just my luck....i hit 36000 today on my way to work....well 3-4miles into that 36000... the SES light comes on... :/ it hasnt been 4000 for oil, so im thinkin maybe trannyfilter and plugs?!?! also...when do u notice the intermediate shaft acting weird??? this sucks..
pontiac really slacked off with '00+ cars and/or bonnevilles!

Car is running great and the ses just came on? Or was it sputtering and it came on?
Could be that the car did not reach 180*f when the pcm thought it should )common winter ses code)

Either way you should get it scanned (autozone will do it for free) to find out what the code is.

The steering shaft is something you can feel or hear when you take a corner, can you feel the steering rack getting lumpy?

you also hear a click/popping noise

yeah thats what i thought... bout the shaft...... no sputter or anything....car was warm.. runnin for 20mins.. i live in FL and t he temp was 73...car was runnin great! im going to take to Auto zone later today after i ask my friend if he has a scan tool at his shop that he can bring over. no popping or clickin....yet...*knock on wood* would it come on for tranny filter/fluid??

To soon for tranny problems, check the fluid for peace of mind.

Frankly I bet its just a sensor gone bad, a dead sensor will trigger an SES light, if everything else seems fine, then I wouldnt overly worry. Get it scanned an keep us updated.

it could have been something like a mis fire, this can cause the ses light to come on and off depending on conditions.

k....took it over to Auto Zone, hooked up the machine..... O2 sensor he says...also maybe loose gas cap.. well im leaning towards O2 sensor, i had him erase the SES if it comes on again, ill be back to ask for help on replacing the sensor.. thanks for your guys help!! i still think GM did that on purpose to get money out of u if u never bought the extended warranty.

I'll lean towards the fuel cap, The O2 sensor usually brings up other symptoms too, running rich, lean etc.
The gas cap can look good but still seal poorly setting the code?

yes if the gas cap can look great but if the system sees the worng conditions that SES comes on

didnt get the #code but he just said O2. well thats realllllly weird b/c i havent touched my gas cap in over a week an half until this afternoon...many hours after the SES light came on, i filled up and put the cap back on.. i dunno.. ill check it in a min and if it doesnt come back on good stuff!!