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Pontiac Grand Prix Engine fires 3800 series II 1996-2003

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Comments

  • tommy231tommy231 Member Posts: 27
    I addition to everything Jeff asked about, could you tell from the flames you saw - where the fire was emanating from?
  • bradleybonesbradleybones Member Posts: 4
    Was a 2000 GT 4 door sedan. The fire started right in dead center of the front part of the engine, just below the oil filler opening. Only thing is, I had NO hard braking. Of all the things I have done while driving, I seldom have to brake hard. As of today, the insurance company, AAA totaled the thing and I'm getting a fairly good value from them for it, ($4200 and some change). They will attempt to get at least my deductible back from GM, which I doubt they'll accomplish. I do have an attorney looking into the claim by GM that there is no liability on their part for safety recalls after the 4 year warranty. Could be true. This is Kansas after all.
    If I knew how to post an image with this comment I would do so.
  • bradleybonesbradleybones Member Posts: 4
    Just added a photo of the fire damage on my car space page. New to the site here, so took me a minute to find out where to do that.

    I enjoyed the car up until 9/1, but I do have to say I had my share of problems with it. 3 of the 4 windows broke at one time or another requiring new regulators, at $400 a pop, which was several years ago. The third one I never fixed. The fourth one will probably survive now that it's being sent to the Grand Prix Grave yard. Had a transmission sensor of some sort right after I bought it, which GM fortunately did cover, since it was under certified pre-owned warranty. Lucked into that by a few days only. Had several other sensors & such go out, problems with the trip computer. It was a good handling car, though.
  • tommy231tommy231 Member Posts: 27
    The recall only applied to the supercharged engines (GTPs). However, it does sound like it might have been an oil leak like was supposedly the case with the GTPs. It might also have been related to the starter wiring, as that area fits your description. There is a known issue with the starter solenoid feed (unfused) rubbing on the top of the starter solenoid. I am glad your insurance company paid-out on this one.
  • jettechjettech Member Posts: 8
    Good luck with that deductible thing. We had the same thing and my insurance company (Allstate) was very confident at first that they would be able to get something out of them (GM). They told me that I would probably get at least a partial refund of my deductible. They even hired a special investigator to investigate the recall, and I've had several conversations with him about it all.

    A year later (July of this year) I received a letter from Allstate stating that they had given up. Maybe it was due to the whole auto industry collapse and the gov. taking over. Who knows.

    Good luck with yours.
  • bradleybonesbradleybones Member Posts: 4
    GM REFUSED to do anything to rectify the situation with my 2000 Grand Prix. I managed $4200 & some change out of the insurance company. GM tried to claim that there is a statute of limitations on warranty for 4 years in Kansas and when I reminded them this was a recall issue not a warranty they told me that the warranty statute was what governed it in KS. I can guarantee it'll be a cold day in hell when I ever consider another GM product again. GM apparently wants to do whatever they can to NOT STAND BEHIND their defective products. I've been warning anyone I see with a Grand Prix of the subject vintage to check out their car. I figure that's the least I can do to hopefully keep someone else from maybe losing their house to a fire. I wonder how many cars in my office lot would have been destroyed by the fire if my car had waited until I got back to work to catch fire. Hmmmm. Since I work in a building with no windows where the workareas are, and minimal traffic during the work day, I'd bet quite a few.

