Pontiac G6 Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Pontiac G6 options? We analyzed 6 model years (2005–2010) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Pontiac G6 has 5,879 owner complaints and 31 safety recalls across model years 2005–2010. The most reported issue area is STEERING.
- Make
- Pontiac
- Model
- G6
- Model years analyzed
- 2005–2010 (6 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 5,879
- Safety recall campaigns
- 31
- Crash-related complaints
- 242
- Fire-related complaints
- 79
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2006 (1,909 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- STEERING
- Reliability signal
- Poor
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe PONTIAC G6 has 5,879 NHTSA complaints and 31 recalls on record. 242 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 5,879 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 31 federal recall campaigns
- 242 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Aug 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
31 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
STEERING
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
STEERING
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
STEERING
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
STEERING
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2005–2010. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 5,879 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
5,879 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
I lost my low beams about a year ago and also one high beam. Just one month ago that headlight went out also. I have read that there are wiring problems r/t the Pontiac G6. I am unable to drive my car at night without headlights. The fuses, bulbs and relay switches are intact and working. My mechanic says it’s a wiring problem. Is the manufacturing company responsible for this kind of problem? Other electrical issues are present. When my seatbelt is on I get a message that it is not. Sometimes if I wiggle or reinsert it the light goes out, but more often than not it is on. I also get messages that says my airbag isn’t working on drivers side. The check engine light goes on and off if I hit a good size bump. I also had a mechanic spray WD40 under my drivers seat and that made the check engine light go out for several months.
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost electric power steering assist. The electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the electric power steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering); however, the year and the VIN were not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
The same issue that was recalled on every Aura from 2004-2007 Malibu 2004-2009 G6 2005-2009 Sudden loss of electric power steering randomly locks up when I'm driving.g.almost caused me to crash a total of 7 times with children in the vehicle. I am requesting this be replaced at no.coast to me immediately do to it's safety recall issue that is clearly been one in every model.
My vehicle steering wheel began shaking every time I am stopped at stop light. It also jerks when I am driving. When I start the car, it sometimes the steering wheel gets very hard nad a power steering notice comes up in the notification screen. A car with scwiggly lines also is shown. This happens intermittently. One time the power steering turned off while I was driving and it was very hard to drive and dangerous.
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while turning into a park lot, the steering wheel became firm with the ESC warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the power steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was 148,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the message to "Service Power Steering" was displayed, and the electronic stability control (ESC) warning light was illuminated. The steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact veered to side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the failure ceased, and the steering wheel responded as needed; however, the failure recurred on two other occasions. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 285,500.
Read 14 more owner reports
i HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MY POWER STEERING AND EPS TURNING OFF AFTER MY CAR HAS BEEN CRANKED A MINIMUM OF 2 MIN MAYBE NOT EVEN THAT LONG. MY STEERING WHEEL ALSO ROTATES (LIKE SHAKING) WITHOUT THE CAR MOVING AND IF THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN IT POSES A HUGE RISK TO CRASHING AS THE JERKING CAUSES THE CAR TO SWERVE. i TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE RECALL ISSUES REPLACE SEEING THAT THE ISSUES I AM HAVING ARE THE EXACT SAME AS THE RECALL RELEASED ON THE PONTIAC G6 WITH RECALL # 14V153000 AND ALSO RECALL# 14E044000. THE DEALERSHIP INSISTED I WAS WRONG AFTER THE SERVICE AGENT I SPOKE TO THAT SCHEDULED THE APPOINTMENT SAID ALL THE PART WERE THERE TO FIX MY CAR AND THEY SEEN THE RECALLS. I NEED ASSISTANCE AS TO WHAT I CAN DO TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF SEEING AS I AM STILL PAYING ON THIS CAR AND I HAVENT EVEN HAD IT TWO MONTHS YET
The power steering angle sensor malfunctioned/stopped working properly at approx. 197,000 miles. The part was taken out and replaced by a local GM dealership. With the sensor malfunctioning, we experienced intermittent loss of power steering as well as shaking in the steering column which made it suddenly VERY difficult to steer. We lost power steering mid-drive many times and could have been killed because of this issue. The vehicle would be functioning completely normally and all of a sudden lose power steering mid-turn or while backing up and become nearly impossible to control. The problem was corrected out of pocket from us by a GM dealership service center. Unknown if it has been inspected. The dash light "ESC" would come on AS the power steering disengaged, but not until then. The dash display would also show "power steering" after we lost the power steering, but not before as a warning or anything.
