Total Complaints
88 filings
PONTIAC GRAND AM · model year
88 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989PONTIACGRAND AM carries 88 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 4 fires, 1 injury, and 1 fatality. 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 1989 GRAND AM is engine and engine cooling:engine with 28 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition (5) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control (5). 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 1989 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.
Total Complaints
88 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 28 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 5 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 5 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 4 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 2 |
| STEERING | 2 |
| SEATS | 2 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
TRANSMISSION LOCKING TORQUE CONVERTER SOLENOID DOES NOT ALLOW TORQUE CONVERTER TO UNLOCK RESULTING IN ENGINE STALL WHEN STOPPING. REPLACED SOLENOID. REPLACED SLAPPING TIMING CHAIN AND TIMING CHAIN GUIDES. CHANGED OIL AFTER REPAIR. DROVE THE CAR ABOUT 100 MILES WHEN 3 ROD BEARINGS SPUN. ONE HALF OF THE BEARING SPUN INTO THE OTHER HALF RESULTING IN CRANKSHAFT DAMAGE AND PISTON TIPPING. REPLACED ENGINE WITH USED WHICH I REPAIRED BEFORE REPLACING. LOOKED LIKE OIL PUMP FAILURE. WAS TOLD THE ENGINE HAD BETWEEN 145-150 COMPRESSION.
Mileage: 113,000
TRANSMISSION LOCKING TORQUE CONVERTER SOLENOID DOES NOT ALLOW TORQUE CONVERTER TO UNLOCK RESULTING IN ENGINE STALL WHEN STOPPING. REPLACED SOLENOID. REPLACED SLAPPING TIMING CHAIN AND TIMING CHAIN GUIDES. CHANGED OIL AFTER REPAIR. DROVE THE CAR ABOUT 100 MILES WHEN 3 ROD BEARINGS SPUN. ONE HALF OF THE BEARING SPUN INTO THE OTHER HALF RESULTING IN CRANKSHAFT DAMAGE AND PISTON TIPPING. REPLACED ENGINE WITH USED WHICH I REPAIRED BEFORE REPLACING. LOOKED LIKE OIL PUMP FAILURE. WAS TOLD THE ENGINE HAD BETWEEN 145-150 COMPRESSION.
Mileage: 113,000
AFTER THE ENGINE OVERHEATED, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT #10-90-577) *YH
AFTER THE ENGINE OVERHEATED, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT #10-90-577) *YH
I KILLED IT AT A SERVICE STATION GONNA GET SOME WATER AND IT HAS NEVER STARTED SINCE THEN. THE GAS COMES OUT OF HOSE WHEN DISCONNECTED FROM INJECTOR BUT CONNECT THE LINE BACK AND THE FUEL INJECTION DOESNT GET GAS. I AM A SINGLE MOTHE WHO CAN NOT AFFORD THIS TYPE OF THING. A MAN PULLED IN SERVICE STATION AND SAID HE HAD SAME PROBLEMS WITH HIS 89 GRAND AM. I ALSO LOOKED IN MY HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER AND LOTS OF 89 GRAND AMS FOR SALE WITH NON WORKING MOTORS.*AK
EVEN REPLACEMENT STOP SWITCH SMOKES(FAILS). RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED , SAME RESULT. REPLACEMENT SWITCH STILL NO GOOD!!!!*AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT SIDE OF HOUSE. CONSUMER WENT BACK INTO HOUSE, AND A FEW MINUTES LATER, A NEIGHBOR KNOCKED ON DOOR NOTIFYING HIM THAT VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. FIRE WAS COMING FROM ENGINE CARPARTMENT. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED, AND THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION. NO INJURIES TO REPORTED. *AK
THE ENGINE, RADIATOR AND OVERFLOW BUCKET WERE REPLACED.*ET
THE ENGINE, RADIATOR AND OVERFLOW BUCKET WERE REPLACED.*ET
WHILE TRAVELING N ON I-295 BETWEEN I-10 AND COMMONWEALTH AVE, RR TIRE STARTED VIBRATING AND BOUNCING. TREAD THEN SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE, THROWING ME INTO A LEFT HAND CIRCLE. I WENT FROM OUTSIDE NORTH BOUND LANE INTO GRASSY MEDIUM, CROSSING THREE LANES AND DOING A COMPLETE 360 DEGREE SPIN. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR JUST SHORT OF ENTERING THE ONCOMMING TRAFFIC OF THE SOUTH BOUND LANES. THE TREAD PEELED COMPLETELY AWAY, VERY SIMILAR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRES. I KEPT THE TIRE AND HAVE IT IN MY GARAGE. IF YOU WANT IT, IT IS YOURS.*AK (DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRESIZE: P195/70R14)
INNER REAR SUPPORT THAT HOLDS VEHICLE UP RUSTED AROUND THE SPRING AND STRUT. VEHICLE HAD NO SUPPORT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP.*AK
THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A QUAD 4 ENGINE. THROUGHOUT THIS PAST YEAR, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN STALLING ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. IN ADDITION, I SPENT ROUGHLY $2000 TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET AND CYLINDER HEAD. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION. *AK
THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A QUAD 4 ENGINE. THROUGHOUT THIS PAST YEAR, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN STALLING ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. IN ADDITION, I SPENT ROUGHLY $2000 TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET AND CYLINDER HEAD. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION. *AK
ALTERNATOR FAILED. YH
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL. YH
HEAD GASKET FAILED. YH
ALTERNATOR FAILED. YH
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL. YH
HEAD GASKET FAILED. YH
REAR SUSPENSION THAT HOLDS STRUTS IS ROTTED. SMOKES WHEN CAR IS DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED. IF USED LONG TERM, THE FRAME MAY CRACK AND THE TIRES MAY COME COMPLETELY OFF. MANY MECHANICS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS.
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.