NHTSA — Steering Problems

2006 Pontiac G6 (Page 35 of 57)

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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Pontiac G6 has major problems with two areas fairly critical to the act of driving... steering & safety.

The 2006 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 2006 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 this power steering issue, up to 10 years/100k miles. However a large number of 2006 G6 owners have reported they were not covered by this campaign, based on VIN#.

As of late 2013 the NHTSA had well over 700 steering complaints on file for the 2006 G6, with 21 crashes & 12 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 2006 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 2006 Pontiac G6's poor side impact protection & you end up with a vehicle you should steer clear of.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
51 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
30 / 1
Average Mileage:
75,713 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.

2006 Pontiac G6 steering problems

steering problem

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2006 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments (Page 35 of 57)

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problem #447

May 122010

G6

  • 59,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While driving at 40 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated followed by the sounding of the power steering warning chime. Months later, the contact noticed when starting the vehicle that the power steering would independently lock. The contact would play with the steering wheel until it became operable. The dealer reset the control panel. On her drive from the dealer, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer for further repairs or diagnosis. The failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was 61,200.

- Johnson City, TN, USA

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problem #446

Aug 032010

G6 6-cyl

  • 88,350 miles
I have a Pontiac G6, 2006, recently the power steering indicator starting going off and on. Today while driving the power steering completely failed, luckily no accidents happened as a result of this failure. Car is scheduled to go to GM dealer on Thursday, 8/5.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

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problem #445

Dec 062009

G6

  • 41,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, there was a slight loss of power steering with the "power steering" warning light illuminated. There was extreme difficulty turning the steering wheel. The warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turning off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician informed that the failure was related to the power steering module. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 41,000.

- Waggaman, LA, USA

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problem #444

Jan 102008

G6

  • 30,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While attempting a turn at 20 mph, the steering wheel became extremely hard to maneuver. The dealer was contacted and advised that the steering column was potentially defective and would possibly need replacing. The steering columns was replaced yet the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was awaiting further repairs. The failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.

- Deray Beach, FL, USA

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problem #443

Jul 272010

G6 6-cyl

  • 64,822 miles
2006 Pontiac G6 V6 --when I started my car it acted fine. Driving down the street at approx. 15-20mph the power steering light came on the radio and beeped at me. Almost immediately my power steering went out. It was almost impossible to turn off the street into a parking lot. I turned the car off and back on and the power steering worked but the light came on over the radio again. Very scary experience and had I been going any faster it could have caused an accident. Taking the car into the shop tomorrow.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

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problem #442

Jul 222010

G6 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
When driving, the power steering goes out. I have to restart the car to make the power steering work. This is an ongoing problem, you then can drive it for a couple miles before it goes out again. Then restart the process.. and if it goes out while trying to make a turn, it causes you to go off road.

- Howard City, MI, USA

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problem #441

Dec 212009

G6

  • 52,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While driving 2 mph the contact noticed that the power steering light appeared on the dashboard and within a few seconds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The failure was not diagnosed and the contact noticed previously that the steering wheel made a squeaking sound while making a left or right turn. The failure mileage was 57000 and the current mileage was 62000.

- Yorkville, IL, USA

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problem #440

Jul 202010

G6

  • 85,000 miles
I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 GT and the power steering went out going down the road. The power steering light came on first and about 5 minutes later the power steering went out. The steering was so hard to turn that I had to park the car cause I couldn't turn the steering wheel. Other year models have been recalled but the 06 hasn't. the vehicles a unsafe and need to be recalled to fix the problem.

- Irvine, KY, USA

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problem #439

Jul 222010

G6

  • 75,000 miles
While driving the G6 it would lose power steering when turning.. this happens on and off; it has been doing that for several months. Driving it today the power steering went totally out.

- Howard City, MI, USA

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problem #438

Jul 212010

G6 4-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
2006 Pontiac G6, 4cyl. The electric power steering assist is failing on this car. With a quick research on google I have discovered that this is a common problem in this vehicle and accidents are occurring. The recall on the cobalt, G5 and other cars have the same power steering assist. Why is there no recall on the Pontiac G6?

