Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
27
Latest Jan 14, 2004
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
21%
of 131 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
6
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1
What this page shows
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 27 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.
Owner reports naming electrical
The 25 most recent of 27, in the owner's own words
SEVERAL PROBLEMS AT DIFFERENT TIMES.OLT FELL OUT OF REAR OF ENGINE CRADLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING. WENT INTO THE DITCH AND COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION. SEVERE OIL LEAK IN ENGINE, ORIGIN UNKNOWN.ILTING MECHANISM IN STEERING COLUMN IS LOOSE WHICH CAUSED BRACKET TO BREAK AND ALLOWS STEERING WHEEL TO MOVE UP AND DOWN. WHILE STEERING WHEEL IS DOWN AND BEING TURNED, THE CAR DIES. SEAT TILT MECHANISM ON FRONT PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT HOLD SEAT BACK IN UPRIGHT POSITION. WHITE SMOKE COMES OUT OF STEERING COLUMN AFTER THE CAR IS STARTED. REAR BRAKE CALIPERS RUST CAUSING BRAKES TO LOCK UP AND SCORE THE ROTOR. *AK
NHTSA ID
10053179
Incident
Feb 14, 2002
Mileage
115,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 20, 2003
Fire reported1 injury reported
THE STEERING COLUMN HAD BEEN SMOKING WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS WERE USED THEN ONE EVENING THE IGNITION SWITCH CAUGHT FIRE. THE WHOLE DASH AND STEERING WHEEL COLUMN, AND INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. IF YOUR STEERING WHEEL SMOKES WHEN YOU USE YOUR SIGNALS HAVE IT CHECKED. *JB
NHTSA ID
10039209
Incident
Jan 1, 2003
Electrical
Filed Jan 31, 2003
I OWN A 1993 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX THAT I PURCHASED USED IN 1998. 2 YEARS AGO, OCCASSIONALLY SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN I WOULD START THE CAR, FEARING IT WOULD CATCH ON FIRE, I WOULD ONLY DRIVE IT WHEN I REALLY HAD TO. I HAVE TALKED TO PONTIAC AND THEY SAID MORE COMPLAINTS WOULD HAVE TO COME IN FOR THEM TO DO ANYTHING. MY FATHER-IN-LAW BOUGHT A 2000 GRAND PRIX AND LAST WEEK IT DID THE SAME THING. CAN WE GET A RECALL ON THIS?
NHTSA ID
10004992
Incident
May 22, 1999
Electrical
Filed Oct 11, 2001
Fire reported
SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN MANY TIMES. SMELL BURNING WIRING. SMOKE EMITTED FROM SIDE NEAR HAZARD SWITCH. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE!!!!. *AK
NHTSA ID
753100
Electrical
Filed Oct 11, 2001
SMOKE FREQUENTLY IS EMITTED FROM STEERING COLUMN. THERE SEEMS TO BE A POSSIBLE CONNECTION WITH THE HAZARD SWITCH (LIKE A SHORT).*AK
NHTSA ID
753098
Electrical
Filed Jul 14, 2001
SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING WHEEL WHEN CAR IS STARTED, AND WHEN IT IS BEING DRIVEN. *AK
NHTSA ID
748453
Incident
May 1, 2001
Electrical
Filed May 17, 2001
CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN. FLASHERS AND TURN SIGNALS WEREN'T WORKING. CONSUMER HAD AN APPOINTMENT AT DEALER. *AK
NHTSA ID
888521
Incident
May 7, 2001
Electrical
Filed Mar 23, 2001
WHILE DRIVING DRIVER NOTICED A PUFF OF SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING WHEEL. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED.*AK THIS SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING HAD OCCURED TWICE. THE DEALER INDICATED THE 1994'S WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT SHOULD BE RECALLED NOW TOO. *YH
NHTSA ID
883933
Electrical
Filed Jan 31, 2001
CONTINOUS PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE, VEHICLE TOWED SEVERAL TIMES, HOWEVER VEHICLE IS STILL NOT DEPENDABLE, VEHICLE CHECK GAUGE LIGHT ILLUMINATES NOW, POSSIBLY RELATED TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. CJ
NHTSA ID
559290
Electrical
Filed Sep 6, 2000
Fire reported
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE AFTER SMOKE AND SHORTED OUT P/LOCKS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, BLINKERS
NHTSA ID
730532
Incident
Sep 3, 2000
Electrical
Filed Sep 5, 2000
FAILURE OF EITHER THE BATTERY OR/AND ALTERNATOR AT LEAST THREE TIMES. I HAVE OWENED CAR SINCE NEW.
