Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 39,131 complaints for PONTIAC
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.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Went to get insurance and the recalls were brought to my attention.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2007 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact replaced the fuse; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
The problem hasn't been happening nearly as much in the cold temperatures. I'm experiencing the same issue that was supposed to be recalled. The power steering goes out while I'm driving. I can pull over, restart it and it usually goes away the first start (sometimes more "restarts" are necessary). The steering wheel also twitches or shakes while the car is just idle. I don't move it... just ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
The problem hasn't been happening nearly as much in the cold temperatures. I'm experiencing the same issue that was supposed to be recalled. The power steering goes out while I'm driving. I can pull over, restart it and it usually goes away the first start (sometimes more "restarts" are necessary). The steering wheel also twitches or shakes while the car is just idle. I don't move it... just ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Well, we purchased a 2009 Pontiac G6 in November of 2021. We have been having problems with our light staying on, we were pull over a couple nights ago due to our lights not working. Also, our G6 pulls to the right and tweeters are the only speakers that work. Sometimes the driver door speaker will come on but that's in a blue moon. My step dad looked at my lights and noticed our wires were burnt ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Well, we purchased a 2009 Pontiac G6 in November of 2021. We have been having problems with our light staying on, we were pull over a couple nights ago due to our lights not working. Also, our G6 pulls to the right and tweeters are the only speakers that work. Sometimes the driver door speaker will come on but that's in a blue moon. My step dad looked at my lights and noticed our wires were burnt ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Well, we purchased a 2009 Pontiac G6 in November of 2021. We have been having problems with our light staying on, we were pull over a couple nights ago due to our lights not working. Also, our G6 pulls to the right and tweeters are the only speakers that work. Sometimes the driver door speaker will come on but that's in a blue moon. My step dad looked at my lights and noticed our wires were burnt ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, and making a lane change, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped and turned the vehicle off. The contact stated that power steering engaged upon restarting the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The contact had not taken the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2022
The electric steering assist went out while driving, making it very hard to steer. I am in the process of getting this replaced. I will try to have the mechanic give me the old part so it is available. It was very hard to steer and stay in my lane. Could have easily gotten into an accident. No dealer, or independent service center has verified it yet. Trying to get it scheduled now. Nothing in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel was inadvertently locked up. The power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. Th... Read more
PONTIAC
TORRENT
(2007) - AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:STATUS INDICATOR LAMP/LIGHT
Feb 25, 2022
Incident date: Jan 13, 2020
Passenger side air bag light is staying off even when an adult is seated there.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
gm recall March 2017 #17036 changed out a defective passenger presence module and now 5 years later the same switch went out again but repair shop said its not covered by any recalls. The vehicle has 60538 miles and is not a daily driver as I have 4 vehicles and very rarely carry any passengers. I feel like the switch replaced was still defective and should be covered by gm. it cost me $980.95 to ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2022
I will start my car with my power steering not working, turn it off and turn it back on and it will be working fine. I was driving down the road and it went out and I could not stop and restart the car because I was in mid traffic and not near a red light. The steering wheel is hard to control and takes all my effort to turn the steering wheel to get where I needed to go. My car has not been worke... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2022
About two weeks ago, my steering wheel locked up while driving on the expressway. Luckily I was in the far right lane and was able to pull over without causing a car accident. Once pulled over, I shut off the vehicle and called my mom. While on the phone, she told me to try to start it up again. This time, the steering wheel turned with no problem. Hastily, I drove home. I have made arrangements t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2022
I have had two incidents when powering steering failed. Luckily I wasn't going fast both times. Problem resolved after restarting car. I took to mechanic and was given a recall number and told to contact the dealership. I made appointment and was told that recall had expired. Apparently this has been an issue with this car for many years but dealership isn't always acknowledging it. The reca... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2022
I have had two incidents when powering steering failed. Luckily I wasn't going fast both times. Problem resolved after restarting car. I took to mechanic and was given a recall number and told to contact the dealership. I made appointment and was told that recall had expired. Apparently this has been an issue with this car for many years but dealership isn't always acknowledging it. The reca... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
The ignition is faulty. My ignition allows my radio to turn on randomly. I could have the car off, I'm not in it at all. If I get inside to go somewhere and the radio is already on before I put the key in. Most times it's not a big deal. The car starts and I go about my business. Recently I've been experiencing needing to get a jump because the battery gets run down over the radio being on. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
The ignition is faulty. My ignition allows my radio to turn on randomly. I could have the car off, I'm not in it at all. If I get inside to go somewhere and the radio is already on before I put the key in. Most times it's not a big deal. The car starts and I go about my business. Recently I've been experiencing needing to get a jump because the battery gets run down over the radio being on. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost steering functionality. The contact stated that as his daughter turned off and restarted the vehicle several times and the steering wheel functionality returned; however, the steering was shaking. The TPMS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac G5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel locked inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that both the power steering motor and steering column needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. U... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, the power steering warning system would chime and illuminate then the power steering would fail intermittently. The contact had to use excessive force to maneuver the vehicle. The contact would then turn off and restart the vehicle for the power steering to function as needed. The contact stated that the fa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2022
UNKNOWN . I was driving on a normal day, turned the corner and me and this car almost hit each head on because the steering wheel locked up on me . Im very little I injured my arm trying to hurry and grab on to the steering wheel tight to keep from hitting the other car . Power steering keeps popping up on my car can somebody please help me now the steering wheel doesn’t want to ever unlock .
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the rack and pinion and intermediate steering shaft replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of ... Read more