Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 709 | 09/01/2005 | 10018126 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. gm tech link. *tt | 12/15/2005 | |
| 610 | 10/01/2004 | 10015768 | Engine idle flare when the clutch is depressed. also low speed engine decel stall when coming to a stop. gm tech link. *tt | 08/11/2005 | |
| 050604002 | 01/01/2005 | 10013475 | Whistle noise on light acceleration. *eh | 04/19/2005 | |
| 040604024 | 04/01/2004 | 10012634 | Powertrain control module will not properly communicate on board diagnostic freeze frame information to nontech2 service or test equipment. *eh | 03/09/2005 | |
| 030601018 | 07/01/2004 | 10012103 | New cylinder bore liner replacement procedure. this service bulletin replaces 030601018a. *eh | 02/11/2005 | |
| 3114 | 01/01/2004 | 10009973 | B1327 diagnostic missing. *sc | 11/02/2004 | |
| 030601010 | 03/01/2003 | 10001282 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt | 04/25/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 071003 | 07/10/2003 | 10003815 | This vme message is a water pump replacement due to a known cam driveline. some customers may question about whine noise coming from the front engine area. *tt | 11/03/2003 | |
| 071503 | 07/15/2003 | 10003789 | Coolant lose, evidence fluid on the garage floor, etc., or coolant warning light coming on. *tt | 10/31/2003 | |
| 010802 | 08/01/2002 | 637353 | Some vehicles may exhibit a strong sulfur odor or a very offensive type odor coming from the cooling system. *tt | 11/22/2002 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Gm: there may be noise coming from the cylinder head, because of low oil pressure which is caused by debris. *rm | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Ready | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIC-5405 | 12/01/2010 | 10037814 | Gm: the engine will not start. the engine cranks and sounds like it's going to start but then stops cranking. *rm | 06/06/2011 | |
| PIC-5405 | 12/01/2010 | 10037814 | Ready | 06/06/2011 | |
| 3859 | 3859A | 10020923 | Low oil pressure - inspect oil filter for damage. *kb updated 10/18/07. *nj | 01/30/2007 | |
| 3709 | 10019420 | Supplement to engine replacement instructions for part number 12607031. *tt | 03/14/2006 | ||
| 050604026 | 05/01/2005 | 050604026A | 10017407 | Vehicle hesitates, no start, lack of power, low fuel pressure. *tt | 11/07/2005 |
| 3433 | 3433D | 10017032 | Service engine soon (ses) light and severe engine misfire on cylinders 1 and 4 or cylinders 2 and 3. *tt updated 08-15-07. *kb | 10/20/2005 | |
| 0804 | 08/01/2004 | 10014346 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. *nm | 04/29/2005 | |
| 030601022 | 01/01/2004 | 030601022A | 10011117 | Guidelines for cylinder bore liner/piston sleeve replacement on the l4 ecotec engine. *tt | 01/03/2005 |
| 09222002 | 10/22/2002 | 10009497 | No start starter noise; no start condition. feedback from powertrain engineering. *tt | 10/01/2004 | |
| 01353 | 01/01/2004 | 01353A | 10007937 | Engine misfire due to injector fretting corrosion. *tt | 07/16/2004 |
| 00434 | 01/01/2004 | 00434A | 10007528 | Engine will crank but not start, also makes noise while cranking. 2.2 l61 engine. *tt | 06/30/2004 |
| 01995 | 01/01/2004 | 10007055 | Replacing a 02 or 03 2.2l l61 with a 04 2.2l l61 engine replacement.*mr | 05/25/2004 | |
| 03064 | 12/01/2003 | 10005744 | On-board diagnostic system software upgrade - obd system improvements. *tt | 03/12/2004 | |
| 01527 | 01/01/2004 | 10005464 | A whistle type noise coming from the engine. sit bulletin 1406534. *tt | 02/27/2004 | |
| 01556 | 01/01/2004 | 01556A | 10005396 | Engine cranks but does not run. *tt | 02/24/2004 |
| 03-06-01-010 | 04/01/2008 | 030601010C | 10004768 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt gm reminder. *tt install new lower intake manifold gasket. updated 7/18/08 *pe | 01/06/2004 |
| 071103 | 07/11/2003 | 10003816 | This vme message concerns a cylinder boreliner tool now available for the l61 2.2 liter engine. the tool is referenced in service bulletin 030601018. the purpose of the tool is to extend the total service life of the block. *tt | 11/03/2003 | |
| 052203 | 05/22/2003 | 10003658 | Complaints of intermittent vehicle shutting off while driving with no multiple codes set. the vehicle would immediately restart. the actual cause of this condition was that over bumps the mass and weight of the customer's key ring forces | 10/27/2003 | |
| 030604030 | 03/01/2007 | 030604030C | 10002166 | Multiple driveability symptoms of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 08/14/2003 |
| 030601018 | 06/01/2003 | 10002130 | New cylinder bore liner replacement procedure. *tt | 08/13/2003 | |
| 01130 | 08/31/2001 | 625447 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign bulletin #01060 - valve springs replacement. *tt | 11/28/2001 | |