    Such a shame our tax dollars went to bail out GM.
  • bedensbedens Member Posts: 23
    I lost my 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix in March, 2006. I called GM the very next day, they sent some stupid idiot down here to check out the cause of the fire, he looked at my car less than 15 minutes, on April 18, 2006 I was told by GM that they were not responsible for it. I have argued with them and argued with them. I have tried to hire an attorney but have been told that since no one was hurt or died, it wouldn't be feasible for them to take the case. I found out Friday that GM is now recalling Grand Prixs and Buick Regals to fix the problem before an engine compartment fire starts. I was once again on the phone with GM today to find out what they plan to do about my car. I gave them 2 days to overnight a check to me. Am calling them again tomorrow and every day until I get satisfaction.
  • benajah1759benajah1759 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1999 GT and heeded the recall. So far , so good. My question is has there been any engine fires on any cars that have had the recall service done?
  • jettechjettech Member Posts: 8
    Took my 2000 GTX in about a year and a half ago and had the recall work accomplished. About one week later the engine burned up and the car was totaled. Insurance company paid out and tried to recoup money from GM but failed.
  • 79c10stepside79c10stepside Member Posts: 1
    my moms 95 Bonnie unsupercharged has never done anything of the sort, however, it did blow a 1/4 inch vacuum line off the other day, and ran at 4000rpm untill i shut it off. it has the 96 series 2, because it was a demo vehicle, and some kids stole it off the lot in 96, so the dealership repaired it, and replaced the engine/trans. my uncle bought it in 98, and we inherited it in 00 when he died. we drove it till Dec 04 when the upper intake went out, and it sat, on exactly 150,000 for 4 years until me and my granddad got it 99% fixed, and then we sent it to a mechanic to get the kinks worked out. the mechanic told me it wouldn't make it 2 miles, but its had 21,000 miles put on it since then. We put it up down in Dec 09 because an ignition coil went out, which i have since replaced. i watch all my vehicles so closely, that nothing happens that i dont anticipate, i do need to replace the valve covers though, because that mechanic dented them, so now they leak oil on the headers(which nearly caused an engine compartment fire)
  • ncdubncdub Member Posts: 1
    I haven't seen it, but daughter says when she turns the key, nothing happens EXCEPT the rpm reads about 5 and the speedometer reads 180. Someone just told me it might be a bad battery cable connection, and that loose cables were common problems in this era. This friend also suggested to jump the car--might
    be a low battery. Anyone got any ideas?
  • bedensbedens Member Posts: 23
    I have posted my story numerous times on here. I am still fighting with GM about my car that burned March 23, 2006. I have given the CEO until 4 p.m. central time this afternoon to return my calls. I have sent an email to CNN and 48 hours concerning this situation. I have tried to get Oprah to cover this but she hasn't seemed interested in it. If I get safisfaction I will pass along to everyone how to do it.
  • tjmac921tjmac921 Member Posts: 1
    I had an engine fire yesterday April 14, 2010 on my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. Have owned the car since it was new, I have always maintained the car regularly. Just had it in the shop less than a week ago for oil change, replaced coolant, and had a couple belts replaced. Have not heard from insurance adjuster as of yet to see what they are going to do, the damage was pretty severe probably a total loss. Fire was very similar to other posts from the past several years.
  • hollywhitakerhollywhitaker Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2010
    How are problems with recalled vehicles or equipment remedied?
    Once a safety-defect determination is made, the law gives the manufacturer three options for correcting the defect – repair, replacement, or refund. In the case of a vehicle recall, the manufacturer may choose to repair the vehicle at no charge; replace the vehicle with an identical or similar vehicle; or refund the purchase price in full, minus a reasonable allowance for depreciation. In the case of equipment, including tires and child safety seats, the manufacturer may either repair or replace the affected equipment at no charge to the consumer.

    INFORMATION SOURCE: WWW.NHTSA.GOV
  • hollywhitakerhollywhitaker Member Posts: 4
    How are problems with recalled vehicles or equipment remedied?
    Once a safety-defect determination is made, the law gives the manufacturer three options for correcting the defect – repair, replacement, or refund. In the case of a vehicle recall, the manufacturer may choose to repair the vehicle at no charge; replace the vehicle with an identical or similar vehicle; or refund the purchase price in full, minus a reasonable allowance for depreciation. In the case of equipment, including tires and child safety seats, the manufacturer may either repair or replace the affected equipment at no charge to the consumer.

