"How reliable is the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?"

"Based on 1064 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix has a median complaint mileage of 100500 miles. The most common issue is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS, accounting for a significant portion of the 1064 total complaints filed."

1997 Pontiac Grand Prix: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1064 complaints

1064

Total Complaints

100,500mi

Median Mileage

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

71,000 25th Percentile

100,500 Median Mileage

159,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

135

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

130

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE

AIR BAGS

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

123

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ABS LOST ALL PRESSURE DURING BRAKING, OCCURRED AT 35 MPH--IMPACT AT 12:00, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK"

"THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND DIES WHILE IN MOTION. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 135 complaints

25th: 55,543 mi Median: 73,500 mi 75th: 98,750 mi

STEERING:RACK AND PINION 130 complaints

25th: 55,675 mi Median: 78,000 mi 75th: 98,500 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 56 complaints

25th: 110,216 mi Median: 162,000 mi 75th: 180,000 mi

ENGINE 45 complaints

25th: 144,729 mi Median: 171,750 mi 75th: 200,000 mi

AIR BAGS 33 complaints

25th: 49,000 mi Median: 86,000 mi 75th: 107,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MI: 98 IL: 74 CA: 71 NY: 66 OH: 59 PA: 47 NC: 44 FL: 38 IN: 36 TN: 35

Who Files Complaints?

42.2%

Original Owners

57.8%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Grand Prix — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	249	89,993	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER	17
1991	242	128,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER	13
1992	158	130,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	10
1993	185	115,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	19
1994	306	125,000	VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER	33
1995	245	110,189	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	26
1996	116	39,153	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	10
1998	617	95,000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS	25
1999	500	95,809	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	18
2000	588	92,000	ENGINE	13
2001	427	96,000	ENGINE	24
2002	410	90,721	ENGINE	28
2003	136	100,000	ENGINE	9
2004	624	83,000	ENGINE	78
2005	209	71,290	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	17
2006	365	98,800	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	33
2007	323	93,500	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	23
2008	199	88,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	14

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28