NHTSA — Steering Problems

2005 Pontiac G6 (Page 5 of 20)

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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:
88,992 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 5 of 20)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #316

Oct 082014

G6

  • 111,925 miles

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

While driving on the highway and approaching her exit, the electronic power steering failed and completely locked on my client's car. This is a downhill exit ramp off the highway. Her car pulled to the right and she was unable to steer her car left to follow the curvature of the exit ramp. As a result the car veered off the exit ramp, struck a pole and began to spin out of control. The car continued to spin down into the embankment and came to rest after landing on its side. The car stopped on the driver's side wheels as if it was about to roll over. The car eventually fell down on all four wheels and was facing oncoming traffic. There was a recall issued on the electronic power steering but parts to correct the problem were not made available to my client.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #315

May 302014

G6

  • 158,000 miles
I was driving in a area at 35 zone then it goes to 55. I accelerated and all the dash lights went to like I just started the car and it felt like I could not steer the vehicle.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #314

Nov 012014

G6

  • 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. While driving at 20 mph, the steering wheel jerked and the vehicle turned to the left independently. In addition, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. All the lights on the instrument panel illuminated and the power steering message displayed with a chime. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The dealer repaired the vehicle under the recall; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.

- Ashville, OH, USA

problem #313

Nov 012014

G6

  • 125,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. While driving 20 mph, the steering wheel jerked and the vehicle turned to the left independently. In addition, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and the contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. All the lights on the instrument panel illuminated and the power steering message chimed and displayed. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was repaired under the recall, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was unable to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.

- Ashville, OH, USA

problem #312

Mar 162015

G6 6-cyl

  • 100,100 miles
After I had an alignment and tire rotation, that's when I notice that the steering wheel felt different than before. It felt like the wheels would glide left and right on street & highway eventhough I had no movement on the steering wheel. I felt that the steering was not stable. I told it back to the shop to get it checked out again. Repair shop had told me it had nothing to do with the alignment. They test drove it and also felt the same thing I did. Took it in again so they can have more time to check it and they could not diagnose or pin point the problem. The warning indicator light gave me a message indicating steering wheel. I also noticed that when I make turns at intersection, the steering wheel rotation is more than it is necessary. I'm taking the car back Monday again so they can continue to diagnose the problem. I never had this problem for 10yrs I drove it. Is there recall on this issue?

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #311

Apr 152015

G6

  • 29,710 miles
In 2012, I took car to wright GMC in wexford, pa for a recall on the steering. It had no problems at this point. They performed recall service and it has been all problems ever since. I took it back and they replaced steering box. I took it back again in 2013 because it developed a "knocking noise" in the steering especially after a turn when you bring the wheel back. They gave me a list of needed items, rear brakes, rotors, front end tie rod end so I asked about the noise and he said, we didn't get that far yet. That it was over one year and not covered by recall. He said they start looking for a problem in brakes first and work their way to steering. I laughed with anger and left. I did take vehicle to a mechanic who did replace brakes and rotors but said they easily weren't the cause and were normal and definitely not needed to be changed immediately. The tie rod end was fine and he couldn't figure out what they meant. They were frauduently abusing their service which happens often with pa. Inspections as well. This mechanic said the steering had a lot of play and noise but would have to take it all apart to find and didn't see the sense since there are recalls on this. I have been waiting to be informed of the recall from dorman on the shaft into the U-joint that started September 2014 but I never have been notified. I have a couple other recalls to get repaired but have been more concerned with the steering. It has worked well so I figured it wasn't a safety issue but recently, it got louder and the wheel did not turn properly. It is like it slipped but is working again. This car is garage kept with under 30K miles on it. I plan on changing dealer to crivelli in mckees rocks as I will never go to wright again. Please advise? I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your attention to this matter.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #310

Mar 012015

G6

  • 161,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. The failure recurred on two other occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 161,000.

- Drummonds, TN, USA

problem #309

Jan 052015

G6

  • 134,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the steering wheel seized. The failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,000.

- Atoka, TN, USA

problem #308

Apr 302014

G6 6-cyl

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. While attempting to reverse out of a parking space at a low speed, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The engine was turned off and the vehicle was restarted, which caused the vehicle to operate normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering) in April of 2014. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to remedy the failure were not available and no estimated timeframe for receiving the parts could be given. The failure mileage was 43,000. Updated 3/12/15

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #307

Oct 162014

G6 6-cyl

  • miles
2005 Pontiac G6. While vehicle in motion, vehicle lost power and lost power steering. The consumer experienced problems with the brake lamp, the ignition switch and the transmission cable fractured.

