electrical problem
9.0
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$470.00
Average Mileage:
55,750 miles
Number of complaints:
8 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (4 reports)
- wait 20 minutes with the key in the ignition (3 reports)
- did the bypass of the passlock (1 reports)
Helpful Websites About 2004 Pontiac Grand Am passlock problem, won't start and security light is blinking
2007Jul 12
Grand Am V6
- Automatic transmission
- 53,000 miles
well like everyone on here have had nothing but a headache with the passlock system.it has done it over 20 times or more,i have had to sit in the car and wait too many time,i have call the dealership and complain with it i hope they would recall it and fix it cause it is dangerous to have it do it to you in any situation,my hubby and his brother bypass it and put a toggle switch to see if it would help with out me having to wait on it.please let me hear more about it from you.
2008Apr 21
Grand Am
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
IF ANYONE HAS THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING A GRAND AM....DON'T!!!! i bought my 2004 grand am shortly over a year ago...the car was 2 years old when i bought it. and all i have had are problems with it. my uncle's a mechanic, could not figure it out...the car does not start in extreme heat or extreme cold....called up Pontiac and set up a file with them..said to go and have an updated diagnosis of the car before they would do anything..(i had to pay for it $45)..the dealership told me i had to replace the ignition lock cylinder(~$650) at first the car just didn't start...ok i could deal with it. about 3 weeks ago, it didn't start before i left to go home from work..i got home, put the car in reverse to get closer to the curb, and the car shut off on me!!!..what makes me mad is when i was still covered under the warranty of the dealership i took it to them multiple times, and they 'couldn't figure it out'....so that is when i called Pontiac. Pontiac c/s told me to turn the key on the on position for ten minutes, then take the key out, then the car will start...told my uncle this his response was "if you do that enough, you can fry your computer..." which would cost me a ton of money!! the other day, i'm driving home and i hear my car accelerate then stop...literally the car shut off in the middle of me driving it!!! i could not turn the steering wheel at all!!!..i was about a foot and a half away from hitting a tree..called Pontiac again when i finally got the car started!!!..'well what would you like from us?' a permanent solution not a temporary fix that could eventually cost someone their life...if anyone else is having a problem with their passlock system or their security light(and if it starts blinking get off to the side of the road)...call 1-800-762-2737 and file a claim...then call the nhtsa..at 1-888-327-4236 and file a report with them..eventually someone will stand up and do what is right!!! this may be the reason why Pontiac stopped making the grandam's after '05!!!...the reason why there is no recall...is because no one knows what part needs to be recalled!!!!...this is a safety hazard!!..a MANUFACTURERS DEFECT!!!...us hard working host Americans do not deserve to be treated like dirt on the bottom of their shoes and get treated badly just because they want to make 'a buck'!!!!
2008Apr 21
Grand Am
- Automatic transmission
- 41,000 miles
i bought my 2004 Pontiac grand am se about a year ago. roughly a week after i purchased the vehicle, the car started having a problem starting. I took it back to the dealership(because mind you i had too many miles for Pontiac to deal with it!) and they couldn't fix the problem. i had it back to the dealership about 3 times, the one time they had it for almost two weeks!!! When the car doesn't start, and i finally get it started the security light is on!!! I thought the problem had gone away because during the fall, it didn't seem to have the problem. Well.....the issue popped back up again in the winter!!..only in the winter and summer..extreme heat and extreme cold. About 3 weeks ago, the car didn't start leaving from work...what a surprise!! i go the car started and drove home. i go home went to put the car in reverse to get closer to the curb and the car completely shut off on me...the first time this had happened!!..i called up my uncle(who's a mechanic) and my finance called one of his friends who also works with cars on a daily basis. My uncle had no idea, he knew it had something to do with the passlock system, but he didn't specialize in Pontiac's. my fiance's friend said he had to tow someone to a Pontiac dealership for the same problem and it came back that he needed a "software update"...i then decided to call Pontiac customer service..which is getting me nowhere!!!...i had to go and get an updated diagnosis of the vehicle($45) and then she would help me. I got it done and they told me i had the