Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Pontiac Grand AM owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The ignition is faulty. My ignition allows my radio to turn on randomly. I could have the car off, I'm not in it at all. If I get inside to go somewhere and the radio is already on before I put the key in. Most times it's not a big deal. The car starts and I go about my business. Recently I've been experiencing needing to get a jump because the battery gets run down over the radio being on. When I'm inside the car and it's running I'm able to pull the key completely out of the ignition and the car stays running until I put my key in and turn it to the off position. I've gotten the recall cards since I bought the car 5 years ago. On the card it lists the cause as "unintended ignition key rotation". I scheduled a appointment for this to get fixed. Low and behold they cut 2 keys for me and that's it! I can make the car available for inspection at any time requested in advance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Pontiac Grand AM. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, the engine stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure caused another vehicle to crash into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to her left shoulder, and whip lash. The contact received medical attention. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Intake manifold on 3.4l sfi v6 engine on Grand AM's have severe problem - lets water out of the system very fast, will let a full tank of coolant out in less than 1 hour of driving time. This causes driver to be stranded, also an environmental issue with coolant leaking everywhere. This has caused my engine to be on fire, and the repairs are extensive. Mechanics know this problem all too well, everyone I have been to has had to fix it multiple times. The procedure takes 6 full hours, requiring pricy labor on the consumers expense. New intake manifold gaskets still don't last long even after they have been replaced. GM needs to stand behind their faulty product, and fix this problem. I will spend more in repairs on the engine, then I paid for the car - and I bought it brand new. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Pontiac Grand AM. The contact stated that the turn signals became inoperable. While driving 10 MPH, the vehicle began to smoke. The hood was raised and the engine caught fire. A pedestrian extinguished the fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact sustained smoke inhalation that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Pontiac Grand AM. While driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that ignition needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Pontiac Grand AM. While driving at 20 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, there was a loud abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
My car has been in the shop repeatedly for the brakes grinding and shaking when I brake. The rotors have been replaced twice for rusting and warping and the brakes once, under warranty. I have had water leaks, my dash has been replaced for warping, 2 door panels have been replaced for warping. I have 2 more that need to be replaced, but the dealership says "it's a common problem, but it's not covered under the extended warranty". I have lots of wind noise. A rotten egg smell in my car when driving it. I took my car to the dealer last week and they replaced a gasket/seal for a intake gasket leak. I went to pick up my car and it reeked of gasoline. They kept it another day and had to replace my fuel regulator. Now I cannot keep my windows closed because there is a odor of gas in my car, which causes my eyes to burn and water and my throat to burn. …
I did not have a vehicle failure, however, after researching the problem, I was bothered by the results. On late model Pontiac Grand ams, mainly the intake manifold housing/gasket goes bad within any vehicle mileage range especially low mileage. I didn't even realize my gasket had gone bad until my oil light came on. The oil leak doesn't leave puddles on the ground. It gets burned on the engine block as you drive. I researched this problem on gramdamgt.com and a lot of people had this problem as well and at 15000 miles and higher. I know this costs about $800 to fix, but it's a recurring problem for dealers to take care of. Seems like its a way for them to make money by installing faulty parts in their cars, so they get the buyer's money. My warranty expired because I couldn't afford the cost of the extended warranty. …
Last month my car started revving up randomly while in park. Once I put the car in drive it would pull forward on it's own speeding up to 40 MPH in the worst case. It ran so rough pulling and stopping the only thing I could do was put it in park until the rpms came back down to a normal rate. From that point on, every time I started the car when it wasn't warmed up this would happen. It used to only take about a minute for the rpms to settle and the car to run fine. Now it takes about 5 minutes of warming up, settling and then drives very poorly in first and second gear. One month later the car hesitates when given gas, begins to "rumble" slowing down, and feels like it will stall out as the cars rpms approach 0. I took the car to a mechanic and they found no problem. They said the rpms were lower than normal on idle. …
Electrical issues big time: (so far, these are the issues I have found) blinkers & hazards randomly work, smell burning wires, ignition switch problems when trying to get car to start, gear shift sticks when attempting to take it out of park to reverse, smell fuel & low coolant button comes on but cannot determine leaks. "I'm being told by GM's customer service department that I have to go to a certified GM repair shop, pay out of pocket for the diagnose of issues which isn't going to be cheap, and then submit the information back to GM who May or May not fix it?!?!?! If they don't, I'm stuck with the bill!!! Which is going to cost me thousands to fix, because I can't sell it with all the issues." "as a single mother of two, I AM highly appalled by this!! …
Engine complaints in other Grand AM years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2000 Pontiac Grand AM?
NHTSA has 121 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2000 Pontiac Grand AM, 18% of the model year's 675 complaints. The component named most often is engine (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Pontiac Grand AM engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2000 Pontiac Grand AM, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Pontiac Grand AM engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 7 fires and 2 injuries and 1 death to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.