1987 Pontiac Grand AM problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1987 Pontiac Grand AM. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 32% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 21% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 21% |
| Steering | 4 | 14% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 11% |
| Power Train | 3 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 7% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 4% |
| Seats | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My digital odometer stopped working at 199,999 miles. I was told by pontiac that it was defective, and that normally it would continue on to 200,000. The only problem is that the lcd display will only show a "1" in the one hundred thousands place. Technicar, the company who fixes instrument clusters, says they all…”
Electrical System · filed Jun 30, 2000
“The design of the lap belts mounted in the door does not properly provide enough protection in an event of an accident. Consumer was driving 40mph and was struck on the driver side. *ak”
Seat Belts · filed Sep 28, 1999
“Can't seem to ever save any money to buy a new van because car this one is costing too much money to keep on the road. No safety defect (s) listed in summary. *ak”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jun 30, 1999
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BELT SEPARATION
Engineering Analysis EA91045 · opened Nov 7, 1991 · closed Oct 26, 1992
- BRAKE PERFORMANCE
Engineering Analysis EA90041 · opened Aug 29, 1990 · closed Mar 30, 1992
- BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS
Engineering Analysis EA89010 · opened Jan 17, 1989 · closed May 8, 1990
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1987 Pontiac Grand AM.
Information regarding snow intrusion into rear drum brake assemblies. **mr
000524001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1987 Pontiac Grand AM in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1987 Pontiac Grand AM?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.