The reservoir cap was broken, but i hadn't realized this when i purchased the car. So I went to put water in it, drove off, and it severely overheated in a matter of a couple minutes. I thought that this was due to the water being spurted out through the overflow valve. So i went to buy a new cap, and had to end up buying four of them because the damn things kept breaking. Once i finally got one that worked, it kept overheating. So I had a mechanic look at it, and he decreed that the head gasket was blown, the intake manifold was cracked, and i was getting water in my oil pan. On top of all this, the thermostat needs replaced. All this just because i tried to put water and coolant in it.

This POS vehicle has caused me to blow my own gasket.

I bought a 2001 Grand Am SE in 2002 (used as a rental vehicle from the dealership I got it from). In 2004, my low coolant light came on so I bought coolant, added it and brought it in to the dealership that day. They did a pressure check which came back ok and a dye test (results only during next oil change). During the following oil change I had asked the mechanic if he had noticed any dye and he said no.... soooooo I assumed it was just my imagination and that the coolant only needed to be topped up (maybe someone forgot to top it up during a previous oil change). I brought the vehicle to the dealership a few times to have oil changes done since '04 and no one mentioned that there was a LARGE pool of coolant sitting right under my engine (vehicle was still under extended warranty). It wasn't until I took it to Canadian Tire (once warranty expired) that their mechanic informed me I had an intake gasket leak. I called GM and no one returned my call so I decided to email them. First and foremost, I must say that the Canadian GM Customer Service is HORRIBLE. It took days of playing telephone tag in order to actually speak to someone AFTER the case had been unknowingly transferred to someone else. They instructed me to bring the vehicle in and have it tested, so I did and GUESS WHAT? Not even within 1 hour, they confirmed what CT had said.

Now CT had given me an estimate for $1200 CDN and GM said there was nothing they could do because I was 10 000kms over the 100K mark and I was no longer under warranty EVEN THOUGH I had brought it in while under warranty and they were WELL AWARE of this problem 3 yrs prior to me even bringing it in.

What pisses me off is the fact that after they said no to repairing it, I sent them a registered letter asking them to review the case again and tell me why the vehicles had not been recalled. I asked for a response via MAIL, not email and oh what did I get? an email saying no yet again. 2 weeks ago a sent a reply to that email stating it was not what I had asked for and that I wanted the name of the supervisor/manager of the customer service rep. that i was dealing with. Still no response... Soooo now what I will be doing is sending a registered letter to the President of GM and have added myself to 1 of the 8 class action lawsuits here in Canada.

All in all, my advice- stay away from GM vehicles, or make sure your stinking rich before purchasing this vehicle. If you've had this problem as well, I suggest researching info on the net for a US class action lawsuit and join it (but be forewarned, it is a lengthy process so don't expect results right away.

Next vehicle will be a Toyota or Honda, not GM!!!!!!!!!!

I know you all feel betrayed and let down by the mighty hands of Pontiac, but just be thankful that you all had 1 of these motors to deal with. Me and a friend did the labor on this (I don't recommend it) and the parts cost $54. I had a quote of $500-$550 and was told that it happens to ALL GM 3.4L motors around that year... My wife has a '99 Oldsmobile Alero and yes, the same 3.4L V6. Her car only has 64K miles, and is already showing the "puddling" up in the V's and what are we to do, fix this every 60K+ miles... These company's are getting away with GRAND THEFT. What happens to us when we stop paying our car payment, after about $600 or so, they'll come to repossess it. How about we bring these damn cars back to them, and tell them we want out money back... ALL OF IT.... Where is the justice in this country... Theres no pride in America anymore, and I'm saddened by it. As a Union worker, I've been brought up to buy American made products, and I have always bought an American made car or truck, but how many more cases like this can I afford... I'm done helping them, and not getting any help in return.

My wife purchased this car about 2 years ago. We have had a few small problems with the climate controls, but now it's major. The car has been running hot from time to time. It said low coolant, so we added coolant. I noticed the o-ring on the coolant tank was cut into. I thought this was the culprit, since newer cars require pressure in the coolant system. Without the o-ring it was letting water blow out the overflow tank. Well after fixing what we thought was a small problem, the blasted thing is still running hot! Turns out it is the intake manifold leaking. From what I gather this is a real problem for this model car, as my mechanic informed me. We will never own another pontiac again!

My mechanic happens to be a friend of mine that has told me there is an alert on this problem due to GM knowing full well they messed up. Being a single mother on a VERY tight income - this is a real mess for me. I can't drive my car until I can get it fixed.... can't afford to fix it. Gm SHOULD BE RECALLING THIS ! They give strict instructions to use THIS coolant that is ruining the cars! I owe more on this piece of sh*t than I can sell it for (with this issue ) my hands are tied tight - I intend to address this with GM directly and would appreciate an update from anyone else that has been dealing with them on this issue. Strength in numbers -

We have noticed Anti-freeze sitting in a puddle on the engine bottom directly under where the thermostat is housed. Also, it appears to be leaking onto the Starter causing some difficulties starting especially now since it's cold. The Coolant light stays lit on the dash. The Anti-Freeze w/Dex-Cool cost at least $10 a gallon. At times the car would smoke as is it's overheating and the temperature gauge would go pass 200, that's really really BAD!!!! After giving the diagnosis to a few mechanics, I was told that the Intake Manifold Gasket is defected and it cost a pretty Dollar to replace. What's really going on with Pontiac if this seems to be quite prevalent w/most of the Grand Am 3.4 engines. Why won't they reimburse the owners of these cars or just do the repair work. It's not fair.

I bought the Grand Am in 2001. I took in the car for a head lamp replacement and talked to them about Cooland Fluid Low light coming on and having to fill up fluid. The service person said he found coolant fluid and oil leaking from intake manifold and said if not taken care of soon could lead to engine damage. It cost over $800 to fix since the warranty had expired. What a rip since it sounds like this is a well-known problem among their mechanics but the problem is passed on to the consumer. I'll see how far I can get my complaint to go through the Pontiac chain. I welcome assistance.