What breaks most · 1990 to 2008 model years
Pontiac Grand Prix problems by year
Owners have filed 5,182 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac Grand Prix across model years 1990 to 2008. Three years stand out: 1997 for steering complaints, 1998 for exterior lighting complaints and 2000 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2003 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 1998, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2003, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 51821990 to 2008, all trims
- Worst year
- 1997810 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 308830 fires · 298 injuries · 21 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 93kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 103Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 176 | 13 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (92) | |
| 172 | 9 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (76) | |
| 114 | 8 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (40) | |
| 131 | 11 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (57) | |
| 213 | 26 | 2 | Visibility (65) | |
| 169 | 22 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (41) | |
| 79 | 7 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (16) | |
| 810 | 34 | 9 | Steering (216) | |
| 499 | 19 | 8 | Exterior lighting (90) | |
| 412 | 13 | 8 | Engine and cooling (152) | |
| 461 | 10 | 9 | Engine and cooling (151) | |
| 308 | 14 | 10 | Engine and cooling (102) | |
| 330 | 19 | 7 | Engine (86) | |
| 106 | 5 | 7 | Engine (31) | |
| 454 | 46 | 9 | Electrical system (107) | |
| 148 | 11 | 2 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 239 | 17 | 2 | Electrical system (65) | |
| 220 | 15 | 4 | Exterior lighting (92) | |
| 142 | 9 | 1 | Electrical system (43) |
What fails on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 27% |
216 | 15 | Shop steering parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 18% |
149 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 17% |
136 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
88 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 10% |
78 | 1 | Shop visibility parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Air bags | 7% |
56 | 14 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 6% |
45 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
42 | 6 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix |
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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Fuel gage doesnt work always reads full- shows over full when its hot out-oil and radiator leak- followed last engine recall-new radiator hoses etc 1250$-air bag? I got recall work done last year
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On two separate occasions the headlight lens came off. How they came was undetermined? Dealer was notified. The dealer informed the consumer that part was not covered under a recall.*ak
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2000 pontiac grand prix. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle fire/ totaled, towed to junk yard and consumer states still receives engine oil deposit onto manifold exhaust recall notice. *smd
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 6, 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 Prix years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 1998, 2000 carry the most filings on the Pontiac Grand Prix. The 1997 alone has 810 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Pontiac Grand Prix problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 216 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac Grand Prix problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac Grand Prix complaints that include mileage is about 93,000 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.