Pontiac G8 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 215 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Pontiac G8 (2008–2009) that have at least 5 complaints. 2009 has the most, with 144. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (94 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All G8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 144 | 50,000 | 4 | 996 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
| 2008 | 71 | 53,000 | 4 | 948 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags94 44%
- Electrical system34 16%
- Suspension30 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain17 7.9%
- Steering14 6.5%
- Brakes11 5.1%
- Engine8 3.7%
- Tires7 3.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2009: “Door latches goes out on vehicles and the door don't stay shut. The door will flap open will driving, have to use a seat belt around the inside handle and then connect to the seat buckle to keep door close. I have 2 g8s that these have failed on. I think this is a major safety concern that someone can fall out of the vehicle .”
NHTSA complaint #11281513, filed 2019-11, 91,000 miles2008: “Air bag fault light comes on when car is started, which means that the air bags will not work. There is an air bag recall to this car, but they will not fix my car's fault light problem. This is a big safety defect that many GM have, according to your website. Thank you my car has 30,000 miles on it.”
NHTSA complaint #10913783, filed 2016-10, 30,000 milesOther 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