Pontiac Grand Am had flash and many flaws.

MARK TOLJAGIC

If the predictions are right, Toyota will surpass General Motors as the world's biggest automobile manufacturer
within a year.

Media types will then ask business analysts how this was allowed to happen.

GM, after all, has ruled the industry for decades and, at one point, owned half the North American market.

The MBAs will cite "poor brand management," "market segmentation" and "uninspired designs."

In reality, the company's slide can be attributed to the fact that some GM owners have quality concerns.
They grumble, and people take note.

While some of the General's models are fine — those coming out of its Oshawa complex, for instance
— others exhibit problems that frighten buyers.

Such is the case with the Michigan-built Pontiac Grand Am, a popular mid-size sedan and coupe whose style
and rapid depreciation appeal to used-car shoppers.

The arrival of the improved 1999 models suggested build quality issues would be a thing of the past. Uh, no.

CONFIGURATION

For 1999, GM slipped the Chevrolet Malibu's rigid floorpan under the redesigned Grand Am and new Oldsmobile Alero.
Structural rigidity was said to be 32 per cent better.

A solid foundation makes it much easier to build a car that's quiet and vibration free, and to dial in better driving dynamics since
the suspension is well grounded.

The new Grand Am was slightly shorter and 5 cm wider than the old model. Its track was also wider for greater stability.
The 8 cm wheelbase stretch yielded a roomier interior — a welcome change since the old car had a pinched back seat.

With MacPherson struts up front and a multilink suspension out back, the Grand Am was up to date, and the refined ride revealed
as much. Speed-sensitive power steering came with the V6-equipped cars, which aided steering feedback.

The standard engine was GM's DOHC, 2.4-litre four-banger, which was not a model of smoothness, though much improved over
the original Quad 4. Making 150 hp and 155 lb.-ft. of torque, it was reasonably alert.

The optional powerplant was a 3.4-litre V6 serving up 170 hp and 195 lb.-ft. of grunt. A four-speed automatic transmission
was tied to both engines initially; a Getrag five-speed manual was introduced in 2000.

In keeping with its "excitement" branding, Pontiac offered a high-output version of the V6, which amounted to "Ram Air" induction
drawing slightly colder, denser air into the intake manifold.

Actually, a low-restriction exhaust system provided most of the additional five horses and 10 lb.-ft. of torque.

Inside, occupants were treated to a stylized dashboard and sculpted doors. Some reviewers called the Grand Ams' styling
overwrought inside and out, but plenty of consumers liked it.

The tall trunk conspired to limit the view out the back, one owner pointed out.

The last-generation Grand Am changed little over its seven-year run. In 2002, GM swapped the base 2.4-litre four for its
140-hp, 2.2-litre Ecotec four-cylinder. The Grand Am was sold briefly beside the G6, its replacement, in 2005.

ON THE ROAD

Pontiac's cartoonish styling cues, such as swirl marks on the alloy wheels, promised excitement and the car actually delivered
some decent performance numbers.

The high-output GT model could accelerate to highway velocity in 7.7 seconds, or 0.4 of a second quicker than the base SE with
the regular-spec V6.

That wasn't attributable so much to the Ram Air ductwork as the higher final-drive gear ratio.

The four-cylinder models were about half a second slower to 96 km/h than the regular V6.

The cars also felt at home carving up the road. The front-drive GT could generate 0.82 g on a skidpad and haul down from
112 km/h to zero in just 54 metres.

"I've owned two Mustangs in the past, and neither compares to the handling of this car," blogged one owner enthusiastically.

WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

"The car was peppier than expected, handled quite well and proved absolutely reliable," reader Achim Krull said.

Yes, there are happy Grand Am owners around, but there are also repair horror stories.

"It has been in the shop 18 times for various mechanical problems," noted the owner of an '01.

Another counted 29 trips to the dealer.

"Brakes are like disposable diapers on this car," another remarked.

Pads and rotors sometimes don't last a year, and many owners express dissatisfaction with the replacement parts.

Frequent brake jobs are the least of a Grand Am driver's headaches.

The litany of faulty parts includes intake manifold gaskets, head gaskets, fuel pumps, batteries, alternators, starters, oxygen sensors,
fuel injectors, wheel bearings, turn-signal stalks, hazard flashers, gas tank sending units, ignition cylinders, security systems and the
Ecotec's timing chain.

A common (and expensive) ailment is power windows that break with alarming frequency.
More than one reported fixing all four windows — twice.

Seals that allow water into the cabin and break-prone door hinges and interior plastic trim are further weak points.

GM may have sacrificed its Number 1 ranking in the market by outsourcing components to the lowest bidder.

"Did they let preschoolers build this car?" the owner of an '02 model asks.

"The rack-and-pinion is a joke, the catalytic converter a joke ... "

Unfortunately, some owners aren't laughing.