replace the ignition lock cylinder; the keys and the cylinder are not reading each other properly so the car thinks that someone is trying to steal it! the totally cost for replacement and new keys was ~$650. i then called back Pontiac and told them what the mechanic had said. their solution was to turn the key on the on position for 10 minutes turn the car off then it will start...well in the meantime, i had already done my researching. and if you do that(which resets the computer) too many times, it can fry your computer and you car can shut off as you are driving down the road!!! The lady wanted to know "well what can i do for you then" give me a permanent solution not a temporary fix that eventually is going to cost me more money and possibly my life!!! well what do you know, the damn thing didn't start leaving work yesterday, when i got it started i was about 3 miles down the road and the car shut off!!! the engine stopped and i could not turn my steering wheel..i was about a foot and a half away from hitting a tree..all i can say is I'm glad i wasn't driving down the pa turnpike at 70 mph!!!...Pontiac needs to step up and take care of this problem...i know there are more people like me out there that are having this same issue with their Pontiac car...they don't want to 'fork' out the money, but is it really worth somebody's life? this is a safety hazard!!..a MANUFACTURERS defect..the car isn't even 5 years old!!! if enough of us honest hard working people stand up and fight for what is right..maybe just maybe we will get somewhere with this company...
2007Jun 04
(reported on)Grand Am V4
- Automatic transmission
- 57,000 miles
My car recently would not start. The security light came on and would not go off. I learned that by putting the ignition in on position and hold for 10 minutes til the blinking security light stops blinking, the car will start. but it is starting to do that everytime i crank the car now.
2008Jan 15
Grand Am GT 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 86,000 miles
I am a single mom and this is the 3rd time I have had to have the passlock system repaired. The 1st time I was under the extended warranty and it only cost me $100.00 to fix the problem and it was not even a month later and the system failed again while I was at the dealership and they repaired it for free. I do not understand why they can not by pass the system or recall the system and repair it. I can not afford to keep fixing this car. I have called a couple of dealerships and independent mechanics and the price to fix the car is approximately $300.00 to change the locking cylinder or $400.00 to change the BCM module. I would like for Pontiac or GM to step up and fix the problem.
2007Jul 20
(reported on)Grand Am SE 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 29,000 miles
I have seen this problem over and over for earlier models of Pontiac Grand AM's with a security problem involving a passlock failure. I got in my car today, and it wouldn't start. The engine will turn over, but the fuel system will not engage. So I researched the problem and came up with this and many other web sites detailing the exact same problem. As I am writing this, I am currently resetting the passlock system by turning the ignition switch and leaving it in the on position for 10 minutes. The problem isn't the passlock system. The problem is Pontiac and General Motors refusal to do the honorable thing and recall the passlock system. I don't care if this is not a safety issue. When a company, any company, passes off a product with a known defect and then expects the customer, who in this case has paid thousands of dollars for the product, to pay for the problem as well, that's not just bad customer service, it's an unconscionable case of fraud perpetrated against the customer. I for one will be glad to throw my hat into any class action suit against Pontiac and GM for this injustice! If anyone has any suggestion as to a more permanent solution to this problem, please let me know.
2007Sep 19
(reported on)Grand Am V6
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
2004 GRAND AM, Royal Pain, has left me stranded several times with my 4 year old, had to be towed, the Passlock system acting up, bought new battery to no avail, the rearview mirror fell, the passenger side window does not work, the interior ac/heater button fell off, had to buy two batteries in 3 years. I am shopping for a dealership that will help get rid of this lemon. I have to work for a living, do not show up, do not get pay, single parent can't afford this junk, bought brand new, only 50,000 miles observed problems as soon as the warranty expired! CLASS ACTION SUIT NEEDS TO FILED!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008May 08
Grand Am SE 3.4L V6
This car was nothing but a complete disaster ever since I bought the damn thing four years ago
slapnutsgalore
Volant, PA, USA
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