"How reliable is the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am?"

"Based on 402 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am has a median complaint mileage of 81000 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 402 total complaints filed."

2004 Pontiac Grand Am: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 402 complaints

402

Total Complaints

81,000mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

46,023 25th Percentile

81,000 Median Mileage

120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

112

Exterior Lighting

Engine

Air Bags

Vehicle Speed Control

Control Module

Steering

Structure

Turn Signal

Unknown Or Other

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE DRIVER SIDE TIRE COLLAPSED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THE FRONT STRUT BOLT WAS MISSING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NLM"

"I WAS DRIVING THIS VEHICLE ON A DRY CLEAR DAY. WHEN I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND SLOWED DOWN IN THE EXIT LANE BY TAPPING THE BRAKES THE CAR TURNED 90 DEGREES TOWARD THE INSIDE OF THE CIRCLE AND PROCEEDED OFF THE ROAD. THE CAR BEHAVED LIKE IT WAS ON A SHEET OF ICE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A WARM DRY DAY. *A..."

"WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MPH THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. ALSO, THE BRAKE LINE WAS LEAKING AND THAT THE MOUNTING OF THE BRAKE LINE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE ENGINE WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKE LINE TO LEAK. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER AN..."

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 112 complaints

25th: 65,250 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 143,750 mi

Exterior Lighting 30 complaints

25th: 52,725 mi Median: 71,000 mi 75th: 100,000 mi

Engine 17 complaints

25th: 79,500 mi Median: 119,000 mi 75th: 123,329 mi

Air Bags 16 complaints

25th: 77,350 mi Median: 112,000 mi 75th: 133,250 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 13 complaints

25th: 50,000 mi Median: 84,854 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MO: 37 NY: 28 OH: 27 TX: 25 MI: 20 IL: 18 FL: 18 KY: 17 LA: 15 PA: 14

Who Files Complaints?

11.7%

Original Owners

88.3%

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
2002	549	70,000	Electrical System	33
2003	436	68,000	Electrical System	40
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