Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 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
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE PREMATURELY WEARING. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT HIGH SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATES, AND PEDAL NEARLY GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. *AK CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO STOP AT SPEEDS OVER 35 MPH ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES SINCE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, AND NEED REPLACEMENT AGAIN AT THE PRESENT TIME. *JB
VECHICLE ABS LIGHT CAME ON ALL INTERIOR AND EXTERNAL LIGHTS DIMMED, ONCE VECHICLE WAS SHUT OFF IT WOULD NOT RESTART. BATTERY WAS REPLACED IT WORKED FINE FOR ABOUT 1 WEEK. I WAS INFORMED THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT PUTTING OUT ENOUGH AMPS, SO THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED AND 1 WEEK LATER SAME PROBLEM AGAIN SO ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED A 2ND TIME. THAT SAME DAY THE PROBLEM WAS REPEATED. IT SEEMS WHEN THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON ALL THE POWER FROM THE BATTERY IS DRAINED.
BRAKE ROTORS RUSTED OUT, CAUSING THEM TO FLAKE AWAY WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, REPAIRED AT OWNER'S COST. *AK *ML
MY FATHER, JIMMIE G. NALL, ORIGINALLY LEASED THIS VEHICLE; AT LEASE END, HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FOR ME. WHILE MY FATHER HAD IT, HE HAD IT SERVICED REGULARLY ON SCHEDULE, INCLUDING HAVING THE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES. WHEN THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND I BECAME THE MAIN DRIVER IT HAD A LITTLE OVER 18K MILES. IT NOW HAS 34496. NOTHING SHOULD BE WRONG WITH THIS CAR. I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO MAKE ANY MAJOR REPAIRS YET. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH WEAR AND TEAR FOR MAJOR DAMAGE OR REPAIRS. THE TRANSMISSION IS NOW STARTING TO SLIP AT TIMES. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON THEN WILL GO OFF AFTER A LITTLE WHILE. THE TEMP. WILL GO UP RAPIDLY (230) NOT TO A DANGEROUS LEVEL, THEN DROP BACK DOWN (210) AFTER I TURN ON THE HEATER. EVERYDAY WHEN STARTING, I HAVE TO TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH AT LEAST 3 TIMES BEFORE IT WILL START. WHILE DRIVING, SUDDENLY IT SEEMS LIKE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL FOR A SPLIT SECOND AND THE ODOMETER WILL JUMP SLIGHTLY. I HAVE HAD THE TRANS. FLUID CHECKED AND IT IS FULL. WE HAVE REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR ONCE, THE BATTERY TWICE, THE IGNITION SWITCH ONCE. FOR AS FEW MILES AS THIS CAR HAS, ALL THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE WRONG, AND I REALLY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO BE REPLACING PARTS AND MAKING REPAIRS ON AN ALMOST NEW VEHICLE. THE BACK BRAKES RUMBLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN AFTER BACKING UP AND COMING TO A STOP. I HAVE ALWAYS HEARD THIS RUMBLING. I FEEL THIS CAR IS BASICALLY A LEMON, BUT I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD GO AND TRADE THE GRAND PRIX IN, FOR 34500 MILES, AS STATED BEFORE, THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR! *AK
BRAKES ARE NOT OPERABLE. *AK
CONSUMER HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH POWER DOORS/LOCKS EVERY SINCE SHE HAS HAD THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS LOCKED INSIDE FOR THIRTY MINUTES. ALSO, POWER STEERING AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING. SHE HELD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE DOWN, JAMMING IT. *AK
WAS GOING 30MPH & HAD APPLIED BRAKES. VEHICLE KEPT GOING. LOW TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE HIT ONE CURB & THEN ANOTHER CURB BEFORE COMING TO STOP ON RAMP. SECOND TIME AT 20MPH OFF RAMP. HIT BRAKES, VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN. PRESSED HARDER. ABS LIGHT CAME ON & STAYED. HEARD A SNAP & ROTOR BROKE; WHEEL & VEHICLE WENT INTO SPIN. *AK
UPON INSPECTION OF THE TIRES CONSUMER NOTICED REAR BRAKES DID NOT OPERATE DUE TO RUSTED ROTORS AND INOPERATIVE CALIPERS/ PADS. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER , AND DEALER REPLACED THE CALIPERS/ROTORS AND PADS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
DEALER SAYS REAR ROTORS WERE UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO RUSTING. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE CAR IS GARAGE KEPT, STILL HAS THE "NEW-CAR LOOK" AND ONLY HAS 17000 MILES ON IT. DEALER CLAIMS "LACK OF USE" AS REASON FOR DETERIORATION OF BRAKE ROTORS. IN MY OPINION, EITHER FAULTY MATERIALS, POOR DESIGN OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH IS WHAT LEAD TO THIS UNSAFE CONDITION. DEALER SAYS PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. *AK
MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS 28,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS REPLACED 3 TIMES!
AT 26,000 MILES REAR ROTORS WERE WARPED AND RUSTY. HAD THEM REPLACED. AT 34,000 ROTORS ARE WEARING OUT ALSO. *AK
THE BRAKE CALIPER UPPER RETAINING BOLT WOULD FALL OUT ALLOWING THE BRAKE CALIPER TO LODGE AGAINST AND LOCKUP THE WHEEL.
ABS BRAKES ARE SUBJECT TO INTERMITTENT FAILURE, CAUSING THE PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES. *AK *SLC
BRAKE ROTORS CONTINUALLY FAILING CAUSING NOISE.
CONSUMER STATES WHEN BRAKEARE APPLIED THER IS DELAY IN BRAKING, A POPPING NOISE IS HEARD AND THEN THE BRAKE WILL INGAGE. OWNER HAS HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED THROUGH A DEALER . THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM
ABS BRAKE FAILURE, THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND ABS LIGHT COME ON YELLOW, LOW TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE PEDAL IS LOW. IN FOR TO REPLACE ABS SENSORS. *AK
OXYGEN SENSOR REPLACED.
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
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