PONTIAC GRAND AM · model year

1987 PONTIAC GRAND AM

47 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Reviewed by PlainCars Editorial, Vehicle Safety Editorial Team · June 14, 2026

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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category 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). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 17 investigation files overlapping the 1987 GRAND AM. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Total Complaints

47 filings

Crashes Reported

7 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

Component	Count	Crashes	Fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	5	0	0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	4	0	1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR	3	0	0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION	2	1	0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS	2	1	0
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	2	0	0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY	2	0	0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM	2	0	0
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY	2	0	0
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2	0	0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	2	1	0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC	1	1	0
PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL	1	1	0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE	1	1	0
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER	1	0	0

Recent Complaints

20000823ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/70/14 )

20000823ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P195/70/14 )

20000630ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

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.

19990928CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT

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

19990630UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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

19990315FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

19990122CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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

19990115SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

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

19990113STEERING:RACK AND PINION

THE RACK AND PINION MALFUNCTION. VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO STEER.

19980816POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

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.

19980816FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS

19980816SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

19980317VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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

19980225ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

EXHAUST MANIFOLD FAILURE.

19980213FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM