Total Complaints
202 filings
PONTIAC GRAND PRIX · model year
202 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989PONTIACGRAND PRIX carries 202 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 2 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 1989 GRAND PRIX is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc with 20 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper (18) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (10). 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 5 investigation files overlapping the 1989 GRAND PRIX. 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
202 filings
Crashes Reported
7 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 20 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | 18 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 10 |
| STRUCTURE | 10 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM | 9 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 8 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 6 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 5 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 5 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 5 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 4 |
| STEERING | 4 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 3 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V701000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT IS OFF ALL THE TIME, OTHER TIMES ONLY WHEN HEADLIGHTS ON, OTHER TIMES ONLY WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF. SPEED, FUEL ODOMETER... NOTHING CAN BE SEEN. *TR
Mileage: 135,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS BRAKE LIGHT LAMPS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN OPERATION. THIS CAUSED THE BATTERY TO FAIL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 90V185000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH); THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,000. UPDATED 2/5/09 *CN UPDATED 02/10/09. *JB
Mileage: 110,000
DT: THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL SERVICE DEALER AND INQUIRED ABOUT RECALLS. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL, NHTSA CAMPAIGN 00V189000. THE VEHICLE WAS AT DEALER FOR AN ALIGNMENT. WHEN THEY TRIED TO FIX THE RECALL THEY FOUND THAT THE CRADLE FRAME WAS RUSTED, AND THEY REFUSED TO DO THE RECALL REPAIRS. CONSUMER THEN SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HE WAS RUDE. CONSUMER THEN ASKED TO SPEAK WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS THE ONE TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION WHETHER RECALL WORK WOULD BE DONE. CONSUMER THEN CALLED GM ON HIS OWN, AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. HE CALLED THAT DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD LOOK AT VEHICE NEXT WEEK ON JULY 11. THEY SAID THEY RAN INTO SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, AND THE CRADLE SUB FRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. *AK
DT: ONE OF THE BOLTS BROKE TO THE BODY OF THE FRAME, AND WHEN STEERING THE VEHICLE THE TIRE WAS PIVOTED TO THE RIGHT OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE CRADLE DROPPED. NO FOR WARNING, HUSBAND A MECHANIC STATED THE SAME THING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *AK
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL 00 V 189 00. *JB
ABELOFF HAS HAD MY VEHICLE SINCE 9/10/02 DUE TO THE RECALL AND HAS NOT YET REPAIRED IT. I AM WITH OUT A VEHICLE. PLEASE LOOK IN TO THIS MATTER SO THAT I MAY HAVE MY CAR BACK. MR
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DEALERSHIP FAILED TO REPLACE ALL 4 BOLTS. DUE TO THE 1 DEFECTED BOLT BEING LEFT ON VEHICLE THE STEERING IS OFF. MR
CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE FRONT CRADLE MOUNTS BROKE RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. NLM
TOOK CAR IN FOR RECALL CAMPAIGN # 00V189000 DEALER REFUSED TO PERFORM RERPAIR BECAUSE LEFT CRADLE WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR REPAIR TO BE EFFECTIVE, DEALER REFUSED TO NEGOTIATE ON RERQUIRED REPAIR DO TO APPARENT DESIGN DEFECT.*AK
RECALL 00V189000 REPAIRS WERE DONE ON 1 MAR 2002. NEW BOLTS INSTALLED UNDER RECALL WENT RIGHT THROUGH ENGINE CRADLE DUE TO HOLES WITHIN ENGINE CRADLE.*AK
THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER FOR PARTS REGARDING A RECALL (NHTSA ID# 00V-189-000 MANUFACTURER ID# 00061/65). THE MANUFATURES THAT MAKES THE PARTS HAS THE PARTS ON BACK ORDER. THE PONTAC MANUFACTURER AND DEALERSHIP HAVE NO STANDBY PARTS AVAILABLE. NLM
DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE DOES NOT WORK, CAUSING CONSUMER TO EXIT AND ENTER FROM PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. *AK *SLC
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
REAR DISC BRAKES NEVER WORKED CORRECTLY CONSUMER HAS HAD 2 SETS BUT THE VEHICLE STILL WILL NOT STOP. NLM
PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE 00V-189 THE BOLT BROKE CAUSING THE ENGINE TO FALL AND BREAK THROUGH THE STEERING COLUMN, CONSUMER HAD NO STEERING WHEN THE ENGINE FELL AND THE VEHICLE WENT INTO A DITCH RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR. NLM
THE MAIN COMPUTER WAS REPLACED, CONSUMER NOTICED THE ODOMETER NOT READING THE MILEAGE CORRECTLY, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. *SLC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING BRAKE PROBLEMS. NLM
ABS SPEED SENSORS HAVE FAILED TWICE, MASTER CYLINDER HAS FAILED AND REPLACED TWICE, ENITRE BRAKE SYSTEM HAS LOCKED UP, 8 FUEL INJECTORS REPLACED DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, BRAKE POWER ASSIST NOW FAILED.
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.