2004 Pontiac Grand Am

The 2004 Pontiac Grand Am sits near the tail end of a generation that saw complaints peak dramatically at 909 in 1999 before declining steadily through the early 2000s. By 2004, complaints had fallen to 293 — down from 338 in 2003 and continuing a four-year downward trend that bottomed out at 102 in the final 2005 model year. Recalls held steady at four, consistent with the 2002–2005 range and well below the 2000–2001 peak of seven to eight, while investigations remained at zero for the second consecutive year. The dominant complaint areas for 2004 center on the electrical system (89 complaints) and exterior lighting (30 complaints), with 24 crash complaints and 7 fire complaints reported; the federal data does not specify root causes for any of these. Notably, TSBs remained high at 446, indicating GM was still issuing technical service bulletins — suggesting known issues were still being addressed even late in the production cycle. On balance, the 2004 model benefits from being late in the generation's maturity arc with relatively low complaint volume, but the persistent electrical system complaints and fire reports warrant a pre-purchase inspection focused on wiring and lighting; it is a reasonable used buy in this generation, though a 2005 would carry slightly lower risk.