1997 Pontiac Trans AM

Routine

Owners filed 12 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting › headlights. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Exterior Lighting › Headlights2
000
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood2
010
Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear1
000
Structure › Body › Roof and Pillars1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
002
Fuel System, Gasoline › Carburetor System1
000
Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers1
000
Air Bags › Frontal1
000
Air Bags1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Oct 25, 2002MI

THE CONSUMER WAS PULLING INSIDE OF THE PARKING LOT AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOY. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS

Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Filed Feb 8, 2002GA

THE LEAD CONTACT POINTS FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE MELTING AFTER APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS OF USE. THE ACTUAL FILMENTS ARE STILL INTACT AND THE FUSE DOES NOT BLOW. THE TAIL FIN BRAKE LIGHT STILL WORKS BUT THE ACTUAL BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT WORK AFTER THE LEAD CONTACT POINTS MELT.*AK

Electrical System › Wiring › Front UnderhoodFire
Filed Nov 7, 2001DE

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE WHILE DRIVING, TOTALLED VEHICLE. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD, HE PULLED OVER OPENED THE HOOD AND THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE.*SLC

Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Aug 29, 2001TN

WHEN THE CAR GET WET IT WILL MISFIRE AND GO DEAD, BEEN IN SHOP 69 TIMES SAME PROBLEM, THE CAR WILL LOOSE ALL POWER, SUNRISE PONTIAC WOLFCHASE SAYS THEY REFUSED TO WORK ON IT BECAUSE THEY DONT KNOW WHY IT HAPPENING, THE CAR IS PRESENTLY AT SUNRISE COVINGTON PIKE. *AK

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Nov 6, 2000FL

HIGH BEAMS SHINE LIKE LOW BEAMS SHOULD. LOW BEAMS ARE TO DIM THAT THEY DONT ILLUMINATE THE ROAS ENOUGH. FORCING ME TO ALWAYS USE MY HIGH BEAMS. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN.*AK

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Nov 5, 2000WA

THE SEALED-BEAM HEADLIGHTS SUPPLIED BY THE PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM MODEL DOES NOT LIGHT THE ROADWAY SUFFICIENTLY. THIS HAS ENDANGERED MYSELF AND OTHERS IN MY CAR SEVERAL TIMES AND REQUIRES EYE STRAIN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO RECALL OR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, NOR HAS GMC RETURNED LETTERS OR E-MAIL SENT IN CONCERNS TO THIS PROBLEM. USING THE HIGH-BEAMS ON THE HIGHWAY (WHEN CLEAR ENOUGH TO DO SO), BARELY SUPPLIES LIGHTING EXPECTED BY THE LOW-BEAMS. LOW-BEAMS ARE VIRTUALLY USELESS TO THE DRIVER AND SERVE ONLY TO SHOW APPROACHING CARS I AM ON THE ROAD.*AK

Power Train › Automatic Transmission2 injured
Filed Sep 15, 2000OH

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH , I WENT TO PASS A CAR TRANSMISSION DROPPED DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR ,AS THAT HAPPENED MY BODY WEIGHT PUSHED BACK IN THE SEAT , THE HEAD REST THEN SUDDENLY RELEASED WHICH ALLOWED MY HEAD TO FLING BACK.THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE PAIN IN MY NECK THEREAFTER.*AK

Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear
Filed Jul 12, 2000TX

WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH, A ROCK HIT PASSENGER SIDE "T" TOP TEMPERED GLASS SHATTERING IT TO PIECES WHICH SPREAD THROUGOUT THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. YH

Air Bags
Filed Jun 19, 2000IL

WHEN CAR GETS WET, THE SES LIGHT APPEARS, ENGINE VIBRATES. DEALER SERVICED (5) DIFFERENT TIMES COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. INCONVENIENT TO KEEP MAKING SO MANY TRIPS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Carburetor System
Filed Jun 19, 2000IL

INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKS OIL, ETC... AT 39,000 MILES. THE OIL IS CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. WELL TAKEN CARE OF. SHOULD NOT HAVE OIL LEAKS. DEALER STATED NOT RESPONSIBLE 3,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME.

Structure › Body › Roof and Pillars
Filed Jun 15, 2000TX

THE GLASS IN THE "T" TOP PASSENGER SIDE WHEN STRUCK BY A PROJECTILE FROM A TRUCK EXPLODED INTO PIECES CARRIED BY THE WIND BLAST THROUGHTOUT THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT STANDARD NO. 205 INDICATES ALL GLASS IN THE DRIVERS FACE MUST BE A TYPE OF SAFETY TYPE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW THE BROKEN GLASS TO FLY ABOUT THE VEHICLE.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc
Filed Jun 5, 2000NH

BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED THE ELEVENTH TIME. WHEN CONSUMER APPLIES BRAKES THEY PULSATE, AND VEHICLE SHAKES AND TREMBLES. *AK

12 of 12 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2002
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200232004Fatalities reported
200110010Routine
200011000Routine
199916000Routine
199811000Routine
1997 — this page12010Routine
19964000Routine
19955000Routine
19949110Routine
19931000Routine
19923000Routine
19912000Routine

Compare every Trans AM year →

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.