Total Complaints
1318 filings
PONTIAC GRAND AM · model year
1318 NHTSA complaints, 99 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999PONTIACGRAND AM carries 1318 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 99 crashes, 15 fires, 94 injuries, and 18 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 1999 GRAND AM is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 72 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor (68) and electrical system (54). 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 1999 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
1318 filings
Crashes Reported
99 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 72 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 68 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 54 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 53 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 52 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 51 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS | 43 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 34 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 33 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 32 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 28 |
| AIR BAGS | 27 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 27 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 26 |
| SUSPENSION | 22 |
Our braking system on this car failed us, and is probably crushed by now at no fault of my own. My safety was atârisk when the brakes lost pressure and if it wasnât for our seatbelts, I couldâve been thrown through the windshield. I hereby declare that [XXX] deliberately caused our accident and lied about being blinded. [XXX] lost her sonâ[XXX]âand was jealous of my opportunity to do what he couldnât. Her other sonâ[XXX]âchoose not to attend college and contraband drugs among other things. [XXX] and his mother [XXX] were also jealous of me for having an opportunity that [XXX] chose not to take. They blame me for Chastity [XXX] & [XXX] turning their parental rights over to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. How their oldest daughter being raped by her paternal grandmotherâs husband has to do me is absurd and childish in my opinion. Murray Police Department was called on October 23, 2014 at 7:23 am in reference to 2 vehicle collisions to inspected and verified
Our braking system on this car failed us, and is probably crushed by now at no fault of my own. My safety was atârisk when the brakes lost pressure and if it wasnât for our seatbelts, I couldâve been thrown through the windshield. I hereby declare that [XXX] deliberately caused our accident and lied about being blinded. [XXX] lost her sonâ[XXX]âand was jealous of my opportunity to do what he couldnât. Her other sonâ[XXX]âchoose not to attend college and contraband drugs among other things. [XXX] and his mother [XXX] were also jealous of me for having an opportunity that [XXX] chose not to take. They blame me for Chastity [XXX] & [XXX] turning their parental rights over to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. How their oldest daughter being raped by her paternal grandmotherâs husband has to do me is absurd and childish in my opinion. Murray Police Department was called on October 23, 2014 at 7:23 am in reference to 2 vehicle collisions to inspected and verified
Our braking system on this car failed us, and is probably crushed by now at no fault of my own. My safety was atârisk when the brakes lost pressure and if it wasnât for our seatbelts, I couldâve been thrown through the windshield. I hereby declare that [XXX] deliberately caused our accident and lied about being blinded. [XXX] lost her sonâ[XXX]âand was jealous of my opportunity to do what he couldnât. Her other sonâ[XXX]âchoose not to attend college and contraband drugs among other things. [XXX] and his mother [XXX] were also jealous of me for having an opportunity that [XXX] chose not to take. They blame me for Chastity [XXX] & [XXX] turning their parental rights over to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. How their oldest daughter being raped by her paternal grandmotherâs husband has to do me is absurd and childish in my opinion. Murray Police Department was called on October 23, 2014 at 7:23 am in reference to 2 vehicle collisions to inspected and verified
The gas gauge will show full then without warning quickly drop to âEâ and the low fuel indicator will ding and the light will come on then just as quickly as it started it will go back to full or 2/3rds the slow creep back to the full position. (The tank was not full) While driving all the electrical components start going wild, everything goes on and off quickly. The accelerator will rev(while foot is on or off accelerator) and drop over and over (as if there were bad gas in it) then go back to normal. This happens while Iâm on the road and is a massive hazard. Iâm so afraid this will cause an accident that leads to loss of life.
The gas gauge will show full then without warning quickly drop to âEâ and the low fuel indicator will ding and the light will come on then just as quickly as it started it will go back to full or 2/3rds the slow creep back to the full position. (The tank was not full) While driving all the electrical components start going wild, everything goes on and off quickly. The accelerator will rev(while foot is on or off accelerator) and drop over and over (as if there were bad gas in it) then go back to normal. This happens while Iâm on the road and is a massive hazard. Iâm so afraid this will cause an accident that leads to loss of life.
The gas gauge will show full then without warning quickly drop to âEâ and the low fuel indicator will ding and the light will come on then just as quickly as it started it will go back to full or 2/3rds the slow creep back to the full position. (The tank was not full) While driving all the electrical components start going wild, everything goes on and off quickly. The accelerator will rev(while foot is on or off accelerator) and drop over and over (as if there were bad gas in it) then go back to normal. This happens while Iâm on the road and is a massive hazard. Iâm so afraid this will cause an accident that leads to loss of life.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER THAT WAS PUSHED OVER TO THE CONTACT'S LANE, FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENT THAT INVOLVED TWO TRUCKS. THE PASSENGER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED. NO OTHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED, INCLUDING THE DRIVER'S. THERE WAS NO WARNING. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR ABRASIONS ON THE UPPER LEFT SHOULDER AND A BIG BUMP ON THE BACK. THE CONTACT WOULD BE GOING TO THE DOCTORS ATA A LATER POINT IN TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 268,500.
Mileage: 268,500
WINDSHIELD AND REAR WINDOW WERE BROKE AND BOTH HAVE BROKE INTO SHARDS. WINDSHIELD WAS APPROXIMENTLY 3" IN DIAMETER AND HALF INCH WIDE AND REAR WINDOW WAS APPROXIMENTLY 5" AND QUARTER IN WIDE.
Mileage: 149,300
THE HAZARD SWITCH MAKES A NOISE LIKE THE HAZARD LIGHTS ARE FLASHING WHEN THEY AREN'T EVEN ON. TO GET MY BLINKERS TO WORK I HAVE TO PUSH THE HAZARD BUTTON ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES.
Mileage: 125,000
THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH WENT OUT CAUSING ME TO LOSE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL.
Mileage: 120,000
TO START WITH I READ THE COMPLAINTS AND WAS WONDERING HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE FOR SOMETHING TO BE RECALLED. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FALLS, PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW HAS SCRATCHES ON IT FROM I AM GUESSING THE REGULATOR, THE DASH IS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDSHIELD, THE STRUTS, AND SPRINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, ABS LIGHT STAYS ON, THE SUSPENSION FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS FALLING APART THROUGH EVERY BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE HEADLIGHTS ARE FOGGED UP AND POINT DOWN. SIDE MIRROR HAS BEEN REPLACED AND WE VISITED SEVERAL AUTO YARDS TO TRY TO FIND A DASH AND SIDE MIRROR AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT ALL THE MODELS OF THE GRAND AM WAS MISSING THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR WHERE IT HAD BROKE OFF AND ALL OF THEM THE DASH WAS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDSHIELD. I AM NOT SURE AS TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE DASH COMES COMPLETELY OFF BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE CAR WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN. AND I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE A CAR THAT HAS THIS MANY ISSUES AND NO ONE IS RESOLVING THE PROBLEMS. NOW THE CV BOOT HAS TO BE REPLACED. I AM S
TO START WITH I READ THE COMPLAINTS AND WAS WONDERING HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE FOR SOMETHING TO BE RECALLED. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FALLS, PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW HAS SCRATCHES ON IT FROM I AM GUESSING THE REGULATOR, THE DASH IS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDSHIELD, THE STRUTS, AND SPRINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, ABS LIGHT STAYS ON, THE SUSPENSION FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS FALLING APART THROUGH EVERY BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE HEADLIGHTS ARE FOGGED UP AND POINT DOWN. SIDE MIRROR HAS BEEN REPLACED AND WE VISITED SEVERAL AUTO YARDS TO TRY TO FIND A DASH AND SIDE MIRROR AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT ALL THE MODELS OF THE GRAND AM WAS MISSING THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR WHERE IT HAD BROKE OFF AND ALL OF THEM THE DASH WAS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDSHIELD. I AM NOT SURE AS TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE DASH COMES COMPLETELY OFF BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE CAR WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN. AND I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE A CAR THAT HAS THIS MANY ISSUES AND NO ONE IS RESOLVING THE PROBLEMS. NOW THE CV BOOT HAS TO BE REPLACED. I AM S
CLOCK SPRING HAS A DISK THAT IS NOT A UNIFORM DESGINE DUE TO IT SPLITTING AND BOWING OUT. STEERING WHEEL STICKS WHEN TURNED EITHER DIRECTION AND HORN IS SET OFF AS WELL. THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALSO ON AND WOULD ASSUME THAT IT WOULD NOT INFLATE IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL COLLISION. PONTIAC FEELS THAT THE DISK THAT SHOULD BE ONE SOLID PIECE THAT I BELIEVE IS TWO PIECES, IM RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP.
