Having issues with information center, fan control, and daytime running lights on Pontiac Grand Prix

08daa08

As I was reading through the forums, I noticed that several people were having the same issue with their Pontiac Grand Prix (mine is a 2003).

In particular, lordelin posted: "I am having problems with the heater blower on my 2002 GP GT. When I start the car the headlights and the trip computer display will come on. However when I turn on the fan for the heater/AC the headlights and trip computer go out and the fan doesn't come on. What do i need to do to fix this. it started out as an intermittent problem but is now pretty much all the time."

This was an old post, but I was wondering if anyone ever found a solution to this issue, and my car is doing this intermittently as well. If anyone can provide any assistance, it would be greatly appreciated.

93tracker5spd

Hello! If you are still checking this post, I have found someone else's solution to a strange electrical problem with this type of car and there are more posting of such at this site:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Pontiac/Grand_Prix/2002/electrical/multiple_electrical_gremlins.shtml

It started with the driver info center.. flashing off and on. Then I saw that by moving the a/c from 1 thru 5 would cause it to come back on. Also restarting the car it would come on. Once it was on and I was driving, it stayed on. The a/c switch stopped working on 2. Then 3... then 4... then 1 went out. Now, The a/c will only work on 5. Automatic headlights work only when they want to. The DIC is completely gone now although occasionally you might see a flicker of red light in the dark. The car is still running good as far as tranny and engine go, but these little inconsistencies are such a pain in the [non-permissible content removed]!!

I'm a single mom on a budget and this POS is my only means of transportation to work! I'm worried!!


Update from Dec 20, 2011
Thankfully I was able to find out that all the problems, even the ones that didn't seem to be related to one another, were all caused by a faulty ignition switch. It wasn't a repair that I was able to do myself or my boyfriend, but I bought the part at Autozone for around $95 and a local body shop put it in for another $75. An inexpensive fix, yes! Difficult to diagnose, yes! All auto repair people wanted to do a LOT more than was really needed. I am very thankful that I found information online that helped me diagnose this problem. I'm sure not ALL mechanic shops would try to take a person with no experience in auto mechanics for granted... but the ones I went to did. Maybe they just didn't know for sure what was causing so many different problems.... I'm glad I studied and I'm grateful for websites like this one where we can all work together and get an accurate solution! Although, I still have the issue where the key gets stuck in the ignition. The repair shop said that there is a tiny plastic bar that is supposed to be in the ignition which will release the key all the way when parked. This apparently fell out and was long lost before I ever knew it. This is completely unrelated to the ignition switch wiring harness and all of the other problems, and is the only problem of the many that the part did not fix. I can live with that since I found that there is a key "release" button on the bottom of the steering column. I just had to pop out a small plastic plug and now keep a small screwdriver or even a toothpick worked for a while! When the key gets stuck, no more restarting, backing up and pulling up... etc... just pop the screwdriver in there and turn the key. I'm getting really fast at that! Thanks again and I hope this review might help someone else if you experience this problem.

- Wendy A., HEMPHILL, TX, USA