What breaks most · 1991 to 2002 model years
Pontiac Trans Am problems by year
Owners have filed 116 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac Trans Am across model years 1991 to 2002. Three years stand out: 2002 for engine and cooling complaints, 1999 for body and structure complaints and 1997 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1993, 1991 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 1999, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1993, 1991, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 1161991 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 200232 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 133 fires · 9 injuries · 4 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 36kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 1Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | Visibility (2) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (1) | |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 16 | 2 | 0 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 32 | 5 | 0 | Engine and cooling (6) |
What fails on the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 19% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 16% |
5 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 13% |
4 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 13% |
4 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am |
| Seat belts | 9% |
3 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2002 Pontiac Trans Am |
| Tires | 6% |
2 | 1 | — |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
2 | 1 | — |
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.
-
Normal maintenance requirements maintained on this low mileage car. Engine coolant (listed as 5 year/150,000. Mile coolant) broke down and turned to brown foamy sludge at 39,000. Miles (less than 4 years). I will be having my local service center flush the cooling system and replace the long life coolant. *jb
-
There are cracks developing in the door panels of my 1999 trans am. The cracks are in the same location on each door panel. (top of panel at edge, back 1/3 of panel.) this problem is extremely common among trans am owners with 1998-2002 models. *ak
-
Engine compartment fire while driving, totalled vehicle. Dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak consumer stated there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, he pulled over opened the hood and the engine was on fire.*slc
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 Trans Am years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 1999, 1997 carry the most filings on the Pontiac Trans Am. The 2002 alone has 32 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Pontiac Trans Am problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 6 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac Trans Am problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac Trans Am complaints that include mileage is about 36,000 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.