Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 3447 | 10017086 | 4t40e or 4t45e will not shift no diagnostic trouble codes. *tt | 10/24/2005 | ||
| 030730021 | 05/01/2003 | 10002392 | Neutral flare and/or rpm flare while in drive, no 1-2 upshift, service engine soon (ses) light illuminated, diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p1810, diagnostic trouble code p1815 set. *tt | 08/27/2003 | |
| 020730050 | 12/01/2002 | 10000759 | Engineering changes to the valve body, pressure regulator valve, 2-3 accumulator valve and bore for 2002-2003 model year 4t45e transaxles and subsequent overhaul procedures which affect 1995-2001 model year transaxles. *tt | 03/28/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 070730025 | 10/01/2007 | 10023942 | Information on 4t40-e (mn4) and 4t45-e (mn5) front wheel drive automatic transmission valve body reconditioning, dtc p0741, p0742, p0751, p0752, p0756, p0757, p1811, harsh shifts, slips, no drive, no reverse. *nj | 02/20/2008 | |
| 3253 | 3253B | 10017096 | Vehicle will not move in either direction. transmission may show over full. p90 4t40e 4t45e no movement drive or reverse. converter may be empty of fluid. *tt | 10/24/2005 | |
| 030730021A | 11/01/2003 | 030730021 | 10005579 | Neutral flare and/or rpm flare while in drive, no 1-2 upshift, service engine soon (ses) light illuminated, diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p1810, diagnostic trouble code p1815 set. *tt | 03/04/2004 |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||||
| 000730012 | 06/01/2000 | 614390 | Some customers who are experiencing physical challenges with the usage of their right hand may comment that the automatic transmission shift lever handle is difficult to operate. *tt | 10/13/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 010303 | 01/03/2003 | 10002587 | Information used when servicing the drive axle nut. *tt | 09/05/2003 | |
| 990730031 | 12/01/1999 | 6089949 | Some owners of certain vehicles built prior to november 1, 1999 may comment on a no third and fourth gear condition. *tt | 02/29/2000 | |
| VSG19990080 | 09/15/1999 | 607998 | Subject regarding engineering request for vehicles with 4t40e and 4t45e transaxles with a condition of no third or no fourth gear. *tt | 10/27/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| The heater control won't work at speed 1 and 2. the paint on the window frame is falling away. the rear struts failed. the transmission completely stopped working at all with no prior warning. the car doesn't heat up fully when it gets under 20 degress temperature. the rotors warp too quickly. | |||
| 06/15/2003 | 81000 | ||
| In august of 2001 when i purchased this car i felt a rattle on my brakes which is still there. my power windows are scratched from rolling up and down. paint around the spoiler and bumper and on the roof is chiped off. i had to replace the generator in 2002. i had to have the intake manifold seals replaced in 2002. (3.4l v6) i had to have the waterpump replaced in spring of 2003. now the head gaskets are broken the intake manifold seals again are broken. my transmission is no longer working. in other words i can not drive my car anymore; it is sitting my garage. the cost amounts to more than the car is worth in dollars and i still owe $9.500 on this car. | |||
| 04/30/2003 | 06/09/1998 | ||
| '99 gr am: grinding noise r front-dealer: drilled out restrictor in pwr steerng hose per bulletin 990232002. rubbing & squawk noise turning left-dealer: sway bar bushings replcd. passenger seat stuck-dealer: replaced seat track. center console door latch assmbly replaced per recall. radio lcd garbled & blacking out-dealer: replcd radio assembly. whining in pwr steering- dealer: p/s cooler line leaking, replcd & bled system. gas gauge back & forth from full to empty-dealer: tank sending unit shorted, replcd tank module assy. fluid/oil leak from intake gasket-dealer: replcd gaskets & replcd oil pump drive o-ring. passenger seat squeaks-dealer: seat tracks loose in floor pan hook attchmnt openings. crunch/squawk in front end on speed bumps-dealer: replcd r&r front struts, replcd upper mounts. brake pulsation-dealer: front rotors warped, both rotors were machined & pads replaced. oil/fluid leak rt trans. axle seal, steering rack center section- dealer: replcd seal & sleeve, replcd steering rack. shimmy & shake on hwy- dealer: couldn't duplicate problem, no repair. intermittently hesitates cold start & on excelleration-dealer: couldn't duplicate problem, no repair. driver's side window plastic regulator broke & window fell down-no longer on warrantee, consumer replcd @ approx $500.00 own expense. all occuring at under 40,000 miles. am afraid to take in for next scheduled service for fear of what will be found. | |||
| 12/05/2001 | |||
| Vehicle would not go over 10 mph. speedometer stopped, vehicle lost power, and was not able to accelerate. consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they replaced a computer. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 08/24/2008 | 1 | ||
