1999 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. *NLM

Mileage: 5,900

I HAD TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TWICE IN THE FIRST YEAR OF PURCHASE. I HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR AT 37500 MILES (WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 37000). THE MOTOR IN DRIVER SIDE DOOR WENT BAD FOR NO REASON. HAD TO REPLACE REAR SEAL AND PINS 4 TIMES OR MORE. I BELIEVED FOR A LONG TIME THAT IT WAS JUST ME BUT AFTER READING THROUGH THE OTHER COMPLAINTS, I REALIZE IT'S THE CAR! I HAVE ALSO HAD SEVERAL OF THE SAME BRAKE PROBLEMS MENTIONED BY OTHERS ON THIS SITE. PURCHASED NEW, DROVE IT OFF THE PONTIAC LOT. *NLM

Mileage: 27,000

I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES/ROTOR AND EXCESSIVE BRAKE NOISE WHEN BRAKING AT ALL TIMES, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER MONTHS/HOT WEATHER. 6/17/99, TOOK CAR INTO DEALER FOR EXCESSIVE BRAKE NOISE, THEY GAVE ME BULLETIN #88-5-13 DATED 9/88, SAID NOISE WAS NORMAL IT WILL GO AWAY WITH TIME. TOOK CAR IN AGA IN ON 7/30/99 FOR SAME PROBLEM, NOTHING WAS DONE, DEALER SAID I HAD TO GIVE BRAKES SOME TIME TO WEAR DOWN, THEN IT WILL GO AWAY. AGAIN, ON 09/08/99, WITH 4,477 MILES, BRAKE NOISE WAS WAY EXCESSIVE, THEY REPLACED THE PADS AND REFACED THE ROTORS. AGAIN ON 7/6/00 FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, THEY REMOVED PADS AND INSTALLED BRAKE QUIET AND NEW PADS. ON 8/01/00, TOOK CAR IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, THEY REPLACED FRONT ROTORS AND CLAIMED THAT THE ROTORS WERE WARPED CAR HAD 8,544 MILES AT THE TIME. SUMMER OF 2001, I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT IGNORED IT, I WAS TIRED OF RUNNING TO DEALER WITH THIS PROBLEM EVERY YEAR. ON 7/12/02, CAR HAD 20,926 MILES. I TOOK CAR INTO DEALER AGAIN, THIS TIME BRAKE PEDAL WAS PULSATING, SQUEALING OVER EXCESSIVELY AND STEARING WHEEL WAS SHAKING SEVERELY, WHEN I WAS BRAKING TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN, CAUSING ME TO STOP BEYOND THE SIGN. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO INCOMING TRAFFIC, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. DEALER REPLACED FRONT ROTORS FOR THE 3RD TIME BECAUSE THEY WERE WARPED AGAIN. THIS CAR IS ONLY DRIVEN 6MOS. EACH YEAR. IT IS STORED BEFORE WINTER , FROM MID OCTOBER UNTIL MID APRIL EVERY YEAR. I WAS TOLD THAT GM WILL NOT EXTEND WARRANTIES ON CARS WITH THIS PROBLEM. WHEN MY 5 YR. WARRANTY EXPIRES, I WILL BE STUCK WITH A YEARLY BILL OF REPLACING ROTORS ON THIS CAR, WHICH DOESN'T COME CHEAP. GM SHOULD GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING THESE ROTORS TO WARP, AND FIX IT ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE FIREBIRD I OWNED PREVIOUSLY, I PURCHASED IT NEW IN 1994, I NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTOR ON THIS CAR FOR THE SIX YEARS I OWNED IT, THE ONLY THING I HAD TO REPLACE WAS THE PADS. I HAVE HAD EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM THE DEALER. DT

WARPED BRAKE ROTORS CAUSED VEHICLE TO SHAKE. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR VEHICLE THREE TIMES. *AK

WARPED BRAKE ROTORS CAUSED VEHICLE TO SHAKE. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR VEHICLE THREE TIMES. *AK

I HAVE TAKEN IN MY CAR THREE TIMES WITH IN FEB/00 TO 12/00 PUTNUM HAS ONLY CHANGED MY BRAKES AND I ALSO HAVE ROTOR PROBLEMS AND I FEEL ABS PROBLEMS. THEY ARE SAYING I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM TO BE FIXED AND THE REASON WHY MY ROTORS ARE WORPED IS THE BREAKS GET HOT SO THEY SAY. I AM NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT THIS DUE TO WHEN DRIVING MY CAR AND BREAKING MY CAR SHAKES REALLY BAD. I JUST WENT THROUGH A STOP SIGN TODAY AFTER APPLYING MY BRAKESTHEY DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY. I HOPE TO GET THIS BREAKING PROBLEM IN CONTROL BEFORE I OR SOMEONE ELSE GETS HURT. OTHER WISE I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY TRANSAM. PUTNUM HAS BEEN GOOD TO OTHER THEN THIS PROBLEM CAN WE FIX THIS? THANKS SO MUCH. *AK

