NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2005 Pontiac G6 (Page 4 of 4)

CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague

CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Pontiac G6 has major problems with two areas fairly critical to the act of driving... steering & safety.

The 2005 G6 has a major defect trend with electronic power-assisted steering failure. The power steering cuts out while driving, making it extremely difficult to steer. G6 owners typically report spending $600 - $1,200+ to fix the problem, replacing either the entire steering column or the power assist motor.

In March 2010, GM recalled 1.3 million vehicles for this exact problem "...after receiving 1,100 complaints of power steering failures." However the 2005 G6 wasn't included in that recall.

In July 2010, GM issued a "Special Coverage Adjustment" — TSB #10183 — covering "certain" (not all) 2005, 2006 & 2008 Pontiac G6's for power steering problems, up to 10 years/100k miles.

As of early 2013 the NHTSA had 300+ steering complaints on file for the 2005 G6, with 12 crashes & 4 injuries. The NHTSA closed their initial investigation in 2007, having determined that losing your power steering going over 15-20 mph isn't a big deal & that most crashes occurred at slow speeds, so not a safety risk. Ridiculous? Yep, we think so too.

The 2005 G6 also has an expensive problem with "popping" or "clunking" noises when turning, & that issue extends to newer model years as well.

Factor in the 2005 Pontiac G6's poor side impact protection & you end up with a vehicle you should steer clear of.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,589 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Pontiac G6 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2005 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments (Page 4 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #16

Jun 122009

G6

  • 73,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Owner of a Pontiac 2005 G6. I have had it in to the dealership in the past to work on a knocking noise in the steering column. During hotter months the knocking noise is more active. I have had it in at least twice to the dealer to deal with this. The last time it was serviced they claimed it was the I shaft. It was lubed and repositioned. There was also noise from steering gear. The gear was replaced and set toe in. As of this last Friday, June 12th, I was driving home from out of town and the "power steering" message showed up on my console. I figured there must be something wrong with the fluid and had my son get the booklet out of the glove box. The power steering was drastically tightening up. This startled me since it involved navigating traffic and getting it off the road especially since I also had my son with me. We pulled off the road and could not locate a specific area for putting in power steering fluid. The car was taken to the Pontiac dealership. We were told this was a computer issue with the car - there is no hydraulics - and that the steering column must be replaced for $750. I, too, am filing my complaint with NHTSA today for the safety of families when in transportation. This has been a huge inconvenience to us especially when the car has been in for service for the same similar reasons that others are filing their complaint! when I read that others as well lost power to others, this highly concerns me! I am also not satisfied that without a recall, only a replacement part my be used to fix the problem until an actual recall is ordered and the actual problem is fixed. This means I will still have to worry about driving my vehicle and be cautious of the problem happening again. This is not a suitable alternative for the consumers who have purchased these vehicles!

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #15

Jul 112006

G6

  • 9,000 miles
Well it all started for my stupid purchase of a ?!@#$% car, I have had numerous problems with this car costing me tons of money. 6 times I have had to replace my rotors and my brake pads because of a jolting shaking feeling with this car and I was told that the rotors are warped and that they need to be replaced. They never changed the rotors all they did was mill them down, 3 times they milled them down and the problem kept coming back until my warranty ran out they said your on your own. Sometimes I try to start my car and it will shake and put and die out and then it I will try it again and it will start, but I have had my car not start back up 2 times and had to get it towed and fixed and all they said was it was a dead battery but this happened 2 times with in a year and it still happens now. I started my car and started to drive and my steering wheel would violently jolt it self to the left and the right and it actually hurt my wrist from this and then the car died out and had to pay for towing and problem was a dead battery is what they said. Passenger door some how filled up with water and caused all my electrical to go haywire in my car and showing door ajar over and over again and it would go off causing my interior lights to not go off, my flood lights wouldn't work, cd player and radio only work when they want to work now, and some of the lights in the car go on and off when they want. Power arm in my car has been replaced 2 times already costing me a fortune and it needs to be replaced again, wonder if that has to do with the shotty rotors and brake problems. After revealing this to GM all I have heard back from them was to take it in a get a diagnostic test which I will have to pay for and then they might do something about it. Don"T buy any Pontiac cars, the warranty only means if there is a problem they will do nothing to fix it and when warranty is up your on your own. Still haven't had anything resolved with this vehicle.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #14

Jul 152006

G6

  • miles
Steering column clunks when turning, sometimes causes steering problems, hard to steer. This is on a 2005 Pontiac G6 GT. Had column replaced twice under warranty, needs replaced again, vehicle is not under warranty any more.

