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 1999 Pontiac Grand Am submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 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
SEATS DON'T RECLINE OR STICK. ELECTRIC SHORTAGES OUT AND MAY DEFECT RELAYS AND FUSES. SEAT BELTS STICK AND TWIST AND DON'T WINED BACK UP.
DT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WEBBING IS LOCKED UP RETRACTOR. CONTACT CANNOT USE THE SEAT BELT. *NM
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE CONTINUED AT A HIGH SPEED. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE AND ROLLED OVER. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD. ALSO, SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE PASSENGER, AND SHE SUSTAINED MAJOR BRUISES ON THE UPPER THIGHS. *AK
THE WINDOW REGULATORS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND BOTH BACK DOORS. EACH OF THE WINDOWS FAILED TO CLOSE AFTER THEY WERE OPENED. THE FIRST ONE TO GO OUT WAS THE DRIVER'S WINDOW AND THE BACK TWO WINDOWS WERE WORKING OCCASIONALLY AT THAT TIME. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO BE REPLACED SOON, BUT IF THEY STOP WORKING, I COULD JUST KNOCK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR OR SLAM THE DOOR SHUT AND THEY WOULD WORK FOR A SHORT TIME AGAIN. THIS GOT ME THROUGH FOR ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH. ALL BROKE WITHIN THE PAST YEAR AND EACH ONE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE TOTAL COST TO FIX ALL THREE WINDOW REGULATORS WAS $1188.17. I CALLED GM TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THEM AND TO FIND OUT WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ON THE REGULATORS, (AS WELL AS THE SEAT BELTS, THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS, THE BRAKES AND TO FIND OUT WHY I ALSO HAVE SCRATCHES ON MY WINDOWS). I TOLD THEM ABOUT THE MYCARSTATS.COM WEBSITE AND EXPLAINED THAT ALL OF MY COMPLAINTS ARE COMMON. I FINALLY RECEIVED A CALL BACK ABOUT A WEEK LATER AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR ANY OF MY REPAIR COSTS WHICH CAME TO $2,974.58!! THIS TOTAL INCLUDES: BRAKES, CALIPERS AND ROTORS REPLACED TWICE FOR $834.08; SIDE VIEW MIRROR REPLACED AFTER FALLING OFF WHILE GOING THROUGH A CARWASH $167.86; SEAT BELTS REPLACED FOR DRIVER AND BOTH BACK PASSENGERS BECAUSE THE PLASTIC CLIPS BROKE FOR NO APPARENT REASON $784.47 AND OF COURSE THE WINDOW REGULATORS $1,188.17. INSTEAD, GM WAS OFFERING ME $1,000.00 TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF ANOTHER GM VEHICLE!!! I ASKED WHY I WOULD WANT TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT THEY DON'T STAND BEHIND!?!? I TOLD THEM TO KEEP THE $1,000 AND EXPRESSED THAT I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT AGAIN, SINCE THESE ARE SAFETY FEATURES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED YEARS AGO!! THIS PAST WEEK, I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE MOLDING AROUND THE WINDOW SHIELD IS COMING LOOSE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, SO I USED SILICONE CAULKING TO HOLD IT IN PLACE.
