NHTSA — Air Bags Problems

2006 Pontiac G6 (Page 4 of 5)

CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague

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:
13 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 1
Average Mileage:
71,278 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2006 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments (Page 4 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #26

Apr 022013

G6 6-cyl

  • 121,000 miles

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

Air bag error message shows. Not included in recall. Dealer says corrosion on coils and wires. This is also affecting the cruise control.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #25

Feb 092013

G6 4-cyl

  • 81,373 miles
While driving around a 25mph curve, power steering failed without warning, causing loss of control at the end of the turn. Because of the loss of control, I hit a guard rail. No injuries or airbag deployment.

- Romeoville, IL, USA

problem #24

Jan 172013

G6 6-cyl

  • 149,000 miles
The passenger airbag warning light came on for an hour and went out. It did not come back on for a few days, and continued to be intermittent. Now the "service airbag" massage is being displayed. The cars listed in this recall are 2006 Pontiac G6 64100131 - 64146959 ( that's the last 8 digits of the VIN). Our car is in the 64200000's. I be-leave this car is having the exact same issue as the others due to the fact it has something to do with the passenger seat sensor. This recall need to be looked at again before serious injuries occur. Also no notices were sent to us on any of the recalls. GM is really lacking in customer safety and care. We are taking it in to a GM dealer to try to resolve the issue.

- Newbrockton, AL, USA

problem #23

Feb 132013

G6

  • 106,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while parked, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised the contact that she needed to have a diagnostic performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V417000 (air bags ). the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 106,000.

- Jamesville, WI, USA

problem #22

Feb 182013

G6 6-cyl

  • 135,000 miles
The air bag light has illuminated and I see there was a recall for other G6 2206 but not for my VIN number. I have the same problem as the others that were recalled. Also I am having an extremely difficult time getting my car out of park. I have to push the brake with a tremendous amount of force and hope that is comes out of park. Again G6 2006 was recalled and my vehicle does not fall into those VIN numbers. It is extremely frustrating to know that safety and faulty pieces are not covered under a recall that same year model and make were covered. Please let me know what I can do besides contacting an attorney to have these items fixed under the recalls that were issued for G6 2006 Pontiac. Thank you

- Jacksonville, NC, USA

problem #21

Dec 292012

G6

  • 124,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 124,000.

- Temple, GA, USA

problem #20

Oct 182012

G6

  • 80,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the module censor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Flint, MI, USA

problem #19

Jul 032012

G6 6-cyl

  • 56,300 miles
The airbag service light would come on and go off. Took to dealer to have checked out. Told the seat cushion was shorting out and may not allow airbags to work. Found out GM totally redesigned the seat and sensor module and connector. This system is of poor design and could have resulted fatality if involved in a crash.

- Joplin, MO, USA

problem #18

May 052012

G6 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
While driving to work I notice my service air bag sensor went off. My vehicle only has 64,601 miles on it.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #17

Jan 232012

G6

  • 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While parked, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic advised that the air bag sensor would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 07V146000 (air bags: Frontal: Sensor/control module) but was advised by the manufacturer that the recall only covered the 2007 Pontiac G6 model and not the 2006 model. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

- Freemont, OH, USA

problem #16

Jan 172012

G6 6-cyl

  • miles

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

If I drive my automobile and I have a passenger in it and the airbag works fine. If I drop them off the airbag still sense that there is someone still sitting in the passenger seat. If I go pick someone up the airbag will not sense that there is someone there. I bought the car in 4/11 I did not buy it new. If I ever have an accident and the airbag never sense that there is someone in the front passenger seat afraid it will not properly.

