1997 Pontiac Grand Am Problems, Recalls & Reliability
600 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 48/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 106,358 miles.
Below average
Where 1997 sits among all Grand Am years
What owners report
“Engine has a hesitation when coming to a stop or leaving a stop. Oil pump has been replaced twice. Ignition module has been replaced twice. Dealer has not corrected the problem on 4 attempts in two weeks.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
“I will never purchase another pontiac-i have had nothing but trouble from this car and absolutely zero help repairing it. I owned two buicks prior to this car and will buy another as soon as i can get rid of this lemon!”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
“Brake system failure caused the brakes to grab and locked resulting in accident and injury. Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
“While driving at approximately 30 mph on a flat surface dual airbags deployed unexpectedly, causing a loss of vehicle control which could have resulted in an crash.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
“Vehicle continaully experience high rpm's and acceleration on its own without throttle, replacement of o2 sensors and pcm did not rectify acceleration problems. Mjs”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
“Both front windows have fallen out of their original tracks and have to be realigned by hand whenever they are rolled down. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Am
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 121 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 92,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 60,094 and 121,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN…
Fix: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
CERTAIN DELPHI AFTERMARKET FUEL PUMP MODULES / MODULE RESERVOIR ASSEMBLIES (MRA) THAT WERE SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. DURING PRODUCTION THE MRAS VENT AND FUEL RETURN TUBES WERE REVERSED. THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN THE VEHICLE NOT RUNNING…
Fix: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE MRAS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 1-877-335-7443.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 27, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN…
THE PROTECTIVE COVER FOR THE UNDERHOOD FUSE CENTER WAS OMITTED. WITHOUT THIS COVER, THE POSITIVE TERMINAL BOLT ON THE FUSE BLOCK IS EXPOSED AND CAN CONTACT THE INSULATED NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. IF THE INSULATION ON THE NEGATIVE CABLE BECOMES SUFFICIENTLY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE PROTECTIVE COVER AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER TO THE UNDERHOOD FUSE CENTER.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS
ON JUNE 26, 1998, GENERAL MOTORS BEGAIN A SAFETY RECALL, 98V-146, TO RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE (SDM) IN THE 1996 AND SOME 1997 J BODY CARS, CAVALIER AND SUNFIRE.DUE TO CERTAIN CALIBRATIONS IN THE AIR BAG SDM, THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT…
Technical service bulletins
67 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and brakes & stability — are on file for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1997 Grand Am TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am reliable?
The 1997 Pontiac Grand Am drew 600 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 48/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 1997 Pontiac Grand Am problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am are electrical (136 complaints), engine (91), and brakes & stability (85).
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Grand Am problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Pontiac Grand Am problems around 92,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 60,094 and 121,000 miles.
Does the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.