REAR SEAT BELT ON DRIVER SIDE IS STUCK, IT WILL NOT PULL OUT. THE DEALERSHIP RECOMENDED THE RETRACTOR TO BE REPLACED. THE SEATBELT HAS BEEN BROKEN SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASE, 03.21.03.*AK
REAR LT SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD DURING CRASH /ROLLOVER, CHILD CAR-BOOSTER SEAT AND CHILD WENT THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW. TETHER STRAP ONLY THING HOLD CHILD/BOOSTER SEAT. CHILD WAS EJECTED FROM CAR.*AK
CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR BECAUSE IT BLEWOUT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, DEALER WAS CONTACTED. *AK CONSUMER ALSO HAS SEAT BELT PROBLEMS. *YH
WHILE DRIVING COULD STEP ON BRAKES AND SEAT BELT WILL HOLD, AND WILL STAY ON HOLD, AND WILL NOT RETRACT, EVEN WHEN IT IS PULLED OUT.*AK *SLC
WHILE TRAVELING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED VEHICLE SWERVED TO AVOD HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND WENT INTO A DITCH. THEN, WENT BACKED ACROSS ROAD AND WENT INTO A CULVERT WHERE THE VEHICLE IMPACTED A TREE. BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. CONSUMER'S STEP SON WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND WAS KILLED IN CRASH, TWO OTHER PASSENGERS SUFFERED RESTRAINT BELT INJURIES, AND WERE RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
WHILE AT STOP SIGN ANOTHER VEHICLE REAR ENDED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. RESTRAINTS DID NOT WORK, THROWING CONSUMER AGAINST STEERING WHEEL, AND SHE SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
PASSENGER AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY AND SEAT BELT FAILED DURING THE ACCIDENT BUT DEPLOYED LATER WHEN THE PASSENGER TOUCHED THE DASHBOARD CAUSING INJURY. YH
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ANOTHER VEHICLE REAR ENDED HIM. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WENT INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, VEERED OVER INTO THE SHOULDER PART, AND FLIPPED OVER INTO AN ENBANKMENT. UPON IMPACT, SEATBELT BROKE, AND AIRBAGS CAME OUT, BUT THEY DIDN'T DEFLATE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS STOPPED FOR SCHOOL BUS, AND THEN REARENDED, CAUSING HIM TO CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SEATBELT FAILED TO RETRACT. *AK *ML
NO SUMMARY
I LEASED THIS NEW CAR IN 11/98. MY FAMILY AND I WERE ON OUR WAY HOME WHEN WE WERE HIT BY A WOMAN WHO FAILED TO SEE A STOP SIGN. SHE HIT THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE CAR & WENT ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE CAR. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING & HIS AIR BAG WENT OFF IMMEDIATELY. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT & HER SEAT BELT ALLOWED HER TO HIT THE DASH & THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY UNTIL SHE HIT THE DASH. THE CAR WAS 8 DAYS OLD. MY DAUGHTER RECEIVED FACIAL INJURIES & WILL HAVE PERMANENT DAMAGE. I WAS A PASSENGER BEHIND THE DRIVER. ALL OF US HAD OUR SEATBELTS FASTENED. I RECEIVED A FRACTURED STERNUM & SEVERE WHIPLASH TO MY NECK. I WILL HAVE PERMANENT NECK DAMAGE. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY AS IT SHOULD HAVE.
MIDDLE REAR LAP SEATBELT IS NOT LONG ENOUGHT TO FIT AN INFANT/TODDLER CONVERTIBLE CSS. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT HAVE AN EXTENSION FOR THE REAR LAP SEATBELT. *AK
WHEN THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SHOULDER BELTS RETRACT BACK INTO THE HOUSING MECHANISM, THE BELTS BECOME TWISTED WHICH CAUSES THE BELTS NOT TO PROPERLY RETRACT INTO POSITION. AS A RESULT OF THIS TWISTING, THE POSITION BUTTON GETS CAUGHT IN DOOR AND BREAKS.*AK.ET.
DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE HEAD RESTRAINTS, THE HEADREST IS TOO BIG, PREVENTING THE CONSUMER FROM LOOKING OUT THE BACK SIDE WINDOW WHEN DRIVING. THERE IS A BLIND AREA. ALSO THE OWNERS MANUAL HAS INSTRUCTIONS. WHEN FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS LISTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK OWNERS MANUAL STATES SLIDE THE HEAD RESTRAINT UP OR DOWN SO THAT THE TOP OF THE RESTRAINT IS CLOSEST TO THE TOP OF THE EARS, THIS POSITION REDUCES THE CHANCE OF A NECK INJURY IN A CRASH, THE HEAD RESTRAINT CANNOT BE ADJUSTED LOW ENOUGH TO MEET THE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AS STATED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. *SLC
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 .