Grand Prix GT 3.8L V6

• Automatic transmission
• 65,000 miles

My mother had an absolutely gorgeous 1997 Pontiac grand prix gt. It was bright red with dark windows, handled nice and had good power. I always wanted the car if my mother would want to get rid of it (which she didn't). We were driving the car one day when it started running rough with an engine light on the dash. We figured it just needed a tuneup since it had been a little while since it was done and drove it home. We decided to avoid the highway to take it easy on the car. We were halfway home when it started to smoke. We know enough about cars and pulled over figuring it was overheating or a gasket went. When we popped the hood there wasn't any leaks around the radiator so I went to check the gaskets to look for any coolant or leaks there. I soon discovered the problem-a small flame at the back of the motor. I ran a block down the street to a car dealership (the one that we bought the car from a couple years before) to get a fire extinguisher. I was only gone a few minutes and the fire was a lot larger. While waiting for the fire department i used the whole extinguisher. The fire department came and put it out. The fire destroyed the motor, melted the trans in park and almost burned through the firewall. The fire department said it was probably the main wring harness that started the fire. The car was totaled. We checked online for any recalls and found a wiring harness recall for later models. The recall mentioned the car running rough but nothing else. Other than that we loved the car but i would recommend getting that checked out.