Bought the car back in August of 2020. I loved riding - the car has the 3.8 supercharged Engine, and I never had a car that ran like that. The engine began getting so hot that it would literally catch on fire while we was driving it. I was coming home from getting breakfast for my wife one morning and the road to our home is steep, when all of a sudden the car shuddered and the engine quit, so here I am trying to hit the brake but no brake. I tried the e brake but nothing at this time. I am starting to roll backwards down a main road with no way to stop - I went to turn the wheel and no power steering. I managed to turn the wheel enough to end up in someone's driveway - damn that was scary. Car wouldn't start again after that.

I owned my 2001 Pontiac GTP supercharged car for 15 minutes. I kid you not 15 minutes. It was my first car and I bought it from my girlfriends dad. I just had filled up the tank too. I get to my girlfriends house, back the car in a spot away from her parent's cars (thankfully) and shut it off. 5 minutes go by my girlfriend notices an orange glow outside. The whole front end of the car was up in flames.

Fire dept. was called to put it out. I was so upset but thankfully I got all my money back and no one was hurt. I am actually glad it happened because my girl's dad drove the car daily and parked it under his house in a built in garage. That car at anytime could have killed him and his family. Thankfully the car caught fire away from everything.

I did some research and it turns out that GM had engine fire recalls on different models and years from their plant. It just so happens that this car is one of those with an engine fire recall. GM could have done a lot better with getting the word out there. Later on the news blows up with another GM recall....engine fires. Trucks, cars, old models, new models. It was horrible.

So I moved on to my 00' Silverado...cylinder blew. I then got a 04' Monte Carlo... engine fire recall, ignition recall, then the car just started misfiring and went all to hell. After that I said f*ck GM and went to Subaru. My Subaru is like a Honda 4x4 four wheeler. Can't kill it. GM stands for Giant Malfunctions! Piles of sh*t!

My 02 Subaru is a tank....best awd, safety, and can store a ton of sh*t. Great in all seasons. Only thing is the head gasket. Which was done before I bought it. I have come to a conclusion that all car manufacturers make cars with problems. Its a conspiracy theory to keep mechanics in business. (LOL) You can research all you want but every car out there, yes even very expensive luxury, have problems. Stay safe! and look up your vehicle.

Our 2001 Pontiac caught on fire and my 17 year old son was sitting in the car at the time. He got out and came in and said the car was on fire. By the time we got up there we had to call the fire department it was that bad. It took them 20 minutes to put it out and another half hour to make sure there was no hot spots left. My son no longer wants to drive. It has left him with emotional trauma. A week after this happened we get a letter from GM about another recall because the engine could catch on fire, but there was no repair that was available yet. GM offered us 1300 dollars, but since we live in an apartment complex we had to have U Pull It come and get. Since we had to sign the title over to U Pull It we are not entitled to the 1300 dollars. I think that is such crap.

I had just drove the car 5 minutes later it blows up like a bomb went off. I could of been killed. and my My house was damaged, it took the fire dept 15 minutes to put out the flames and work on my garage. My drive way is black the front tires melted and tar is everywhere.My house could of burned down. When I first got the car 6 months later the steering went out cost me almost $2.000 the to fix that. Then 3 years later the transmission blew up it was I can't remember around $2,000. It has been pretty good until 12-21-2015 it just blew up like a bomb in my drive way right after I had gotten out of it. Now, I am working with my insurance company, I carried full coverage on the car. I am a wreck not even sure I am going to get a rental car or not!!!! This all is crazy :(

Last night, after work, my husband went outside to start the car. It's been really cold, and hadn't run the Pontiac in about a week. So as he turns the ignition, he hears a long "pop", and then smoke starts coming from the engine compartment. He ran inside to call the fire department, and we live just down the street from the firehouse, so I would say it took 5 minutes or less for the firemen to show up. By that point, the entire engine compartment was a blazing fire, and, because we live in an apartment complex and have a parking lot, with cars parked adjacent, the neighbor's car was also on fire. Good stuff. It took almost an hour to put the fire out, and the whole engine compartment is a melted mess.

So the history of the car: we purchased the car at the end of October, 2014, from a private party. At the time of the purchase there were no lights on, and the engine compartment had been detail cleaned for the sale. Two days later, I took the car to a national chain mechanic for a safety and emissions test, as required here, as well as an oil change, and on the way the check engine light came on. The people working told me the issue was an O2 sensor, and that they could not do that service. There were also several other, cosmetic issues that had to be completed before we could license the car, so at the time of the fire we had not yet replaced the O2 sensor. The computer code that spit out also was only for the O2 sensor. We only drove the car approximately 100 miles in the 2 1/2 months we owned it.

So if you own a GM vehicle from the years of 94 through 2003 with a 3.8L engine, there is a recall on your car. I received a letter from GM right before planning a vacation for my partner and I about the possibility of an engine fire. I immediately took the car in to get it fixed since it was at no cost to me and I really didnt want to risk driving 1,200 miles in a car that could catch fire. The recall only took about 10 minutes total from the time I arrive till the time I left. Instead of fixing the real problem which is leaky valve covers, they moved the spark plug wires up above the valve cover on the front of the engine. From the factory there is a cover the goes on the side of the valve cover that completely covers the wires. The valve cover will leak oil and come in contact with the spark plug wires causing an electrical discharge through the side of the wire and cause the oil to catch fire. After they finished the recall and returned my car, I popped the hood to see what they did. I was outraged. They told me what I just told you about what causes the fire. I sent a letter to GM home office complaining that is was a poor effort to fix a problem that they caused. Instead of replacing the valve cover gasket with a better gasket or replacing the valve cover itself, they take off the original spark plug wire hold down and replace it with this $0.50 clip leaving the valve cover to continue to slowly leak oil. Eventually it will reach the exhaust manifold and again your at risk of a fire. This along with the crappy transmission in these cars has prompted me to contact GM multiple times. Each time I get no reply. I feel that GM should be held responsible for selling and refusing to properly repair faulty vehicles that put people at risk.

WE took our vehicle in for the recall for oil drips causing engine fires and had it fixed.Or so we thought.....I had just parked the vehicle at my moms and noticed it smoking a little. Thought it blew a hose. But after 10 min inside my moms house we smelled something and i looked out the window to see our vehicle engulfed in flames!!!! Itwas so engulfed and th e fire spread under the gas tank and down the street!! TOTAL FRICKIN LOSS!! We had just replaced the transmission in nov 2011, new tires, shocks, struts, and alignment. GM should be sued for as many problems and dangerous situations this vehicle has caused people. Did i forget to mention the intake manifold exploding in my husbands face, earlier in 2012. Another apparent recall for this car that we had to fork out of our own pockets. We have no vehicle now and i have 4 children i have to take to 3 different schools in the morning and pick up at 3 different times!!!! Inconvenience? No a pain in the ASS. THIS IS THE MOST COSTLY AND NOT TO MENTION DANGEROUS VEHICLE WE EVER OWNED. GM, DONT BRUSH YOUR CUSTOMERS OFF WHEN THESE SITUATIONS ARRIVE. STAND BEHIND YOUR PRODUCTS AND RESOLVE THIS !!!!!!!!!!