Used 2002 Pontiac Grand Am Consumer Reviews
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Passlock problems
Until this year I have never had a problem with my Grand Am. I loved the car....that is until I started getting stranded all the time. Everyone says to wait 10 min with the key on but I always end up waiting at least 40. And it's not always my security light that goes on it's the service engine soon, trac off and ABS. I am getting really tired of having to sit in parking lots for up to an hour waiting for my car to start, how will I go grocery shopping when it's hot!? This is a BIG problem and GM needs to do a recall on this issue. I have always had a problem with the brakes on this car too.
been great so far!
We have owned this car since it was brand new. it now has 209400 miles on it! I've out in an alternator, window wiper motor, and a new ignition. it still needs a couple things, like a new indicator switch because it makes a ticking noise while off, but for how long it's lasted and the little work its needed, it has been a great car! it still runs great, and I'll probably get it up to 250000 miles before I sell it.
Timing Chain eats engine
So much for regular maintenance and synthetic oil. The 2002 2.2L ecotec has a child's bicycle chain to drive the cams and it, like thousands of others , have failed. GM knew this. They made improvements in 2003. They sent dealer bulletins but not a word to the owners. I think this is a very poor way to do business. I visited the dealership and got a world class cock and bull story with an offer to take my car in trade for $125 dollars. I'm done with GM... forever.
rmk
The car has perfromed without problem in all types of weather from sub-zero to the heat of the summer. Never a problemin starting or operating.
ROLLING UP DASH PAD
I have a 2002 grand am se sedan 4cyl AT, AC, CDAMFM RADIO, MANNUAL SEATS. I have a problem tha Pontiac has refused to take resposiblity for. The dash pad has started to roll up, has broken the plastic defrost deflectors now the window will not defog properly (safety hazzard). The passenger side air bag is in the dash under the loose dash pad. The airbag is designed to punch thru the pad but with pad being loose it will not function properly and the loose dash pad will impact the passenger instead of the airbag..(safety/deadly hazzard) would like to know how to fix this problem. 9 of 10 gran ams I have looked at have the same problem. The subquality glue is letting go.
Great reliable affordable car
I have had this car for over 10 years now and I am just now thinking of getting a new car. I have had to do just a few minor repairs since I bought it. It has ample room, and it handles great in the city and on the highway. It has been a very dependable car!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
my cat
This car has been absolutely amazing untill I had to get the motor redone. The passenger side window had to be replace once the wire broke and it fell. This is the second one ive owned.. Other than the problems i recently had with the motor.. it has been great I would recommend to anyone as long a they were willing to keep it well taken care of!
Severe engine problems
Great when bought brand new. but beware of engine problems. #1 lower intake leaks. Head Gasket leaks. hard on brakes. stay away from this vehicle or any other gm vehicle with the 3.4l and 3.6l and 3.8l engines they all have issues with leaks.
Horrible!
This car was so cheaply made. We had to replace the passlock system twice, fuel pump, driver's side window motor, something else under the hood that was $600 (My husband isn't home and I can't remember the name of it) and the list goes on and on. We have poured roughly 5-6 thousand dollars into this car since we bought it. On repairs that were required unless we wanted the car as a lawn decoration. Pontiac should have stepped up and recalled so many of these problems. I will never again in my life buy another GrandAm, or anything within that family.
2002 Grand Am SE1 (3.4L V-6, Automatic)
I bought mine used in 2005 with 60k miles on it. I am just now (in mid 2013) through steps to fix it up a little to resell or trade in. I was attracted to it because I could by afford it, and it had a pretty sexy looking body style, an ergonomic interior design, and a nice little dose of low end torque. It was a bright red car and I dubbed it 'the Ferrari.' I have been through a lot with it and have kept it so long that I have spent almost as much insuring it as I did to buy it. The downside is that it is a General Motors car from an era where the passenger cars where he trim, plastics, and electrical systems suffer from poor design and durability.
A lot of car for the money
Bought at cost plus the 2002 rebate. Got a lot of car for the money. Got the v6 engine and love the way it performs. The controls are well-laid out, and the steering and handling are good. Does not have the build quality that toyota or honda have, but for the money I paid, I'm quite happy.
Great Car
This is a great car no problems what so ever.
GT could use a bit more power
Having driven the car for a month, have had no problems so far. Impressed with the smooth ride handling. Adequate pickup from the V6, but GM should be able to extract more power from it. The Monsoon audio system is a nice feature, but would be nicer with an in-dash CD changer.
A great car at an affordable price.
The new 2002 Pontiac Grand Am drives like a true sportscar. The coupe looks very nice, and is very fun to drive. It has a great stereo system in it as well. I am planning on upgrades upgrades onto it, even though it is extremely nice the way it comes from the factory. The car could come with a larger engine, and the sc/t spoiler should take place of the current spoilers for gt models. The wheels are the best wheels I have seen that acually come with the car. The ride is exceptionally smooth, and it is a great value for what you pay for the vehicle.
Fantastic
I just totaled my '02 Grand Am and I miss her sorely. For the 5 years I had her and the 104K miles I put on her, I never had to replace anything on her that wasn't expected. I kept my up on my oil changes and took good care of her with tune-ups, alignments and everything. She was a great car. I never had any complaints and I drive in Atlanta!
Love/Hate Relationship
I fell in love with it the moment I saw it at the dealer. Finally, a car that didn't look like a dumb Toyota! For a long time it was great. Then a series of maddening little problems cropped up. Brakes are too small, easily overheat & warp. Turn signal clacker frantically clacks all by itself at random. Rear speakers rattle at 80K miles. CD player sometimes has a mind of its own. Theft deterrent system will occasionally shut off the ignition system for no reason (easy fix, but takes 20 minutes). Dexcool coolant system is stupid. Original battery blew a cell, shocks started squeaking at 65K. Overall, I love how it looks and drives, but the little problems keep it from being truly great.
Windows, Brakes, Steering, now what?
My 2002 40,800 miles, I'm the original owner. I commute to work via train so my mileage stays low & I only use it on weekends around town. It has gone to neighboring states for family visits & a trip from IL to AK once, hence most of the mileage. I've been through window clip replacements, brakes, battery, tires/wheels, and thought I had the steering shakes corrected while under warranty but never could get to the bottom of it. The car shakes at 55 mph so we take my husband's car for trips that require high speed. Just this week I noticed a squeaking/rattle coming from what might be suspension/under carriage? I should have stayed with Honda. Again, only 40,800 miles!!!!!
GM sold me a lemon!!!!
My vehicle was a lemon and GM would not stand behind vehicle. Currently in lawsuit with GM to get my money back. GM did not treat me like a real customer. A customer who before making the first payment car was in shop. Then in shop about every 2-3 weeks for same problem. GM customer service was terrible. If you have a GM product I will pray for you!!!!!
grand am
This is the most miserable car I've ever owned. The same three problems happen every year (window regulator, blower motor, transmission.) I paid $10,000 for it in '04 I've put approx $6,000 into it in repairs. I will never own another pontiac again based on the performance of this car.
Love this car!
I bought this car 3 years ago with 19k miles on it. It now has about 60k miles; I have had to replace the O2 sensor once (about $300). Otherwise my only expense has been the usual maintenance - oil changes and first full round of tires 4 months ago. This car has been extremely reliable, and is a great family vehicle. It also gets decent mileage for its size; I get 28 mpg city/hwy combined. It is also quite stylish for the price and fun to drive! I am very satisfied with my purchase.
Good car, cheaply made
*Note this is a "sports" car your insurance will be expensive I bought it May 2013 (MY first car :D) $1,800 and 147K miles. Mine is a Canadian car (I live in Michigan) so everything is metric/km :S But yeah good mpg, very rust resistant, lots of power for lil' 4 cyl, after 9 months still reliable. Problems: The seats and various useless plastics are breaking. The previous owner wore down the springs, catalytic converter went (I hear this is a common problem, I bought mine online $75 and had Tuffy put it in $45. 12 years old and most everything on the car is factory gear! (Although not good in some cases..)
