2000 Pontiac Grand Prix Electrical Problems

Which parts fail

• Ignition
  10
• Wiring › Front underhood
  7
• Wiring
  3
• Ignition › Module
  2
• Wiring › Interior/under dash
  2
• 12V/24V/48V battery
  2

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  25%
• 25k–50k
  25%
• 50k–75k
  820%
• 75k–100k
  718%
• 100k–150k
  1640%
• 150k+
  513%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

In 2013, my 2000 Grand Prix had smoke coming from the engine compartment while driving down a city street. While stopped at a red light, flames were then coming from under the hood and the whole engine compartment was on fire. The fire department was called and had to rip open the hood with power tools to put out the fire. A week prior I had an oil change and two new front tires put on. The car was a total loss and was towed to a salvage lot.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated constantly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that he had replaced the alternator, battery terminal, battery and various other parts in the vehicle to prevent the failure from recurring. The contact also stated that the vehicle caught fire after starting the ignition. A fire report was filed. The contact extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Dt*: the contact stated drove 5 minutes and parked the vehicle in a shopping center parking lot. About 10 minutes later, a fire erupted from the passenger side of the engine compartment without warning. The fire department was alerted, and extinguished the flames. The vehicle sustained extensive fire damage, and was deemed totaled by the insurance adjustor. The police were also alerted, and a report was taken. The fire department inspected the vehicle, and determined the fire originated from the battery or the fuse panel. Also, a representative from the manufacturer inspected the vehicle, and determined the fire started from the battery or fuse panel . No aftermarket electronics were installed and there was no recent work prior to the fire. Updated 01/24/07. 8jb

Drove 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix gtp approximately 3 miles. Parked in home driveway. About 20 minutes later a man came to the door stating the car was on fire (he had already called 911). Fire dept. And police on the scene as well as fire investigator who stated it appeared to have started in the engine compartment under the hood at about the front driver's tire. Cause unknown. No problems driving that evening, no service lights on. Oil changed approximately 2 weeks prior to incident. From windshield to front completely destroyed. Heavy smoke damage also inside car and in trunk. Front tires and front end of car melted to driveway. Gas tension rod from hood "exploded" and shot through garage door (luckily no one was standing in its way).

Drove 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix gtp approximately 3 miles. Parked in home driveway. About 20 minutes later a man came to the door stating the car was on fire (he had already called 911). Fire dept. And police on the scene as well as fire investigator who stated it appeared to have started in the engine compartment under the hood at about the front driver's tire. Cause unknown. No problems driving that evening, no service lights on. Oil changed approximately 2 weeks prior to incident. From windshield to front completely destroyed. Heavy smoke damage also inside car and in trunk. Front tires and front end of car melted to driveway. Gas tension rod from hood "exploded" and shot through garage door (luckily no one was standing in its way).

Just a note to let you know our 2000 Pontiac gp gtp caught fire while not running on 06/22/04. I notified Pontiac that night. Our insurance hired a fire investigator. He was met at our house by a GM representative the following week. The fire investigator advised us there had been another he was sent to a couple weeks before ours. GM finally recalled the car 2 years later in 2006, so I know they knew about this one as well. The informed us to rebuild our home and they were responsible for what insurance did not take care of, which amounted to 133,000. They drug it out for 5 years, paid our insurance co back, and left us sitting with a house payment 3 times the amount it had been. This company has no respect for the consumer!

Dt: the consumers vehicle was parked in the garage at 1:30 am in the morning on September 6, 2005. The alarm went off. The manager of the consumers apartment building informed her that the vehicle was smoking, the alarm was going off, the lights where flashing and the vehicle was smoking. The vehicle was filled with smoke. The hood and the trunk was popped open. The consumer viewed sparks coming from the trunk. The consumer tried to start the vehicle and it wouldn't start. The individuals on the scene unhooked the battery. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who determined that the problem was coming from the wiring harness. The consumer paid out of pocket expenses totaling $3,000. (12/08/05)

I arrived home from work at 3:30 p.m. I went back out to my car about 10 minutes later to run some errands and my car was on fire. Everything is roasted from the front windshield forward through the engine. I had to call the local fire department and they put out the fire for me and took all my information. I know this is not the first time this has happened to 2000 Grand Prix gtp's. I have done some research and have noticed a great number of incidents that have the same conditions as mine. And something should be done about this, because obviously there is a manufacturer default out there and GM should have an answer for this issue.

Tl* - the contact called regarding the 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact parked the vehicle and approximately 10 minutes later he was notified that the vehicle was on fire. There were no warning indicators that anything was wrong with the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the fire. It was contained to the hood area of the vehicle. The contact stated there had not been any recent repair work on the vehicle. There were no injuries. The insurance company took pictures of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. The failure mileage was 106,000. Updated 2/27/2007 -

Drove car for about 45 minutes on freeway then parked in a bank parking lot. Turned car off and went into bank. All indications on dash where fine that day and car drove just fine. About 15 minutes later, some one came into the office I was at and asked if anyone in here has a black Grand Prix. I went out and found that black smoke and fire was coming out of the engine compartment on the passengers' side. The fire department had already been called. Car then tried to start itself. From the front seat forward, car was a total loss.

NHTSA investigations

Electrical complaints in other Grand Prix years