| 1999 grand am powertrain with the transaxle keeps failing. *tr | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 03/21/2002 | ||
| I own a 1999 pontiac grand am gt, began with a slow transmission leak that progressed to a larger one. car was taken to transmission shop and found to have a cracked transmission. the transmission was cracked completely around and fell out in two pieces when taken out. the crack was at the differential, that caused a part to grind the inside wall of the transmission to the point where it cracked completely around. every mechanic i spoke to never heard of this without hitting anything. i have seen this happen to mine and read a site where another grand am had this happen and his pictures are identical to mine. so going from never hearing of this from professional mechanics to happening to two seperate 1999 pontiac grand am appears to have a pattern. i required to have the transmission to be replaced at a cost of 1116.50 | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 60000 | 1 | |
| I have owned this car for 3 years after buying it used.it had 32,000 miles on it and ran well. now for the last year the transmission has continued to give me problems and is getting worse.i have had it serviced, computer diagnosed twice and had it serviced again. all of this has been out of pocket and cost me down time of use of my vehicle.it shifts hard (randomly) , has hard vibration at idle, acts as if it wants to stall and is slow going into reverse. all of these problems seem to come and go.my local dealer states that are no known problems but i have spoken to two different owners that describe similar problems.*ak | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 83000 | 1 | |
| Transmission shifts improperly, rpms go up but vehicle does not accelerate like it normally should.*ak | |||
| 06/24/2003 | 11000 | 11 | 04/30/2000 |
| 1999 pontiac grand am 2.4 l auto severe brake failure---replacement of pads 8 times, rotors 3 times and calipers 2 times in 80,000 miles. brakes occasionally lock up and make loud grinding and squealing noises steering shudders and vehicle pulls to left.. participating pontiac dealer failed to fix this problem since purchase at 11,000 miles. under warranty replacement it has had 6 door panels due to peeling leather on top of panel, 5 gear shifters due to dealers improper installation, 2 factory cd/radio failures, 1 rack and pinion unit, 2 front strut assemblies due to knocking noise from front of car (went bad after 10,000 miles use), problem with hesitation at idle-cold start(unsuccessfully diagnosed by dealer) carpet loose in trunk around latch assembly(too short for trunk and was hot glued to back wall of car by dealer instead of replacement). turn signals still occasionally fail to work(dealer said they worked just fine) battery connection in factory battery broke loose spilling corrosive battery acid all over around battery tray area. all four wheel covers have been replaced because of pie pan noise when you hit a bump (new ones did not fix problem). after warranty was up pontiac' care hotline or the dealer could care less that after dozens of trips for repairs the dealer still didn't fix the car while it was still under warranty. since then,besides the unrepaired items on my car, the alternator went bad at 60,000 miles ($120), glass in interior rear view mirror broke while adjusting, both outside rear view mirrors have broke off in two different automatic car washes (held into door by a stud mounted into 1/4 inch of plastic in the mirror). and the ignition switch failed at 75,000 miles($300). fog lights and backup lights have water condensation in them shorting out bulbs. surprisingly ,this car is babied ,but by in my description you sure couldn't tell it. *nlm | |||
| 03/07/2000 | 30000 | 50 | 02/07/2000 |
| I have had to have the following repaired: the fan replaced 2 times, the brakes repaired 4 times, the radio replaced once, the water pump replaced once and the battery replaced twice. i am also having problems with the transmission it has been slipping. the intake gasket needs to replaced because antifreeze is leaking out and one of the lifters is knocking. most of these problems started at about 30,000 miles and gradually there was just one problem after another. i took it in to the dealership for the tranmission at about 32,000 miles and since the dealership couldn't get it to slip they wouldn't do anything about it. the brakes started having problems at 40,000 miles. i called gm to complain about the car and gm told me there was nothing they could do because it was out of warranty. if it was still under warranty they would replaced the rotors because the rotors were to thin when the car was manufactured. i wonder why no recall was sent out on this. the brakes are an important part of a car. the battery, radio and fan were replaced at about 30,000 also. then the fan was replaced again at about 70,000. the intake started giving me problems that about 90,000. the second battery was installed at about 95,000. the lifter started having problems at about 110,000. the transmission has slipped ever since i got the car. | |||
