What breaks most · 1990 to 2005 model years
Pontiac Grand Am problems by year
Owners have filed 5,423 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac Grand Am across model years 1990 to 2005. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 2000 for exterior lighting complaints and 2001 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1991 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1991, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 54231990 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999846 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 449179 fires · 444 injuries · 39 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 62Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 3 | 1 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 82 | 9 | 3 | Engine and cooling (22) | |
| 168 | 12 | 3 | Engine and cooling (62) | |
| 204 | 10 | 1 | Engine and cooling (54) | |
| 377 | 59 | 2 | Engine and cooling (73) | |
| 409 | 59 | 1 | Electrical system (120) | |
| 450 | 33 | 6 | Electrical system (122) | |
| 382 | 32 | 4 | Electrical system (104) | |
| 172 | 12 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (36) | |
| 846 | 71 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (203) | |
| 670 | 42 | 8 | Exterior lighting (156) | |
| 534 | 21 | 7 | Electrical system (231) | |
| 391 | 22 | 4 | Electrical system (146) | |
| 315 | 26 | 5 | Electrical system (129) | |
| 286 | 23 | 4 | Electrical system (138) | |
| 100 | 15 | 4 | Electrical system (39) |
What fails on the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 24% |
203 | 6 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 16% |
133 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
131 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 13% |
107 | 4 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 10% |
88 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| Air bags | 9% |
75 | 45 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
70 | 9 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 8% |
68 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Brakes make grinding noise and shake/pulsate when applied at any speed. Brake rotors were turned and pads replaced. Then a week later dealer said calipers were sticking and needed replaced. Now 2 months later it needs to go back to dealer for brakes problems. *jb
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My turn signals are no longer working. I found that if i pushed the hazards button, it would make the turn signals work. His worked for a while (about 6 months) but now i do not have functioning hazard lights or turn signals. This happened while i was driving posing a very dangerous situation.
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Takata. Everything has gone wrong with this car. Please me call me. [xxx], brought the car new. Gave to my daughter her name is [xxx] , her phone number is, [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Pontiac Grand Am years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2001 carry the most filings on the Pontiac Grand Am. The 1999 alone has 846 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Pontiac Grand Am problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 203 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac Grand Am problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac Grand Am complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.