- La Crescenta, CA, USA

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problem #437

Jul 102010

G6 4-cyl

  • 60,914 miles

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

I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 that I purchased last summer. Since then my power steering has gone out twice. The first time was about 6 months ago and it only last for about a day and then the next time I started the car up it was fine. But the second time it happened was on July 10, 2010. I was heading home from a friend's house and as I went to turn off her street my steering wheel became very hard to turn and my radio screen said "power steering". I had to use every bit of energy I had to turn my steering wheel and make it back to my house safely. I haven't driven the car since then. I check it everyday just to make sure it hasn't fixed itself like last time but I haven't had any luck... I called GM to report it and they basically said oh well and too bad, I have a feeling I am going to have to end up paying for this and I definitely do not have $800 to fork out and pay for a manufacturing defect such as this.

- Kingwood, TX, USA

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problem #436

Feb 162009

G6

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While driving 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to control. The contact was only able to turn the steering with extreme force onto the emergency lane. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The dealer stated that they need to diagnose the failure. The rack and pinion was replaced by an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle continued to occur. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 57000 and the current mileage was 70,000.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

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problem #435

Apr 182008

G6

  • 60,000 miles
I own a 2006 Pontiac G6 with faulty power steering. The power steering cuts in and out intermittently, sometimes even while in operation. There have been several occasions when taking a curve and the steering wheel locks up and becomes almost impossible to turn. The failure is most prone to occur in warm weather, and generally in the summertime it rarely goes away. I have been told that this was a manufacturing issue, and that the out of pocket expense is egregious. This needs to be corrected soon, before I join a growing list of others who have been unfortunate enough to have had an accident.

- Macon, GA, USA

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problem #434

Jun 012010

G6

  • 60,000 miles
My electric power steering in my Pontiac G6 went out. It was very dangerous and I experience neck and arm pain for weeks after for having to drive around without it. I had to get the car fixed which required it to be in the shop for a week. They had to replace a circuit and reprogram the car. I paid 900 dollars out of pocket. I have done research and found that is it a common problem among Pontiac cars including G6's which is what I have and yet its the only Pontiac car to not have been recalled for it yet.

- Chandler , AZ, USA

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problem #433

May 152010

G6 6-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
2006 Pontiac G6. The power steering light comes on and the power steering is lost. This happens at high and low speeds. I am seeing this is a very common problem with this model. It happens at random times. Very dangerous!

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

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problem #432

Jul 082010

G6

  • 40,750 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact was attempting to park the vehicle when the power steering failed and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to steer. The contact shut off the engine and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure yet the failure recurred. The power steering warning light was illuminated and remained illuminated following the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,750 and the current mileage was 40,780.

- Stillwater, OK, USA

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problem #431

Jul 102010

G6 6-cyl

  • 149,878 miles
2006 Pontiac G6 power steering goes out randomly when there is extreme hot weather, when the power steering goes out it locks the steering wheel and you are no longer able to use it.

- Savannah, GA, USA

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problem #430

Jul 142010

G6

  • miles
I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 that has a clunk in the steering when you are traveling at slow speeds and turn the wheel.

- Abraham, UT, USA

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problem #429

Jul 142010

G6

  • 60,000 miles
I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 and for the past several months the powersteering has been going out. I can pull over and shut the car off and then turn it back on and sometimes it will reset. However, more recently that is not working and if I am driving on the highway I have come very close to having a wreck. The powersteering goes out at least 4 times a week and the days it goes out it continues all day long. I am afraid this is going to cause a very bad wreck. I had the problem looked at by a mechanic and he said the only thing he could do was replace the whole steering column and he didn't suggest doing that just yet. This is something that really needs checked out before someone dies from an accident.

- Steelville, MO, USA

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problem #428

Jul 012010

G6 6-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
I have an 06 Pontiac G6 and a while back I was driving home from out of town when out of no where the power steering went out. I was able to steer it to the gas station but if my wife had been driving, she would not have been able. The steering isn't just hard to turn like an old truck, it constantly tries to spring back to the straight position so you fight it the entire time. We parked it for a few days and I turned it on an took it around the block and it was fine until a week ago when it went out again and now I cant get it to work at all. I will be damned if I am paying to have it fixed when it is GM's problem. This is a serious issue and it is complete bs that all the other cars got recalled but the G6 did not. "government motors" better do something about this or risk losing even more customers.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

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