Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V036000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 03/01/1997 to 01/31/1998 | V (Vehicle) | 1415231 | 03/01/2004 | MFR | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/27/2004 | 02/05/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain passenger vehicles. if the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the start position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the switch is damaged, a fire could occur in the steering column, even with the engine off and the key removed. the fire could spread to the interior of the car, which could injure occupants or cause damage to adjoining structures. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch, and check that your car will start with a properly charged battery and, if necessary, replace the ignition switch. owner notification will begin on march 1, 2004. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537. customers can also check their vehicle online by going to www.mygmlink.com and entering the vehicle's identification number. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Gm recall no. 04002.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| 98836416 | 06/01/1998 | 601912 | Conditions regarding weak or discharged battery, slow starting, gen or mil lamp on, various driveability symptoms. *yc | 08/28/1998 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| 02232004 | 02/23/2004 | 10013000 | If the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the start position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts. *tt | 04/05/2005 | |
| 04122004 | 04/12/2004 | 10009214 | Ignition circuit thermal events, three phase safety recall 04002. gm voicemail express. *tt | 09/17/2004 | |
| 04002 | 05/12/2004 | 10007858 | Product safety recall ignition circuit thermal events. *mj | 07/13/2004 | |
| 010849020 | 12/01/2001 | 631899 | Subject regarding revised ignition lock cylinder or ignition switch assembly replacement. *slc | 06/25/2002 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||||
| 020604011 | 03/01/2002 | 634710 | Subject regarding revised diagnostic trouble code p0140. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 990604037 | 09/01/1999 | 608390 | Subject on on-board diagnostic (obd) system improvements. *mjs | 11/26/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 06/13/2009 | 143723 | 1 | |
| I have a 1998 pontiac grand am that will not start due to anti theft keep from starting. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2000 | |||
| Vehicle's electrical system is defective, causing headlights and power steering to fail. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 40300 | 3 | 03/12/2001 |
| General motors need to recall their vehicles to diagnosis this major issue. my case number with gm 1382341310 however, they wont assist me and said they are closing my case. i informed them not to i am not done with this issue with them... this is a very serious problem or defect with my general motors pontiac grand am se 3.1l v6 engine in this vehicle. i have had, 3 intake manifold gasket failures in less than 40,000 miles, the first occurring at approx 24,000 miles the second at approx 27,000 miles and now again at 40,000 miles but i have suspected the anti-freeze i have been smelling in the cab when i turn the heater blower on, is somehow connected to this leak. which means its been leaking for some time just not bad enough to drip onto the ground bringing my attention to it. i am only one of thousands of victims that general motors has raped financial over the years. the repeated failures of the intake manifold gasket started long ago and due to the numerous complaints to the bbb and gm you would think that would be enough to alarm general motors that they are having a major issue, and they should of began a recall of their vehicles long ago. in the year 2002 they couldn't supply enough intake manifold gaskets to keep up with the gm vehicles that needed repair either under warranty or out of warranty. i have had other major non-related repairs to my vehicle as well, 19,693 miles the sway bar bushings had to be replaced, alternator was replaced, heater core replaced, the rack and pinion steering rod replaced. now my car and many thousands of other gm owners vehicles are out of warranty and gm won't stand behind their own vehicles, even though work was done repeatedly under warranty on my vehicle. i am currently 3 years out of warranty but only 12,900 approx miles since they did the last repair on my intake manifold gaskets. i believe a class action suit is the only thing general motors corporation will respond to. *jb | |||
| 46000 | 1 | ||
| While driving driver started to smell something burning, pulled over, popped hood, and driver noticed the alternater wire was burning. *ak | |||
| 20 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| I have had a new transmission, calipers, gear shift mechanism,2 lighters, alternator,2 sets of window motors, 1 broken motor mount,strut torque wasnt bolted to the car when leased, a radial pull in 1 tire in which i had to pay to have replaced, tire scraping on fender right after leasing, 2 new headlamps,fuel cap, battery, and have had a short somewhere and dealer refused to locate. dealer and pontiac customer division refuse a buy back or trade in. sent package to general motors to make them aware of the situation and they refused the package all together. pontiac tells me their field rep went to talk to john moore and he refused a buy back so in turn, so did pontiac. i just would like a car that runs. this is my second pontiac that has been a lemon. i have all documentaion to prove it. how does a single mom working two jobs get help? its costed me a fortune in missed work.( dot number: tire size: p195/65r15 ) | |||
| 08/25/1998 | 1 | 02/16/1998 | |
| Alternator failed. mjs | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 18324 | 1 | |
| The battery failed. *jb | |||