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #15

Jan 092012

G6 6-cyl

  • 80,125 miles
On January 9, 2012 after work I started my vehicle and the airbag light on the dash was on and I have a message to have the airbag serviced on the instrument panel. I went online to do research on the issue and found there are several recalls on this issue for my vehicles year make and model, Pontiac G6 2006. I contacted the dealer and there are no recalls on this issue with my vehicle id number on record. The dealer charges over $100 to run a diagnostic check on this issue. This is something I can not afford to do. This could be dangerous due to the fact that the airbags will not deploy if I am involved in an accident. Not to mention that the manual and all research indicates faulty airbags. This vehicle is not even 10 years old and has issues that are a major safety hazard. If there is a recall on this issue what is the plan to get the issue resolved on a faulty airbag?

- Santa Fe, NM, USA

problem #14

Aug 182011

G6 6-cyl

  • 121,000 miles
The driver information system began indicating that there was a problem with the front passenger air bag system. I had asked the local Chevy dealer to investigate this previously when the car was in the shop for other maintenance and was told that it appeared to be a problem with the car's computer and that if I shut the car off and turned it back on and the message cleared, it was okay. The tech explained that the car's computer runs a check every time the car starts and that something was a little buggy but there was no problem with the airbag system. In August 2011, the message began appearing constantly so I brought it back in. Suddenly there was a problem. The front airbag sensor needed to be replaced. Since this involved taking out the seat to do the repair, it would be costly. I asked if the car could be driven safely with no one in the front passenger seat since usually I am the only one in the car when the car is driven. The tech explained that if the car detects a problem with the airbag system (even if no one is in the front passenger seat) it will shut off the entire airbag system, so the driver side airbag would also be turned off. I paid approximately $1000 to have the front passenger side airbag sensor replaced. Approximately two months later, when the power steering in the car began to fail, I started investigating recalls and found that GM has known about the front passenger airbag sensor failure since 2006 (which is the model year of my car). I'm not sure how I was sold a car with a known possible defect, how I was not notified that there was a defect, or why I was the one who paid for the repair, but I'm quite upset about it. Although I never had an accident, it makes me wonder how long I had been driving around with no front airbag protection.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #13

Oct 262011

G6 4-cyl

  • miles
My brake lights stay on, then go off when I depress the brake pedal. I was nearly rear ended this afternoon on a major highway because of this - I called Pontiac and this had been a recall issue but they said my VIN wasn't included in the recall, so they won't help me. My airbag light is also staying lit, and the dash says service airbags - which had also been a recall and they won't help me with that either.

- Elgin, MN, USA

problem #12

Oct 052011

G6

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated the passenger side air bag seat sensor malfunctioned and would not detect when the seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure caused the air bag to become inoperable. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign I.D. number: 06V417000 (air bag: Frontal) and called the manufacturer but was advised that the vehicle was not included with the recall. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Norman , OK, USA

problem #11

Jun 132008

G6

  • 41,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6 GT. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph and above, the vehicle would stall without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. In addition, the contact noticed that the brake lights would not illuminate and they would flicker on and off. When driving without the brakes depressed, the brake lights would illuminate abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they advised him that the connector had corroded and needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

- Ashtabula, OH, USA

problem #10

Jun 172011

G6

  • 87,511 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag light was illuminating on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the front passenger air bag assembly needed to be replaced with an updated system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 87,511.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #9

Feb 112011

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,379 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the air bag warning light would illuminate on the instrumental panel immediately after a passenger stepped out of the vehicle. The failure occurred on an intermittent basis for almost two weeks. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor was it repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 41,379. Updated 03/29/11 updated 07/11/11

- Libertyville, IL, USA

problem #8

Feb 012010

G6

  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated the steering wheel would shake excessively when traveling at speeds of 50 mph or less. The air bag and power steering warning lights were illuminated on the warning panel intermittently. The manufacturer advised there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the repairs were made to the power steering component. The failure persisted. The vehicle had not yet been to the dealer for a diagnostic for the air bag. The failure mileage was 83,000 and the current mileage was 88,000.

- Mission, TX, USA

problem #7

Jan 082009

G6

  • 50,338 miles
Air bag light comes on and off. Have taken car into dealership twice for same problem...no problem is ever found. June 08-50338 Nov 08-60298.

- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

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