- Lebanon, PA, USA

problem #13

Nov 172007

G6

  • 31,100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact noticed that the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. She also experienced roughness while driving, accompanied by a loud, indescribable noise. Lastly, it was difficult to remove the key from the ignition. She took the vehicle to the dealer and had the drive-shaft replaced along with a sensor in the instrument cluster. Immediately after the repair, the failure resurfaced. Speed was not a factor. The failure mileage was 31,100 and current mileage was 49,000.

- Lakefield, OH, USA

problem #12

Sep 172008

G6

  • 25,000 miles
I own a 2005 Pontiac G6 which I purchased from a dealer after it had been leased for 1 year. The vehicle had 12000 miles on it when purchase. Numerous problems have occurred with this vehicle after purchase. Starting with a noise, clunk in the steering. This has been in the repair shop for upwards to 7-8 times, each time new repairs done on different parts. This problem has never been resolved. Now at 64500 miles the noise is still there after repairs only 4000 miles ago. Starting in October of 2007 I began having problems with the brake lights and cruise control. Brake lights working only sporadically as well as the cruise control. There has been documented repairs on the is of 7-8 times as well. This problem also has never been resolved. On September 17, 2008 my car was involved in a rear-end automobile accident in most part and no doubt due to faulty brake light system. Many other problems have occurred with this vehicle as well including poor sunvisor manufacturing, leaky map lights in overhead console, rapid wear of brake pads and rotors, rapid tire wear, starting drags when starting, occasionally the car will not shift out of park when the car is running and brake pedal is applied.

- Waupaca, WI, USA

problem #11

Aug 302008

G6

  • 70,000 miles
I am the owner of a 2005 Pontiac G6 four door sedan. For the past two months the engine check light has come on along with a warning on the audio display showing "power steering". these incidents were infrequent and no particular reason was found for the warning. Up until last week I attributed the problem to a faulty sensor. Last week I started my car and the check engine light came on, the "power steering was displayed in the audio system, and I had no power steering to for the vehicle. I turned the vehicle off then back on and the problem was gone. On Saturday 08/30/2008 while driving on a straight road the warning lights came on again and I lost power steering in the car again. I pulled to the side of the road, turned the car off then back on and the problem was gone. On 09/03/2008 I started my car and the warning lights again came on and I again had no power steering. I again turned the car off then back on and the problem was gone. I then drove to red hoagland Pontiac in bradenton, fl for repairs where I was told two modules needed to be replaced and it would cost me $1,095. I read a recent blog that stated there had been about 19 similar complaints for this vehicle and that a recall would probably be coming soon from your Agency. The cost of the repair is outrageous but more importantly if there is a serious problem with the power steering this vehicle should be recalled.

- Myakka City, FL, USA

problem #10

Jul 242008

G6

  • 22,206 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car wont start after sitting for several hours or it wont start after the driver display has gone haywire (showing errors, ac blows hot air, gas gauge goes to empty, unable to view your speed, etc.).

- New Albany, IN, USA

problem #9

Aug 172005

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
Too many complaints to write them all up, here are a few: Engine makes metal grinding "whooshing" noise independent from acceleration-dealer cannot replicate, warped rotors-dealer wanted over $1,000 to fix, have had radio replaced 5 times due to disc errors-dealer keeps replacing, had steering rack and water pump replaced at 30,000 miles-dealer covered, sensor that turns on lights went-dealer replaced, power steering problems, hard to turn and rough, but no "lock-ups" like others have had(thankfully)-dealer cannot replicate, had drivers side front panel sunroof drain clog, water soaked front carpet(3 inches of water)-dealer fixed but left me with a moldy carpet!, engine flutters/stutters to a start on random-dealer has no answer for me, trunk lid was scraping rear bumper due to latches being tightened wrong-dealer fixed, headlamp full of condensation-dealer fixed, car ridiculously bad in the rain and snow, stability control makes loud grinding noises and causes the car to buck, replaced tires with snow tires, still bad-dealer has no answer for me, large deep scratch across windshield right in the line of view from Contour oem windshield wipers, dealer said too bad. Those are just a few, I cant remember them all, this car is such a lemon. Im sticking with Toyota from now on! I learned my lesson!

