Pontiac 6000 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 86 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Pontiac 6000 (1985–1991) that have at least 5 complaints. 1987 has the most, with 18. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (16 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 6000 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6 | 139,000 | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1990 | 11 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1989 | 16 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1988 | 14 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1987 | 18 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1986 | 16 | — | 3 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1985 | 5 | 200,000 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes16 21%
- Steering15 20%
- Seat belts13 17%
- Electrical system8 11%
- Transmission and drivetrain7 9.2%
- Engine cooling7 9.2%
- Vehicle speed control5 6.6%
- Fuel system5 6.6%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1985: “1985 Pontiac 6000 ste. I experienced the same type of acceleration problem toyota is having. It happened three times. The first time I was merging into traffic from an on-ramp. The throttle stuck full open. I stood on the brake pedal with both feet while grasping the steering wheel. I managed to slow the car before impact by pressing the emergency brake and at the last moment placing the transmission in neutral. The throttle functioned normally after the transmission was placed in neutral. …”
NHTSA complaint #10318787, filed 2010-03, 200,000 miles1986: “The left and right sub-frame that supports the engine and transmission broke (rusted out maybe) at the front ,around the isolators. This dropped everything down about 6-8inches. Luckily this happened at a very low speed. The vehicle was very hard to steer and really shouldn't have been driven anywhere. I was a mile or two from a mechanic shop, so I drove it there.”
NHTSA complaint #740534, filed 2001-021987: “This is referring to a current recall that needs to be expanded. Your current recall # is 88v048000 under the NHTSA guidelines. This recall includes cars for one month of production for one year. The problem exists in all years of the car, 88 and earlier. I am a member of a club that has over 200 members with this problem on there car. I have been trying to contact you phone, but has been busy from 12 midnight, to 12 midnight. This is a very serious problem and I can provide evidence to support this claim. …”
NHTSA complaint #10061825, filed 2004-03Other Pontiac models
5,886 complaintsPontiac Grand AM
5,574 complaintsPontiac Grand Prix
5,411 complaintsPontiac Bonneville
1,966 complaintsPontiac Vibe
1,863 complaintsPontiac Sunfire
1,139 complaintsPontiac Montana
1,053 complaintsPontiac Trans Sport
963 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology