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 1998 Pontiac Grand Am submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND AM. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 208,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND AM. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS SEATED IN THE PARKED VEHICLE, THE AIR BAGS SUDDENLY DEPLOYED AND STRUCK HER IN THE FACE. SHE WAS BADLY BRUISED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE WAS CORRODED. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. A FEW MONTHS LATER, SHE RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE LIGHT WOULD NOT DIM. THE MECHANIC PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED, WHICH COULD PREVENT THE AIR BAGS FROM DEPLOYING. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 100,300 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000.
PONTIAC GRAND AM AIR BAGS ARENT SAFE AT ALL MINE BUSTED OUT FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER IT BURNED MY ARM AND LEFT A BRUISE AND COULD'VE CAUSED A WRECK!
AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE PASSENGER'S AIR BAG INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK AIR BAG DEPLOYED IT CRACKED THE DASH BOARD AS WELL AS WINDSHIELD. REPLACED AIRBAG, WINDSHIELD AND DASH BOARD. GENERAL MOTORS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE CONSUMER BECAUSE VEHICLE WASN'T TAKEN TO DEALER. *BF *NM
PONTIAC GRAND AM 1998, PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON, SHATTERED WINDSHIELD. *BF *JB
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THROUGH A SCHOOL ZONE GOING LESS THAN 25 MPH AND CRUISE CONTROL KICKED IN. THE VEHICLE CROSSED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WENT DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. THE VEHICLE HIT A TREE AND IT WASN'T UNTIL THE VEHICLE STOPPED THAT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. WHEN THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED THEY BLACKED THE PASSENGERS EYES. *AK *NM
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH, FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE AFTER THE CRASH. CONSUMER SUSTAINED BRUISES SINCE THE AIR BAGS WERE LATE DEPLOYING.*AK
WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. AS A RESULT, THE DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
98 PONTIAC GRAND AM AIR BAG NOT WORKING, WATER LEAKS ON FLOOR BOARD WHEN AC IS ON, RUNS HOT, STOPS RUNNING, ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. *NLM
WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP , VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH. ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER'S SIDE, AIR BAG WENT OFF ON PASSENGER'S SIDE WITH SUCH FORCE THAT PASSENGER'S NECK WAS BROKEN. AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH OCCUPANT WAS WEARING SEAT BELT. *AK
FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG WHILE DRIVING FOR NO APPARENT REASON, PASSENGER SIDE DID NOT ACTIVATE. MJS
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 25 MPH THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. DRIVER WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *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 .