10 Used Pontiac Models You Should Steer Clear Of At All Costs

Despite Pontiac's history of making cool looking, affordably priced cars, the company was not in great shape by the time that it was axed. It had suffered from years of underinvestment from GM and was a shadow of its former self. As a result, Pontiac had become a commercial flop, and GM bosses didn't have the resources nor the desire to stage a resurrection.

Since the last Pontiac was built in 2010, buyers looking to get their hands on one of the classic American brand's cars will have to opt for a model that is at least 15 years old. There are many highly desirable collectors' cars within the brand's back catalog, but the majority of Pontiacs on the used market will be cheap, less desirable used models.

Pick the right one and they can still make a solid budget runaround, but there are a significant number of old Pontiac models that are worth avoiding. Your author has trawled through datasets and manufacturer archives for hundreds of articles, including many buyers' guides, and used data from the NHTSA to compile this list. These 10 models have the highest number of complaints on the NHTSA's database, and so are worth steering clear of if you're looking for a reliable used car.

Among the more than 500 complaints lodged with the NHTSA about the 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, the most common theme is the car's electronics. More than 200 complaints have been made regarding its overall electrical systems, and a further 100 complaints allege issues with the car's lighting systems.

One common complaint concerns the car suddenly shutting off while on the road, with a number of those complaints noting that the car's ignition seemed to be the cause of the issue. A 2014 recall was issued regarding a defect with the ignition, but given the number of reports that have been made after that date, it seems that there are a significant number of surviving cars on the road that have not had the necessary recall work carried out.

Another frequent area of complaint is that the car's turn signals can stop working temporarily, without any prior warning. Again, a recall regarding a defect in the turn signal assembly was issued in 2003, but it seems that the issue has persisted among a number of affected cars.

As one of Pontiac's longest running nameplates, the Grand Prix survived for seven generations. Inevitably over that time, however, a few model years proved to be more troublesome than the rest. The 1997 Grand Prix is among the worst offenders, with over 800 complaints logged with the NHTSA at the time of writing. 

Several issues concerning the model have been raised by owners, but the most common issue involves the car's steering. More than 200 complaints allege that the power steering is prone to failure, and can sometimes lead to unintended steering to the left or right while driving.

The power steering assembly is one of nine recalls issued for the 1997 Grand Prix, but it seems that not all affected cars are covered by the recall. Other owners allege that one of the car's other recalls, regarding an engine oil leak that can drip onto the exhaust manifold and potentially cause a fire, was not properly addressed by GM. The recall was issued in 2015, but some owners reported that parts for their cars were not available when they took their cars in for recall. 

This wasn't the first recall regarding potential engine fires either — GM had previously issued two recalls for very similar issues in 2008 and 2009.

The Pontiac Vibe was discontinued after 2009 when GM filed for bankruptcy and subsequently shut down the Pontiac brand. At the time, it wasn't especially popular with buyers, although as one of the earliest affordable American crossovers, it was in one sense ahead of its time. Crossovers have become highly popular with buyers today, but anyone considering the last model year of Pontiac's only crossover might want to reconsider. The 2009 Vibe has logged over 500 complaints with the NHTSA, most of which concern its airbags.

The Vibe suffered from the same potential defective airbags as many top-selling vehicles of the era, with the defect linked to a quality control failure by now-defunct parts supplier Takata. The problems regarding Takata-supplied airbags have taken years to identify, and the Vibe saw its first airbag-related recall in 2014, with further recalls issued in 2017 and 2018. However, owner complaints reporting defective airbags have been reported to the NHTSA as recently as 2023. Other owners allege that they have not been able to get the necessary recall work completed, as GM dealers have either refused to carry out the work or claimed that the parts are no longer available.

Alongside the primary airbag issue, a smaller number of owners reported their car losing speed while driving. A 2010 recall was issued regarding a sticking accelerator pedal, but isolated reports of the issue have continued since that date.

Like several other troublesome Pontiac models here, the 1996 Grand Am has a significant number of complaints about its airbags. Many of those complaints tell the same story — owners were driving on the road or pulling out of a parking lot when the driver's airbag exploded without any warning. Some of these reports allege that the driver suffered injuries because of the explosion. An investigation into oversensitive airbag deployments was initiated by the NHTSA in 1998 as a result of owner reports, but it was later closed, as the agency could not find enough evidence to suggest a widespread issue or defect.