Not bad 4 the price
had 119,000 when I bought it. Has minor issues with window clips, weather lights won't shut off. Minor coolant leak that doesn't worsen. Had overheating probs and check engine issues all eventually traced to clogged caty convertor. Runs like new now. Nice to drive, easy on gas, plenty of zip. Until the caty went berserk was fairly trouble free. Makes a nice first car for a student. I'm 5'11 265 and can easily get in and out. tight fit for 3 in the back and trunk holds a three bowling ball bag plus set of golf clubs and a couple gym bags. On fishing trips my rear seat stows extra gear. Will pull my 17' boat w/ trans cooler and still gets decent mileage but struggles a little up steep hills.
Second Time Around
I owned a '99 GA SE sedan and now an '02 SE1, I even got the same color. This one is loaded, except the V6. Differences? You can turn the DRL's off, but the parking lights remain. Chimes for the various reminders are not as loud as they were in the '99. A nifty cup holder was added on the console. The new 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine vs the 2.4. I keep reading about how smooth & quiet the new 2.2 is. I find the new engine to be loud, it makes a clicking sound even @ idle. The car is less torquey, fuel mileage is exceptional. 2 nagging concerns on build quality. A rattle in the roof liner near the moonroof button. Plastic pieces in my car are not flush.
car was free would never buy this after ownership experience
so i got the car when it was 8 years old with 5,000 miles on it, previously owned by my grandmother as an extra car. haven't had to do anything major on it since owning it, biggest annoyance is that every time i have something break and i can't figure out what is broken to cause my problem i find the answer online telling me that this crap happens all the time on this model. lots of interior pieces broke or warped due to gm using plastics that deteriorate after 5 years, as i was told by a gm employee. lots of little quirks, but car has never left me stranded. would be a solid first car for some teen, as fun to drive as a honda, which is saying something.
Great Car But......
Brake noise! This is my 2nd GT. My first was a 2000. I love the car but won't buy another one, because the brake noise. It sounds like the pads are dragging but there not. I've had it to the dealership several times and they say it's because of what the rotors are made of. I have talked to other Grand Am driver and they have the same problem. It is annoying to the point that it ruins the car.
No wonder everyone is buying foreign.
We bought this car brand new, It ran fine until the warranty expired and then the fun began. Wheel bearing, Transmission rebuild, 3 complete sets of brakes in 100,000 miles, intake manifold gasket replace, multifunction switch, and now my abs/trac off light keeps coming on. These are mostly highway miles and we're not rough with the car. I would expect a car company who is trying to compete with the likes of Honda and Toyota to sell a decent vehicle. I have never had a car with so many issues. This is the first GM car I have ever owned and I guarantee, it will be the last.
The Best First Car Ever!
This Is My First New Car And It's Great. My Parents Bought It For Me For Graduation. It Is A Galaxy Silver Metalic - Fully Loaded 2dr. Coupe. It Has A Leather Interior,Spoiler,Dual Exhaust,Moonroof,Monsoon Sound System Which Is Very Very Loud Just To Mention A Few Things! The Price Is Very Great For This Vehicle!
One great car (3.4 L V-6 GT1)
So I have to say this car rocks. I did a little modifying to the engine like put in a better air intake, put on high performance tires, and a different exhaust. The manual says that it started with 17 hp but with all my work it is probably around 225 hp now. I have ot say it is super fast. It is auto but when I drop it into first and work it like a stick I can pull a 5 second 0-60. My top end I actually beat a v8 camaro from 60-120. It is a great ride. The only complaint is in the manifold the gaskets keep breaking. They are cheap and plastic surrounded by metal so they will break in all of your cars promise. But take good care of ur car and I guarantee ur car will return the favor. Good buy
Surprisingly reliable...except...
