1999 Pontiac Grand AM: common problems

Owners of the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM filed 849 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 849
involving a crash: 73

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 26% of all complaints
2 Engine and cooling 16% of all complaints
3 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
4 Suspension 13% of all complaints
5 Visibility 10% of all complaints
6 Air bags 9% of all complaints
7 Steering 8% of all complaints
8 Exterior lighting 8% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 219 complaints (26% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 133 complaints (16% of all).
Electrical system: 132 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Suspension: 107 complaints (13% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Visibility: 89 complaints (10% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
3.4 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 4 complaints
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: FWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 849 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

windows, sunroof91 · 11%
vibration67 · 8%
knocking, grinding or other noise53 · 6%
warning lights, check engine35 · 4%
stalls while driving34 · 4%
overheating, coolant loss30 · 4%
smoke, burning smell, fire27 · 3%
steering or power steering problems27 · 3%
infotainment or screen glitches24 · 3%
airbags did not deploy23 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	219	10
Engine and cooling	133	0
Electrical system	132	1
Suspension	107	4
Visibility	89	0
Air bags	76	46
Steering	70	9
Exterior lighting	68	1
Structure	45	1
Fuel system	37	0
Equipment	33	1
Powertrain	32	0
Vehicle speed control	23	3
Seat belts	17	8

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000. The vin was unavailable.
Air bags · crash · 2014-12-15 · NHTSA complaint #10664303
The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). A police report was filed and the contact sustained minor injuries from the seat belt. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.
Air bags · crash · 2014-11-05 · NHTSA complaint #10652748
The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 mph attempting to avoid a crash, the power brakes failed causing the contact to crash into a vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was not aare of any injuries sustained or if a police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer.
Service brakes · crash · 2014-11-05 · NHTSA complaint #10652809
The front air bags failed to deploy. The contact and the front passenger were injured, but did not need medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a repair facility. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 177,000.
Air bags · crash · 2014-10-28 · NHTSA complaint #10650737
1999 pontiac grand am, unit 1 was westbound on the ohio turnpike in the center lane. Unit 1 began to swerve and lost control of the vehicle. Unit 1 went off the left side of the roadway and struck the cement median wall where it became disable. According to the police report, the tires were severely worn.
Tires · crash · 2011-04-04 · NHTSA complaint #10394936
About march 1, 2005, steering mechanism would vibrate and lose control. Front brakes would pull the car to the right. A subsequent motor vehicle accident occurred on february 7, 2005, on i80, 7pm, going southbound. Luckily no one was injured in either car ... My car was hydroplaning due to inclement weather conditions.
Service brakes · crash · 2005-07-20 · NHTSA complaint #10129451
Also, seat belt did not restrain the passenger, and she sustained major bruises on the upper thighs.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2004-11-03 · NHTSA complaint #10099317
When my sons were driving back to camp pendleton where they are stationed, the steering wheel locked up, floated to the left, they went over and down a hill, car was totaled. One son received a cut finger requiring ten stiches, the other received a fractured collarbone.
Steering · crash · 2002-07-17 · NHTSA complaint #764066

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

199812
199959
2000124
2001132
200281
2003107
2004120
200560
200635
200723
200822
200915
201011
20117
20126
20134
201415
20158
20169
20191
20232

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 324 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 1% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand AM has 233 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 849, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 849. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (11%), vibration (8%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1999 Pontiac Grand AM from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1999 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.