Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 39,107 complaints for PONTIAC
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
When I was slowing down to come to a stop at 15-20mph it suddenly hard shifted and jerked like the brakes came on but I did not have my foot on the brake. The back tires squealed like they locked up or something. Lucky no one was behind me or I may have gotten rear ended. My care has 50K miles and this is the first time this has happened. I drove straight home and it did it 4-5 times more on the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
None of the gauges work properly Gm has not issued a recall despite the numerous complaints and it is a 500 to 800 dollar repair bill to replace the instrument cluster. 2005 Sunfire and the instrument cluster is malfunctioning. The gas gauge has stopped working altogether and the temp and rpm gauge work erratically. This is definitely a recall issue and has nothing to do with the maintenance of t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
None of the gauges work properly Gm has not issued a recall despite the numerous complaints and it is a 500 to 800 dollar repair bill to replace the instrument cluster. 2005 Sunfire and the instrument cluster is malfunctioning. The gas gauge has stopped working altogether and the temp and rpm gauge work erratically. This is definitely a recall issue and has nothing to do with the maintenance of t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
None of the gauges work properly Gm has not issued a recall despite the numerous complaints and it is a 500 to 800 dollar repair bill to replace the instrument cluster. 2005 Sunfire and the instrument cluster is malfunctioning. The gas gauge has stopped working altogether and the temp and rpm gauge work erratically. This is definitely a recall issue and has nothing to do with the maintenance of t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed at a local dealer with air bag coil wire failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V168000 (Air Bags). The approximate failure mileage was 199,850.
Incident date: May 27, 2022
The secondary safety hood latch failed causing the hood to fly up and shatter the windshield while also obstructing visibility on the road. The complete obstruction of the windshield presented a dangerous situation putting myself and others at risk of death of severe injury. In addition this caused glass shards to enter the driver/passenger compartment if the vehical further presenting risk to t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
Electrical system has mysteriously drained 2 batteries, the exterior lights vary on which will work despite the bulbs being good, the electric power steering comes on then off at inopportune times makes steering heavy and difficult to maintain Speed fluctuation the car will jump into gear or rev up to appropriate gear.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
Electrical system has mysteriously drained 2 batteries, the exterior lights vary on which will work despite the bulbs being good, the electric power steering comes on then off at inopportune times makes steering heavy and difficult to maintain Speed fluctuation the car will jump into gear or rev up to appropriate gear.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
Electrical system has mysteriously drained 2 batteries, the exterior lights vary on which will work despite the bulbs being good, the electric power steering comes on then off at inopportune times makes steering heavy and difficult to maintain Speed fluctuation the car will jump into gear or rev up to appropriate gear.
Incident date: May 26, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2008 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side air bag deployed without warning. There was no impact to the vehicle that could have caused the air bag to deploy. The contact's daughter did not sustain any injury, and no medical attention was received. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an i... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Going down a busy highway at night, 1 minute the car is fine, the next minute the lights go off and then the car dies. The service air bag light came on, the oil light came on, the anti theft light came on and the battery light also. I tried to crank it, nothing. I put a jump box on the battery it Crunk. Within the last 6 months I have replaced the starter twice, the alternator twice, the fuse bo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2018
Van crashed with damage to the front when it ran off the road and went into a culvert/ditch and air bags did not deploy resulting in paralyzation of the wife of the owner after van had been apparently donated to Charity Cars as junk vehicle or salvage vehicle. Vehicle was apparently repaired by towing company and offered for sale at at a used car dealership in Zanesville, Ohio. The passenger ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 9, 2022
i HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MY POWER STEERING AND EPS TURNING OFF AFTER MY CAR HAS BEEN CRANKED A MINIMUM OF 2 MIN MAYBE NOT EVEN THAT LONG. MY STEERING WHEEL ALSO ROTATES (LIKE SHAKING) WITHOUT THE CAR MOVING AND IF THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN IT POSES A HUGE RISK TO CRASHING AS THE JERKING CAUSES THE CAR TO SWERVE. i TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE RECALL ISSUES REPLACE SEEING THAT THE ISSUES I AM ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2022
i HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MY POWER STEERING AND EPS TURNING OFF AFTER MY CAR HAS BEEN CRANKED A MINIMUM OF 2 MIN MAYBE NOT EVEN THAT LONG. MY STEERING WHEEL ALSO ROTATES (LIKE SHAKING) WITHOUT THE CAR MOVING AND IF THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN IT POSES A HUGE RISK TO CRASHING AS THE JERKING CAUSES THE CAR TO SWERVE. i TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE RECALL ISSUES REPLACE SEEING THAT THE ISSUES I AM ... Read more
PONTIAC
GRAND PRIX
(2001) — FIRERELATED
May 19, 2022
Incident date: May 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idle, a burning odor was detected. The contact turned off the vehicle and noticed that there was smoke and then flames coming from underneath the hood. The contact did not sustain any injuries, and no medical attention was received. No police report was filed. The contact waited until the fire went out on its... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 4, 2022
The passenger presence pad was not repaired.
