Total Complaints
8 filings
PONTIAC TRANS AM · model year
1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996PONTIACTRANS AM carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 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 1996 TRANS AM is suspension with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and engine and engine cooling:cooling system (1). 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 1996 TRANS 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.
8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 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 |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | 1 |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20010118POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SHIFTER CAN BE MOVED FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE WITHOUT PUSHING THUMB BUTTON OR STEPPING ON BRAKE PEDAL. ATTEMPTED REPAIR BY DEALER MADE PROBLEM WORSE NOT BETTER.*AK
20001025SUSPENSION
GRINDING AND PINGING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE ACCELERATING AND BRAKING, DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED TO LOCATE NOISE AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *ET
20001024SUSPENSION
GRINDING AND PINGING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE ACCELERATING AND BRAKING, DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED TO LOCATE NOISE AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *ET
20000905STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE
FACTORY INSTALLED VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SOUNDS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. DOME LIGHTS WON'T SHUT OFF. RESERVE POWER IN VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WHEN IGNITION SHUT OFF. OPENED DOOR "DING" SOUNDS WHEN KEY IS PLACED IN IGNITION/VEHICLE NOT RUNNING/KEY NOT TURNED ON. ALL HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY FOR UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIMES. INTERRUPTS SLEEP OF OWNER/NEIGHBORS. INTERRUPTS WORK OF OWNER @ WORK. CAN'T LOCK VEHICLE WHEN GOING INTO STORE. ALARM GOES OFF IF VEHICLE WAS WET OR DRIVEN ON DAMP ROADS. HAS TO LEAVE VEHICLE UNLOCKED OVER NIGHT. CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH DOME LIGHTS AND MAP LIGHTS ON...THEY WON'T GO OFF EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. DRAINS BATTERY. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN GARAGE 7 TIMES SINCE RECENT PURCHASE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. SERVICE BULLETIN FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM: BULLETIN # 970801738134 THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH ON EDMUNDS.COM . NHTSA ITEM #SB054345. VISION GREATLY IMPAIRED WHEN NIGHT DRIVING BECAUSE OF LIGHTS NOT GOING OFF. VIN
20000905INTERIOR LIGHTING
FACTORY INSTALLED VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SOUNDS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. DOME LIGHTS WON'T SHUT OFF. RESERVE POWER IN VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WHEN IGNITION SHUT OFF. OPENED DOOR "DING" SOUNDS WHEN KEY IS PLACED IN IGNITION/VEHICLE NOT RUNNING/KEY NOT TURNED ON. ALL HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY FOR UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIMES. INTERRUPTS SLEEP OF OWNER/NEIGHBORS. INTERRUPTS WORK OF OWNER @ WORK. CAN'T LOCK VEHICLE WHEN GOING INTO STORE. ALARM GOES OFF IF VEHICLE WAS WET OR DRIVEN ON DAMP ROADS. HAS TO LEAVE VEHICLE UNLOCKED OVER NIGHT. CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH DOME LIGHTS AND MAP LIGHTS ON...THEY WON'T GO OFF EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. DRAINS BATTERY. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN GARAGE 7 TIMES SINCE RECENT PURCHASE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. SERVICE BULLETIN FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM: BULLETIN # 970801738134 THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH ON EDMUNDS.COM . NHTSA ITEM #SB054345. VISION GREATLY IMPAIRED WHEN NIGHT DRIVING BECAUSE OF LIGHTS NOT GOING OFF. VIN
20000905ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
FACTORY INSTALLED VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SOUNDS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. DOME LIGHTS WON'T SHUT OFF. RESERVE POWER IN VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WHEN IGNITION SHUT OFF. OPENED DOOR "DING" SOUNDS WHEN KEY IS PLACED IN IGNITION/VEHICLE NOT RUNNING/KEY NOT TURNED ON. ALL HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY FOR UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIMES. INTERRUPTS SLEEP OF OWNER/NEIGHBORS. INTERRUPTS WORK OF OWNER @ WORK. CAN'T LOCK VEHICLE WHEN GOING INTO STORE. ALARM GOES OFF IF VEHICLE WAS WET OR DRIVEN ON DAMP ROADS. HAS TO LEAVE VEHICLE UNLOCKED OVER NIGHT. CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH DOME LIGHTS AND MAP LIGHTS ON...THEY WON'T GO OFF EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. DRAINS BATTERY. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN GARAGE 7 TIMES SINCE RECENT PURCHASE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. SERVICE BULLETIN FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM: BULLETIN # 970801738134 THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH ON EDMUNDS.COM . NHTSA ITEM #SB054345. VISION GREATLY IMPAIRED WHEN NIGHT DRIVING BECAUSE OF LIGHTS NOT GOING OFF. VIN
20000404ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CONSUMER HAS NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. ALSO, COOLENT LEAKING, AND CAUSING VERY BAD FUMES/ODOR IN TO ENTER INTO THE PASSENGER'S COMPARTMENT. THE OCCUPANT BECAME SICK. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
20000404ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
CONSUMER HAS NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. ALSO, COOLENT LEAKING, AND CAUSING VERY BAD FUMES/ODOR IN TO ENTER INTO THE PASSENGER'S COMPARTMENT. THE OCCUPANT BECAME SICK. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Compare 1996PONTIACTRANS AM to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM have?▼
The 1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM is SUSPENSION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM.
Is the 1996 PONTIAC TRANS AM safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.