| 20 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| I have had a new transmission, calipers, gear shift mechanism,2 lighters, alternator,2 sets of window motors, 1 broken motor mount,strut torque wasnt bolted to the car when leased, a radial pull in 1 tire in which i had to pay to have replaced, tire scraping on fender right after leasing, 2 new headlamps,fuel cap, battery, and have had a short somewhere and dealer refused to locate. dealer and pontiac customer division refuse a buy back or trade in. sent package to general motors to make them aware of the situation and they refused the package all together. pontiac tells me their field rep went to talk to john moore and he refused a buy back so in turn, so did pontiac. i just would like a car that runs. this is my second pontiac that has been a lemon. i have all documentaion to prove it. how does a single mom working two jobs get help? its costed me a fortune in missed work.( dot number: tire size: p195/65r15 ) | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 10/11/2004 | 74899 | 1 | 05/12/2001 |
| While driving. the dash illuminated and then shut down. the battery cable came undone. shutting the vehicles electrical system completely down. the consumer his wife, and dog were trapped inside the vehicle. the windows would not come down the doors'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>the doors would not open, the brakes became inoperable. they coasted to the side of the road. the automatic key button would not work. also the brakes went out. please provide any further information. door handles would not open door. breathing became difficult while the consumer and family had no way to exit the vehicle. *tc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 08/13/2004 | 1 | 01/13/2004 | |
| In aug. 2004 my 1998 pontiac grand am se caught fire in the steering column and fried everything in the column , alternator, and battery.the local pontiac dealer refused to work on the car so i took it to a local garage.they fixed what they could clearly see was damaged and sent me on my way. since then i have had to have the alternator rebuilt four times and battery replaced three times .the car has to be jumped several times a week. the alternator kicks in at 800 rpm. and the car idles at 500 rpm.( computer controlled) meaning that the battery is constantly discharging below 35 mph, or with the air and everything on .when it goes above 800rpm the alternator kicks in and boils the battery trying to play catch up. i received a recall notice may 2005 (#04002) and took the car to the gm dealer in batesville,ar.i told them about the fire and damage .they changed the relay and wire under the recall and advised that they could not fix the damage done by the fire,or even check and diagnois the damage still existing,without approval from g.m. . icontacted g.m. (mike demeyer) and was iinformed that they would pay for the damage that was fixed by the local garage ,but would not pay to finish fixing the rest of the damage that was not fixed. | |||
| 06/03/2003 | 93462 | 1 | 04/16/0210 |
| When turning the ignition vehicle would not start right away. dealer had been contacted. *ak after repair on ignition, recall from manufacturer was released. consumer is seeking reimbursement for the repair. *la | |||
| 03/24/2004 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| I own a 1998 pontiac grand am ,and there has been a recall on this vehicle. i want to take it in to get fixed -but pontiac/gmac will not provide a loaner car for me to use while they fix my car-they said it would take 5-6 hours to fix-their letter to me said it would only take an hour to an hour and a half. i cannot be without a vehicle for over 6 hours! i need to get to work!! i am stuck without any options, other than having to inconvenience myself and have to pay for a rental car. this is their mistake not mine and now i have to pay?!!! this is not good customer service , gmac should provide a loaner for these types of instances. *nm | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 4 | 11/01/1999 | |
| Seems a few weeks after i purchased my vehicle i started noticing malfunctions wrong with my pontiac grand am. i brought in my car for problems with the ignition in several times, key gets stuck in ignition and hard to release. ignition locks and can't turn key to start engine. my car was under warranty and never was i told that there was a recall from the dealer. i was charged and the problem still exist after several services to my car. now my car is no longer under warranty and problem still exist. i think i may have purchased a lemon. *ak | |||
| 09/23/2002 | |||
| Ignition started smoking while trying to turn key in ignition. mr | |||
| 08/17/2002 | |||
| Problems starting up vehicle. dealer notified. *mr | |||
| 07/23/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2098 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *aki | |||
| 08/16/2001 | 1 | ||
| Consumer was unable to start vehicle due to frozen ignition which would not allow the key to turn, dealer replaced the ignition cylinder, consumer asked if this would be covered under warranty since vehicle was only 3 and 1/2 years old and was told it would not be. *slc | |||
| 06/01/2001 | |||
| When attempting to start the vehicle, early morning start and vehicle failed to start. consumer made a second attempt to start and vehicle caught on fire, fire started in the steering wheel column. fire department was called ,and extinguished fire before anymore damage was done to vehicle. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER | |||
| 11/27/2007 | 1 | ||
| My passlock system keeps on acting up. i can't say anything about the design of it, but i will say that the implementation is absolutely horrid and should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| Upon receiving a recall letter and taking the vehicle to dealer for recall repairs consumer stated that the vehicle was in very good condition until she took it to dealer. however, the dealer claimed the vehicle needed an ignition switch and chip. also, consumer was told that the problem was the security system. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| Upon receiving a recall letter and taking the vehicle to dealer for recall repairs consumer stated that the vehicle was in very good condition until she took it to dealer. however, the dealer claimed the vehicle needed an ignition switch and chip. also, consumer was told that the problem was the security system. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 95000 | 2 | 04/25/1998 |