Incident date: May 7, 2022
Electronic steering only works intermittently. I was recently driving the vehicle and the power steering stopped working as I was going around a corner and almost collided with another vehicle because of it. After shutting the vehicle off and restarting it, the power steering started working for a little bit, then stopped working again.
Incident date: May 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist while pulling into his driveway. The contact attempted to steer the vehicle however, the steering wheel jerked to left. The contact observed that the "Power Steering Failure" warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2022
I was driving with my kids from Ohio to wv. Halfway there my steering got super stiff and it was very hard to turn the wheel. Then a light on dashboard of a car with wrench in it came on then the car made ding noise and across radio message center said power steering. I read there was a recall in 2014 for my year make and model of car a 2005 Pontiac G6 but since it's been so long I can't check to ... Read more
PONTIAC
GRAND PRIX
(2005) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 15, 2022
Incident date: May 10, 2022
Other unknown motor vehicles are in the same area and and different times of day monitoring my vehicle. I get car washed and park I return I have spray on the sides, hood, and directly in front of glass.
Incident date: May 8, 2022
On 5-8-22, I, along with my 3 children, were driving from Ohio to west Virginia to visit my mother for mother's day. We were about 5 minutes away from getting on the highway where speed limit would've been 70 mph and multiple vehicles. The road we were on the speed limit was 55 mph but I was coming up to a sharp left turn so I was slowed down to about 35 mph. Before I started to go into the sharp ... Read more
PONTIAC
GRAND PRIX
(2005) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 10, 2022
Incident date: May 10, 2022
The contact owned a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V400000 (Electrical System) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list as she does no longer own the vehicle. There was no further information provided.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2021
Electrical wiring mess with air for air or heating up I was trying to make it work while driving and then all of suddenly dashboard light went out, car slowed down and stopped. Turned the car off then turned back on dashboard light wouldn't work, windshield wipers stop working. Got stuck middle of nowhere after I pulled over to check with the car won't turn back on till fuse change and engine star... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2021
Electrical wiring mess with air for air or heating up I was trying to make it work while driving and then all of suddenly dashboard light went out, car slowed down and stopped. Turned the car off then turned back on dashboard light wouldn't work, windshield wipers stop working. Got stuck middle of nowhere after I pulled over to check with the car won't turn back on till fuse change and engine star... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2021
Electrical wiring mess with air for air or heating up I was trying to make it work while driving and then all of suddenly dashboard light went out, car slowed down and stopped. Turned the car off then turned back on dashboard light wouldn't work, windshield wipers stop working. Got stuck middle of nowhere after I pulled over to check with the car won't turn back on till fuse change and engine star... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2022
No SE lights on dash. Shudder shifts intermittently between all gears both in automatic and manual driving mode. No shops have been able to diagnose what the actual problem is. Huge safety risk as there is no telling when it will actually happen and “stall” the car out in traffic when shifting. In searching the internet this is a common problem for 5+ years and there has not been a solution id... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 5, 2022
No SE lights on dash. Shudder shifts intermittently between all gears both in automatic and manual driving mode. No shops have been able to diagnose what the actual problem is. Huge safety risk as there is no telling when it will actually happen and “stall” the car out in traffic when shifting. In searching the internet this is a common problem for 5+ years and there has not been a solution id... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
Power Steering lost all use while driving. After researching issue the, I found a recall on this year and model vehicle but have never received a notice of recall on the power steering torque sensor as stated in the recall. Cost for repairs is astronomical for the labor and part tha has been seen to cause accidents and.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
On 08/05/2020, my car was serviced by our local GM dealership to have 3 open recalls fixed. They replaced my steering torque sensor and power steering assist motor due to the power steering going out at random. As of April 2022, I am once again having power steering issues. The steering wheel shakes back and forth, and occasionally will throw an error code and stop working. This requires me to pul... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with an electrical power steering assist failure. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2021
There is an issue with all Saturn Sky’s and Pontiac Solstice’s that cause the wiring harness for the A/C FAN to melt, or even ignite. This is the same harness that was used on 2006-2010 Hummer H3 vehicles manufactured February 5, 2005, to May 24, 2010, and 2009-2010 Hummer H3T vehicles manufactured May 21, 2008, to May 24, 2010. This recall was never extended to Pontiac or Saturn. - If the b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2022