| 08/27/2002 | 05/01/2099 | ||
| Medal shavings in transmissions had problem under warretey and was fix, we think,should not have to pay for this problem when we believe the problem was never fix right the first time. we'll never ever will own a pontic again and will be getting rid of it if we can and will not talk very well of any pontiac .*ak | |||
| 06/01/2099 | |||
| Transmission has been slipping since i bought car. a service dept. worker taking me back to work pointed it out. when you put it in reverse it takes a few seconds for it to go into gear. in the winter it is very hard to get out of park. the dealership told me this was normal, but i had never had this happen in any other car i owned. when driving it sometimes does not always shift when it is suppose to and then when it does it slams into the next gear. when backing out of my drive and then putting it into drive to go down the drive it won't go into to gear (drive) for quite awhile. i have reported this to dealership they told me it was a computer problem and they reprogramed it. when i called pontiac the dealership told them that they could not duplicate the problem. but told me it was the computer. so if i keep this car what happens now that there is not warranty when the transmission falls out.*ak | |||
| 08/18/1999 | 1 | 07/30/1998 | |
| When turning steering wheel back and forth, noise was heard, more noticeable when turning to the right. consumer returned to dealership in july 2000 because noise was still present when dealership originally said there was nothing wrong with steering. a private mechanic stated that thump could be emitted from rack and pinion steering system. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak there is a 3 to 6 second deoay in the transmission when engaging from reverse to drive, sometimes slippage occurs momentarily after the car engages into drive,battery leaks console latch failed. nlm | |||
| 09/01/1999 | |||
| While in ownership of my grand am i have experienced problems with the transmission, which has already been replaced once and i am still having the same problem plus now experiencing smoke from exhaust while driving, bottom line too many problems for a car thats not even two years old yet.*ak | |||
| 09/10/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| This is the third transmission failure on a '99 pontiac that i am aware of. manufacture/dealer contacted and offered no help.*ak | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 4 | ||
| Consumer has had the steering pump replaced 4 times. rack was leaking, and another leak was found. dealer said nothing was wrong with vehicle. vehicle was being repaired under warranty. also, transmission was slipping, and there was a transmission leak about 4 months ago. dealer was suppose to have repaired the problems, but the problems keep reoccurring. *ak the horn malfunctions after being repaired twice. the fog lights are holding moisture. speaker on passenger side failed. radio sisplay is scrambled due to internal short. right rear power window was inoperative due to switch failure. trunk release inoperative due to chaffed wire. transmission oil was leaking due to axle seal failure. *yh | |||
| 06/24/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| While driving at highway speed, transmission lost gears upper gears. after towing it in, dealer said that gears 3 and 4 were completely gone. explained that sometimes leakage occurs from inadequate seal from factory, causing this problem. another grand am owner also had this problem, only at 37,000 miles, just out of warranty. | |||
| 06/29/1998 | 1 | 05/05/1998 | |
| Traveling at 68 mph in cruise control, vehicle experienced total transmission failure while engine reved 6000 rmp. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 12/26/2000 | 6 | ||
| 1999 grand am track light illuminated, c-3 light illuminated, water leaked on the passenger rear floor board, there was a clunking noise when turning. *ts the dealer reflased the pcm at 3560 miles. the track light illuminated again at 3790 miles. this time the dealer . the blower motor smell bad and only worked on high speed. it was later determined that the blower motor shorted out and it was replaced. the vehicle had 8626 miles. the compartment over the rear view mirror would not remain latched. *nm | |||
| 02/03/2002 | |||
| Vehicle shakes when driving. also, when accelerating at low speeds traction light comes on, and when going over a bump there's a clunking noise. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1998 | ||
| The vehicle hesitates when going between 50 and 60 mph, the dealer found the problem was with the controlled module calibration. *slc | |||
| 04/04/2000 | |||
| Enhanced traction system malfuctioned, and intermittently came on when not needed. vehicle has been in / out of dealer's shop on six occasions, and problem is still unresolved. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||