    INFORMATION SOURCE: WWW.NHTSA.GOV
  • grngtpgrngtp Member Posts: 14
  • grngtpgrngtp Member Posts: 14
    tjmac921, sorry about the fire and damage. I hope you weren't injured and are okay. Did you have the recall work done at a dealer to the change the front valve cover gasket?

    Thanks,
    Jeff
  • hollywhitakerhollywhitaker Member Posts: 4
    Thank you for your concern. Yes my son is ok. To answer your question, the car burned before we could. we got a post card two weeks before. However I have spoke to another person that still had his burn to the ground after the so called "quick fix". Did you get a recall card? Did? you get the "quick fix"
  • discusted1discusted1 Member Posts: 1
    Hi all. I just found this site and need to vent. As of this coming June it will have been two years since my wife's 1998 Grand Prix GT burned. I bought the car used with 36,000 miles on it after checking the car fax report. The car was beautiful and a great replacement for her 2002 in which she was t-boned in on the drivers side and walked away. The car I believe save her from serious injury. The replacement 1998 model caught on fire while she was on her way to work. She had just come down the mountain (very steep) when she stopped at the bottom for a stop sign she noticed a smell that she immediatly dismissed as her brakes. Her first stop was the post office where she picked up the mail in the morning for her employers. when she got out of the car she notices a puff of smoke escape from the edge of her hood.She immediatly went and popped the hood inside the car and moved to open her car hood and poof there was instant fire. Originally we went after the car dealer as we had only had the car for a very short time. About a month or two later we recieve a recall notice from Pontiac regarding possible engine fire in our model of car under heavy down hill braking. I did not file a claim to my insurance company as I was adamant that the responsibility laid elsewhere. Of course I had already dragged the dealer to an inquiry under the lemon law which I lost. My wife and I currently have a claim in to GM's bankruptcy division and no one has even looked at the car which sits in my yard under a very worn out tarp. Has any one gotten satisfaction from GM?
  • stevie75stevie75 Member Posts: 1
    My 2002 Grand Prix GTP caught on fire in a parking lot while I was in the grocery store 2 weeks ago. I had just left work and was on my way home. I'm just thankful my daughter wasn't in the car with me. I submitted the claim to my insurance company, and they're totalling it because they can't find the wiring harness needed to fix it. GM doesn't make it anymore. I didn't learn of the recall on my car until after the fire but didn't bother calling GM on it because I was afraid I'd get caught in the middle between the insurance company and GM and end up with nothing for my car. This is my second Grand Prix, and I will never buy another GM vehicle again!
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Stevie75,
    I am from GM Customer Service. I apologize that you experienced a concern on your vehicle. Can you please email me with more information about your situation so I can look into further? You can access my email by clicking on my name. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • outdoorladyoutdoorlady Member Posts: 14
    Congratulations Stevie75, I think you are the first to get a response from GM out of the hundreds of us that have posted regarding this problem in the past 31/2 years!!!
  • gtp03dawgtp03daw Member Posts: 16
    What else can I say...State Farm insinuated I committed arson and denied the claim. GM denied the claim. Then State Farm forced me into either singing the title or paying
    for the storage fees to date. When NHTSA got GM to issue recalls, GM again denied the claim for "statute of limitations" In the mean time I spent another 895+ dollars to have the oil pan gasket replaced.And that was done less than 1 week after my front valve cover was replaced under recall the old pan gasket was leaking directly onto the exhaust system. Then another 900+ for the manifold gaskets that started leaking...Conveniently after the time limit for replacement......Then GM dops Pontiac....

    Just great...

    And if GM is reading this the article below is from Consumer Affairs ( the car pictured on fire is my 03 GTP ) I have several more. My original post is several pages back
    ( Got Marshmellows )

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/11/car_fires.html

    Good luck Stevi75
  • gtp03dawgtp03daw Member Posts: 16
    What else can I say...State Farm insinuated I committed arson and denied the claim. GM denied the claim. Then State Farm forced me into either singing the title or paying
    for the storage fees to date. When NHTSA got GM to issue recalls, GM again denied the claim for "statute of limitations" In the mean time I spent another 895 dollars to have the oil pan gasket replaced. And that was done less than 1 week after my front valve cover was replaced under recall. Then another 900 for the manifold gaskets that started leaking...Conveniently after the time limit for replacement......Then GM drops Pontiac....

