Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Pontiac Grand Am submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 104 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 104, in the owner's own words
I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIWAY THE CAR DIED I TURNED IT TO THE RIGHT TO GET OFF THE HIWAY AND THE AIRBAG ON DRIVERS SIDE EXPLODED, I HAD THE CAR TOWED AND WAS TOLD THE PASS KEY SYSTEM OR THEFT SYSTEM WENT BAD IN IGNITION SWITCH AND NO EXPLANATION WHY AIR BAG WENT OFF? OR HOW TO FIX ANY OF IT, THIS IS NOW JULY AND I AM STILL HAVING PROBLEMS.
AIR BAG WHEN OFF WHEN I WAS WAITING TO PULL AUT OFF PARKING LOT. HAVE INJURY TO MY SHOULDER.
DRIVER AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. *TR
I WAS LEAVING MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, HAD JUST BACKED OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT AND PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE. STARTED MOVING FORWARD AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. NO BUMPS, NO CONTACT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. JUST DEPLOYED. STEERING WHEEL PARTS HIT MY ARM, BRUISED IT PRETTY WELL. HAVE SINCE PURCHASED ANOTHER VEHICLE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE SENSOR WAS DISCONNECTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. *TR
WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM THE PARK, DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG WENT OFF, BURST OF POWDER AND HORN BLOWING, SCRAPED RIGHT HAND. WAS ABLE TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD AND UNDO FUSE TO HORN. FOUND OUT BY GOING ONLINE MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN IS THERE ANY RECOURSE TO THIS THAT I CAN FOLLOW UP ON? NOTE: IT SEEMS GMC HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS AND REALLY SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THESE VEHICLES OR TAKEN THEM OFF THE ROAD, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THESE BLOW WITHOUT CAUSE. *TR
I HAD JUST TURNED MY CAR ON AND PUT IT IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. I ONLY MOVED ABOUT TWO INCHES BACKWARDS, NOT EVEN GOING OVER 5 MPH, WHEN THE AIR BAG RANDOMLY DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. IT HIT ME ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY HEAD/NECK, CHEST, AND ARM RESULTING IN CUTS, BURNS, AND BRUISES IN THOSE AREAS. MY LEFT EAR STARTED RINGING AND I MOMENTARILY LOST HEARING ON THAT SIDE. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING WITH MY VEHICLE NOR DID SOMETHING HIT ME. MY CAR DID NOT EVEN LEAVE THE PARKING SPOT BEFORE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. AFTER I GAINED COMPOSURE AND REALIZED WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED, I MADE MY WAY OUT OF THE CAR AND A MAN WHO WITNESSED EVERYTHING WALKED ME TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT NEAR BY. MY CUTS WERE TENDED TO AND I WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE FOR FURTHER TREATMENT AND EXAMINING. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY WHILE THE CONTACT WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT. THE AIR BAG WAS ON FIRE AND IGNITED THE JACKET THAT THE CONTACT WAS WEARING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED TO THE SCENE AND A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TAPED THE AIR BAG INTO THE DASHBOARD IN ORDER FOR THE CONTACT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG EXPLODED AND THEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG EXPLODED. AFTER THE EXPLOSION THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME AND PARK THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG HIT HER IN THE CHEST BUT SHE DID NOT GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, FOUND NO OTHER DAMAGE AND CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED HER $500 AS A BUY BACK FOR THE VEHICLE. COMPLAINT FILE#297715 WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 146,242.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER OR MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO CALL BACK THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE VEHICEL WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 230,000.
TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM . THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION. HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE AIR BAG ITSELF HAD BURN MARKS. THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 180,000. PM
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM AT APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WHEN THE AIRBAG SUDDENLY DEPLOYED. *TR
TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT HAD JUST PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION WHEN THE DRIVERS AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS THEN DRIVING AT 30MPH WHEN THE PASSENGERS AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT A CRASH. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO INSPECT IT. AFTER THE INSPECTION WAS DONE THEY TOLD HIM THE WIRES WERE CORRODED WHICH CAUSED THE DEPLOYMENT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE AND THEY STATED THIS ISSUE CAN'T BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 183000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 185000.CV
I WAS TRAVELING ALONG THE HIGHWAY GOING EXACTLY 60 MPH WHEN SOMETHING POPPED CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE ( ALL PASSENGERS WERE IN SEAT BELTS) WE SLID DOWN A DITCH HITTING A LIGHT POLE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A STOP NEITHER THE DRIVER OR THE PASSENGER BAG DEPLOYED. WE WERE TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND THE AIR BAGS MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING MY FIANCE TO HIT HER HEAD ON THE DASH. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR SUDDENLY DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND WRAP THE DEFLATED AIR BAG TO KEEP IT FROM OBSTRUCTING HIS VISION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 175,000.