| 1998 pontiac gm recall ignition switch high current flow, the dealer red mccombs supirior pontiac added a relay switch, and never replaced the original ignition switch that had been subjected to the high currency flow, now the vehicale is back in the service department needing the ignition cylinder and the ignition switch replaced if the original defect recall would have been sought out correctly by the dealer the vehicle would have been safe. the dealer billed the manufacure for a installation wire harvest, and on my work order from the dealer i show only the relay kit to be repaired, the dealer told me that they had the option of replacing the ignition switch but the chose not to this was an incomplete recall work . *ak | |||
| 2 | |||
| Problems with ignition switch on 1998 pontiac grand am. *mr consumer still having problems after recall repair on ignition switch. *la | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer's vehicle experienced the same failure as described in the ignition switch recall 04v036000. but this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak | |||
| 07/20/2003 | 3 | ||
| Brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced after 20,000 miles. have had to replace 5 yr batteries 3 times now at my own expense. last time resulted in car needing to be towed and key not being able to be taken out of ignition. tried jump starting and electrical system over heated. my complaint is this i just received a safety recall stating that if the car is hard to start it could start on fire if jump started more then 3 times and if the key is on the on potion to long. they want to install a relay device to prevent fires but why is the electrical ignition problem not being fixed. why do we have to replace the battery every year. the relay device will not fix the original problem it will only fix the fire threat. also side mirror adjustment knob has fallen inside car door and windows will not roll down or up. car will not shift into reverse at times. front tires wore on the inside out and had to be replaced shortly after purchase. *jb | |||
| 06/09/2003 | 33000 | 1 | 08/01/2002 |
| When attempting to turn off my vehicle the key would not go to the off position to release my key. all electrical devices (head lights, dash lights,etc...) would stay on. i disconnected the battery and then brought it to a dealer the next morning. they stated there was a failure in the shift interlock solenoiv and the ingnition lock cylinder also needed to be replaced. my car has 33,000 miles and has maintanance regularly(oil change,etc...). the dealer wants to charge $520 to fix a failed part. they also stated it could happen again. any information on this would be wonderful. thank you.*ak | |||
| After taking key out of ignition switch steering wheel would not lock in place. dealer has been contcted. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 06/17/2002 | 0 | ||
| When stopping vehicle consumer cannot get key out of ignition. when key does not come out it is set on alternator.she cannot leave key there because it will run the alternator down. just had an alternator put on. she took vehicle to dealer, and paid for it to go on dianostic machin., yet, dealer could not find out why it was hard to remove key from ignition switch.*ak | |||
| 12/15/1998 | |||
| Purchased vehicle 6/98. three days after purchase car ignition switch failed. vehicle towed 3 times for same problem. found wires in harness bad causing problem. brake problems since owning wheel cylinders leaking brake shoes soaked with oil. rotors machined @ 10,462. excessive brake dust. brake pads worn at 10,465 miles. rear shoes out of adjustment @ 10,465. 13,985 miles abs light failed. while lights and ac or heat on when applying brakes interior and headlights dim. can't find problem! when heater is on smell of antifreeze. can't find problem. front suspension noise. stabilizer bushings bad can't find problem. no brake pedal at times. when road surface is wet and brakes applied car will not stop. | |||
| 09/24/1999 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| The key kept getting stuck in the ignition. took it to a pontiac service dept. they said it needed lubing. a couple of days later the key startied to stick again. took it back and the ordered a new floor shift.. a month later my wife stopped on top of a hill at our mail box and she couldn't get the car to go in park, the car cut off and began rolling down hill barely missing children playing in our driveway. service dept. picked up the car and they couldn't get it into reverse. they ordered a new gearshift lever. three times for similar defects shows there is a problem with our vehicle that has my wife refusing to drive it. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 10/14/1999 | 1 | ||
| Veh. p&u caught fire.totaled. the fires originally was on the cowl centered around wiper motor area and relay to left of power booster. gmac immediately took care of problem. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 12/15/1998 | |||
| Purchased vehicle 6/98. three days after purchase car ignition switch failed. vehicle towed 3 times for same problem. found wires in harness bad causing problem. brake problems since owning wheel cylinders leaking brake shoes soaked with oil. rotors machined @ 10,462. excessive brake dust. brake pads worn at 10,465 miles. rear shoes out of adjustment @ 10,465. 13,985 miles abs light failed. while lights and ac or heat on when applying brakes interior and headlights dim. can't find problem! when heater is on smell of antifreeze. can't find problem. front suspension noise. stabilizer bushings bad can't find problem. no brake pedal at times. when road surface is wet and brakes applied car will not stop. | |||