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Pontiac Grand Prix Engine And Engine Cooling Cooling System Safety Report | Dec 08, 2003
Reported on Dec 08, 2003
| THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON MY 2000 GRAND PRIX SE (3.1 LITRE V6 - 60,000 MILES) HAS BEGUN TO LEAK. I KEEP UP TO DATE ON MAINTENANCE OF MY CAR REGULARLY, AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN SUBJECTED TO ANY EXTREME CONDITION. I OBSERVED NO NOTICEABLE PUDDLES OF COOLANT AROUND MY CAR OR IN THE GARAGE IT IS KEPT IN. THE PROBLEM FIRST REVEALED ITSELF WHILE DRIVING AT EXPRESSWAY SPEEDS (55MPH) FOR ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES INTO MY TRIP. THE ENGINE COOLANT LOW LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THE TEMPERATURE READING BEGAN TO RISE SHARPLY WITHIN 5 SECONDS (NEARLY TO REDLINE). UPON INVESTIGATION ON THE SPOT, NOTHING WAS FOUND. NO PUDDLES, NO WET COOLANT AROUND THE ENGINE. MECHANICS COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AT THIS POINT, EVEN RUNNING THE ENGINE AND COOLING IT REPEATEDLY. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH THE REPLACED COOLANT THINKING IT WAS A ONE TIME THING. THEN I BEGIN NOTICING PUDDLES, AND THE COOLANT IS LEAKING OUT RATHER RAPIDLY NOW (ALLOWING THE MECHANIC TO FINALLY FIND THE PROBLEM). ONCE I FOUND THAT IT WAS THE INTAKE GASGET, I FOUND THOUSANDS OF OTHER OWNERS OF VEHICLES WITH THE SAME AND SIMILAR ENGINE HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. DUE TO THE SUDDEN NATURE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF THE PROBLEM, AND DUE TO WIDESPREAD OCCURANCE OF THIS ISSUE ON RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE CARS, I FIND THIS TO BE A VERY DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM THAT SEEM TO HAPPEN TO EVEN THE MOST WELL MAINTAINED CARS. IF I HAD NOT SEEN THE TEMPERATURE READING RISING (AS I'M SURE MOST PEOPLE DONT WATCH THEIR TEMP GUAGE) I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND CONTINUED DRIVING, THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE DIRECTLY CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO FAIL AT HIGH SPEED AND NO LONGER BE UNDER CONTROL ENDANGERING ME AND POSSIBLY MANY OTHER SAFE DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. | |
| Make: | Pontiac |
| Model: | Grand Prix |
| Manufactured by: | General Motors LLC |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Was a crash reported? | N |
| Was an injury reported? | |
| Was a death reported? | |
| Was a fire reported? | N |
| Location: | BOLINGBROOK IL |
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): | 1G2WJ52J1YF |
| Mileage: | 60000 miles. |
| Speed: | 55 MPH |
| Number of cylinders: | 6 |
| Vehicle type: | FWD |
| Vehicle fuel: | GAS Fuel injection. |
| Was a police report filed? | N |
| Tire size: | |
| Dealer name and location: | |
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