Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. 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. 20 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE CAR'S HEADLIGHT, FOG LIGHTS AND REAR LIGHTS FLICKER ALL THE TIME, FUSES ARE OKAY, BATTERY TESTS OKAY, HEADLIGHTS CHANGED WITHOUT ANY CHANGE, FUSES CHANGED WITHOUT ANY DIFFERENCE, REAR LIGHTS REPLACED WITHOUT ANY CHANGE. MAKES DRIVING AT NIGHT DIFFICULT AND GIVES ME A MIGRAINE HEADACHE. *TR
I BELIEVE THIS CAR TO BE A LEMON, MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS DESCRIBED BY OTHER OWNERS THIS YEAR MODEL EXIST WITH THIS VEHICLE. HOW CAN I GET HELP, NOW SOMETHING IS SMOKING UNDER THE HOOD, I BELIEVE IT TO BE ELECTRICAL BUT I DON'T HAVE THE CASH TO TAKE TO A MECHANIC. HELP. NO SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
SINCE PURCHASE HAD TO REPLACE 3 ALTERNATORS/ 2 IGNITION SWITCHES/ 2 STOP-HAZARD SWITCHES/ABS SWITCH, AND 2 BATTERIES. *AK WINDSHIELD IS LEAKING DURING HEAVY RAINS. THE CONSUMER INDICATES THAT THE VEHICLE HAS QUESTIONABLE DESIGN WHICH CAUSING MOST OF THE PROBLEMS. *YH
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WERE SERVICED TWICE BECAUSE THEY WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF WHEN THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AND PARKED. AFTER I HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT A YEAR THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT PUT OUT ANY COLD AIR. WE HAVE REFILLED THE FREEON ONCE AND THAT DIDN'T SEEM TO HELP AT ALL. THE DRIVERSIDE POWER WINDOW WILL NOT GO DOWN UNLESS ITS BEEN A VERY WARM DAY AND THE CAR HAS SAT IN THE SUN. THE FUSE WAS CHECKED AND IS OKAY.*AK
THE CAR HAS BEEN A GOD CAR, BUT I HAVE READ AND TALKED WITH MANY OTHER THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. WHAT CAN BE DONE? NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED WITHIN SUMMARY. *AK
I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE ARE NO DEFECTS INVESTIGATIONS IN THE DATABASE FOR THE 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM GIVEN THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED CONCERNING THIS VEHICLE. WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN A DEATH? MY VEHICLE LIKE SEVERAL OTHERS I'VE READ ABOUT , STALLS AT ANY GIVEN TIME WITH THE MOST RECENT BEING ON THE INTERSTATE WHERE I HAD TO TAKE THE MEDIAN FOR SAFETY. OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN RUN OVER BY A RIG. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND WAS REPORTED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER AS SUCH; HOWEVER, NO INVESTIGATION HAS TAKEN PLACE. THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, LOSING ALL POWER (INCLUDING STEERING AND BRAKES). ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS COME ON AND THE CAR IS DEAD; THAT'S RIGHT DEAD. LEAVING THE OCCUPANTS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC HOPING THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SMASHED BY SPEEDING TRAFFIC CONSIDERING NO SIGNAL WILL WORK AND NEITHER DO BRAKE LIGHTS OR ANYTHING. PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE AT STAKE HERE AND COMPLAINTS ARE BEING HANDLED BY THIS DEPARTMENT AS IF THEY COULDN'T CARE LESS. HOW COULD ANYONE WITH THEIR RIGHT MIND NOT ASSESS THIS SITUATION AS A SAFETY VIOLATION. THE REPORTS FOR THIS SAME DEFECT ARE JUST TOO NUMEROUS AND IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT THEN I NEED A HIGHER OFFICE AND THIS OFFICE NEEDS TO CLOSE SHOP! *AK
WHEN DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS ON,THEY FLICKER OFF/ON. ALSO, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS TURN OFF, CAUSING POOR DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ARE THE ONLY OTHER OPTION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. CONSUMER HAS YET TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE DRL SENSOR CAUSES THE LOW BEAM HEAD LIGHTS TO BE ON DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS
TRANSMISSION FAILED. NLM
THE HEADLIGHTS GO OFF SOMETIMES. THE VEHICLE HAS DAYLIGHTS, BUT WHEN DRIVING IN THE DARK, THE LIGHTS GO OFF, THE DASHBOARD STILL WORKS, INCLUDING OTHER PARTS. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE . *AK
DURING HARD STOPS THE ABS SYSTEM SWERVES SHARPLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY.
HEADLIGHTS: WHENEVER APPLYING THE BRAKES THE HEADLIGHTS BECOME VERY DIM. AFTER RELEASING FOOT FROM BRAKES, HEADLIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY RECEIVED LETTER FROM MANUFACTURER INDICATING THAT THIS IS NORMAL. *AK
HEADLIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED OFF DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING OF LIGHT SWITCH. *AK
(5) TIMES WHILE DRIVING THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE DASH LIGHTS WENT OFF AND THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT WILL COME ON AND THE VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT. PROBLEM IS HARD TO DUPLICATE WHILE AT DEALERSHIP. CAN NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK
IRREGULAR TIRE WEAR.
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SWITCH DESIGNED TO TURN OFF RUNNING LIGHTS AND TURN ON LOW BEAMS WHEN IT GETS DARK, HOWEVER IT ACTIVATES LOW BEAMS DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS, WHICH ACTIVATES DASH LIGHTS, CAUSING DIFFICULTY FOR DRIVER TO SEE DASH CONTROLS/LGAUGES.
WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT SUDDENLY DASH AND HEADLIGHTS BLINK ON AND OFF, DLR CAN'T FIX, DLR REQUESTED TECH. INFO FROM MFG FOR THE THIRD TIME.*AK
WHILE USING THE HEADLIGHTS, THEY SHINE INTO THE AIR. NOW THE YOU CANNOT EVEN SEE EVEN WITH THE HIGH BEAMS. THEY ALSO WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DESCRIBE.*AK
THE HEAD LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN OFF. TT
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
Data on this page last refreshed .