Most common 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix problems
Share of the 308 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 →
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix recalls (6)
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…
Air bags › Frontal
On certain passenger, sport utility vehicles and Mini vans, some of these vehicles have a passenger air bag that was manufactured without a check valve pin. An air bag without the check valve pin could produce increased pressure at the onset of the air bag deployment and reduced pressure afterward.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag. Owner notification began December 16, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger, sport utility vehicles and minivans. The passenger air bag inflator modules were built without the correct amount of generant, which produces the gas that fills the air bag. Some were built with a double load of generant and some were built without generant.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module. Telephone calls were made to owners on January 29, 2001. Follow up owner mailing began on April 17, 2001.
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's safety belt buckle assembly date codes and, if necessary, will replace any safety belt buckle assembly.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix:
Engine compartment fire
On January 29, 2007, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate alleged non-crash fires originating in the engine compartment in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 Pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the ?l67? Supercharged version of the general motors (GM) 3800 series ii v6 engine.to date, odi is aware of 121 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles…
Loss of brake lamp illumination
The agency's analysis of GM's complaint and warranty data for the subject vehicles, including a comparison with other agency and manufacturer data pertaining to other vehicle brake lamp investigations, indicated a low failure history for the subject vehicles.this investigation included a review and analysis of data for relevant brake lamp malfunctions that require replacement of the multifunction switch (mfs)…
Engine compartment fire
By letter dated March 12, 2008, general motors corp. (GM) has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (identified by NHTSA recall number 08v-118) to address a defect in approximately 207,542 model year (my) 1997-2003 Buick regal gs and Pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the l67 supercharged version of GM's 3800 series ii v6 engine.the recalled regal gs vehicles were built from August 1996…
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…
What 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix owners say
Engine & cooling all 166 →
Not sure if the problem is in the engine or engine or the fuel but I but I smell Exhaust or gas when the engine is running. With the headlights I can barely see at night. Having my brights on Is like having your regular lights on.
I purchased this car in the beginning of November 2016. The first time I started the car after bring it home, it exploded and the motor started burning. The car was parked at 38059 judd rd, belleville, mi 48111 when I turned the key over it exploded. I found out that there was a recall on the vehicle motor leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold that could catch on fire. I called GM on the recall. I sent pictures just as they asked me to. They responded to me that they found the incident was not from the recall, however I could take the vehicle to the dealership and get $650.00. How can they determine the recall from pictures? I have over $2200.00 invested into this car that I purchased less then two weeks before the car exploded. I didn't even drive the car one time after brining it home. I believe that I am getting cheated. …
Electrical system all 60 →
My vehicle caught on fire while in motion. This happened during a trip to nuevo laredo, tamaulipas Mexico. It was reported to GM in detail and extensively, a copy of the title, an affidavit and the invoice where the remaining were sold to a junk yard were all mailed to an address provided. I never received a response from GM. Every phone number that has been provided to me leads nowhere. I emailed mr. Jeffrey m boyer vice president of global vehicle safety at GM this afternoon with cc to mr. Anthony foxx the secretary of the department of transportation. See the attached notice. Date that I am providing is estimated since it happened a long time ago and I don't have my notes with me.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle bursted into flames. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. There was no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 189,000.
Fuel & propulsion system all 23 →
Not sure if the problem is in the engine or engine or the fuel but I but I smell Exhaust or gas when the engine is running. With the headlights I can barely see at night. Having my brights on Is like having your regular lights on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. While warming up the parked vehicle in the driveway, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal a few times and the vehicle exploded. The impact caused the contact to black out. The contact noticed flames and black smoke. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact required medical attention due to pain in her neck, shoulders, chest, and back. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
2001 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 / 28 / 21 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl supercharged | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 26 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix a good car?
Based on 308 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Grand Prix rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Grand Prix at the same age. 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 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix?
The engine & cooling — 166 complaints, 54% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the electrical system (60) and fuel & propulsion system (23).
How many recalls does the 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2001 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 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 97,000 miles; 19% 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.