1999 Pontiac Grand Prix Problems, Recalls & Reliability
500 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 63/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 118,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1993, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2008.
Avoid
Where 1999 sits among all Grand Prix years
What owners report
“The intake on my car has cracked and been replaced twice in two years. The cause is still uknown.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
“Consumer states while turning left the vehicle loses power steering. Please provide any additional information. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
“Drove 10 minutes to work, 10 minutes later, someone yelled "there is a car on fire!" i found out it was mine. Flames were showing under the engine compartment. The vehicle was totaled. Gm blamed the fire on the dealer installed alarm system. There was no warning of anykind. The fire spreaded…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
“Consumer stated that when they turned the windshield wipers on, the wipers flew off the vehicle. Dealer notified. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
“Consumer's vehicle used to get 324 miles to a full tank of gas, now it only gets 207 miles, the driver information center will not register digitally over 279 miles, dealership is offering little or no assistance, vehicle has been taken to dealer every other day for 2 months. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
“Transmission failure at 65,000 miles. Trannmission cooler apparently blew a line puttin anti freeze through the the transmission. According to my service man a recurring problem wth pontiac grand prixs of the 1999 body style.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Grand Prix
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 281 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 98,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 65,000 and 139,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were…
Fix: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine’s front valve cover and gasket.…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
DORMAN IS RECALLING 979 STEERING KNUCKLES, DORMAN P/NOS. 697-902 AND 697-903, SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS<SUP>TM</SUP>" BRAND NAME, AND NAPA P/NOS. 7-8502 AND 7-8503 WHICH WERE SOLD FOR REPLACEMENT USE ON THE VARIOUS VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. A POTENTIAL…
Fix: DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
GM IS RECALLING 207,542 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL AND PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L SUPERCHARGED V-6 ENGINE. THESE VEHICLES HAVE HIGHER FRONT ROCKER COVER GASKET TEMPERATURES, CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR EARLIER DEGRADATION OF THE FRONT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, ALONG…
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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MINI VANS, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG INFLATOR MODULES COULD PRODUCE EXCESSIVE INTERNAL PRESSURE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT WOULD TRIGGER A DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, THE INCREASED INTERNAL PRESSURE CAN CAUSE THE INFLATOR…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 1, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 08V118000.
Led to recall campaign 04V090000.
Led to recall campaign 02V027001.
Technical service bulletins
89 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 Grand Prix 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 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix reliable?
The 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix drew 500 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 63/100, scored against the model's worst year (1997).
What are the most common 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix are engine (207 complaints), steering (61), and electrical (57).
At what mileage do 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix problems around 98,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 65,000 and 139,000 miles.
Does the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. 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.