| When traveling consumer noticed smoke coming from the front end. contacted dealer, dealer noticed transmission coolant was very low. consumer also experienced a problem with the turn signal being inoperative due to to a wire which was pinched. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 05/13/1999 | 2 | 10/01/1998 | |
| While driving at 65mph on freeway vehicle stalled. finally restarted . took it to dealership. mechanic replaced pcm. drove from florida to california, made a stop in arizona due to brake rotors warping. replaced and adjusted rotors and brakes. while driving in california, vehicle stalled again. failed to restart after being parked. battery replaced after being towed to dealership. key refused to be released from ignition. air conditioner motor fan replaced. shifter cable was replaced. right turn signal lamp replaced. oil light comes on before the 3000 mile scheduled oil change, dealer failed to set computer button, consumer feels this might have had to do with vehicle stalling and not starting. *slc | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 01/06/2002 | |||
| Intermitently vehicle will jump out of park. twice it has happened to vehicle, once with motor cut off, and once while motor was running. consumer notified dealer.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||
| Right wheel bearing failed at 50,000 miles , cause unknown . please provide further information. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 4 | ||
| Consumer has had the steering pump replaced 4 times. rack was leaking, and another leak was found. dealer said nothing was wrong with vehicle. vehicle was being repaired under warranty. also, transmission was slipping, and there was a transmission leak about 4 months ago. dealer was suppose to have repaired the problems, but the problems keep reoccurring. *ak the horn malfunctions after being repaired twice. the fog lights are holding moisture. speaker on passenger side failed. radio sisplay is scrambled due to internal short. right rear power window was inoperative due to switch failure. trunk release inoperative due to chaffed wire. transmission oil was leaking due to axle seal failure. *yh | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE | |||
| 1 | 06/01/1999 | ||
| Diesel clutch piston assembly failed causing the vehicle to downshift while driving. nlm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 2 | 07/01/1999 | |
| Power steering pump replaced under warranty, january 2000, replaced again in january 2001, out of warranty customer paid for replacement. no help from dealer & concerned it will go bad again. front wheel bearings, january 2001, both sides bad, 57,000 miles on car, no help from pontiac or dealer on problem. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | |||
| 10/17/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| On serveral occasions i am having major front end problems, from the intermediate shaft poping, to the whole front end poping, the dealer replaced the rack the cv boots 3 times, they kept busting, lower ball joints, a arms, this corrected the problem for a bit, then the cv boot fractured again they wouldnt replace, now the front in pops horriably when you make a turn to the right and add a little torque, took to dealer, no diagonsis, took to an independent agent, everything seems fine, only thing he can think of is a break in a spot weld on the front end, ie the tubing that supports the engine and front suspension, i have event contacted pontiac customer care center and they say the problem is no longer theres, i would be happy to let you test the car and hear the noise, and see if it wouldnt make you a tad bit uneasy about driving it | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 12/01/1999 | |||
| We have had continuous problems with this vehicle. the door panels peeled off the two rear doors and were replaced, the tire pressure light continually comes on, the hinges on the driver door keep getting stuck and sometimes the door won't even shut, it will not shift into first gear, and now the rotors/brakes are out. it is currently in the shop again. we take it monthly if not more often. this is certainly a burden. the service department is not informative. they don't explain why these things happen nor do they tell us if they have ordered parts for the vehicle. we get cards in the mail when the parts are in and we must schedule yet another trip to the dealership. the vehicle is completely unreliable. the brake issue is extremely scary when we only have 16,000 miles on the vehicle. never before have i owned such a lemon. this is our second brand new car and the other has had zero problems and it is a 1998 malibu with almost 60,000 miles. this makes no sense and pontiac is doing little to resolve these issues. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 07/09/2001 | 3 | ||
| The vehicle would not go in reverse on cold starts, also vehicle revs up after backing up and shifting into drive, then there is a loud clunk on 2ng gear, there was also a transmission leak, the left front axel seal was replaced.yd | |||