- East Bridgewater, MA, USA

problem #8

Nov 152007

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,000 miles
2005 Pontiac G6 GT: Within the first year of ownership, we had the vehicle into the dealership twice for a leaking panoramic roof. The second time it leaked, the dash shorted out. Then at about 36,000 miles we started hearing popping noises when steering at low speeds. At around 42,000 miles the popping noises got significantly worse. It was at this point, we decided to take the vehicle back to the dealership for service. The man at the service desk seemed to know right away what was wrong with the vehicle without even diagnosing it. He told us that he had seen this problem in a lot of G6S. I asked him if it was something to worry about and he said no. He told me it would cost $550 to fix it and that the cost would be on me as I was out of warranty on mileage. After I returned home I decided to do some surfing on the internet to see if anyone else was experiencing G6 steering issues. I found page after page of people experiencing similar steering issues. In fact, I noticed that the NHTSA was even investigating GM for G6 power steering failure affecting some 176K vehicles. Frankly, this scared me to death! so much so, that the very next day I went down to the local Honda dealership and traded in the G6 for a 2008 Honda Accord ex-L (5-star rating). I took it in the shorts on the trade-in, but I cannot tell you how happy I am to get rid of this nightmare! parting question: Since when is "power steering failure" not worthy of a recall. Shame on GM!

- Brigham City, UT, USA

problem #7

Aug 102007

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles
My wife was almost killed yesterday when the steering locked up at 50mph+ while driving down the road. She has complained of steering issues/noises/control in the past, but never had it lock up completely. The car was still running, was difficult to stop, and she was almost hit by two different vehicles. This is the last of double digit issues with this vehicle. I will not take it back from the dealership. When the tow truck showed up the steering light went off and worked again.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #6

Apr 232007

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car has had numerous problems from not starting to having the brakes replaced every 3,000 miles. Dealer has been good about taking care of repairs and maintenance but I feel that this car has been nothing but a problem from the day I picked it up. I am at 27,000 miles and on at least my 9th set of brakes/rotors. It also has what I now refer to as the GM sputter start. If it does start it sometimes doesn't start on the first try and sometimes catches and sputters before it starts. Hate this car.

- Camden, NY, USA

problem #5

Jan 152007

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Automatic start on vehicle failed to work. Took car to dealership, they stated they needed to order a part. When the part was in, returned to dealership to have it installed. Left the location, the automatic start turned on the car. When I returned home that evening and was ready to go out again, the automatic start turned on the car but failed to remain on for more than 5 minutes. Later on in the same evening, the automatic start failed to turn on the vehicle, but did turn on the lock lights. Returned to the dealership where they stated the car started with no problem. Left dealership and car refused to start by automatic start. Returned again to dealership where mechanic witnessed the automatic start failure. They again tested it, and once again, the vehicle turned on for only a few minutes. The dealership said they spoke with technical support, and technical support advised it was probably cell phone interference. I'm apparently stuck with it working that way, however, I turned off my cell phone to start the vehicle w/ automatic start and it still failed to do so.

- Montgomery, NY, USA

problem #4

Jul 052006

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,000 miles
Sometime when vehicle is started the engine drags and is slow to turn over.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #3

Jul 012005

G6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
When turning the ignition to start the vehicle, the vehicle does not start right away. It sounds like it does not want to start, or won't turn over, following which it does eventually start. It has not failed to start the vehicle as of yet, however it has done this several dozen times (probably at least once a week)since I have had the vehicle in the past year. I have mentioned the problem to the dealer, but they are never able to recreate the problem, so nothing has been done to fix this problem.

- Standish, MI, USA

problem #2

May 012005

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,500 miles
Electrical. The information/radio/temp reading malfunctions and resets itself. The temperature reading will stay at 77 degrees for hours (when temp is other than that). While listening to a cd, and hitting the eject button - display reads "no disc". radio will reset all stations and time. Radio display will flash lines or not even come on at times. Occasionally, in warm weather, on initial start up, RPM and engine will rev close to 2000 RPM. Back lighting for comfort controls have changed from red light to orange. ** the electrical problems, in my opinion, go further than radio information, but apparently to the function of temperature control while starting the car - as stated in warm weather 85 degrees, it start as if temp is 20 degrees out. This has been in for service 3 times. Two times the radio with the information display was replaced and another occasion the temp sensor was replaced. Problem continues.

- Franklin, TN, USA

problem #1

Sep 202005

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,000 miles
My 2005 Pontiac G6's driver's side sun visor had an electrical short which caused smoke to come from the headliner area. The dealership has had my vehicle since then and have been waiting for a part to come in. The dealer suspects that this is not an isolated incident due to them not being able to find a replacement part. I suspect that this incident could have started a serious fire.

- Lyndhurst, OH, USA

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