| 01060A | 08/28/2001 | 625101 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign valve spring replacement. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| 01060 | 08/22/2001 | 625083 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign valve spring replacement. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| 01060 | 01/01/2001 | 625021 | Subject regarding replacement valve springs. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 210602 | 06/21/2002 | 637261 | Some vehicles built with the 2.2 liter or 3.4 liter engine may have a customer complaint about intermittent drivability issues, which may also include a service engine soon light and or more powertrain control moudle diagnostic trouble code | 11/22/2002 | |
| 020601014 | 04/01/2002 | 634708 | Subject regarding revised lower intake manifold installation. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 020845002 | 07/01/2005 | 020845002A | 634680 | Intermittent stall, service engine soon light illumination and loose ground g103. *tt | 10/04/2002 |
| 020604045 | 08/01/2002 | 634249 | Subject regarding revised dtc p0327 - this bulletin is being issued to revise step 3 of dtc p0327 in the engine controls. nlm | 09/28/2002 | |
| 160102 | 01/16/2002 | 629703 | Customers may comment that the engine lags power, stalls, won't start or is hard to start. *tt | 04/05/2002 | |
| 221001 | 10/22/2001 | 628020 | Some vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes such as rough running, miss fires or a no start condition. *tt | 03/01/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 07/06/2011 | |||
| My complaint is with the lower manifold intake gasket leaking. i have a 2002 pontiac grand am se. i purchased this vehical new. the lower manifold gasket has had to be replaced 3 times on this vehical. at 54,566 miles,- $1000 140,735- $1200 and 169,750 miles $1500 | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 19000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 pontiac grand am. the contact stated that the engine on his vehicle, at times, will not start. the owner stated this is a safety issue due to not being able to move his vehicle if needed. the weather or the temperature of the engine makes no difference. the vehicle was taken to a dealer but they cannot diagnose they failure. the failure mileage 19,000. the current mileage was 39,653. | |||
| 11/09/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2002 pontiac grand am se - intact manifold gasket leaking. i have had this repaired twice in 2 yrs. i am being told that the gasket is faulty and gm is aware of this but they refuse to do anything about it. i have also seen articles stating that there is a law suit pending in the us and canada. i have spent approx. $800.00 to repair this problem. *tr | |||
| 11/11/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2002 pontiac grand am 2.2 engine will crank but will not fire. security light is on. will not start on several occasions. believed to be ignition switch/theft protection issue. cannot rely on car to start. *tr | |||
| 09/07/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| On my 2002 pontiac grand am the timing chain failed in the 2.2l ecotec engine at 75000 miles. when the timing chain failed there was no warning and the car stalled suddenly and could not be restarted. i was able to coast the car into a parking lot and later have the car towed to a pontiac dealer. the dealership has advised that the engine is ruined and needs to be replaced. i have found a great deal of information on the 2.2l ecotec engine online and this appears to be a common problem with 2002 and 2003 models of this engine. gm is aware of the problem and has issued a service bulletin to replace the timing chain oilier nozzle on these engines but gm has not 'recalled' the engine. had we been on a busy highway this would have been a very dangerous situation. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2002 grand am gt. i drove it off the lot new with 34 miles on it. i have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. the low oil sensor has been replaced 3 times. the gasket intake valves were leaking causing my lifters to melt together. i had to have the lifters replaced in the engine at 70,000 miles. being that my salesman worked with me, all i had to pay was the cost of labor. that was still $1000. at 81,000 i had to have a new catalytic converter put in. one year later i have been told that i need another new catalytic converter. i have also had trouble with the blinkers and brake lights as others have written. my security light has also just started coming on. i have had nothing but gm vehicles up to this point, as have the rest of my family. i even had family that worked for gm. i had a grand prix before this, and it was great. however, i will never, ever, buy another gm vehicle for as long as i live. they do not produce a product that they will stand behind. no wonder they need a bailout! *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 pontiac grand am. the contact heard a noise coming from the hood. she took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the failure was due to a cracked oil cap, which caused the oil to evaporate. the contact stated that the oil pressure light did not illuminate on the instrument panel. the driver side window was also defective. the dealer replaced the hook three times. the manufacturer took a report; however, they did not offer to assist with the repair. the failure and current mileages were 100,000. | |||
| 01/23/2008 | 85000 | 1 | |
| I went to start my 2002 pontiac grand am and it wouldn't turn over, just a very high speed spinning noise. the day prior there had been a rattle during start up. i had the car towed to the dealership where i bought it. they checked it and the timing chain had broken. they told me that it was an interference engine, and as a result there was valve and cylinder damage. they had to rebuild the engine almost completely as a result. this was at approximately 85,000 km. *tr | |||
| 02/28/2008 | 89000 | 4 | |
| Lower intake manifold gasket replace for leakage 5/06 water pump replaced for leakage 9/06 power steering rack and pinion replaced for leaking 2/08 multifunction switch still malfunctioning all work performed at dealership and records have been retained. all maintenance on car is up to date with records to validate. *tr | |||
| 05/16/2007 | 10 | 04/14/2002 | |
| I am the original owner of a 2002 pontiac grand am - four door vehicle. it currently has approximately 40,000 miles. all four tires leaked air and i needed to constantly to check and fill all four tires. they seemed to leak a random paces losing air at different rates. i have had multiple problems with this vehicle, including noise from the tires shortly after purchase. the dealership agreed to replace two of the tires per some service bulletin but once they were rotated, the noise started up again. also, had problems with my windshield wipers remaining on when utilizing mist for up to 25 swipes. the wipers also stop in the middle of the windshield when using mist or the intermittent option. the electric door locks and window buttons only worked on occasion other than those on the drivers side. at approximately 33,000 miles while having a routine oil change, a valve had to be replaced due to antifreeze/oil leaking with the potential of burning out the engine. clearly this has been just one problem after another. am completely disappointed in pontiac. this was my first (and last) pontiac purchase due to the number of issues with the car. the intent at purchase was that this vehicle could then be passed to my teenage daughter who will begin driving this year, knowing that i have maintained the car and it has low mileage. at his point, i am concerned for her safety. *ak | |||
| 02/15/2007 | 46000 | 3 | 07/01/2005 |
| Everything electrical would turn on in the car except the engine. the engine will not turn over at all. the battery is fully charged and all diagnostic tests came back ok. i don't want to see anyone stranded in this vehicle because of something that is obviously warped. *jb | |||
| 11/07/2006 | 51218 | 1 | 10/21/2005 |
| Gm 3.4 liter engine intake gasket failure. this is my second vehicle with this motor that has had the intake gasket fail. *jb | |||
| 09/15/2006 | 66700 | 09/30/2002 | |
| My 2002 pontiac grand am has an oil leak in intake manifold and front crank seal. the car is less than 4 years with 66000 miles. i have had alot of problems with this car since i bought it new. i understand this is a constant problem with this car 3.4 engine. why isn't anything being done about this? i had a 1997 gran am and put 140000 miles on it with no problem. the tech's say they used cheap gaskets on this car. i don't think thjis car will make 140000 miles without a major failure.and gm wonders why they are losing sales to japanese car makers. my next car will not be gm and this is after owning nothing but gm cars for 40 years!!!!! | |||
| 04/30/2006 | 56937 | 2 | 04/24/2004 |
| I went to have my oil changed and car maintenance and the tech said that i have oil in my radiator. i was extremely shocked by this and he said that it could be a leaking gasket or worse that i should take it to a dealership right away. i took it to a local gm dealership and they took it in and the gaskets were leaking on my 2002 pontiac grand am gt with only 56000 miles at the time. i had never heard of such a thing on such a low mileage car and well maintained. i knew i had to get it fixed so they fixed it gm said that they would pay 50% of the repair costs. i have further researched my car and the orange antifreeze and issues many others have had with this anti-freeze and how it eats gaskets and causes many other problems. gm does not want to admit to this and they are continuing to use this product even after all the findings. my brother has endure this same issue in his truck he has since replaced his gaskets and now is using only green anti freeze. i now have since found out that i have a wheel bearing going in my car. what is going on with these cheap parts. this could be a hazard. i am waiting for my refund from the repairs of the gaskets so i can turn around and repair the wheel bearings all the while i am still making car payments. *jb | |||
| 05/29/2006 | 83000 | 3 | |
| First, the car began with overheating. i had to continually replace the coolant to keep the car from overheating. it would not leak out of the car. upon visual inspection the leak from the coolant did not leak out of the vehicle. the vehicle finally failed after driving. the temperature gauge reached a high level and the vehicle shut off. the vehicle was clearly overheated with again the coolant levels low. was repair began, it was found that the all the gaskets within the engine had blown. this caused water and coolant to leak into the engine. causing the engine to work more due to the build up and causing overheating. this also caused the water to leak out of the intake manifold. finally a build needed to be flushed out of all the hoses and engine itself. a build up mixture of water and oil. *jb | |||
| 11/23/2004 | 20 | 02/08/2002 | |
| I purchased a 2002 pontiac grand am se brand new. i began having trouble with it starting at 36,400 miles, the security light would come on, and car would not start. i called the dealership and because it was off warranty, they were not willing to help (although they had been very helpful during the sale). i took it to a small repair shop, and they thought that the problem was caused by a remote start system that i had installed at a dealership. removed the remote start, but continued to have problems with it starting, and the security light coming on (if i kept the ignition on for 10 minutes it would reset). at 44,000 miles, while sitting in my driveway warming up the engine died. i had it towed to a local dealership where they found that the timing chain had broken and completely destroyed the engine. i called the dealership that i had purchased the vehicle from, and they refused to do anything about it. after much effort, they finally said that they might consider a goodwill warranty if i could provide receipts for all of my oil changes. since these were done at home, i did not have receipts. i am still making payments on this car and feel that because it was a catastrophic incident that the dealership should have been willing to help me replace the engine in the car. the vehicle only had 44,000 miles on it, and it is sitting in my driveway dead. anybody that looks at the car will know that i loved my grand am. because i did not have the money to replace the engine (they wanted $3000) i ended up buying a 1995 jeep cherokee with 225,000 miles on it, this vehicle starts and runs everyday!!! it is very sad that general motors cannot take a few lessons from jeep in how to build a reliable product. up until the day that i called the dealership with a car that would not start at 36,400 miles, i raved about what a terrific place they had been to deal with. 400 miles off warranty...they did not even know my name.*ak | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 42000 | 1 | |
| Coolant leak - internally.... blew head gasket. car brand new!! service records indicating that car was 100% properly maintained by owner. service department at perruzzi pontiac in langhorne, pa. is keeping a tight blindfold on this known defect in this car and all other grand am gt 2002 models that have reported the same problems. *jb | |||
| 04/09/2002 | 29900 | 3 | |
| Intermittently vehicle will not start. vehicle was taken to the dealer on numerous occasions, and no defects were found. manufacturer stated they will make contact with the dealer vehicle was serviced when the dealer found the same defect two years ago, and currently the problem recurred.*ak | |||
| 11/25/2003 | 20000 | 1 | 01/20/2003 |
| I have had my car in numerous times to dealership and still have not been able to fix problem. when i travel down interstate the rpm locks in at around 2.6--every so often it will kick out and move past 3. this causes a jerking motion in car that is quite noticeable by everyone in car. i have assisted my dealership in finding the cause of this problem, by having a mechanic take if for test drives, applying scanning tool, and a data recorder to engine. i have put on over 600 miles trying to diagnosis problem. i have now been told that they really don't know what is causing the symptoms, but think it may a programming error. they state that the computer controlling the torque converter is not working properly. they state gmc has approx 13 other cars in us that is doing this, but they do not know what is causing the problem or how to fix it. they are currently working on a fix---but this may take years since any changes made, have to go through gov. in the mean time i am suppose to cont to drive this car and live with the sudden quick jerks that i get every 1-2 miles going down road, wait for the comp upgrade, and hope that this is the cause!! if not we start over. i am real frustrated with this whole process and the way this has been handled at my dealership. i want a resolution to this asap. the car only has 27,000 miles on, and should not be having this much problems. at this point i am very disappointed in my service i have received and in the whole gmc technician staff, and product. *jb | |||
