1999 Pontiac Grand Prix problems & reliability
412 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. 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.
8 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles were involved in 9 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 152 | 37% |
| Steering | 58 | 14% |
| Engine | 50 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 47 | 11% |
| Visibility | 30 | 7% |
| Power Train | 24 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 16 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 14 | 3% |
| Equipment | 13 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 95,310 miles (middle 50% between 64,000 and 138,000 miles), based on 232 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“1999 pontiac gran prix. Consumer writes seeking reimbursement for vehicle repairs made related to nhtsa safety recall.”
Engine · filed Dec 12, 2022
“Tl* the contact owned a 1999 pontiac grand prix. After the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and parked, it caught fire. The contact noticed black smoke under the hood and an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. The mechanic was able to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. The fire department was…”
Engine · filed Apr 29, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 pontiac grand prix. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 08v118000 (engine and engine cooling), however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Hatfield buick…”
Engine · filed Apr 10, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
Engineering Analysis EA07008 · opened Jun 12, 2007 · closed May 1, 2008 · led to recall 09V116000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
Preliminary Evaluation PE07006 · opened Jan 29, 2007 · closed Jun 12, 2007
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02030 · opened Oct 22, 2002 · closed Mar 9, 2004 · led to recall 04V090000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE02050 · opened Jun 13, 2002 · closed Oct 22, 2002
- AIR BAG INFLATOR
Engineering Analysis EA01014 · opened Jun 11, 2001 · closed Aug 26, 2002 · led to recall 02V027002
- DRIVER AIR BAG MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE01002 · opened Jan 10, 2001 · closed Jun 11, 2001
Technical service bulletins
89 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
19NA273 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
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
The 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 95,310 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.