Mileage: 149,000
IGNITION FROZEN, UNABLE TO MOVE VEHICLE WITHOUT TOW. NO SHIFT REALEASE, AND UNSAFE IN THE EVENT OF ENGINE STALL ON OPEN ROADWAYS. VEHICLE IS DEAD ONCE YOU SHIFT INTO PARK TO RESTART.
Mileage: 149,000
IGNITION FROZEN, UNABLE TO MOVE VEHICLE WITHOUT TOW. NO SHIFT REALEASE, AND UNSAFE IN THE EVENT OF ENGINE STALL ON OPEN ROADWAYS. VEHICLE IS DEAD ONCE YOU SHIFT INTO PARK TO RESTART.
Mileage: 149,000
IGNITION FROZEN, UNABLE TO MOVE VEHICLE WITHOUT TOW. NO SHIFT REALEASE, AND UNSAFE IN THE EVENT OF ENGINE STALL ON OPEN ROADWAYS. VEHICLE IS DEAD ONCE YOU SHIFT INTO PARK TO RESTART.
Mileage: 149,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V701000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,000.
Mileage: 175,000
I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM A FRIEND ABOUT 2WEEKS AGO AND HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE IGNITION BUT HE TOOK IT UP THERE. BUT HE JUST DONE THIS ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR , SO NOW THE KEY WON'T EVEN TURN THE IGNITION TO START. WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?THE CAR WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I WENT OUT TO LEAVE AND NOTICE THAT I COULD NOT.
Mileage: 174,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS DRIPPING OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS DRIPPING OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V701000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN, YEAR, AND MODEL WERE NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.
Mileage: 120,000
IGNITION HAS SHUT DOWN NUMEROUS TIMES ALSO ACTIVATING GM PASSLOCK SYSTEM, VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOWED NUMEROUS TIMES, RAW FUEL HAS DISINTEGRATED MUFFLER AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER, NOTIFIED GM NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THIS, STONEWALLED, GIVEN LOCAL NUMBER TO CALL, THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT, CAR NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, PARKED IT, INCURRED INSURANCE/TAXES ETC TO KEEP CAR IN DRIVEWAY, MOSTLY INOPERABLE NOW WAITING ON GM TO ADDRESS, THEY REFUSE TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE PHONE CALLS/E-MAILS NOR WILL THEY TRY AND REACH AN ACCORD IN REGARDS TO A CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I AM DISABLED AND RELIED ON THIS CAR TO GO TO DOCTOR OFFICES, BEING LEFT STRANDED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAITING TO BE TOWED BY AAA WAS DIFFICULT ENOUGH YET WHEN I ASKED ABOUT BEING AT LEAST DISABLED, THEY WANTED TO THEN CHARGE A "DIAGNOSIS" FEE ON TOP OF BEING TREATED LIKE DIRT. I SENT THEM A "LIEN" ( I KNOW IT HOLDS THE WEIGHT OF AIR!) TO TRY AND WORK THIS OUT...AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING. THE CAR IS NOW A BRICK IN THE DRIVEWAY. I HAVE THE REPAIR BILL, TO
Mileage: 85,000
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.