1996 Pontiac Firebird Exterior lighting Problems
- Complaints
- 1about this part
- Share
- 2%of 41 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 38,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 1 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 1996 Pontiac Firebird, 2% of the 41 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 38,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The plastic gears that drive the headlight pods on my 1996 Pontiac Firebird have failed. Retraction of the headlight causes loud grinding noises. Occaisionally, one or other of the headlight pods does not rasie when the headlights are turned on. It can only be a matter of time before the pods no longer operate at all. This is unacceptable given the low mileage of the vehicle. The problem is well known among Firebird owners and some enterprising soul has even come up with a fix . Note this fix requires the disassembly of parts that were never intended to be taken apart. …”
NHTSA complaint #10100419, filed 2004-11, 38,000 milesExterior lighting: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 14% |
| 2001 | 3 | 13% |
| 2000 | 4 | 17% |
| 1999 | 5 | 11% |
| 1998 | 5 | 8% |
| 1997 | 2 | 4% |
| 1996 | 1 | 2% |
| 1995 | 4 | 5% |
| 1994 | 2 | 3% |
| 1993 | 2 | 11% |
| 1987 | 1 | 10% |
Other parts of the 1996 Pontiac Firebird
12 complaintsElectrical system
8 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
7 complaintsEngine cooling
6 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsSeats
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Pontiac Firebird
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology