NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague

4.4

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,724 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Pontiac Grand Am engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Pontiac Grand Am Owner Comments

problem #12

Apr 212010

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle constantly overheats cooling fan does not come on. Fluid level needs replenished constantly. Engine pressure build up from the overheating. Still cannot resolve the problem and very costly to repair in the shop. Please do something with these cars have researched lots of the same issues on the internet. Estimated cost to repair $967. Which some people cannot afford. This is a manufacture issue as the intake manifold seem defective.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #11

Feb 122010

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. The contact stated that the vehicle would not initially start up. After a few moments, the vehicle was able to be started and taken to a local repair shop, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact also stated that when driving for more than 30 minutes with the heat or air conditioner on, the vehicle would suddenly stall and shut down. She let it sit for 30 minutes and it would restart, but the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where a fuel pump was installed but the failure occurred again after the repair. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The current mileage was approximately 113,000. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 07/01/11

- Forest Park, GA, USA

problem #10

Aug 072009

Grand Am

  • 98,000 miles
2003 Pontiac Grand Am GT started not starting 8 months ago, not a regular thing on/off, been towed numerous times has cost alot of money in fees, had new ignition, new key. Old part is available. Tried turning key on waiting 10 minutes doesn't change anything. Car will start when it feels like it, sometimes leaving my young daughter at work late at night.

- Hudson, NY, USA

problem #9

Aug 292009

Grand Am

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2003 Grand Am GT, seen others had intake manifold issues too, heard there was a recall on 2002 but not 2003, looking if there is a recall on it, if so how do I go about fixing it, because I already paid $600 to get it fixed because I had to, the Grand Am is our main car to Transport both children places. Also, the accelerator issues...I have yet to get a email, or letter or anything for that matter about any of the recalls on this veh...do they pick and choose who they send them to or what?

- Hennepin, IL, USA

problem #8

May 052009

Grand Am

  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. While driving approximately 35 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection, but they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on four separate occasions for the identical failure, but there were no resolutions. The failures occurred intermittently. The vehicle owner's manual specified a defect with the pass lock and anti-theft device system, which could result in unexpected stalling. There were no injuries, but the driver stated that this was a life threatening situation. The failure mileage was 27,000 and current mileage was 28,300.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #7

May 012009

Grand Am

  • 55,000 miles
I have a 2003 Pontiac gran am GT Ram air four door sedan. Several weeks we experienced a problem where the car would suddenly accelerate without the gas pedal being depressed, the car would continue to accelerate until the gas pedal was quickly depressed or I hit the brakes. I took the car to my repair shop and they replaced a cable. The problem ended than a few weeks later reappeared. I took the car to a Pontiac dealer (adams/annapolis) and they cleaned out some connections, but the problem returned shortly after this. I returned the car to adams and they replace the computer. This appeared to end the problem but I experienced the same problem once yesterday but it has not reoccurred since.

- Davidsonville, MD, USA

problem #6

Jul 272007

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,691 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. When the contact took his vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance on July 27, 2007, a technician informed him that the intake manifold gasket failed. The technician stated that the failure was caused by two different types of metal that were used on the head and intake manifolds. When heated, both metals expanded at different rates and caused the gasket to fail. The manufacturer admitted that the failure was directly related to a design defect. There is a remedy for the failure, but the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. An authorized dealer repaired the vehicle on May 5, 2008. The failure mileage was 24,691 and current mileage was 30,826. Updated 06/17/08.

- Elkgrove, CA, USA

problem #5

Mar 252008

Grand Am 4-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
2003 Pontiac Grand Am 2.2 liter ecotec timing chain failure with no warning!

- Rosemere, 00, USA

problem #4

Feb 212008

(reported on)

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • miles
2003 Pontiac Grand Am with several problems. Consumer states that the vehicle had a problem with the turn signal. Consumer was informed that there was no recall on his vehicle. Then experienced problems with the intake manifold gasket. The consumer was informed there was oil in the coolant recovery tank, which required replacement of the intake manifold, valve cover gaskets, thermostat and coolant. The consumer also stated the cruise control did not engage properly and there was a problem with the turn signal flasher.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 272006

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,000 miles
I was driving approx. 70 mph on the highway in my 2003 Grand Am GT when all of a sudden, with no warning at all, my car shut off completely!!!! the steering wheel locked up, the brakes felt very hard to push, and the car almost came to an immediate stop. The only thing that didn't stop working was the radio. I started the car after five minutes and it started right up as if nothing had happened. The same thing happened to me again, about 4 months later. I was driving about 35 miles an hour when all of a sudden the car shut off with absolutely no warning what-so-ever!!!!! the car started after a few minutes but the "service vehicle soon" and trac off" lights came on. The next morning we started the car and the lights on the dash didn't come on. My husband drove the car that morning and it cut off on him while driving about 45 mph on telegraph. He started the car after waiting about 5 minutes and it started without a problem. We paid belle tire to hook up the diagnostic machine to the car to see if they could detect the problem. They said something showed up that had to do with the ABS sensor. We had that fixed and thought it had solved the problem. Unfortunately it didn't.....the car shut off again!!! it happened about 10 months later (which was just a couple weeks ago). I was at a light, turned right and about 3 seconds after I turned, the car shut off again with no warning!!!! I waited a couple minutes, started the vehicle and it started right away. The "service vehicle soon" light and the "trac off" light stayed on while I drove about 20 minutes to my house. I parked the car for about 10 minutes, started it up and the dash lights went out. Everything seemed fine, as if nothing had happened. There's a little over 59,000 miles on the odometer. Less then two weeks later, just yesterday 11/27/06, I was turning onto jefferson in detroit, when the same thing happened again.

- Southfield, MI, USA

problem #2

May 172004

Grand Am

  • miles
While driving vehicle hesitated while accelerating. Upon applying the brakes vehicle continued to accelerate. Consume drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not duplicate the problem. The driver informed the mechanic this problem occurred more than once.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #1

Dec 012002

Grand Am 6-cyl

  • miles
There were problems with the battery, ignition switch, wiring. The computer was replaced, a battery was installed, wiring was tightened, a key ignition was added, and the switch lights/dash component(problem not specified). When the brakes were applied at a speed of 40 mph, the lights would act erratic along with the RPM going down. The RPM and light problem would occur almost everyday and sometime the vehicle would shut down. The consumer no longer operates the vehicle and requested either a new vehicle or a refund. (model GT) scc

- Sparks, NV, USA

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