NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,713 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.

2008 Pontiac G8 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Pontiac G8 Owner Comments

problem #12

Jul 162021

G8

  • 120,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the ignition key could not be removed from the ignition switch. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Charlston, SC, USA

problem #11

Jun 112020

G8 6-cyl

  • 103,302 miles
Was driving on both highway & neighborhood streets and the air bag fault light & warning tone came on. After many diagnosis drive tests, I learned that every time making a complete left U-turn the airbag fault indicator would disappear. However once completing the full left U-turn, and driving straight center wheel position, the airbag fault indicator light and warning tones would reoccur. When contacting my onstar monitoring service, they were able to do an over the air diagnostic fault code test. It came back as fault code B0012 for clockspring, driver steering wheel airbag deployment loop failure. Whenever the airbag fault indicator is activated on this model, the entire airbag deployment system is completely disabled and nonfunctional in preventing major injuries which can lead to fatalities. I contacted the dealership to inquire of the replacement clockspring part cost, and was quoted in the $450 range plus labor tech install. In addition, was told the part was on back order. It has been recognized as a known defect on this model and since is airbag related, should be corrected by the manufacturer, which is General Motors. I could be like thousands of other owners to misinterpret the severity of this defect, and be driving a vehicle that will fail to save my life if ever involved in a major collision. This should not go unnoticed & should be investigated & resolved just like the one that was for other major car manufacturers for faulty airbag deployment issues. As to this date 06/11/2020 the issue keeps recurring on every drive on any street or highway. Thank you for serving your citizens & the commitment of making the automobile industry accountable for safety.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #10

Aug 102016

G8

  • 78,018 miles
Passenger seat occupancy module - failure the failure of an electronic module located under the passenger seat, defaults the airbag system to "off". cost is just under $1,000 for dealer replacement. Dealer indicated there was no method to turn on the airbag system - regardless of passenger or not. Because of this failure (many failures recognized since the 2006 solstice model) any passenger is subject to an unsafe condition without active airbag. The value of the vehicle negates the dealer cost to repair. Complaint filer feels the cost of the replacement module should be half of that quoted by the dealer since genuine GM parts are available at $275 instead of dealer cost of $417 and that labor of 2.5 hours to replace module under the seat is excessive based on time taken by others self-correcting the problem. (times indicated ran from 20 minutes to 45 minutes for most). Because of costs, many of these modules will (likely) go un-repaired and potentially un-reported if sold as a used vehicle..

- Hastings, MN, USA

problem #9

Aug 032015

G8

  • 96,000 miles

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

I have gotten a "airbag fault" warning every time I start my car. Apparently this is due to a censor giving out and to repair the issue costs about $1000. This is highly unsatisfactory as many users of this particular vehicle have reported this issue when operating this type of vehicle under normal conditions. This in a sense renders the vehicle unsafe to operate as drivers (some unaware), whivh I was not, are operating the vehicle without any operable airbags. The cost to repair is very high for a feature that is a safety standard across the industry. The airbag system of a vehicle should never have any faults or failures unless it has been deployed or tampered with. It is quite disappointing that a system that has never been used or tampered with can have such costly faults/failures. This is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. This is scary. I feel like some thing needs to be done to fix the problem. GM needs to recall the module that will fix this issue asap. This air fault is putting many families at risk of loss of life!!! bring attention to this issue or to what is causing it.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #8

Feb 112015

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact received a recall notice on NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system), however the parts were unavailable for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was scheduled to be repaired however the vehicle was not repaired. The contact felt that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- San Tan Valley, AZ, USA

problem #7

Oct 012010

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that the recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system) was received in October of 2010. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #6

Feb 022015

G8

  • 51,214 miles

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

Rear passenger door and drivers door are not locking with remote key or electric power door switch. This began with only the passenger rear door but has migrated to drivers door as well. This problem could lead to theft of internal contents and worse, vehicle robbery.

- Peyton, CO, USA

problem #5

Feb 012010

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired on several occasions, yet the failure kept recurring. The vehicle also exhibited multiple failures with the ignition switch and electrical system that recurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was unknown.

- 956-792-2668, TX, USA

problem #4

Apr 182014

G8

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel seized and the contact lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the median strip and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system), but the part was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #3

Feb 092015

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact received NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical) however, the part needed for repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was notified of the delay who made the contact aware that it may take another eight months for the parts to become available. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall remedy. The vehicle had not experienced a failure.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #2

Apr 022014

G8

  • 87,000 miles
The key fob contains the ignition key and unfolds with a button press, but the spring mechanism holding it open is a bit weak. When you have it attached to a key chain, the weight of the keys can fairly easily make the key fob fold over in an "L" shape with the key in the ignition. This happens while driving often, and being 6 ft 1 in tall, my knee bumped the keys while I was putting my foot back and forth between the gas pedal and on the brake. Due to the folded over key fob attached to the key in the ignition, there was enough leverage placed on the ignition switch, turning the ignition to the off position, and the car shut off while rolling along in heavy traffic.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #1

May 072011

G8

  • 45,020 miles
After putting the vehicle in park, the key will only turn halfway. This results in the key being stuck in the ignition. This occurs intermittently, but tends to get worse the more frequently the vehicle is driven. Only way I have been able to remove the key is to turn the vehicle back on and rotate thru the gears. Sometimes it takes 5 or 6 tries. Also the side view mirrors will not operate all the time either and according to the dealer, the mirror and the key ignition run thru the same wire harness in the shifter mechanism. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership 2 separate times. The first time they could not mimic the situation, but the second time it happened 5 times after 3 days of testing. This condition appears to have happened to numerous customers based on info I have read on the internet. I am working with GM to get this resolved but I believe a recall should be at least investigated since my vehicle is only 2.5 years old and others owners have had a similar condition occur. To correct the problem the dealer is replacing the floor shifter and the wire harness. Not sure if this will work but hope so.

- Clarkston, MI, USA

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