| 02/27/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving for a little while and when turning off the engine, vehicle would not restart. vehicle was towed to the dealership. dealer inspected vehicle several times, and could not duplicate or correct the problem. *ak | |||
| 01/27/2004 | 1 | 12/15/2001 | |
| My 2002 grand am se was not accelerating. brought it to the dealer who said that the timing chain had jumped. dealer said it was my fault due to not enough oil changes and sludge in the engine. i called pontiac for assistance and was treated rudely! upon taking the grand am to another mechanic (non-dealer) it was found that the timing chain tensioner failed causing the timing chain to jump. yet the dealer did not catch this. new mechanic could not find any trace of sludge in the engine causing the problem as the dealer said. while it was in their possession, the dealer caused more damage to the engine by starting it with a broken timing chain.*ak | |||
| 02/15/2004 | 40125 | 2 | 09/04/2001 |
| Purchased the car new in 2001. oil changed every 3,000 miles and all regular maintenance. at 40,000 miles lower intake gasket began leaking. replaced myself, followed manual precisely. upon reassembly engine began nocking. took to dealer and they cited bad lifters and replaced them.*ak | |||
| 10/10/2003 | 45000 | 10 | 10/25/2002 |
| I have had my car in the shop several times for problems and they can typically replicate the problem, but cannot fix it. i have had 3 brake jobs on my car, as well as the calipers rebuilt, and my brakes still do not work right. the abs system fails constantly. i experience slides on dry surfaces even. i also have transmission, coolant, and fueling problems. i have had a fuel pump replaced finally, after the 3rd time of taking it in for not starting, 2 times prior there was nothing supposedly wrong. also, i am still getting only 125 miles on a tank of gas. they an reciprocate the problem but will not fix it. i also keep getting a low coolant and check engine message lights but they say nothing wrong. the power windows also drag and make marks on the window surfaces. they are very slow rolling up. the light in the radio area fades in and out, and the radio goes off and on alot as well as only the front speakers work primarily. back do not. accelerator pedal sticks, and causes car to rev up to 5000 rpms very scary!*ak | |||
| 12/13/2002 | 27000 | ||
| While driving at 50 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. consumer had vehicle towed. the dealership ran a diagnostic on the vehicle, and indicated that the fuel pump and main computer needed to be replaced. please provide more details. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 08/08/2010 | 142000 | ||
| I have a 2002 pontiac grand am with a 3.4 litre engine. the vehicle overheats. i did some research and found out that general motors installed plastic gaskets on these vehicles and recommended dex-cool. the antifreeze eats the gasket up from the inside out and causes the vehicle to overheat. general motors refuses to fix my vehicle even though they knew about this problem for years. | |||
| 02/20/2007 | 37796 | 6 | 04/06/2006 |
| I have a 2002 pontiac grand am. i bought the car one year ago. the car now has 38,000 miles on it. a few months back, the car started doing this thing where sometimes it would start, other times it would not. i was left stranded with my son in the car numerous times. but, when i would get the car towed to get fixed somewhere, the car would start right up. finally after weeks of frustration, the locale pontiac dealership replaced my passlock module. the car has been starting since. but now there is another problem. the car is overheating. i have had it in and out of the shop three times now, getting different things done, and it is still overheating. this car is just one problem after another. i have spent a total of 2000 on repairs, tows, and car rentals. the extended warranty hasn't paid a penny,(and it's supposed to be the best you can get), and i am now out of money, can't drive my car, and still have 3 years of 325.00 a month car payments. i am very disappointed with pontiac. i will never buy another pontiac product. they are extremely unreliable. i am not the only one having these problems either. there is a website, (edmunds.com,) where you can read about all the other people with grand am's, having the same problems. *jb | |||
| 07/30/2005 | 48742 | 2 | 07/15/2005 |
| We purchase a 2002 pontiac grand am se in july of 2005 from champion chevrolet in brighton michigan, we had it in to dealer within the first few weeks of owning it, which they didn't repair that day because what needed to be done would take to long so it was taken in the following sat. had the abs,trac control and the service engine soon sensor was replaced and there was a noise under the front drivers side which was fixed but came back a week later they told us that the noise was normal, i don't believe this as none of our other cars make this noise not even our chevy pickup truck. we also had it back in again for the sensors for the abs, trac control and the service engine light that keeps coming on. we cont'd to have this problem and still don't have it fixed. when the lights come on i don't have my abs brakes anymore and no trac control. my blinkers also have been giving me a problem as sometimes they work and other times they don't. most of the time i can get them to work if i put my hazard lights on for a few mins. but i should not have to. i have been a gm person all my life as my dad has worked for gm for 35 something yrs. but they need to fixs these problems as it is unsafe for me, my children, my husband or whoever else maybe in the car and the other drivers on the road especially here in michigan with snowy and icy roads. i also have read some of the other complaints here and it seems that there are a lot of other people having the same problems. i was also told today while getting my oil change done that there is a problem with the dexcool in this car too. i did look around on the net and notice that there seems to be a lot of people having this problem. i have not had this problem yet as i only have 50,000 miles on my car but some of the signs that people are talking about i have notice so it will go into a dealer to have it checked and i will be keeping my invoices as i hope gm does the right thing and takes care of this problem to. *nm | |||
| 12/31/2001 | |||
| Vehicle had been parked in garage when driver noticed a puddle under vehicle. took vehicle to dealer, and was informed that problem was a defective water pump. dealer told consumer there was no water pump available.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/17/2010 | 95000 | ||
| My wife's car is a 2002 pontiac grandam 2.2l ecotec engine. at 95000+ miles, the car just lost all power and my wife was able to get to the side of the road and the car died. car was taken to 2 garages and found to have a broken timing chain (not belt). gallagher buick in new britain ct found that the engine is now destroyed and needs to be replaced. it is an interference engine. she has kept up with required maintenance.i have looked online for more instances of this happening and seems to be a common problem with this engine. one individual had his timing chain break at 57000 miles. gm is not accepting responsibility for this problem. they are telling us to deal with the repair dealership about this. please investigate since you can read many horror stories online about this engine and the defective timing chain breaking premature (as my mechanic has said ) and engines being ruined. | |||
| 04/04/2008 | 78000 | 1 | |
| While driving a 2002 grand am with 77k miles, the car suddenly stalled in the middle of the street. after having the vehicle looked at i was informed the timing chain had gone bad- extremely rare for the year and mileage on my car. i did some research, and found out that gm recalled 20k+ saturns for this faulty vin f engine timing chain. this is the same engine in my car, and the same thing that broke. once the chain broke the pieces got inside several engine compartments and caused a severe amount of damage to the car. about half of the engine needs to be replaced due to the damage of the chain breaking. i contacted gm, and the dealership where the car was purchased and neither want to do anything to alleviate the damage the faulty timing chain has caused. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2005 | 52000 | 1 | 09/22/2002 |
| My wife and children were driving on the autobahn and the engine died. she was able to pull over to the side of the road. the engine would not start and she had it towed to an authorized service center. the timing chain had broke and damaged the entire engine. i was told i would have to get a new engine shipped to germany at a cost of $9000. the car had 52000 miles on it and had been recently serviced. the warranty had just expired at 50000 miles and gm said the engine was not their problem anymore. *jb | |||
| 01/31/2007 | 140000 | 1 | 11/02/2006 |
| I was driving when the engine shut off and the key in the ignition was turned to the on position. had i been going faster instead of turning a corner i would have wrecked, been killed, or killed someone. *jb | |||
| 06/16/2006 | 92000 | 1 | 12/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75mph on the interstate, the vehicle lost all power without warning. the contact managed to pull over without incident, but the engine would not restart. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. the mechanic determined the timing chain fractured which caused damage to the engine. the dealer suggested replacing the engine. | |||