NHTSA ID
730229
Incident
Sep 5, 2000
Electrical
Filed Jul 21, 2000
EXCESSIVE SMOKE AND HEAT FROM STEERING COLUMN WHILE DRIVING. *AK
NHTSA ID
725768
Incident
Jul 21, 2000
Electrical
Filed Apr 9, 2000
UPON STARTING CAR SMOKE EMITS FROM STEERING COLUMN ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS. *AK
NHTSA ID
721217
Incident
Apr 7, 2000
Electrical
Filed Apr 7, 2000
PLEASE PROVIDE A FIX, TOO HARD TO KEEP REPLACING EVERY 2-3 MONTHS. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
NHTSA ID
711150
Incident
Sep 5, 1999
Electrical
Filed Nov 15, 1999
AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK THE VEHICLE HAS TO BE JUMP STARTED BECAUSE IT JUST DIES. WHEN JUMP STARTING THE VEHICLE, SMOKE COMES FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP. VEHICLE WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON NOVEMBER 22ND FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
NHTSA ID
852882
Electrical
Filed Aug 4, 1999
ON-GOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH SMOKE COMING FROM HORN ASSEMBLY; INSPECTED BY DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND INFORMED THAT HORN MUST BE DISASSEMBLEDTO LOCATE THE PROBLEM WHICH WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. SEEKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER. *AK
NHTSA ID
844244
Incident
Mar 1, 1999
Electrical
Filed Jun 16, 1999
THIS 3.4L DOHC IS KNOWN FOR FRYING ALTERNATORS. I'VE HEARD MANY CASES. *AK
NHTSA ID
707590
Electrical
Filed May 6, 1999
CAR CUTS OUT AND CHUGS - THERE WAS A EMISSIONS MODULE RECALL DONE ON THIS VECHILE IN LATE OCT-EARLY NOV. OF 98 SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD THIS CHUGGING - IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS NOT GETTING GAS OR THAT THECAR IS HAVING COMPUTER PROBLEMS 2 WEEKS AFTER RECALL WAS DONE ON THIS CAR ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY WENT OUT , THAT WASN'T ALL THE BRAKES QUIT WE HAD TO REPLACE 3 ALTERNATORS BEFORE FINALLY IT STARTED WORKING RIGHT AGAIN . THEN APROX. A MONTH LATER IT STARTED CUTTING OUT WHILE YOU TRIED TO EXCEL. ANY AND ALL HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED
NHTSA ID
706288
Incident
Mar 11, 1999
Electrical
Filed Sep 1, 1998
Fire reported
THE VEHICLE FILLED UP WITH SMOKE THAT CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AREA WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE DEALER STATED THAT THE DIRECTIONAL ASSEMBLY SHORTED OUT AND MELTED THE WIRES, RESULTING IN A FIRE. THOSE PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *AK
NHTSA ID
826911
Incident
Jul 30, 1998
BrakesElectricalEngine+2 more
Filed Dec 2, 1997
STARTER FAILED.
NHTSA ID
525587
Incident
Oct 5, 1993
Electrical
Filed Mar 6, 1997
UPON STARTING VEHICLE A STEADY STREAM OF SMOKE POURED OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN CAUSED BY A SHORT IN IGNITION WIRING. *AK
NHTSA ID
514820
Incident
Feb 10, 1997
Electrical
Filed Feb 12, 1997
A STEADY STREAM OF SMOKE POURED FROM STEERING COLUMN WHEN VEHICLE WAS STARTED. BURNING SMELL WAS NOTICED PRIOR TO INCIDENT.
NHTSA ID
546696
Incident
Feb 10, 1997
ElectricalExterior lightingVisibility
Filed Oct 25, 1996
STARTER MOTOR REPLACED.
NHTSA ID
510612
Incident
Sep 18, 1996
Electrical
Filed Sep 4, 1996
Fire reported
UPON STARTING, NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT FROM STEERING COLUMN, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AREA. *AK
NHTSA ID
800884
Incident
Aug 1, 1996
Electrical
Filed May 5, 1996
SMOKE OCCASIONALLY COMES FROM STEERING COLUMN WHEN KEY IS TURNED. *DSH
NHTSA ID
504251
Incident
May 9, 1995
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.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own