I have a 2002 Grand Am SE1, with the special tropical teal color. I bought it used from Enterprise at 20k miles. I thought for sure I'd have some problems, since it was a rental.... nope none... It went up to 60k miles before the blower motor resistor went, then at 80k miles the head and upper manifold gaskets went, due to DEXCOOL turning into acid and eating the gaskets and clogging my radiator. Fortunately, the car is easy to work on and I actually replaced the gaskets myself and the car runs great again. Now at 90k miles, nothing else major has broke... Only needed brakes twice, though now the shocks are starting to squeek and the A/C clutch is worn. But everything else is great.
Where's the driving excitement?
My car was a lemon painted to resemble a lime. It was a problem from day 1 and it never stopped until I dumped it last month. Everything from the trunk latch popping while I was moving to the radio that wouldn't go down to the struts that failed at 5000 miles to the grinding noise that no one could fix etc etc. The list goes on and on. I have finally found the advertised driving excitement in my new Acura and will never again own a GM product!
Don't Buy a Grand Am
I bought a 2002 Grand Am GT a couple of months ago and the passlock system started acting up. I have read a lot about this subject on message boards so I took my radio out to look at the yellow wire. Someone had soldered it to the black wire. I disconnected it from the black wire but left the yellow wire cut. Now the car won't even turn over let alone start. I wish I had never bought this car.
My Second One
Last Grand Am was a 93 model. It gave me 5 years of "no payements" and while pushing 200,000 miles, was still running like a top when I traded it for the new style that I wanted! What a great car!
Piece of Crap
Bought this car with 52,000 miles on it for 11,500. Within the first 6 months I replaced the front main gasket and 3 driver side window regulators. I just replaced my passenger reg before Christmas. This car has been in and out of the shop since I bought it in 04. It has 120,000 miles now and is back in the shop as I speak. The oil, thermostat, and temperature sensors are being replaced along with power steering pump. I've had O2 sensor, air compressor, plugs and wires replaced. The list goes on and on if you get my point. I wouldn't recommend or sale this car to my worst enemy!!!!
2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE
Just rolled over 100,000 miles and have only had to replace a window motor and fan switch. The front in rattles when going over rough pavement, but can't really complain about the car.
Good
So far so good, good in snow. Good gas mileage and comfortable on long trips. Lots of trunk space.
Great car! But
This was my first real car and I absolutely loved it! The car was great in the snow, handled the highway very well and looked so good on the outside that an additional custom paint job on the hood had passers by turning their heads and giving thumbs up! The GT version is not overly common and I enjoyed having a car that separated me from the cars that my friends drove around.
Fun car
Great value for the dollar. We traded a Grand Am with 54K miles that had never been in the shop except for oil changes (and a little bit of body work). We have only a few hundred miles on the new car, but it sure seems solid, quick and gets 30 mpg... not bad for the way I drive :)
Amaing first car
When i first got this car it had some small fixs that were all not hard to fix. the Body was in perfect shape. it runs great and i have had no problems with it. the only think that mite bug some is the suspention kinda gets rough.
Good Riddance!