| 05/02/2006 | 52000 | 1 | 08/01/2002 |
| On my way to an event, i heard a pop and the steering wheel became stiff; then stalled. i had it towed to a mechanic, who declared the timing belt broke and repairs are going to be costly. i have low mileage on the car, and believe some remedy should be sought. *jb | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 78098 | 1 | 01/31/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where they determined the timing chain had broken and destroyed the engine. | |||
| 01/17/2005 | 14 | ||
| 2002 pontiac grand am developed problems with the brakes and the emergency brake equipment. *mr the vehicle stalled as the consumer backed out of the driveway when the vehicle was placed in drive. the emergency brake would hang up. the traction control light stayed on. there was an occasion when the consumer could not get the traction control to re-engage. the dealer claimed to have found nothing. the rotors were replaced along with the emergency brake pads which was stated to be beyond specifications. three loud bangs had come from the left rear wheel. the consumer experienced numerous electrical problems and oil leaks. *sc | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 52000 | 1 | 04/13/2002 |
| I replaced the lower intake manifold gasket in my pontiac grand-am (2002) at a cost of $700. the problem was well-known amongst the mechanics i saw and i was informed that this problem needs to be addressed. the mechanics could not believe that gm had not fixed this problem. i was told this was due to faulty gaskets and that the quality of gasket used was quite poor. i researched the problem on the internet and ran into numerous individuals with the same problem. the problem is common to the v-6 3.1l and 3.4l engines. it causes rapid oil loss and coolant leaks. this made the car undrivable and damaged the engine. my car is only two years old and this damage happened outside the warranty. i was treated rather rudely by pontiac and offered no help. this issue is ripe for a class-action or recall scenario. very dangerous to the driver and car. high cost of repairs for a twenty dollar gasket. no accident occurred, but was stranded. *jb | |||
| 08/05/2004 | 3 | ||
| Consumer complained about multiple problems with this vehicle. while driving vehicle stalled on its own. consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to do so. then, fifteen minutes later the vehicle started. driver's and passenger side electrical windows rolled up and down on their own. also, transmission failed while shifting. consumer contacted dealer for an appointment for these problems. *ak | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 1 | 03/15/2002 | |
| This is the 2nd grand am i have owned and both times the intake gasket has started leaking the first on started leaking at 74.000 miles and my new one started leaking at 30.000 miles... what is wrong with the gaskets the first one was a 1999 and the new one is a 2002. *cb | |||
| 10/27/2003 | 6 | 03/23/2002 | |
| 2002 pontiac grand am gt intermittently the engine will just stop and all power is lost.. i have had this occur on the freeway and also on city streets. i am concerned about the safety of my family and others.*ak | |||
| 08/04/2003 | 6 | 10/18/2002 | |
| While driving at 45 mph, the vehicle shut down and would not start again. the vehicle was towed to the nearest dealer. the dealer inspected the vehicle and could not duplicate or correct the problem. *ak the ses (service engine soon) light was intermittent, the day lights were inoperative and the dealer could not duplicate. the solution was a loose fuel cap seal. when the vehicle didn't start, the solution was reprogramming the engine control module. on another occasion when the vehicle didn't start the ignition switch was replaced. the rpm dropped/stalled and was diagnosed as no fuel pump pressure and the sender fuel pump/fuel tank unit was replaced. the vehicle experienced a hard start where the problem wasn't diagnosed and the solution was to place the washer on the ground wire. while driving, all the lights had come on, no power was sent to the gas pedal, the vehicle felt like it was in neutral, the speedometer registered, the gas gauge registered the fuel followed by the engine surging. (nothing registered the rpms) *scc *jb | |||
| 07/05/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that while driving at any speed and with no warning vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over. it will be hard to get the vehicle back started.dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 5 | 06/01/2002 | |
| Consumer leased vehicle new in 06/02. after 1 month the head gasket blew without warning while driving. dealer repaired, but incident occurred again about 3 weeks later. dealer repaired again, but gasket blew 4 months later. dealer has repaired vehicle 5x for blown head gaskets since lease. *nlm | |||
