Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes, hydraulic16
- Engine and engine cooling13
- Electrical system9
- Steering8
- Structure7
- Power train5
- Vehicle speed control5
- Seat belts4
- Exterior lighting4
- Visibility4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 6 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix failed the safety check 1.33% of the time — 9% less often than the average 1996 passenger car (1.47%). Median odometer at inspection: 122,776 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 11.8–13.1 L/100 km (about 18–20 mpg US), CO₂ 271–301 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix · Compact · Regular gasoline | 13.9 | 9.3 | 11.8 |
| Grand Prix · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 15.6 | 9.9 | 13.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix.
| 2003336 16 Dec 2003 | Steering On certain vehicles, the lower pinion bearings retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers may fail and permit the ball bearings to escape. If th… |
| 1999083 12 May 1999 | Engine On certain vehicles, the spark plug wires may be causing the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) to be illuminated, as well as causing rough idle and poor performa… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE RETAINERS COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Pontiac told its dealers about the 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634813 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON A REPEAT ENGINE OIL PAN LEAK. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 620810 | SUBJECT REGARDING POLYMER SERVICE PISTONS. *TT |
| 619370 | OWNERS OF SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HYDRA-MATIC 3T40, 4T60, 4T60-E OR 4T65-E TRANSAXLES MAY COMMENT ON A GRINDING AND / OR GROWLING NOISE THAT IS NOTICEABLE WHEN STANDING IN PARK ON A HILL OR SLOPE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE PARKING BRAKE NOT APPLIED. *TT |
| 619360 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON DRIVEABILITY SYMPTONS OF LONG OR HARD STARTS, CHUGGLE, ROUGH IDLE AND LIGHT OR INTERMITTENT MISFIRE DUE TO CLOGGED FUEL INJECTORS. *TT |
| 619177 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON A REPEAT ENGINE OIL PAN LEAK. *TT |
| 615074 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT FRONT SUSPENSION SCRUNCH / POPPING TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF VEHICLE THAT IS APPARENT DURING LOW SPEED TURNING MANEUVERS. *TT |
| 615073 | SOME V6 ENGINES MAY, ON A VERY INFREQUENT BASIS, HAVE AN OIL ODOR CONDITION THAT IS GENERALLY ENCOUNTERED AFTER THE ENGINE'S OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED.TYPICALLY THE ODOR LASTS APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES AFTER THE CHANGE OF OIL AND THEN DOES NOT REAPPEAR UNTIL THE NEXT CHANGE OF OIL. *TT |
| 609669 | A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATING ON THE VEHICLE'S INSTRUMENT PANEL AFTER A LONG DECELERATION WITH THE TRANSMISSION TYPICALLY IN THE OVERDRIVE POSITION. YD |
| 6089996 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HYDRA-MATIC 3T40, 4T60 OR 4T60-E TRANSXALES MAY COMMENT ON A GRINDING AND / OR GROWLING NOISE THAT IS NOTICEABLE WHEN IN PARK ON INCLINE. *TT |
| 6088680 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN OF GRINDING / SCRAPING / GROANING NOISE FROM REAR SUSPENSION. *TT |
| 608372 | SUBJECT REGARDING SPARK PLUG WIRE FAILURE. *TT |
| 607522 | SUBJECT REGARDING SPARK PLUG WIRE FAILURE. *TT |
| 604343 | SOME OWNERS MAY EXPERIENCE A DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOM OF LONG OR HARD STARTS, CHUGGLE, ROUGH IDLE AND LIGHT OR INTERMITTENT MISFIRE. *TT |
| 601915 | COMMENTS ON A TICKING TYPE NOISE THAT BEGINS SHORTLY AFTER COLD ENGINE START-UP AND GRADUALLY DIMINISHES AS THE ENGINE WARMS UP. *YC |
| 600282 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOM OF LONG OR HARD STARTS, CHUGGLE, ROUGH IDLE AND LIGHT OR INTERMITTENT MISFIRE. *YC |
| 54419 | COMMENT THAT THE ABS LIGHT IS ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC'S) 46 AND 86 SET AS CURRENT OR HISTORY. *YC |
| 54418 | SOME VEHICLES EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES TO DEPRESS ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND/OR AN ACCELERATOR CABLE SEPARATION. *YC |
| 54328 | EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STEERING COLUMN SNAP OR CLICK NOISE WHEN TURNING. *YC |
| 54327 | COMMENTS OF AN ENGINE OIL LEAK THAT APPEARS TO ORIGINATE TOWARD THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE; REAR OF ENGINE. *YC |
| 54066 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOMS DUE TO FUEL INJECTOR DEPOSITS. *YC |
| 53009 | CONDITIONS CONTAINING ENGINE OVERHEATING AND/OR LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT. *YC |
| 52600 | CLN INDICATOR APPEARS ON RADIO DISPLAY AND DOES NOT TURN OFF (RESET CLN INDICATOR WITH THE EJECT BUTTON ON TAPE). *TW |
| 52580 | DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND/OR ACCELERATOR CABLE SEPARATION (INSTALL ACCELERATOR CABLE AND CLIP). *TW |
| 52563 | REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE, RESTRICTED FUEL FLOW (CLEAN FUEL TANK, REPLACE IN-LINE FUEL FILTER AND FUEL PUMP STRAINER). *TW |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation