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2002 Pontiac Grand AMProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 395 owner complaints about the 2002 Pontiac Grand AM, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 1 safety recall, and for recall 14V-400 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.

2002 Pontiac Grand AM
44
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.3× the Grand AM median · #8 of 20 years by complaints
Safety recalls1Lowest repair rate 22%Owner complaints39541 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage80kElectrical system, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 15, 2020. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2002 Pontiac Grand AM has problems

395 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system1485
Exterior lighting970
Engine and engine cooling540
Service brakes, hydraulic291
Visibility230
Steering227
Air bags1913
Power train130
Tires120
17 other systems10011

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

2002 Pontiac Grand AM recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

22%repaired · 2016 Q2

Electrical system: ignition

Recall 14V-400 · Jul 3, 2014 · 5,877,718 vehicles · 1,318,487 repaired

Risk. If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Pontiac.

Mileage at failure

When do electrical system problems start?

80kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 106 electrical system complaints. 68% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
10under 30k miles72under 100k miles34100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Exterior lighting

11 owners mentioned a cost

$350median

Middle half: $319 – $487

Electrical system

10 owners mentioned a cost

$400median

Middle half: $400 – $488

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2002 vs. every other Grand AM year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Grand AM median. How we score

'73'75'78'83'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2002 Pontiac Grand AM safety ratings

2002 Pontiac Grand Am 2-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2002 Pontiac Grand AM frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2002 Pontiac Grand AM, and the recalls they led to.

  1. TURN SIGNAL FAILURESPE05055 · closed Jan 13, 2006
    No recall
In owners' words

What Grand AM owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I WAS DIVING DOWN HWY 70 GOING TO PICK UP MY FIRST DELIVERY FOR THE DAY WHEN, I'M NOT SURE HOW BUT THE KEY CAME OUT OF THE ON POSTION AND FELL OUT ON FLOOR, SCARED I WAS GOING TO CRASH I HURRIEDLY REACHED DOWN AND PUT IT BACK IN AND NOTICED THE SECURITY LIGHT HAD CAME ON AND WITHIN MINUTES IT LOST…
Complaint 11282802 · Nov 28, 2019 · 180,000 miles
I REPLACED THE CLOCK SPRING BACK IN 2018 BUT THE AIR BAG LIGHT STILL ON IT HAS TO BE A AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE SINCE I PURCHASED MY FIRST CAR SINCE 2011 IT NEEDS TO BE TURNED OFF
Complaint 11252536 · Aug 31, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN, BUT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR DID NOT WORK. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE REAR TAIL LIGHT BULBS. WHEN THE HAZARD BUTTON WAS DEPRESSED, THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR…
Complaint 11153694 · Nov 26, 2018 · 130,000 miles

Own a 2002 Grand AM?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.