    Just great...

    Article below is from Consumer Affairs ( the car pictured on fire is my 03 GTP )
    I have several more.

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/11/car_fires.html
  • gtp03dawgtp03daw Member Posts: 16
    You can also check "got marshmellows" on page 3..

    What else can I say...State Farm insinuated I committed arson and denied the claim. GM denied the claim. Then State Farm forced me into either singing the title or paying
    for the storage fees to date. When NHTSA got GM to issue recalls, GM again denied the claim for "statute of limitations" In the mean time I spent another 895 dollars to have the oil pan gasket replaced. And that was done less than 1 week after my front valve cover was replaced under recall. Then another 900 for the manifold gaskets that started leaking...Conveniently after the time limit for replacement......Then GM dops Pontiac....

    Just great...

    Article below is from Consumer Affairs ( the car pictured on fire is my 03 GTP )
    I have several more.

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/11/car_fires.html
  • hollywhitakerhollywhitaker Member Posts: 4
    Well I am not giving in! My son was driving this car and I thank god he is not hurt! I am trying to find any and all people who have had their car burn to the ground! I am finding a class action lawyer to start this going! We are all either accused of arson! or told the warranty limitations has run out, or we are not the original owner, and NOTHING will be done! people have lost their cars, their homes, garages, apartment buildings, and I am thanking god I haven't heard of a death yet. god willing that wont happen.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Hollywhitaker,
    I am from GM Customer Service. I apologize for your situation with your vehicle. Can you please email me more information about your situation so I can look into it further? You can find my email by clicking on my name. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • nekogpgtnekogpgt Member Posts: 2
    I know your post is like really old but I stumbled across it when I was looking for parts. Moving on, my sister had that same issue with her Grand am they never found the problem or fixed it. My Grand Prix had a starting issue, it MIGHT be your mass air flow sensor. It's a common part that goes bad in those cars. Grand Prix's normally don't have a lot of issues or serious ones. 87s though may have had more issues, especially if its an SE with a 3.1 L engine. They're basically a Grand am with the nicks and nacks.
  • nekogpgtnekogpgt Member Posts: 2
    Most liekly, it also has the 3.8L The LM model just has a few more options than regular model. But they have the same motor.
  • ashleynbauserashleynbauser Member Posts: 4
    for a while now I have had smoke coming from my alternator area. i know it's not my alternator because it is brand new since nov. the smoke seems to be coming from that area though under it. it is smoking so bad now that it's coming through my a/c vents and it smells I've been told like oil burning.my boyfriend thinks it maybe be oil burning and I need a new valve gasket cover but it might not be as simple as that. it is smoking with the a/c on and with it off. i dont kno what it could be but the smoke is getting bad. have any ideas?
  • gtp03dawgtp03daw Member Posts: 16
    what year ? model..the gtp's with the super charged 3800 engines have
    a recall out for the front valve covers. from personal experience my first
    one went up in flames. the recall only covers the front valve cover and the
    alternator is by the rear one, but have both valve covers checked, also there
    were recalls on the intake manifold gaskets leaking water. if water gets
    into the cylinders it will be costly as in new engine! around 800 for the manifold gaskets if it's not under warranty, front valve cover is a free recall, also have the
    oil pan gasket checked for leaks. mine leaked directly onto the exhaust
    down tube, another 800....great engine...lousy gaskets..
  • ashleynbauserashleynbauser Member Posts: 4
    it is a 94 grand prix se, I think 3.1 engine. its got 40,000 miles on it.
  • ashleynbauserashleynbauser Member Posts: 4
    so you think i should check both gaskets and the pan?
  • ashleynbauserashleynbauser Member Posts: 4
    any body else have any input?
  • ctdunnaganctdunnagan Member Posts: 8
    if it smells like oil it is .. look for the leak and have it fixed.. changing the valve cover gaskets are not that hard..
  • wesley70wesley70 Member Posts: 3