| 03/23/2000 | 10396 | 10/18/2001 | |
| I have a 2002 pontiac grandam gt. i purchased it in the end of 2001. within my car reaching 10000 miles there were problems with it. the car started to overheat and there were performance problems. after taking it in i was told the the intake manifold need to be replaced and it was on back order. they finally replaced the manifold after two weeks. but the car has not performed the same. the car still slightly overheats and the dealership mentions that it is okay that the car runs slightly warm. and at time i smell the coolant when the car is running. i feel that if the manifold was fixed then there shouldn't be any other problems with the car. i also found out that alot of other gm vehicles are having problems with there manifold. i feel that after the warntee is over that the car will have problems later. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 05/30/2002 | 2 | 10/18/2001 | |
| Vehicle shut down while traveling on highway without prior warning. dealership is aware of problem. *ak also the drivers power seat is inoperable at times, it makes a grinding noise, and at times would not move at all, there was a pulsation when brakes were being applied, brakes were replaced and the rotors were resurfaced, starter was replaced, there was a clunking nosie when driving straight or making turns, the dome light fell off, trunk is hard to close, consumer has to slam trunk to get it to close, the dealer found the latch out of adjustment, when starting vehicle there is a noise from the engine area, there was a noise coming from the wheel area, dealer could not duplicate consern, alternator was replaced, vehicle stalled, delaer replaced fuel sending unit, the clock radio was loosing time, the remote keyless entry will only work when consumer is close to the vehicle, the windows were making a scratching noise when being rolled up, the air conditon has an odor, steering wheel has a mild vibration when driving.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 06/16/2006 | 92000 | 1 | 12/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 75mph on the interstate, the vehicle lost all power without warning. the contact managed to pull over without incident, but the engine would not restart. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. the mechanic determined the timing chain fractured which caused damage to the engine. the dealer suggested replacing the engine. | |||
| 11/08/2004 | 59000 | 1 | |
| While driving at 35 mph on a side street steering wheel became stiff followed by the vehicle stalling. the vehicle was towed to mechanic, who determined that the timing belt broke, which should not happen at this low mileage. *ak | |||
| 04/23/2004 | 03/03/2003 | ||
| While driving, the timing belt broke. this caused the engine to turn two different ways. this caused catastrophic engine failure. the head broke as well as the pistons and rods. a new engine is now required. | |||
| 08/27/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving timing chain broke, causing vehicle to stall.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/04/2005 | 57000 | 2 | 04/27/2002 |
| In 2003 i had the exhaust manifold replaced because the car was leaking anti freeze. short time later i had the entire exhaust system replaced because anti freeze got into the exhaust system and engine was burning too hot into the catalytic converter. this plugged the converter causing the car to lose power since there was no where for the exhaust to go. work was covered by warranty/work completed in california. i was told that the very minute i smell the rotten egg smell that this would mean that the exhaust manifold seal was leaking again. 8/2005...just had the exhaust manifold seal replaced for secont time. car is now at 85k. have extended warranty too 100k. i had the car out for a week and again the smell is back. i see from this site that there are many of us out there that have suffered the same problem. if the problem is recurring then gm should have to pay to fix it even after the extended warranty period. 8/2005... | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 03/26/2003 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2002 pontiac grand am. i am having problems with the turn signal switch. the blinker switch keeps clicking after i turn. it is aggravating to me and i have read of a lot of 2002 grand am owners having the same problem. i took it into the shop to see about getting fixed but it will cost me over $400. this is ridiculous and something should be done about this. also, i have had to have the catalytic converter replaced. i wish i would have never bought this vehicle. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 02/14/2008 | 99900 | 1 | 10/26/2005 |
| Intake manifold leaking. went in for routine oil change and was told this is a common problem with this vehicle from 1999 up. *tr | |||