Window regulator or power window failure on the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
When window regulator or power window failure gets reported
Owners of the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM report window regulator or power window failure at a median of 75,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles, from 9 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 90,000 miles. It is the 19th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 45,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 95,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 52,694 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A window that narrow is the signature of a part that fails on its own schedule rather than on how the car is driven — which is usually a design or supplier problem rather than wear and tear.
11% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43,226 miles | 60,000 miles | 77,000 miles | 89,990 miles | 95,920 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $250–$900 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 4 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2000, at a median of 50,000 miles, and latest on the 2001 at 125,000 miles.
By volume the 1999 is the worst of them, which makes this a problem of this specific year rather than of the model as a whole.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I bought the car, used, in feb. 2002. Since that time the clearcoat has began chipping off, leaving the paint exposed to the elements, specifically around the doors. In july the driver's side window regulator broke. On sept. 5th the passenger side window regulator broke. In august the driver's side mirror was caught against my plastic mailbox and snapped in half. I am aware that I am responsible for that mirror, however I tell you this because I feel the mirror should have withstood the plastic mailbox door, which is still intact. Along with that, the passenger side mirrot broke off simply by being brushed as my husband walked by the car. All of these issues seem to be a concern to many grand am owners. I have researched and found many other similar complaints. Pontiac refuses to cover any of the costs because I bought the car used, have not taken it to a gm dealer for service (with the exception of oil change it has not needed service), because I did not buy an extended warranty package, and because the mileage is more than they feel responsible for. The car is barely 5 years old. These things should not be falling apart this…
I bought the car, used, in feb. 2002. Since that time the clearcoat has began chipping off, leaving the paint exposed to the elements, specifically around the doors. In july the driver's side window regulator broke. On sept. 5th the passenger side window regulator broke. In august the driver's side mirror was caught against my plastic mailbox and snapped in half. I am aware that I am responsible for that mirror, however I tell you this because I feel the mirror should have withstood the plastic mailbox door, which is still intact. Along with that, the passenger side mirrot broke off simply by being brushed as my husband walked by the car. All of these issues seem to be a concern to many grand am owners. I have researched and found many other similar complaints. Pontiac refuses to cover any of the costs because I bought the car used, have not taken it to a gm dealer for service (with the exception of oil change it has not needed service), because I did not buy an extended warranty package, and because the mileage is more than they feel responsible for. The car is barely 5 years old. These things should not be falling apart this…
Left window regulator needed replacing because my window fell in the door and I was unable to use my window. I know of 2 other people that this has happened to. It cost me $260.68 for the part, and $14 for a switch. Gm knows of this problem but has not done a recall. This is quite common in grand am and grand prix. I would like to know of any reimbursement program for the cost of the part?*ak
Also reported on the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
ABS module or sensor failure
Other brake problem
Premature brake pad or rotor wear
Alternator or charging system failure
Other engine problem
Other electrical problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 18 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does window regulator or power window failure happen on the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM?
Across 9 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 75,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is window regulator or power window failure on the 1999 Pontiac Grand AM?
18 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed