Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1G2WP12K5VF••••••1997 Pontiac GRAND PRIX
This build draws 2.7× more complaints than the average 1997 Pontiac GRAND PRIX build (15 vs 6).
15on this build
642on the model
114builds in total
3involved a fire
Most reportedPower Train 3Electrical System 3Engine 3Exterior Lighting 2
What owners of this build wrote
Power TrainfireJun 2016
On the 10th of june in 2016 driving down the freeway at 65 mph with the cruise control engaged, I noticed a white colored smoke coming from the car. In the process of pulling over to the shoulder of the freeway the engine stopped and the smoke continued. Popped the hood and saw…
EnginefireAug 2012
The contact owned a 1997 pontiac grand prix. Minutes after parking the vehicle in a residential driveway, smoke started to emit from the engine compartment. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that flames engulfed the entire engine compartment. The fire department…
Electrical SystemfireJan 2008
Vehicle parked 10 minutes when fire detected, reported and extinguished by local fd, entire engine compartment destroyed
Engine And Engine CoolingApr 2009
I have a 1997 grand prix gt n/a 3800 engine with engine oil leaking from the front rocker panel gasket however the recall only covers the s/c'd version of this vehicle there is engine oil sitting on the top of the motor, also there is oil built up all the way down the one side…
SteeringJul 2002
When exiting driveway, steering wheel locked up, preventing owner from maneuvering vehicle. Owner towed vehicle to covington tire and service. They found that due to rear bearings being chewed up and destroyed, steering was incapacitated. *ak consumer took vehicle to the dealer…
Read all 15 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 114 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1G2WP12K5VF329845 · decoded Sep 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.