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1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

fire · 378823 · 2002-10-08

Vehicle

Make
PONTIAC
Model
GRAND AM
Year
1997
Manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

IN AUGUST 2002, WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM PONTIAC SAYING THE IGNITION CIRCUIT THERMAL EVENTS ON OUR PONTIAC WAS A PROBLEM WHICH COULD CAUSE SPEARKS OR A FIRE AND WE SHOULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL DEALER. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO WYATT-JOHNSON, OUR LOCAL DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY--OR AT LEAST THAT IS THE PART THAT THEY SAID WERE COVERED BY THE RECALL. JUST PRIOR TO TAKING THE CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR THE RECALL NOTICE REPAIRS, MY WIFE NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE STOPPED AT A LOCAL STORE, THE IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN OFF AND SHE SAW SPARKS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. WE HOPED THAT THE RECALL REPAIRS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THE MECHANIC AT WYATT-JOHNSON SAID IT SHOULD. HOWEVER, AFTER THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE MADE, MY WIFE AGAIN EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION--IT WOULDN'T STOP RUNNING AFTER STOPPING--AND SHE COULDN'T SEEM TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. AND, AGAIN SHE SAW SPARKS FROM THE IGNITION. MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTOMOTIVE DEALER--OUR LOCAL NAPA GARAGE AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE NAPA MECHANIC SHOWED MY WIFE A PONTIAC TENICAL BULLETIN WHICH CLEARLY STATES THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY WAS INCLUDED IN THE PREVIOUS RECALL AND ACCORDING TO THE NAPA MECHANIC, THE GMAC DEALER SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE PART. HE SAID THE RECALL NOTICE NUMBER WAS 97038. WE AGAIN CONTACTED WYATT-JOHNSON AND THEY AGAIN SAID THAT THEY HAD MADE THE RE

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
768221
Machine
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