Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Pontiac Grand AM owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Driving my 2004 Pontiac Grand AM home form grocery shopping and tried to get into left hand turn only lane, but car wouldn`t slow down and I didn`t want to rear end the person ahead as there was a lot of traffic that day so I veered to the right to get into a parking lot to pull my emergency brakes, but was broad sided. I have over $2,300.00 worth of damage to my car and my mechanic said it is the ignition switch on the 2004 Pontiac Grand AM, and there should have been a full replacement of that when the recall was done regarding the ignition. All that was done for me was a plastic insert was adhered to my ignition key. GM needs to recall these cars and replace the ignition switches. They also owe me a lot in repairs done to my car.
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Pontiac Grand AM. While the contact's daughter was driving and attempting to turn, the power steering failed without warning. The vehicle became difficult to steer and caused the driver to crash into a snowplow. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy and the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged. The driver did not receive any injuries. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V400000 (electrical system) after the failure occured. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Pontiac Grand AM. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light at 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed and no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V400000 (electrical system). However, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The failure mileage was 109,658.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Pontiac Grand AM. While traveling approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle struck a bump in the road and intermittently shut off. The contact indicated that there was a noise coming from the front of the vehicle and to avoid a crash into on coming traffic, the contact swerved to the right. The tires went flat and the contact crashed into a curb. The air bag deployed directly in the contact's face and the vehicle coasted due to the intermittent failure. The residue from the driver side air bag was consuming the vehicle so the contact and the passenger exited the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to the face, neck and back. The passenger did not sustain any injuries. The driver and the passenger did not receive medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for further inspection and repair. …
Regular occurrences started at 120K miles, these are all issues which previously complaints have been filed by current 2004 Grand AM owners but have not been corrected and I have called every 6 months filing these complaints. 1) gas fumes are coming in the car when it is running or sitting still idling, 2) blinkers start blinking on their own around 80 degrees f outside temperature, mechanic said it was because grease in steering column becomes thin and shorts out other wiring causing the smoke (fire) which comes from steering column, this occurs every summer to fall when temps are 80 degrees or higher), 3) horn does not work, mechanic replaced horn mechanism but it did not fix the issue & I AM concerned the air bag system won't work either since they are inter twined in the steering column, 4) the dash is warping, cracking and breaking horribly, it causes a sticky haze (gas) on my …
Pontiac Grand AM 2004 - the vehicle's security passlock system is malfunctioning. There is also a warning light that indicates this and inconsistently by lighting "security." when this system is malfunctioning, the car will not start and is completely disabled / immobile. This causes many factors such as no use of necessities like heat, if you were in dangerous cold temps. You can not get away from a dangerous or potential dangerous situation. I believe this issue is widespread and should be a recall and fixed by GM. I've researched this issue online and found many, many other owner's of the same model with the same problem. This non-starting of the car can only be over ridden by turning the key to the "on" position for 10 minutes. Then the system will allow the car to start. …
Security light flushed 2 days ago, and when I turned the car engine off the car would not crank or start. Took the battery to be charged, and it still would not crank or start. I spent all night on the internet to find that the Pontiac Grand AM's from 1999 - 2005 can have security passlock issues that cause the car not to crank or start. With the key turned on the lights will come on and the windows will go up and down, but you can't crank the car. I found a procedure that will temporarily bypass the security passlock, which involve following the sequence of turning the key to on position wait 10 - 12 min. Turn car to off (hopefully the security light in display will go off completely) then turn the key to start. That work for me, but the security light display in the dash panel did not go off. I have to hope that I will later be able to crank the car up again. …
My daughter went to start her Pontiac Grand AM 2004. It would not start, and the security light in dash was flashing. This happened 3 times in 1 and half hours. It was parked in front of the house 2 times, and once when I accompanied her to fill up for gas. This has happened 3 times with me driving her car in the past 8 months. And has happened atleast once a week with my daughter the past 4 months. I found out on line after doing some research into the problem that this is a recurring issue with the Pontiac the car does not start, not even a click. The security light flashes. Reading up on this. You have to turn the key on and wait approximately 10 long minutes. In the cold and heat. My daughter is a new driver, and should not have to deal with this known GM problem. If it stalls or does not start and an emergency arises. Now she has to wait. …
Got key fob recall done, now the ignition switch is not accepting the key at all making it very hard to turn the key to on and start position as if the switch is in lock position before driving. After driving down the road a bit the ignition switch shuts the car off making me have to restart the car while im driving down the road. This should be a recall not only for my car but for all pontiacs like mine that are 2004 and up. This could cause serious injury or an accident if its not fixed. I drive safe and have kids in the car at all times. I shouldn't have to fight with the ignition switch to turn my key to start position. Another thing to get fixed, the traction light and ABS light comes on automatically in reverse and stays on until the car is parked.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Pontiac Grand AM. The contact stated that while reversing, the ignition key was encountered and fell out of the ignition switch causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle failed to restart and the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch had no connection to the starter. As a result, the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V400000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000. Updated 12/03/15; updated 4/10/18
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014.
Electrical complaints in other Grand AM years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Pontiac Grand AM?
NHTSA has 140 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Pontiac Grand AM, 48% of the model year's 293 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › anti-theft › control module (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Pontiac Grand AM electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-400 (ignition, Jul 3, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Pontiac Grand AM electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 5 fires and 1 injury to electrical system 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.