I HAVE A 1996 PONITAC GRAND AM THAT HAS WATER IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. GM SENT A LETTER STATING THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE COULD DEPLOY THE AIR BAGS WITH WARNING WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT A CRASH OR WHEN THE KEY IS TURN ON. THIS HAS MANY COMPLAINTS BUT NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING. AS A AUTO TECH FOR MY OWN SAFETY AS WELL OF OTHERS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND OF THE EFFECTIVE YEARS OR 96-98 GRAND AMS. THEY SAID INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ALREADY. *TR
MY AIRBAG DEPLOYED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS (NO IMPACT/CRASH, NO DAMAGE, ETC.) AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I LEARNED THAT IT COULD BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT MY CAR WAS WET (NOT FLOODED.) I SUFFERED BRUSH BURNS UP MY FOREARMS. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM PONTIAC STATING THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER, THERE IS NO RECALL AND IT IS UP TO THE OWNER TO FIX IT (AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE.) IF PONTIAC IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND SENT OUT MILLIONS OF LETTERS, THEY SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY SHOULD PAY FOR THE DAMAGES/REPAIRS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED IN THE CONTACT'S FACE. THERE WAS NO IMPACT OR CRASH AT THE TIME OF THE DEPLOYMENT. SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, BUT MANAGED TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE AND SHE WAS WEARING HER SEAT BELT AT THE TIME. SHE SUFFERED SEVERE CHEMICAL BURNS ALL OVER HER FACE AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR HER INJURIES. THE CONTACT HAS NOT YET NOTIFIED PONTIAC. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE EYES AND MOUTH, IN ADDITION TO BROKEN TEETH. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE WERE NOT CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 122,000. UPDATED 12/12/08 *CN UPDATED 12/15/08. *JB
1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITH NO CONTACT OR COLLISION. VEHICLE HAD TO BE SOLD TO SALVAGE CO. DUE TO LOCAL CODES. VEHICLE DAMAGE TOO COSTLY TO REPAIR. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER, WHICH STATED THAT THERE WAS AN UPDATE TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL REGARDING SPONTANEOUS AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IF THE AIR BAG MODULE GETS WET. THREE WEEKS LATER, WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT AIR BAG SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOYED. FOUR DAYS LATER, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. BOTH FAILURES OCCURRED IN DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE COMPANY WOULD NOT ASSUME ANY FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 140,000. UPDATE 09/10/08 *CW UPDATED 09/16/08 *JB
I WAS GOING TO WORK AND STARTED MY CAR. THE AIRBAG ON THE DRIVERS SIDE EXPLODED, KNOCKING ME BACK INTO THE SEAT, KNOCKING OFF MY GLASSES AND NAME TAG, LOOSENED 2 TEETH, GAVE ME ABRASIONS TO FACE, FILLED THE CAR WITH SMOKE AND KNOCKED ME UNCONSCIOUS FOR A FEW MOMENTS. I WAS NOT IN GEAR AT THE TIME AND WAS NOT TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY (WHICH IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT), I WAS JUST SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS, NO RECALLS, NOTHING. IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ME TO REPLACE AND CANNOT DRIVE MY CAR ANYMORE. I WANT THE AIRBAG REPLACED AT NO COST TO ME BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT IS MANUFACTURES DEFECT. OTHER THAN A FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE LIGHTS AND AIR CONDITIONING NOT WORKING I HAVE LOVED THIS CAR AND WOULD STILL BE DRIVING IT IF I COULD GET THE AIRBAG REPLACED FREE. CAN ANYONE OUT THERE HELP? I DID RECEIVE A NOTICE THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM BUT NO RECALLS. HELP!!! *TR
06/05 WATER UNDER THE DASH MADE ME THINK THE WINDSHIELD WAS LEAKING-AN AUTO GLASS DEALER DETERMINED IT WAS NOT LEAKING AND AGREED TO TAKE OUT THE CARPET-HE DISCOVERED THE FIREWALL WAS NOT SEALED PROPERLY FROM THE FACTORY- I PAID HIM TO SEAL IT & DRY & REPLACE THE CARPET...09/07 I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ALL THE ALARM LIGHTS ON THE DASH COMING ON---AFTER TURNING OFF &RESTARTING THE CAR--THE ONLY LIGHT LEFT ON WAS THE AIR BAG LIGHT----06/17/08 I RECEIVED AN 'OWNER MANUAL SUPPLEMENT' TO ADD TO MY OWNERS MANUAL TELLING ME THE "AIR BAG CONTROLLER" MAY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH OR EVEN WITHOUT WARNING....THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT ...THERE ARE 1000'S OF THE THESE TIME BOMBS GOING DOWN THE SAME HIGHWAYS WE ARE TRAVELING-GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL & REPLACE THESE---GM IS NOT ABLE TO NOTIFY EVERY OWNER OF THIS PROBLEM AFTER 12 YEARS-PEOPLE ARE DRIVING THESE VEHICLES 60 AND 70 MILES AN HOUR DOWN THE HIGHWAYS & THEIR AIR BAG MAY DEPLOY WITHOUT WARNING--THE POTENTIAL FOR HORRIFIC ACCIDENTS EVEN DEATHS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE INEVITABLE-PLEASE FORCE GM TO TAKE RECALL NOT PRINT INSERTS FOR THE OWNERS MANUALS. *TR
AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON AFTER YOU START THE CAR DUE TO AIR BAG CONTROLLER GETTING WET. IT IS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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