    I am writing in response to the messages. Just 2 night ago our car burnt up. Our story sounds like so many others. Came home and about 15 minutes later the neighbor is knocking on the door and our car is in flames. I started looking around today and have been very surprised to hear so many similar stories. Has anyone had any success with GM on the issue? Any available information, updates, or suggestions on the route we can take to handle this would be grealty appreciated. If this is a common problem then GM needs to acknowledge it and do something about it before someone gets seriously hurt! We were devistated!
  • wesley70wesley70 Member Posts: 3
    I am checking in to see if you have had any luck. Our car caught fire 2 nights ago and it totaled.
  • grandprixzgrandprixz Member Posts: 12
    Hello,,,
    I am so sorry that your car was destroyed by this terrible problem that is happening to Pontiac's .....I was devastated when my car caught fire.....I first called the car complaint number to let them know about it...then they gave me GM's phone number,,,a case was open and a investigator was sent to my house,,twice......he took pictures,,,and then a while later GM contacted me and said,,"that they would not cover it because I didn't have a extended warranty". I don't know anyone who has a extended warranty or who would give me one when my car was a 1999 Grand Prix,,,,I loved my car and it was paid for...I planned on having my car for long time....and didn't have high miles either....I would try this first what I did.....and you could have success...I think if I pursue somehow maybe I could get somewhere...it is sad and frustrating to read all of the posts...someone told me about these fires happening that is how I found out...I thought initially that my son had done something to the car.....GM needs to step up to the plate and reimburse GM car owners their money for the loss of their vehicle....and they are not being held accountable for something that is clearly their fault...I wish you luck and I will let you know if I find a way to to pursue and get some where with my case..I am sorry again for the loss.....and your right someone is going to get hurt or a fatal tragedy is going to happen..actually,,,a older man did die from his car catching on fire..because the fire burned the wires and the automatic door locks were locked and he couldn't ope the windows or doors and died inside the car....don't give up and pursue this and have a case opened.....you deserve to be reimbursed for your loss.....erica
  • tommy231tommy231 Member Posts: 27
    Did you have the recall executed? GM recalled most of these cars and have a plan to fix what they believe is the main cause... oil leaking out of the front valve cover that catches fire on the exhaust manifold then ignites some plastic parts above the exhaust manifold. If you had the recall done and still had the problem then it seems you might have some additional leverage with GM. I believe the recall was only a partial fix, but probably enough of a fix to put these cars back into a more reasonable statistical category for under hood fires on competitive vehicles.
  • wesley70wesley70 Member Posts: 3
    we were the second owners and to my knowledge never received a recall for the vehical , and to this date have just learned about this recall all what the effects of it are
  • grandprixzgrandprixz Member Posts: 12
    I couldn't have the recall done and I was not aware of a recall...my car was destroyed when it caught fire....it caught fire and everything was melted and the car could never be put to back to what it was.......I was the third owner so I never received a recall...a friend mentioned that this was happening after my car caught fire so I decided to check it...I was devastated when I started reading the posts in here...I could not believe it was happening and GM was not being held accountable for this problem and not having to reimburse owners for their loss....thank god,,,the windows were down,,,when my car caught fire because the auto windows , doors,,,,would not work because the fire melted the wires and computer ....or my son and his friends would have died.......two fire trucks responded to the fire.....immediately but the car was not savable......thank god my daughter was not driving it either because she probably would not reacted as fast as my son did...
    even though I will most likely not be reimbursed for my loss I am not going to let GM off the hook.....I am not going to go away.....I will be a voice for all of us that have experienced this ........it's wrong....and GM needs to not forget it....erica
  • michigan13michigan13 Member Posts: 1
