Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 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
DT: 1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM. THE CONSUMER CANNOT LATCH SEAT BELT ON DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT YET CONTACTED THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SEAT BELT PROBLEM 8 MONTHS AGO. SEAT BELT WILL NOT GO INTO THE BUCKLE. *AK
WHEN A TURN WAS MADE, THE STEERING WHEEL PRODUCED A LOUD RUBBING NOISE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK THERE WERE HIGH IDLE PROBLEMS. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS AND THE POWER LOCKS WERE REPLACED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND THE VEHICLE HAD STARTED TO RUN ROUGH, THE ALTERNATOR LIGHT HAD COME ON AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED. THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT DID NOT RETRACT AND WAS REPLACED, THE LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM WAS REPLACED, THE BLOWER MOTOR WAS REPLACED, THE COMPRESSOR WAS REPLACED, WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE COLD, THERE WAS A KNOCKING SOUND ON THE RIGHT SIDE UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS WARM ,THEN THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY, SURGING WOULD ALSO OCCUR AND WOULD WORSEN WHEN THE ENGINE WAS WARMED, THE VOLUME ON THE RADIO WAS ERRATIC(HAD GONE UP WHEN TRYING TO TURN DOWN), THE SENSOR THROTTLE POSITION SHORTED AND WAS INTERMITTENT, THE VALVE AIR CONTROL WAS REPLACED, AND THE FUEL FILTER WAS REPLACED. *SCC *JB
CASING ON SEAT BELT BUCKLE CRACKED, AND SEAT BELT WAS ON FLOOR. CONSUMER HAS TO PICK IT UP EACH TIME. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER SAID THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT ON WARRANTY ANY MORE. *AK *SLC
WHILE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC DRIVER BEHIND CONSUMER REAR ENDED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT, CAUSING PASSENGER TO BE THROWN FOWARD. HAD TO CATCH HERSELF WITH HER ARMS ON DASHBOARD OR FACE WOULD HAVE HIT THE DASHBOARD. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 35 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DUE TO THE VEHICLE STALLING. ALSO, THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. DUP OF 827073. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT IN WHICH THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. ALSO DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN OCCUPANT IN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. 827498 DUP OF 827073; POSTED ON 09-07-99. *AK
DEFECT WITHIN WINDSHIELD WIPER IS CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER TO ACT IN AN ERRATIC MANNER, AND AT TIMES BECOMING INOPERATIVE. DEALER HAS REPLACED WIPER SWITCH AND MOTOR TWICE AND COMPUTER CHIP WITHIN BOARD, BUT DEFECT IS STILL OCCURRING. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *AK LEFT REAR WINDOW MOTOR FAILED, 1150 MILES LATER THE WINDOW SWITCH FAILED. RADIO AND CLOCK LIGHT FAIL, DEALER CHECKED WIRING AND FUSES. LEFT FRONT SHOULDER BELT/RETRACTOR BELT BUTTON DAMAGED, DEALER REPLACED SEATBELT. *SLC
SEAT TRACK FAILED RESULTING IN MOVEMENT IN SEAT CAUSING INJURIES, SEAT BELTS FAILED TO RESTAIN.
ON ITS OWN THE DOOR WOULD LOCK/UNLOCK. WHEN IGNITION IS ENGAGED OR SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, WILL NOT LOCK AT ALL. INTERMITTENT. DOME LIGHT FLASHES ON/OFF DURING DAY/NIGHT, RAIN/SHINE. CHIMES ON SEAT BELT WOULD SOUND WHEN SEAT BELT IS WORN. TAKING TO DEALER.
SEAT BELT WILL NOT STRAP ACROSS SHOULDER. IT GOES AROUND COLLAR BONE AND BASE OF NECK. IT HAPPENS TO RIDERS OF ALL HEIGHTS. *AK
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 .