I thought I'd be stuck with this car, but fortunately, I totaled it. It was nothing but trouble from day 3. First, the radio had to be replaced because it was draining the battery when the car was parked. Then there was a series of electrical issues, primarily with the brake warning lights coming on indicating the ABS and ETS were not functioning. Pontiac didn't know how to fix this and just told me to keep driving it. Finally, on the 5th attempt, it was fixed. There's also a common issue that the blinker sound will come on while driving. Thank God I purchased a 60K warranty on this when I bought it brand new! My partner, on the other, hand purchased a 2002 Grand Am SE1 and had 0 probs
Fast Good looking Fun but
I bought it new in sept 2001. It now has 65K miles on it. Power window motor repaired replaced 4 times. Turn signal stalk replaced. Blown intake manifold gasket replaced at 60K. Power seat broken 3 times and gave up having it fixed. Cost of repairs over 7 1/2 years is about 1500 which I guess isnt bad. Regular oil changes and 1 set of tires and brakes at 55K. I love the car but the darn 3.4s have a history of bad manifold gaskets. My 95 Grand Prix had same problem but no untillo 165K
grand am
Bought this car from a dealer it had one owner w/17,900 miles on it in 2006 and its unbelievable it was a 2002 so I purchased it it was a great car and very reliable up till last year 2009 when I had to have the head gasket replaced and 6 months later the fuel pump and now with only little over 50,000 miles on it there is something seriously wrong don't know what and no mechanic seems to either went from a reliable car to not so much reliable now I am scared to drive it with my two children not knowing if I am going to be stranded or not
Great Car
I bought this car in the middle of winter as a gift to myself. It had 131,000 miles on it when I purchased from a local dealer. High miles, and since it was the GT I knew it had been driven hard and put away wet, but it was so sharp I had to buy it. I had the car for two years and never had a problem other than regular maintenance and an occasional fuse blowing. I drove the car like it was a race car, the handling was incredible, and the engine ran like a dream, plus people really took notice of it's awesome monsoon sound system, that thing would boom!
Absolute Junk!
This car has been a lemon from the start. List of repairs... 1) 5 trips to the shop for leaking water when it rains. Problem continues. 2) Driver side window quit working. 3) Electric driver seat control quit working. 4) Gas gauge sending unit went out. 5) Service engine soon light came on at 23,000 miles.
Went Back and got another
I foolishly got rid of my 2000 red GT, when I wanted to go down a car, (we had too many). However we have gone back and got one now, 2 yrs later, in an awesome color they did not have on my 2000. POLO GREEN, it is gorgeous! However, I was a little bummed they changed the mirrors to be like the Alero's, ie: no vent thru, like the Grand Prix's, and they changed the side ribbing/cladding a little, but the new polished wheel style and monsoon system is great!
Great Value For The Money!
This web site was extremely helpful while I was shopping for a new car. I did lots of research before buying the Grand Am GT and feel I made the right decision. It looks great, has impressive interior space, loaded with lots of useful features, excellent performance and handling, and is priced right. As someone who drives 25,000 miles per year, this car fits all my needs. Test drive one for yourself - you won't be disappointed.
ga gt
my car is awsome.love the handling,the performance,and the looks.it asks what i want from the car and has a lot of room for a car that is considered a midsize car.so far not one problem and am always smileing to my car when i'm about to drive it .its styling is quite distinctave and my only problem is that there are too many grand ams on the road ,but i must remind myself that only a few are GTs!!!....if i had a say in future grand ams is that they should have locking gas caps,and a power antenna.oh one more thing lighted visor mirrors!!!!!thank you pontiac.
Very Unreliable
This is the worst car I ever owned.This car has lived at the dealership since week one.In the first 30000 miles I had replace the power steering pump,the coolant bottle due to a leak,the intake manifold seal due to a leak,rotors replaced once & resurfaced once,very rough idle that the service dept can't find,noise from front end that I am told the tires are walking on the rims. The check engine light has come on & off but they can find no stored codes.I could go on forever.I work on the road & this is very inconvenient.
Great car!
Great daily vehicle. Good on snowy and Ice, excellent handling and acceleration. The leather was great and the inside looked cool. I would buy another
loaded for the price, fun to drive
for the price, the GT model is fun to drive with a lot of options. Real value!
Great Car. Will Buy Another Again.
This is my first car, which was bought from a craigslist seller. At first I didn't care to much for it since it was common, but i later realized how nice this car really looks compared to others I see on the road today. The interior is nice, and easily customizable. The exterior of the car is nice, and looks sporty. I have had only one issue with it. It died once at a stop sign, it started back up and was fine and had not had this problem for over a year now. When my brother gets this car, I will probably just buy another (newer) Pontiac Grand Am.