Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Dec 18, 2000CA
SHIFTER CAN BE MOVED FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE WITHOUT PUSHING THUMB BUTTON OR STEPPING ON BRAKE PEDAL. ATTEMPTED REPAIR BY DEALER MADE PROBLEM WORSE NOT BETTER.*AK
1996 Pontiac Trans AM
Routine
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Column Locking › Anti-theft Device | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsSteering › Column Locking › Anti-theft Device
Filed Aug 19, 2000IN
FACTORY INSTALLED VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT ALARM SOUNDS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. DOME LIGHTS WON'T SHUT OFF. RESERVE POWER IN VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WHEN IGNITION SHUT OFF. OPENED DOOR "DING" SOUNDS WHEN KEY IS PLACED IN IGNITION/VEHICLE NOT RUNNING/KEY NOT TURNED ON. ALL HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE GETS WET. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY FOR UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIMES. INTERRUPTS SLEEP OF OWNER/NEIGHBORS. INTERRUPTS WORK OF OWNER @ WORK. CAN'T LOCK VEHICLE WHEN GOING INTO STORE. ALARM GOES OFF IF VEHICLE WAS WET OR DRIVEN ON DAMP ROADS. HAS TO LEAVE VEHICLE UNLOCKED OVER NIGHT. CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH DOME LIGHTS AND MAP LIGHTS ON...THEY WON'T GO OFF EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. DRAINS BATTERY. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN GARAGE 7 TIMES SINCE RECENT PURCHASE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. SERVICE BULLETIN FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM: BULLETIN # 970801738134 THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH ON EDMUNDS.COM . NHTSA ITEM #SB054345. VISION GREATLY IMPAIRED WHEN NIGHT DRIVING BECAUSE OF LIGHTS NOT GOING OFF. VIN # NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME BECAUSE VEHICLE IS IN GARAGE AGAIN CURRENTLY FOR SAME PROBLEM. VEHICLE AT: MARSHALL PONTIAC, CLINTON IN...(765)832-2421. CALL FOR VIN# IF NEEDED.
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Apr 4, 2000HI
CONSUMER HAS NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. ALSO, COOLENT LEAKING, AND CAUSING VERY BAD FUMES/ODOR IN TO ENTER INTO THE PASSENGER'S COMPARTMENT. THE OCCUPANT BECAME SICK. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Suspension
Filed Jun 25, 1999TX
GRINDING AND PINGING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE ACCELERATING AND BRAKING, DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED TO LOCATE NOISE AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *ET
4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.