i was driving my car and stopped at a stop sign and my car shut down could not get it to turn back on at all had to get it towed to my apt then get it towed to a mechanic he said it was the starter and said it will continue to turn off untill the throttle body and map sensor are fixed also said 8f i turn my ac on it will turn off because something about the valve broke I'm not sure what that meant... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
Brake lights stay on when the car is in drive. Cruise control will not work. There are other intermittent electrical issues that are not safety related. With the brake lights always on, other drivers don't know when I'm stopping. The problem is ongoing and has been confirmed by an independent mechanic. there were no warning lights or messages. the problem started several years ago before I owned... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
Brake lights stay on when the car is in drive. Cruise control will not work. There are other intermittent electrical issues that are not safety related. With the brake lights always on, other drivers don't know when I'm stopping. The problem is ongoing and has been confirmed by an independent mechanic. there were no warning lights or messages. the problem started several years ago before I owned... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
Brake lights stay on when the car is in drive. Cruise control will not work. There are other intermittent electrical issues that are not safety related. With the brake lights always on, other drivers don't know when I'm stopping. The problem is ongoing and has been confirmed by an independent mechanic. there were no warning lights or messages. the problem started several years ago before I owned... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2021
The contact's son owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while at a complete stop, the steering wheel locked inadvertently. The contact's son turned off the vehicle and after restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. There was a warning light displaying the vehicle with a lock across illuminated. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Radio Stopped working won’t power on, BRAKE, TC, ABS & CHECK ENGINE light stay on for some reason!
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G5. The contact stated while driving the vehicle into the garage, there was an abnormal gasoline fumes odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with rusted fuel lines from underneath the engine to the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering became inoperable. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the torque sensor was faulty. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the fai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
Power steering goes off while driving. Previous recall for this reason while checking my Vin it states that there are no unrepaired recalls however either mine was never actually fixed or it has not been repaired properly.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2022
The power steering angle sensor malfunctioned/stopped working properly at approx. 197,000 miles. The part was taken out and replaced by a local GM dealership. With the sensor malfunctioning, we experienced intermittent loss of power steering as well as shaking in the steering column which made it suddenly VERY difficult to steer. We lost power steering mid-drive many times and could have been kill... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle was difficult to start. Additionally, there was an abnormal fuel odor after driving and parking the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined; however, the mechanic was aware of the fuel odor. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the power steering warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over to side of the road, turned off and then restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality returned. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving at 70-75 MPH, the vehicle started misfiring. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the failure was associate... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
While in operation power assist stops working requires heavy input from driver to steer. Power assist works again on restart but issue reoccurring randomly. Their is a recall on this model for the same issue but being told my vehicle is not covered under that recall. Recall #14V153000 issued on 3/31/14.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Headlight went out . Upon changing it I noticed that wiring harness was burnt and melted. Also was driving and power steering went out driving 65 miles per hour. The cruise control got stuck . Right side making horrible noise at times. This has put me and my five year old as well as anyone driving near me at risk of dying.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Headlight went out . Upon changing it I noticed that wiring harness was burnt and melted. Also was driving and power steering went out driving 65 miles per hour. The cruise control got stuck . Right side making horrible noise at times. This has put me and my five year old as well as anyone driving near me at risk of dying.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Headlight went out . Upon changing it I noticed that wiring harness was burnt and melted. Also was driving and power steering went out driving 65 miles per hour. The cruise control got stuck . Right side making horrible noise at times. This has put me and my five year old as well as anyone driving near me at risk of dying.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Went to get insurance and the recalls were brought to my attention.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Went to get insurance and the recalls were brought to my attention.