RoadVitals

1981 Pontiac Grand Am

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1981 Pontiac Grand Am. 1 NHTSA investigation names it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA86006ClosedEngineering Analysis

BRAKE BACKING PLATE

Opened Nov 27, 1985
Closed Nov 28, 1988

SUMMARY:GM IS CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY RECALL CAMPAIGN (85V-048)INVOLVING 2,136,826 VEHICLES. THE RECALL IS LIMITED TO VEHICLES BUILT ATCERTAIN ASSEMBLY PLANTS WHICH, ACCORDING TO GM, OVERTORQUED THE BRAKEPIPE NUT,THEREBY OVERSTRESSING THE WHEEL CYLINDER SUPPORT AREA OF THEBACKING PLATE.ANALYSIS:FRONT BRAKES PROVIDE SUFFICIENT BRAKING FOR PASSENGER CARSIN MOST NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. ALL AFFECTED TRUCKS ARE INCLUDED INTHE CURRENT RECALL.IN MOST CASES THE PROBLEM IS DISCOVERED DURING BRAKEMAINTENANCE.THE RECALL APPEARS TO COVER THOSE GROUPS OF CARS WITH THEHIGHEST FAILURE RATES.STATUS:ANALYZING GM IR RESPONSE AND NEW COMPLAINT DATA. DRAFT CLOSINGREPORT BY 5/15/88.===

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Pontiac Grand Am by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
20051024053.5
20042934052.9
20033255053.9
20023954154.2
20015387357.5
20006758562.3
19998496362.0
19981723157.1
19973834261.5
19964506263.7
19954091257.4
19943772262.4
19932041046.8
19921683051.9
1991823054.6
1990381043.2
1989443158.9
1988313463.3
1987283365.5
1986112258.9
1985453—
1984001—
1983100—
1981Viewing001—
1980011—
1979011—
1978051—
1975010—
1973130—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.