NHTSA — Steering Problems

2005 Pontiac G6 (Page 14 of 21)

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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:
19 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,322 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2005 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments (Page 14 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #141

Oct 152009

G6 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles

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

Power steering light comes on and I lost power steering to the vehicle. Steering was very hard. Vehicle pulls hard to the left without any reason. I took it to the GM dealer 5 times to do an alignment but failed to fix the problem. Still pulls to the left as before. None of the dealers I went to knows what the problem is. I am concerned. 2005 Pontiac G6 GT 71,000 miles.

- Collegeville, MN, USA

problem #140

Mar 202010

G6

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. While the contact was driving approximately 55 mph excessive force was applied to the steering wheel when making a right turn; however, making a left turn did not require additional force. The power steering failed sporadically. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the steering column needed to be replaced at the owner expense. The vehicle had not been repaired. There are two other people that drive the vehicle and both have experienced power steering failure. The failure mileage was 102,000. The current mileage was 102,900. Updated 05/18/10.

- Alton, IL, USA

problem #139

Mar 202010

G6 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
I have a 2005 Pontiac G6 V6 that I purchased in July of 2008. I have had no major problems with the vehicle other than steering issues. There were a few occurrences where the steering was extremely easy to turn in both directions, but no drastic problems. After those few occurrences, I had about 7 instances where I had no power steering turning the wheel to the right but power to the left. About a week after this happened my radio sounded a message that said "power steering" and I could not turn my wheel in either direction. This happened while I was driving down the road and almost caused me to wreck into oncoming traffic. I have been told by several individual people as well as Pontiac dealers and auto part stores that this is a common thing with G6's electronic steering. Pontiac recently recalled the G5 series of their vehicles for electronic steering issues and are aware of the steering issues on their G6 models. If this is the case, then why are they not recalling all models with known similar issues or atleast making the public aware of the issue as these are the issues that cause wrecks.

- Alton, IL, USA

problem #138

Apr 082010

G6

  • 87,250 miles

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

Driving an 05 Pontiac G6 on the freeway around 65 mph and the power steering went out all of a sudden. I swerved into the other lane and would of hit someone if another car had been there. Very dangerous to have power steering fail and highway speeds. Reading on the internet, this is a common problem for G6's and should be recalled and taken care of so no accidents occur.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #137

Mar 302010

G6

  • 70,066 miles
While driving my 2005 Pontiac G6 on an interstate the morning of March 30, a notification of "power steering" suddenly appeared on the radio's display area and thereafter, my power steering cut out. I was capable of driving the car to my destination without the power steering. After turning off my car, and turning it back on, the power steering system was fine. After a quick internet search, it seems that this issue has been experienced by many other drivers.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #136

Mar 262010

G6

  • 68,596 miles
When I turned into the parking lot at work this morning the power assist on my 2005 Pontiac G6 locked up. I couldn't turn the wheel at first - the power steering light came on the instrument panel and on the message center it flashed "power steering." Luckily, no other vehicles were around and I was able to strong arm the vehicle into a spot. I turned the car off and called my son. He thought it was the battery. I turned the car on and everything had returned to normal. When I got to work I got online and noticed that this was a problem in the 2005 G6S but no recall has been made on it. In August of 2009 when I took my car in to have the 60,000 service performed the mechanic asked me about the noise with the power steering. I told him I did notice a clunking sound when I turned. He advised me that some dealerships were fixing the problem without charge. I called around and found that wasn't the case in my area. What does it take to get a recall for this? I see that some of the G5's have been recalled -- I am now afraid of my car and have no means to buy a new one.

- Aurorar, CO, USA

problem #135

Jan 162010

G6

  • 64,000 miles

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

2005 Pontiac G6 power steering failure. 64K miles on car. No injuries or crashes yet. Turning car off and restarting allows the power steering to work again. Diagnosed as bad steering sensor which requires a replacement steering column for $800. GM has refused to cover as a safety issue.

- Spring Lake Park, MN, USA

problem #134

Mar 202010

G6

  • 80,000 miles
My 2005 Pontiac G6 GT's steering locked up while I was driving. The dealer told me it was the electric steering going out. I had no control over my vechicle. I had to turn it off and re-start it for the steering to start working.

- Vancleave, MS, USA

problem #133

Sep 302009

G6

  • 50,000 miles
I have a problem with power steering cutting out randomly on a 2005 Pontiac G6. This happened mostly last summer and for some reason stopped as it got colder. It would happen as I would start the car, or sometimes as I was driving or as I was arriving at a destination. The power steering went out about every day, sometimes a few times a day. To correct the problem, I would have to restart the vehicle, sometimes several times to get it to work correctly. When it went out, the warning light came on, as well as a noise to alert me, and "power steering" would flash across the information panel. I have had this car for just over a year and spent all of last summer with the problem. No one was hurt, though when the power steering would go out while I was driving, I would have to find a place to pull over, which was difficult when the wheels would lock up and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn.

- Chesterfield, MO, USA

problem #132

Mar 162010

G6 6-cyl

  • 45,755 miles
The power steering goes out suddenly. I was driving down the street one morning and had stopped at a red light. When I accelerated once the light turned green, the power steering light came on and it was hard to steer the car. I had to shut the car off to reset, and it worked fine. Problem continues to occur, especially when just putting the car into motion at a low speed. I took the car to my mechanic and he could not find anything wrong with, despite having him in the car once when the power steering went out. I heard on tv that 2006 and up models were recalled due to steering. But I have been unable to find any information out about 2005 models and why it was not included.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #131

Mar 162010

G6 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

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

The power steering on the 2006 Pontiac G6 is malfunctioning terribly. When you make a turn you lose power and have to fight not to hit another car. It's very frustrating. There have been recalls on the G5's but not the G6's and I want to know why. This problem need immediate attention before someone gets hurt.

- Danville, VA, USA

problem #130

Feb 092010

G6 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
It is a 2005 Pontiac G6, the steering pulled hard left when my wife started a left turn from a stop sign. It pulled the steering wheel right out of her hands, it is lucky there was no other traffic. I had done a check and it would steer to the full stopping point if you just touched it in that direction. But turning to the right it was difficult. After checking all of the obvious like tires, tierods or for damage I tested again and it all worked fine. A week later it started doing it again but you could hold it straight. I got off the freeway and when I would shut the car off and restart it would be fine. Lasted about another week when we were traveling about 50 miles from home it did it again but this time we got the message on the read out saying power steering and restarting it would not reset it. We drove it home in manual steering. Called the dealer in rention wa. And the one in puyallup and they said that they have not heard of any steering problems. I took it to the puyallup dealer and they troubleshoot it to the steering column. We got it replace at a cost of over $800 because our warranty was up. Now I am hearing about all of these other reported problems with the steering on these models. I feel that if a person was not paying a great deal of attention that this could cause serious problems. Please check into this before someone gets seriously hurt.

- Edgewood, WA, USA

problem #129

Feb 232010

G6

  • 80,000 miles
Power steering failed on my 2005 Pontiac G6. Vehicle resulted in an almost severe crash on the interstate. After searching online I've found that there is a limited recall on this part!!! that is insane. Also, my 2005 is not covered! I could have lost my life on the hwy due to a manufacturing issue that should be covered free of charge. After repair attempts my power steering is still inoperable.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #128

Mar 072010

G6 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
2005 Pontiac G6 GT.. the power steering pump has went out on me twice & have had the steering wheel lock up multiple times. There is also a very loud clucking noise when I turn the steering wheel.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #127

Feb 272010

G6

  • miles
I own a 2005 Pontiac G6 and for the past four months the power steering motor has been going out. I have done some research and found that the problem is so common local dealers started to carry the necessary parts. I have a 2yr old son that I drive to daycare every morning and coming up with $600 for the repair is a bit expensive. I hope that the company starts to take a look at this problem before someone loses a life or even worse their child.

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

problem #126

Jul 012009

G6 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The power steering on my 2005 Pontiac G6 GT goes out often. It is usually when I am turning or speeding up from a slow speed or stop. It occurs at least once or twice a week and has caused be to go head on in traffic and is very unsafe. It started when my car reached around 70,000 miles.

- Peotone, IL, USA

problem #125

Sep 152008

G6 4WD 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
The power steering on my 2005 Pontiac G6 GT experiences intermittent failures. Steering becomes extremely difficult with possibly a complete lack of power steering function. The steering goes out mostly at slow speeds and it unpredictable. In order to restore power steering function, the car usually has to be restarted. Power steering replacement was looked into, but at $600+ for a problem that is clearly a manufacturing issue (see recent GM recalls), I do not want to pay for something that should be fixed by the manufacturer.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #124

Feb 152010

G6 6-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
My 18 daughter was leaving for school. Turned out on the highway and no power steeringon her 2005 pont. GMC G6 only 54000 miles looked on the internet for problems. Discovered other people had the same issue. The power steering pump in the steering column went out had it replaced before my daughter had an accident. Total cost $800.

- Warrensburg, MO, USA

problem #123

Nov 132009

G6 6-cyl

  • 339,527 miles
Twice, electric power steering failed. It reset after sitting overnight.

- Hythe, 00, USA

problem #122

Feb 282010

G6

  • 83,000 miles
2005 Pontiac G 6 power steering shuts down, steering becomes very tight, hard to turn. I received a letter covering steering problem up 60000 miles if there was a problem. Since November power steering has shut down on 4 different occasions, turning off and restarting car is the only way to restore steering. Dangerous very hard to turn at lower speeds not exactly easy at freeway speeds.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

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