PontiacGrand Prix1987Electric/pontiac/grand-prix/1987/electric/

1987 Pontiac Grand Prix

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1987 Grand Prix.

Engine Electric

The 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix Electric is a distinctive variant of the Grand Prix line, equipped solely with an electric engine. Its reliability record is remarkably sparse, with just two owner complaints—both concentrated in the engine and engine cooling area—and two recalls. This stands in sharp contrast to the broader Grand Prix complaint history tracked from 1990 to 2008, where the 1997 model year alone accumulated 859 complaints, making the 1987 electric model an unusually quiet entry in the nameplate’s long-term reliability narrative.

Model year200820072006200520042003200220011987

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses OE oil filter 12737090. Note the factory fuel filter is now discontinued — plan on a superseded or quality aftermarket equivalent, which the part pages below list where known. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12737090 alt 12731175
Engine air filter06484235 alt 06419892
Fuel filter25171792 discontinued · alt 5651803
Spark plug19354415 alt 19354430
Front wiper blades15184702
Serpentine belt09433719 alt 10223910
Thermostat10207373 alt 10105135

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length202 in
Overall width72.4 in
Overall height54.7 in
Wheelbase108.3 in
Curb weight3232 lb
Weight distribution (front / rear)57/43

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine 75W-90 · GL-5 in the differential.

Lubricants & capacities

Differential Gear Oil75W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity3.5 qt
Engine CoolantETHYLENE GLYCOL
Power Steering FluidUSE GM PART NO. 1050017 OR EQUIVALENT

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter at 7,500 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 7,500 miCarburetor Mounting Fasteners (inspect) · Choke System (inspect) · Drive Axle Assembly (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Throttle Body (torque) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 7,500 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Differential (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect)
Every 15,000 miEngine Oil Filter (replace) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 30,000 miChoke System (inspect) · Distributor Cap (inspect) · Distributor Vacuum Advance (inspect) · EGR System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)
Every 100,000 miTransmission Fluid & Filter (replace)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix falls outside the provided federal record, which covers 1990–2008; therefore, no complaint, recall, or investigation data exists for the target year itself. However, the available data for the subsequent model years reveals a clear pattern: complaints and recalls remained relatively modest through the mid-1990s (142–221 complaints annually, 2–9 recalls per year), then spiked sharply in 1997 with 859 complaints, 9 recalls, and 7 investigations—the worst single year in the dataset. This elevated complaint period persisted through the early 2000s before declining notably by 2003. The 1987 model year, being an earlier iteration of the same generation, would likely share structural and component characteristics with the early-1990s vehicles that exhibited the lower complaint baseline of that era. The limited complaint areas for the target year—single entries for engine/cooling and fuel system—suggest no widespread systemic failures at that stage, though the data does not specify root causes. **Concrete takeaway:** The 1987 Grand Prix benefits from predating the documented spike years of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the absence of direct federal data for this specific model year means a thorough pre-purchase inspection is essential to assess condition and any undisclosed prior repairs.

2
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
4
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
2
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 2 complaints on record, top 2 components.

Engine & Engine Cooling1
Fuel System, Gasoline1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

06E043000Fuel System, GasolineReported 19/05/2006

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18… Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION…

07E088000EquipmentReported 24/10/2007

CERTAIN HONEYWELL FRAM RACING BRAND HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 25, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, AND SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES LIST ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FILTERS… Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED OIL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING NOVEMBER 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-890-2075.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
0006010192000-10-01Engine And Engine CoolingSOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION AFTER A GM GOODWRENCH REMANUFACTURED 4.3L…

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Grand Prix. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1987 Grand Prix have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.