I HAVE TAKEN IN MY CAR THREE TIMES WITH IN FEB/00 TO 12/00 PUTNUM HAS ONLY CHANGED MY BRAKES AND I ALSO HAVE ROTOR PROBLEMS AND I FEEL ABS PROBLEMS. THEY ARE SAYING I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM TO BE FIXED AND THE REASON WHY MY ROTORS ARE WORPED IS THE BREAKS GET HOT SO THEY SAY. I AM NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT THIS DUE TO WHEN DRIVING MY CAR AND BREAKING MY CAR SHAKES REALLY BAD. I JUST WENT THROUGH A STOP SIGN TODAY AFTER APPLYING MY BRAKESTHEY DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY. I HOPE TO GET THIS BREAKING PROBLEM IN CONTROL BEFORE I OR SOMEONE ELSE GETS HURT. OTHER WISE I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY TRANSAM. PUTNUM HAS BEEN GOOD TO OTHER THEN THIS PROBLEM CAN WE FIX THIS? THANKS SO MUCH. *AK

DEALERSHIP MACHINED ROTORS IN 8/99, 3/2000 AT 20,000 SAME PROBLEM, 9/00, 33,000 SAME PROBLEM. *AK

BRAKES PULSATE AND SQUEAL DUE TO WARPED ROTORS. BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE AND DEALER REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE DEFECT FOR WARRANTY REPAIR.

BRAKE ROTORS HAVE WARPED SEVERAL TIMES EVEN AFTER REPLACEMENT. SEEM TO BE DEFECTIVE. SES (SERVICE ENGINE SOON) LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT OFF AND DEALERSHIP COULD NOT LOCATE PROBLEM.

PREMATURE WEAR OF ROTORS, RESULTED IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. *AK

PREMATURE WEAR OF ROTORS, RESULTED IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. *AK

DEFECTIVE BRAKE ROTORS WHICH NEEDED TO BE RESURFACED CAUSED THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO HAVE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

I AM HAVING A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE ROTORS WARPING. I HAD THEM TURNED AT AROUND 18,000 MILES AFTER FINDING SIGNS OF WARPINGWHICN INCLUDED VIBRATIONS WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. NOW ABOUT 8,000 MILES LATER I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN THE ROTORS NEED TO BE TURNED. IT IS GETTING VERY ANNOYING AND I KNOW FOR FACT THAT THERE ARE OTHERS WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS.

I AM HAVING A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE ROTORS WARPING. I HAD THEM TURNED AT AROUND 18,000 MILES AFTER FINDING SIGNS OF WARPINGWHICN INCLUDED VIBRATIONS WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. NOW ABOUT 8,000 MILES LATER I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN THE ROTORS NEED TO BE TURNED. IT IS GETTING VERY ANNOYING AND I KNOW FOR FACT THAT THERE ARE OTHERS WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS.

FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM SQUEALING EVERY TIME I APPLY THE BRAKES. IT GETS WORSE AS THE WEATHER GETS HOTTER. I TOOK TO THE DEALER, THE FIRST TIME THEY APPLIED SOME CHEMICAL TO STOP IT FROM SQUEALING, BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNED 2 WEEKS LATER. WHEN I TOOK IT BACK I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY FORD COMPANY KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BRAKES TO SQUEAL. *AK

BRAKES PULSATED WHEN APPLIED AT OR ABOVE 50 MILES PER HOUR. TOOK INTO DEALER FOR SERVICE AND FOUND THAT FRONT ROTORS WERE WARPED. DEALER RESURFACED THE ROTORS AND SAID THAT GM KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE ROTORS. WITH LESS SURFACE AREA ON THE ROTORS NOW, I AM WORRIED THEY WILL WARP AGAIN IN LESS MILES. THEY SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH HIGHER QUALITY ROTORS TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING. *AK

WHENEVER ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS APPLIED, THE PEDAL WOULD STICK TO FLOOR & WOULD NOT LET UP. VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY TAKE OFF. WOULD APPLY BRAKES, BUT VEHICLE FAIL TO STOP. VEHICLE HIT A CURB & WENT AIRBORNE & LANDED 200 FEET FACING THE OTHER DIRECTION. DRIVE VEHICLE TO SHOP TO HAVE MECHANIC CHECK THE THROTTLE LINKAGES ON VEHICLE. *AK

I HAVE NOTICED WHEN BRAKING AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 45 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES LIKE THE ROTORS ARE DAMAGED OR WARPED. THIS BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN GOING ON NOW FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I DON'T THINK IT IS VERY SAFE. I HAVE NOTICED ON LS1.COM MANY OTHER FIREBIRD OWNERS HAVE BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AND A RECALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. IT IS MOST LIKELY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.