- Sault Sainte Marie, MI, USA

problem #306

Dec 112014

G6

  • miles

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

My power steering wheel keep locking up on me. I heard the same from others about the Pontiac G6 doing the same thing and I feel this is a safety issue, because if in traffic your wheel can lock up on you doing 60 miles per hour on a freeway and not be able to turn your wheel is high priority maintenance problem. Please take this message into consideration as winter time is approaching thanks.

- Newburgh Heights, OH, USA

problem #305

Sep 142014

G6

  • miles
Recall notice, I have been waiting for over a month for parts to come to the dealership.

- Wildwood, FL, USA

problem #304

Aug 032014

G6

  • 138,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. While driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering seized and the warning light illuminated. The failure occurred four times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the power steering failed. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #303

May 012014

G6 6-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
Recall14E044000 we recently took my daughters G6 in to a GM dealer for this steering issue. We have play in the steering and the noise it makes is very scary. Driving is sloppy and at times depending on roads can make the car go all over the road. They have told us that they would not fix it under this recall. However the part we are having to replace is the middle shaft. This is my 19 yr old daughter driving this car why were we refused to have this fixed under this recall?

- Brunswick, OH, USA

problem #302

Sep 242008

G6 6-cyl

  • 66,000 miles
Steering column feels loose when driving. It makes a knocking noise with movement left or right. It has been doing this since I purchased the vehicle used in 2008. It was taken to the dealership for repairs and found to have nothing wrong with the steering so we continued to drive it. Recall infor sent to me concerning this exact problem however the repairs cant be made without the parts. GM please hurry and get the recall parts to the repair shops. I don't want to loose my life over this and the anxiety of driving around in a vehicle that has as many recalls as this one does is very hard to deal with.

- Spotsylvania, VT, USA

problem #301

Sep 202014

G6 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
Daughter was driving in town and power steering went out. We did receive recall notice on this part in March 2014 and had repeatedly attempted to get it fixed however; have been told every time there are no parts available. Extremely frustrated with GM's lack of responsiveness!

- Sturgeon Bay, WI, USA

problem #300

Sep 122014

G6 6-cyl

  • 160,000 miles
This car currently has three recalls by the manufacture. It was by grace that my husband and son made it to their destination safely. When they got ready to leave from where they were going, my husband could not put the car in gear. After several tries the car started to move. Immediately the steering column locked and the breaks went all the way to the floor. We had the car towed home. The next day we towed the car to the shop and learned the structure of the inner dash had broke. The steering column and the breaking system is all connected to the dash. We had no warning, my husband drives this car on the highway everyday to work. I am thankful that this happened when the car was sitting. We were told to replace the entire dash for over 2000 dollars. We have had nothing but issues with this car now having four recalls. This can happen to anyone who owns this car. It is a known fact that GM has issues with their steering column and intermediate shafts. We were very lucky, but who is to say the next owner of this Pontiac will be. This is not common, who would think a inner dash would crack, this is a poor design. I am not responsible to fix this problem the inner dash should be recalled before someone is hurt... I have paid for my car on top of all sorts of known problems: Bearings, multiple rotors and breaks, heated seats catching on fire, struts all the way around, burnt out lighting, motor for heat, recall for power steering, multiple tires, panoramic sunroof is broken, new front window and the list goes on. With all the money that I have spent plus the purchase price this seems so unfair. My total sale price for this car including finance charges was $28,028.60. Wow did I get the short end of the deal. Thank you.

- Trotwood, OH, USA

problem #299

Feb 072014

G6 6-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
Last fall the car tail lights failed to work, this past winter the steering wheel locked up while I was driving. Now when I drive the car the tail lights don't work, turning signals will work intermittently and most recently the steering is going out almost on a regular basis. The car has been locking up on me while I am driving it. Forcing me to have to pull over and shut the car off and then restarting it. The car is unsafe and I need this vehicle to get to work. I cant wait for parts to be in. I have contacted a local dealer and they tell me that parts are not in. It wont be long before the car does break down or there is an accident.

- West Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #298

Sep 082014

G6

  • miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control), 14V153000 (steering), and 14V224000 (power train). The parts needed for the repairs were unavailable. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Lampasas, TX, USA

problem #297

Aug 112014

G6 6-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
Coming up to a red light preparing to make a right hand turn, as I slowed to complete break the service vehicle light came on as the light turned green but I lost power steering making me unable to make the right turn that the 4 or 5 cars behind me thought I would be making thus almost causing a rear end collision which sent me in a full panic attack having to take medication to bring me out of it.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

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