    i recieved my "recall" warning in the mail like 3 days ago but place who fixes the problem was booked up for a few weeks well needless to say my car caught fire today trashed the whole engine luckly there was a pressure hose about 50 feet away from where i parked for work.. at a farm and we put it out but it still trashed the whole engine.......GM should be held accoutnable
  • amcmugradamcmugrad Member Posts: 1
    We also have a similar story that happened today...my husband had been to the drug store about 2 miles away from our house, he had been home for about 10 minutes and someone driving by our house saw the flames and frantically rang the doorbell to let us know our car was on fire. Ten foot flames, 2 fire trucks , 5 police cars.,our block being baracked and 1 hour later the flames were finally out. Thank goodness we had some strong winds today that were blowing away from our house and my husband did not park in the garage!!!! We had the recall "fixed "and we have only drove about 150 miles since the recall was "completed." I have already contacted my insurance company and I am planning on giving my good friends @ GM a call. Looking forward to a good run around!!!
  • grandprixzgrandprixz Member Posts: 12
    Hello ,,,,
    I am so sorry that your car is destroyed...it is such a devastating and traumatic thing to go through.....what year is your Grand prix? I am so glad your husband is okay.....and thank god he didn't park your car in the garage....something has to be done about this....almost every other day I am receiving e-mails from edmunds forum.....this is ridiculous and unfair...all of us have trusted in Gm and have invested in a car that is supposed to last and meet our needs....not only are we out of a car when this happens but the money....
    also,,,you took your car in and had it supposely fixed with the recall...at least you thought...I don't have the answers but we have to do something....I wish you luck and please keep me informed......take care....god bless,,,erica
  • outdoorladyoutdoorlady Member Posts: 14
    Mine caught fire on my mom's carport just over four years ago, thank goodness I had full comprehensive coverage or I would have gotten nothing! GM issued recalls long after hundreds of cars burned and will do nothing.
  • tressytressy Member Posts: 1
    On November 29, 2010 I avoided an accident after a car pulled out in front of me on a two lane highway. So after I continued down the road, I noticed a strange smell and then realized there was smoke coming from the hood. As I stopped the car, I noticed flames coming from the front of the car. I got out to call 911 and as I looked over the car, the flames were already inside the car. By the time the fire truck arrived, the car was fully engulfed. I was in total shock how fast the car burned. It was my only transportation and is not covered by insurance. They only paid towing. Is there a class action lawsuit on these vehicles? I didn't discover the recall until after this happened.
  • nixhrnixhr Member Posts: 1
    My 02 gtp caught fire in October 2010. I was not aware of the recall therefore had not had it performed. About two months prior to the fire I had reduced my insurance to liability only(stupid mistake). I have made calls to GM and filed a claim. basically they tell me that it falls under a warranty statute and they are not going to do anything to fix my car. luckily I managed to stop the fire before it spread and the car is probably fixable but it won't be cheap. Does anyone know of GM actually making this right and fixing any of the damage or am I wasting my time? Also if anyone has had any success getting their car fixed or replaced would they please tell me what avenues to pursue?? Thank you.
  • emrickemrick Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 car caught fire two nights ago. The problem was it was in my garage. Heavy damage to the garage part of the structure and it almost got my house. I did have the recall work performed and have a receipt to prove it. Obviously, the recall work did not fix the problem. I had full insurance coverage so I will get something for the car but it was in excellent shape, paid off, and I wasn't looking to replace it. The fire to my garage and house is another story. It shouldn't have happened.
  • rob189rob189 Member Posts: 3
    Hi Erica,

    Sorry for your loss. My 2002 grand Prix burned up 2 months ago while I was driving home. Have you gotten anywhere? I have been told since I did not still have the car I am out of luck.

    Rob
  • outdoorladyoutdoorlady Member Posts: 14
    GM wouldn't help you our anyway. We are all victims of their poor workmanship. My '99 GTP burned up just over 4 years ago, loved that car.Thankfully, I had full coverage but did not get nearly the worth to me out of it. Good luck to you getting anything done by GM.
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