. TURNED OFF IGNITION TO STOP VEHICLE. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER WHO COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. *AK
EXHAUST MANIFOLD FAILURE.
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILED. ALSO REPLACED ELECTRONIC IGNITION/WATER PUMP/ALTERNATOR/CRANKSHAFT/LOCKED TORQUE CONVERTER. *AK
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1987 PONTIAC GRAND AM; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.