Pontiac / Grand Prix / 1998
1998 Pontiac Grand Prix problems
Owners have filed 618 complaints about the 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 15.4% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of steering at 15.2%.
Complaints618
Crashes25
Fires76
Injuries27
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 15.4% · 95
Steering 15.2% · 94
Exterior lighting 15.0% · 93
Visibility 8.7% · 54
Electrical system 8.7% · 54
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.1% · 38
Engine 5.3% · 33
Air bags 4.2% · 26
Severity
Of those complaints, 25 describe a crash, 76 describe a fire, 27 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Pontiac Grand Prix in this data, 1998 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 1997 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 95,000 miles.
In owners' own words
I received a notice in the mail from gm on 5/14/2009 that my vehicle had been recalled over an issue involving a safety recall 09047. This was on thursday and that following saturday my car caught fire. I had not had time to schedule an appointment with a dealership. My car ran fine and had no problems prior to the fire. The fire happened under the hood. I had to call the fire department to have the fire put out. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 198,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix. On december 17, 2006 the serpentine belt broke and was repaired. While driving 35 mph on 1/9/07 the vehicle shut off. However, the contact was able to drive it home. The engine locked, and she was unable to restart it. No warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by a mechanic. The current and failure mileage were 83,712. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 83,712 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle caught on fire from the engine. The contact merged onto the shoulder where the fire was extinguished. A police report was not filed nor was the dealer contacted. The manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 145,316. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 145,316 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Pontiac Grand Prix years
1995 245 complaints · 20.0% service brakes, hydraulic 1996 116 complaints · 18.1% engine and engine cooling 1997 1,064 complaints · 21.8% steering 1999 500 complaints · 31.4% engine and engine cooling 2000 588 complaints · 26.5% engine and engine cooling 2001 427 complaints · 25.3% engine and engine cooling