"How reliable is the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am?"

"Based on 549 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 549 total complaints filed."

2002 Pontiac Grand Am: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 549 complaints

549

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

42,308 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

101,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

100

Exterior Lighting

Engine And Engine Cooling

Turn Signal

Control Module

Switch

Engine

Switch

Steering

Power Window Devices And Controls

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED IN GARAGE WHEN DRIVER NOTICED A PUDDLE UNDER VEHICLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE WATER PUMP. DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THERE WAS NO WATER PUMP AVAILABLE.*AK"

"VEHICLE IS MAKING GRINDING/ RUBBING NOISES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED THAT GOODYEAR, EAGLE TIRES WERE RUBBING AGAINST RIM OF VEHICLE, SIZE# P225/50R16, DOT#T303462GCW. *AK *YD"

"APRIL 1, 2002, I BOUGHT A NEW CAR, A 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM GT BETWEEN 12 PM AND 2 PM, ABOUT 4 PM I WAS ON THE EXPRESSWAY ON I55 GOING NORTHBOUND, DURING THE THUNDER STORM WE HAD WITH RAIN AND SNOW AND EVEN SOME SLEET. AT THAT TIME I HAD THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON "HI" AND PROCEEDED VERY CAUTIOUSLY ON..."

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.

Electrical System 100 complaints

25th: 65,000 mi Median: 96,680 mi 75th: 130,000 mi

Exterior Lighting 39 complaints

25th: 78,939 mi Median: 99,604 mi 75th: 113,250 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 26 complaints

25th: 40,125 mi Median: 51,218 mi 75th: 83,000 mi

Turn Signal 21 complaints

25th: 49,371 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 97,000 mi

Control Module 21 complaints

25th: 46,250 mi Median: 60,280 mi 75th: 78,750 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 52 MI: 42 IL: 34 FL: 28 NY: 28 PA: 27 NC: 24 TN: 21 CA: 19 IN: 19

Who Files Complaints?

28.8%

Original Owners

71.2%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Grand Am — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	61	-	Engine	3
1991	102	-	Engine	11
1992	304	88,000	Engine	15
1993	290	100,000	Engine	11
1994	515	123,000	Engine	71
1995	587	101,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	78
1996	672	103,494	Frontal	45
1997	600	90,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	43
1998	236	80,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	16
1999	1317	70,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	99
2000	938	65,000	Electrical System	68
2001	759	70,000	Electrical System	30
2003	436	68,000	Electrical System	40
2004	402	81,000	Electrical System	34
2005	143	85,627	Electrical System	21

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