Most common 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix problems
Share of the 810 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Pontiac Grand Prix complaints by model year
Best Grand Prix years: 2003, 1996, 2005. Years to avoid: 1997, 1998, 2000, 1999, 2004. Compare all years →
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix recalls (5)
Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles.
Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and gasket.
Engine and engine cooling
General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 Buick regal, my 1998-2003 Chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 Oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 Pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engine's plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, free of charge.
Engine and engine cooling
GM is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 Buick regal and Pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l supercharged v-6 engine. These vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engine's plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, along with the 1-3-5 spark…
Steering › Rack and pinion
Certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began January 24, 2003.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Linkages
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The windshield wipers May stop working due to a separation between the drive pin and crescent in the crank arm assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles for the presence of a plastic water deflector and, if necessary, replace the wiper motor crank arm and install a water deflector.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix:
Oversensitive air bag deployments
On June 26, 1998, general motors begain a safety recall, 98v-146, to recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) in the 1996 and some 1997 j body cars, cavalier and sunfire.due to certain calibrations in the air bag sdm, there is an increased risk of inadvertent air bag deployment in a low speed crash or when an object strikes the floor pan.the recall population consists of 675,302 vehicles built…
Windshield wiper
Incidents of wiper failure (owner reports and warranty) are very high, and many of the reports indicate that the failures are still occurring in 1999.
Engine compartment fires
Steering rack and pinion
Odi has received 200 complaints fromt consumers and 1,238 from GM alleging failure or lockup of the steering rack and pinion unit (r&p).this alleged condition can result in the loss of steering control of the vehicle and a crash can result.GM has reported six crashes in which eight people have sustained injuries ranging from bruises, airbag burn, seat belt abrasion, facial injury, neck and back pain.all crashes were…
Windshield wiper
By letter dated December 12, 1999, GM notified NHTSA of its plans to conduct a safety related defect campaign to remedy 155,149 of the subject vehicles.the vehicle population for the campaign includes the 1997 Buick regal/century and Pontiac gran prix models built during the period from the start of production through May 1, 1997.GM determined that the wipers installed prior to this date could stop working, usually…
Engine compartment fires
Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with GM?s actions in 03v-473 and 04v-090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a…
Power rack and pinion steering failure
The lower pinion bearing in the rack and pinion steering assembly May fail.GM will recall 1997-98 grand prix built between 1-mar-96 and 31-oct-97; and 1996-98 u-vans/j-cars built between 1-jan-96 and 31-oct-97.see attached summary.
What 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix owners say
Steering all 216 →
Note: I have filed a safely complaint before with the NHTSA about this safety issue on nov 9, 2020 reference number: 11373799. And now due to safety negligence from the investigation department of the NHTSA ..excessive heat coming from the extremely hot oil that's dripping off the extremely hot exhaust manifold that's leaking from the valve cover started a fire under the hood and also leaked into the cylinder causing the piston to slit into numerous pieces then violently being shot back and forth striking the cylinder walls violently then breaking through the engine block and oil pan, then spilling hot oil on the I-105 highway at high way speed coming up on a fork, lost oil compression and stalling out with heavy thick can't see in more then 5 feet in front of you grey/black smoke coming from both ends of the vehicle. Almost costed me my life
Reference recall 02V286000-Pontiac Grand Prix-1997-rack and pinion problem-my son matt was driving in snowy weather and was making a slow left turn into an apartment complex. The car veered to the right on him and he hit a utility pole. He just assumed that he hit ice, etc and it went off the road. The next day matt received a recall notice for the steering problem in the mail. I filed a report with Pontiac - claim number 1-72613849. They just notified me that they have rejected the claim because the ball bearings were not visibly broken. My contention is that the problem could be intermitent causing the same problem to occurr that resulted in the recall. However the gears / assembly May not appear to have any damage that is recognizable by human inspection. That's all they are doing now is having a mechanic perform an inspection. …
Engine & cooling all 180 →
Purchased a used 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix for my son in 2003 when he turned 16. During a short trip home from a livestock judging contest in the spring of 2005, he had pulled away from a stop sign and immediately noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. He pulled over and opened the hood to see his entire engine engulfed in flames. The car was in a rural area and by the time fire personnel got to the scene, the entire car had been burnt up in flames. Approximately a year or two after the incident we received a recall notice from GM identifying the exact problem we had encountered. After numerous contacts with GM wanting some sort of restitution they denied our claim because we no longer had the car for them to investigate or any pictures. We did have the testimony of the tow truck and the west brooklyn il fire personnel but would not accept that. …
The first week in December I received a recall letter about my vehicle recall #15757 engine fire could happen as a result of oil deposited on the exhaust manifold>on 11/3/2015 driving home from fort lauderdale my engine light went on then my oil light stopped let the car cool down about an hour and read my manual that helped so I continued driving for about 20 minutes. I needed to get gas so I exited at the nearest exit. I stopped in clearwater,fl. Pulled up to the pump turn off the car and got out, when I noticed a smell of burning rubber it was windy took a minute omg it was coming from my engine I opened the hood only to see that the engine was on fire!!! Ran into the gas station for help > called my insurance company was towed but was 2hrs from home(fernandina beach,fl)> car is totaled . …
Lights all 152 →
At 4:06 pm on nov. 04,2013, my wife parked in a local walmart parking lot. She immediately noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. Bystanders started yelling for her to exit the car. One bystander called the fire department, located 1.25 miles away. My wife exited the car called the fire department and then called me with her mobile phone by the time the fire engine arrived, the plastic parts on top of and around the engine had been destroyed. The fire department immediately extinguished the fire. I arrived from four miles away, and after surveying the damage, I considered the damage to exceed the value of the car. I called a local towing service and they towed the car to my home. The car had been well maintained and was in excellent condition before the fire. I am 77 years old and my wife is 74 and our memories are failing. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. While driving 35 MPH, the exterior lighting on the front driver side caught fire from the inside. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 137,000.
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 27 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix a good car?
Based on 810 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 Grand Prix rates avoid: 3.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Grand Prix at the same age. It is one of the Grand Prix years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?
The steering — 216 complaints, 27% of all complaints for this model year, most often about rack and pinion. Next are the engine & cooling (180) and lights (152).
How many recalls does the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix have?
There are 5 recalls for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix, the most recent from October 26, 2015 (manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Pontiac Grand Prix?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2003, 1996 and 2005. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1998, 2000, 1999 and 2004. See the full Pontiac Grand Prix years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 104,000 miles; 11% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.