1994 Pontiac Firebird Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the fuel system: a gasoline smell around a parked car, and fuel lines routed over the top of the engine that can chafe or melt against hot parts. Anti-lock brake complaints form the next group, typically a pedal that sinks to the floor or noticeably reduced braking in wet weather, followed by T-top panels and door skins coming loose and by airbag warning lights or airbags that did not deploy. Most sampled complaints list no mileage, and the cars described are old and often high-mileage.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell, leaking and melted fuel lines

   • 19 complaints (32%)
   • median 157,000 mi at 13.6 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2010

   Owners describe a strong gasoline smell inside or around the car, sometimes only after it has been sitting, and sometimes with a hiss of pressure when the gas cap is loosened. Several complaints trace this to the plastic fuel lines running over the top of the engine: a retaining clip or loom comes loose with heat and age, the line touches a hot air or check valve, and the plastic melts or wears through, leading to a leak and, in some reports, flames under the hood. Some owners say a dealer inspected the lines and belts and found nothing wrong, and a few note that the fuel-line recall did not cover their car by VIN. Most sampled complaints give no mileage; the reports span cars filed from the 1990s into the 2000s, with one at about 157,000 miles.

   Recall 93V199000

   What to check: Check whether recall 93V199000 was performed for this VIN, then look at the fuel lines along the top of the engine for chafing, a melted spot or a loose retaining clip, and smell for gasoline after the car has sat.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving down I-4 when car seem to lose power, so I took next available exit. I shut the ignition off, heard what sounded like a backfire. At that moment of shut off smoke started from under the hood, both sides and then into the inside of my car. I and passerby's tried to extinguish fire but it was to hot and hopeless. Fire dept. Arrived very quickly but the front of my car is cooked. Please help me, the car was running perfectly right to that point! I noticed several other fires. This must be a defect, thank you merry knutson”

   NHTSA complaint #709475, filed 1999-08

   “Nhtsa#93-v-199-000: fuel lines on these vehicles may have been misrouted and may contact the air check valve. The high temperatures from the air check valve could allow it to melt through and damage a fuel line. Consumer has the same problem. However this vehicle was not recalled due to VIN.”

   NHTSA complaint #10024357, filed 2003-06
2. 2
   Brakes

   ABS loses pressure or locks up

   • 7 complaints (12%)
   • typically at 3.2 yrs old
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2000

   Complaints describe anti-lock brake trouble in two forms: a pedal that goes to the floor with little or no braking, and the opposite, where the rear wheels or all four lock and the car spins or slides. Several owners say it shows up mainly in wet weather or when the brake and clutch are applied together, and a few mention the ABS and low-traction lights coming on first. According to the complaints, dealers often could not reproduce the problem or found nothing wrong, and one owner was told that rain reaching the brakes was a side effect of the brake design. Mileage is rarely recorded in these complaints; several describe the problem during wet-weather braking or an emergency stop.

   What to check: Test the brakes firmly on a wet or slippery surface if you can, watch for ABS and traction warning lights on the dash, and ask whether the ABS has ever been diagnosed or serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The ABS do not lock up sometimes when I slow down at an intersetion. The door skins on both doors have become separated seversal times which makes the car doors not shut all the way which has almost caused me and others our lives. The power windows and locks always break so that I can not open my door or windows they also come off track . The windshield wipers scratch the windshield so it has to be replaced and they do not wipe the whole windshield which leaves blind spots in my point of sight causing me to pull over to not cause recks.”

   NHTSA complaint #732668, filed 2000-09

   “Applied brakes and clutch at same time, anti-lock brake system locked up, vehicle spun around twice, lost control, resulting in an accident; vehicle available for inspection.”

   NHTSA complaint #808095, filed 1997-01
3. 3
   Body and structure

   T-top panel detaching; door skins separating

   Mentioned in 4 of 31 sampled complaints

   Owners of T-top cars describe the roof panel coming off at highway speed without warning, and in two crash reports the A-pillar above the windshield gave way in a front impact. Others describe door skins separating from the door frames so the doors no longer shut flush, along with power windows and locks that stop working or come off track. These reports are mostly about older, well-used cars rather than a single repair. Most of the sampled complaints do not list mileage, so vehicle age rather than mileage is the more consistent factor in these reports.

   What to check: Latch and unlatch the T-top panels and inspect the latches and seals, run the windows and locks through a full cycle, and look along the door skins and panel gaps for separation.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My t-top car's a pillar collapsed and struck me in the head when I was struck in the leftmost front part of my car, causing a severe traumatic brain injury which I am slowly recovering from.”

   NHTSA complaint #718306, filed 2000-02

   “My t-top car's a pillar collapsed and struck me in the head when I was struck in the leftmost front part of my car ,causing a severe traumatic brain injury which I am slowly recovering from.”

   NHTSA complaint #716031, filed 1999-12
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light and deployment problems

   Mentioned in 4 of 31 sampled complaints

   Owners report the airbag warning light staying on continuously while driving, and others describe deployment problems: a driver airbag that did not fire in a frontal impact, and in one case a bag that went off during braking and injured the passenger's arm. One complaint describes a car bought used with the airbag wiring under the dash cut and hanging loose. The complaints generally do not say what a dealer found. These reports give little mileage information; the highest recorded in the sample is about 175,000 miles.

   What to check: Watch whether the airbag light stays on after the bulb check at start-up, and have the airbag wiring and any signs of dash or steering-wheel removal inspected before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Im not sure whom to talk to? I bought a car from this guy, the picture he sent me wasnt the vechile I bought. I paid him half down 750.00 and found out everything that was wrong with the car. It looks like the VIN # has been cut out of the dash, the numbers on the door has been pilled of and put back on but there over lapping, the air bags wires have been cut, the steering wheel wires are hanging out the dash is all cracked, and everything has been taken off the car. It looks nice on the outside. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10732601, filed 2015-07, 175,064 miles

   “While driving the driver apllied the brakes and the air bag deployed . The air bag cover broke the passenger's arm, and the windshield which caused the driver to hit another vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #817232, filed 1997-11

Buying note. Ask for the VIN-specific recall history and check the fuel lines and look for a gasoline smell after the car has sat, since fuel-system reports are the most common and the easiest to catch early. A wet-road test drive for the brakes, plus a check of the T-top latches, door skins and airbag warning light, covers the other recurring complaints.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 31 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.