Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 9 | 6% | 105,000 miles |
| 2007 | 7 | 3% | 104,000 miles |
| 2006 | 9 | 4% | 120,000 miles |
| 2005 | 5 | 3% | 32,000 miles |
| 2004 | 18 | 4% | 88,000 miles |
| 2003 | 3 | 3% | 136,000 miles |
| 2002 | 7 | 2% | 60,000 miles |
| 2001 | 9 | 3% | 44,000 miles |
| 2000 | 8 | 2% | 150,000 miles |
| 1999 | 8 | 2% | 28,000 miles |
| 1998 | 11 | 2% | — |
| 1997 | 16 | 2% | 160,000 miles |
| 1996 | 5 | 6% | 35,000 miles |
| 1995 | 13 | 8% | 104,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driving on the highway or anywhere, it happens every other day. The information message center chimes then the check engine light comes on the car slows down to 25mph. When I am on the highway this is very dangerous. I have taken it to 3 different service stations, the last 2 dealerships. All the codes are throttle related and I get the car back after a week or 2 and the same thing happens again. No one can fix it. I have emailed GM they did not respond to my email. I attached all the service records with the email hoping they would be able to help. Slowing me from 70mph down to 25mph on the highway (us131) will cause an accident sooner not later. Its only a matter of time before this happens. GM doesn't seem to care. I'm not sure what to do, no one can fix the car and I'm running out of money for repairs.
My Grand Prix recently started to display a message stating reduced engine power. It has been happening randomly for the past week. It only happens as I am driving the car. The car slows dramatically, and does not accelerate at all. As I was driving yesterday, I was merging into traffic where the speed limit is 45 MPH, I had more than enough room to merge into traffic, the reduced engine power message displayed and the car would not accelerate. The traffic quickly caught up to me and I was almost hit due to the car not accelerating. I am curious after looking into this matter and finding so many complaints about the same issue, how many complaints need to be filed, or how many deaths need to occur before something is done? I am now scared to drive my own car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact crashed into a cement barrier and a parked vehicle. There was no police report filed. The contact had not sustained any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 04/22/16 car was in driving mode then stop at light after passing gas to move off car just went out of control would not stop after passing on brakes so consumer had to bank it on side of road which clip another car. Updated 05/31/18
After traveling about 150 miles from macon, ga, in the morning of the 16th, the car shut down on I-75 in heavy traffic going 75 MPH in the passing lane. We had no engine power, power steering or brakes, but managed to coast to the shoulder. I was able to restart the car after a few minutes only to have it stall out after 10 or 15 miles. The only warning was 2 chimes from the car before total shut down. We did have flasher lights and were able to restart the car each time. This happened about 6 or 8 times. We stopped at several auto parts places to see if we could find out what the problem was, but no luck. We were able to get to a Chevrolet dealer in ashburn, ga (parker Chevrolet). They were not able to diagnose the problem, or didn't want to deal with it. Poor service! They said everything was okay! Just 2 miles from the dealership, it stalled again. …
My power steering went out and when you try to go over 40 the car lunges forward and has a hard time shifting and will continue while in cruise control. I already had work done on the fuel line cause the line was clogged and the vehicle would lunge forward cause the fuel wasn't getting pushed through. My power steering went out after my boyfriend parked it. He only noticed it when he tried driving away and he couldn't turn the wheel like usual. The cruise control does its thing while in motion. Also the headlamps! The brights stay on, you have to hold the dimmer switch back to get the brights to turn off but if you let go of the switch they turn on and flash people. It only turns off when turning left. The ac compressor blew too. …
While driving car shuts off "dic" states " starting disabled due to throttle control. Reduced engine power". I took it to mccarthy dealership in lees summit mo they supposedly fixed recall-key only but the recall#14350 states "dealers will install 2 key rings & an I insert in the key slot or a coner over the key head on all ignition keys" it ran OK for a while then started doing it again. Took it back 12/8/2016 & was told to do a diagnostic ck it would cost 130. Was told the recall was for the keys only not the ignition. My daughter drives this car too it stop running in the mistake of an intersection. Please help
When driving 30 MPH up to 70 MPH all of a sudden the reduced rngine light vomes on and the car starts decelerating to 5 MPH and sometimes cuts off causing power steering to not work. This started after the worked on yhe ignition recall. I asked about it and was charged $75 fir them to put it on the computer. Then was told it would be over $700 for them to find out what's wrong. I don't have that type of money so l let it sit up for awhile only to be yold it could possibly be the gas pedal and wouldn't cost that much to replace... I've almost had two accidents before l could pull over. If it cuts off completely it cranks right back up - sometimes ot will take on off but other times l have to sit and wait because it won't accelerate no faster than 2 to 5 MPH, like something has to catch up. I haven't gotten it fixed yet because l can't afford it.
Dt*: the contact stated after accelerating to 65 MPH to change lanes, the vehicle speed continued to increase after the foot of the contact was removed from the accelerator and began depressing the brake pedal. The tires continued to spin in a forward motion. The transmission was placed into neutral in order to stop the vehicle, but the engine continued to race until the engine was turned off. When the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle drove normally, but the brakes had been damaged when stopping the vehicle. The service dealer repaired the brakes, but was unable to detect the problem. The manufacturer was notified. The 3rd gear of the automatic transmission burned out, causing the vehicle to accelerate badly. The vehicle was serviced but the vehicle continued to have problems and stalled when the vehicle speed was reduced to 45 MPH. …
Related recalls (1)
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 124, 'accelerator control systems.' if one of the two accelerator pedal return springs fails and the temperature is -22 degrees f to -40 degrees f, the engine May not return to idle within three seconds, as required.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the accelerator pedal assembly. This recall began on March 8, 2005. Owners May contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
NHTSA investigations
Accelerator cable detaches from throttle
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Pontiac Grand Prix years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (18), 1997 (16), 1995 (13), 1998 (11) and 2001 (9) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 2004.
Is there a recall for Pontiac Grand Prix acceleration problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-046 (accelerator pedal, Feb 9, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Pontiac Grand Prix acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles; 24% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cables (11 mentions), followed by the accelerator pedal (9).
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.