The electric steering assist went out while driving, making it very hard to steer. I am in the process of getting this replaced. I will try to have the mechanic give me the old part so it is available. It was very hard to steer and stay in my lane. Could have easily gotten into an accident. No dealer, or independent service center has verified it yet. Trying to get it scheduled now. Nothing inspected yet. No warnings. The "Power Steering" light came on when it failed.
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel was inadvertently locked up. The power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
I will start my car with my power steering not working, turn it off and turn it back on and it will be working fine. I was driving down the road and it went out and I could not stop and restart the car because I was in mid traffic and not near a red light. The steering wheel is hard to control and takes all my effort to turn the steering wheel to get where I needed to go. My car has not been worked on about this recall order and I believe this is the problem that is occurring.
UNKNOWN . I was driving on a normal day, turned the corner and me and this car almost hit each head on because the steering wheel locked up on me . Im very little I injured my arm trying to hurry and grab on to the steering wheel tight to keep from hitting the other car . Power steering keeps popping up on my car can somebody please help me now the steering wheel doesn’t want to ever unlock .
SUDDEN LOSS OF ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) ASSIST. THERE IS NO WARNING AND HAPPENS FREQUENTLY EVEN AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE. THE ERRORS ON THE DASH ARE +POWER STEERING+ +SERVICE ESC+ AND +ESC OFF+ AFTER POWER STEERING IS LOST. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE THAT WAS ADDRESSED WITH THE 2009 MODEL BUT YOU HAVE FAILED TO ADDRESS IT IN THE 2010 MODEL.
BREAK LIGHTS WILL ELIMINATE ON ITS OWN AND WHEN I PUSH ON MY BREAKS THEY SHUT OFF AND MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND MY ESC LIGHT IS ON ALSO
AS I WAS REVERSING FOR WORK MY WHEEL GOT STIFF AND WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO TURN POWER STEERING CAME ON THE MESSAGE DISPLAY BOARD. 6 MONTHS LATER AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO FILL MY TANK & TRYING TO TURN LEFT INTO THE GAS STORE MY POWER STEERING CAME ON IN MESSAGE DISPLAY BOARD. I WAS GOING BELOW 35 PRIOR TO ARRIVING.
AFTER STARTING VEHICLE THE DISPLAY READ NO ESC AND THEN POWER STEERING FLAHED ACROSS THE DIC MESSAGE DISPLAY. TURNING IS VERY DIFFICULT AND STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. TURNING VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING VEHICLE CAUESL O ISSUES TO GO OFF BUT WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE THE ESC LIGHT COMES BACK ON AND POWER STEERING FLASHES MAKING IT VERY HARD TO DRIVE. PRIOR YEARS HAVE RECALLS FOR THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPENING,
TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE DASH SAYS SERVICE ESC AND THEN FLASHES POWER STEERING AND THEN THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. SOMETIMES THE POWER STEERING JUST STOPS WORKING AND I NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THIS SO I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DRIVE IT AND THIS HAS ALMOST GOTTEN ME INTO SEVERAL ACCIDENTS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LOSS POWER STEERING ASSIST IN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DISCOUNT TIRE AND WHEEL (1601 W PUEBLO BLVD PUEBLO, CO 81004) WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE THAT THE POWER STEERING SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,446. *BF
A RECALL REPAIR WAS DONE LATE 2016 ON ELECTRIC POWER ASSIT STEERING PROBLEM HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!! VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL..AND INTERMITTENTLY ESC POWER STEERING LOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... THIS VEHICLE IS UNPREDICTABLE AND UNSAFE TO OPERATE WITH THIS ISSUE!!!!!!!!.. PHONE# [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I WAS COMING OFF OF AN EXIT ON THE FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY STEERING WHEEL SEIZED UP, I COULD NOT TURN. MY CAR SMASHED INTO A CEMENT BARRIER COMPLETELY DEMOBILIZED THE CAR AND THE A FRAME COMPLETELY BENT. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF.
Showing 20 of 5,879 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Pontiac G6
These pages show model-year patterns across 6 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Pontiac G6, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Pontiac G6 has 5,879 complaints on record across 6 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Pontiac G6 has 31 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 242 of the Pontiac G6's 5,879 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Pontiac G6 vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Pontiac G6 vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Pontiac G6 has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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By state
Check a Pontiac G6 by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Pontiac G6.
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Pontiac G6 reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Pontiac G6 reliable?
Poor. The Pontiac G6 has 5,879 NHTSA owner complaints and 31 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is STEERING. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Pontiac G6 years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2006 (1,909 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Pontiac G6 problems?
Top reported issues: STEERING (3,103 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (989 complaints); EXTERIOR LIGHTING (962 complaints).
Does the Pontiac G6 have recalls?
Yes — 31 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Pontiac G6. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.