A total of six recalls have been issued for the car, with one recall in 2002 concerning a potentially faulty ignition switch. The recall was a wide-ranging one, with over 1.5 million GM vehicles affected at the time, but issues with the Grand Am's ignition continued to be reported for years after that initial announcement. It's safe to assume that most surviving examples of the '96 Grand Am will not be sold with paperwork verifying whether all of the relevant recall work was carried out, and so buyers looking for the most hassle-free used car might want to steer clear of the model year.

Multiple model years of the Pontiac G6 feature on the NHTSA's worst offenders list for owners' complaints, with the 2007 model year sporting one of the highest tallies of any Pontiac to date. It has recorded over 1,200 complaints as of this writing, with multiple issues highlighted by owners. The most common complaint is the failure of the car's power steering, with many owners reporting that the system would intermittently stop working, although it would often re-engage after a short period. A 2015 recall was issued for the issue, but evidently not all affected cars have had the recall work completed.

Other reported issues include persistent warning lights for systems including the airbags and traction control, sometimes accompanied by the temporary malfunction of those systems. A recall was issued in 2014 to fix the car's brake lights, which were prone to randomly illuminate thanks to a faulty connection with the body control module, but no further recalls or investigations have been announced regarding the car's electrics.

Much like the 2001 model year, the 2000 Pontiac Grand Am's biggest weak point is its electrical systems and lighting. The NHTSA has recorded over 700 complaints about the car to date, with a significant number highlighting ignition issues as a point of concern. The 2000 Grand Am was included in a 2014 recall aimed at fixing ignition defects, but some owners report that the full remedial work was not carried out by a dealer or that they were unaware that a recall was needed. As a result, there's a not-insignificant chance that a surviving used example may still suffer from the same fault.

Alongside the ignition recall, the car has been subject to a further seven recalls, many of which correlate with owner complaints. Reports of faults with the hazard lights and turn signals are numerous, even though a recall in 2003 was designed to address such issues. Another area of complaint was the car's brakes, with owners reporting premature brake wear even after multiple replacements. To date, no investigation or recall regarding the problem has been instigated.

Owners of the 2008 Pontiac G6 have lodged more than 1,000 complaints with the NHTSA as of this writing, making it one of the worst offending Pontiac models for owner satisfaction. A number of issues have been reported, but the most frequent complaints concern the car's power steering. It's the same issue that affects other G6 model years including the 2006 and 2007 models, with owners reporting that the power steering will stop functioning correctly, sometimes permanently and sometimes only for a short period.

A number of reports also allege that the steering issue resulted in the car veering to the left or right while on the road. The car's airbags and its electrical systems are also cited as frequent failure points, with all of these issues being potentially very costly for owners to fix. Given the low resale value of the car, it's unlikely that any significant issue will be cost effective to put right, and many owner reports state that once the faults appeared, their cars were not repaired.

Power steering is a long-standing failure point among Pontiac models, as the 1998 Grand Prix also ranks steering issues among its most common areas of complaint. Fewer owners of the 1998 model have complained about power steering failure than the 1997 model, but there are still an elevated number of complaints compared to other Pontiac models. Other reported issues involve malfunctioning lights, electrical systems, and a small number of owners reporting brake issues.

Like many of the most troublesome Pontiac models, the 1998 Grand Prix has been subject to a large number of recalls, with eight in total. Recall figures and higher levels of owner complaints often go hand in hand, as the more recalls a car has, the more chance there will be that one or more previous owners did not get the required remedial work completed. Reasons for this vary — some reports note that the owners were not told of recalls, while others allege that dealerships were unwilling or unable to carry out the work. 

Given that most surviving Grand Prix models will be sold with minimal — if any — service paperwork, that makes verifying that any given car has had its defective parts properly replaced an extremely difficult task.

The 1999 Grand Am was the first model year of the fifth generation, and examples can be picked up for just a couple thousand dollars. However, it might be worth avoiding despite its cheap price, as it's one of the most frequently complained about Pontiacs according to NHTSA data. Alongside the 2000 and 2001 model years, the 1999 Grand Am suffers from multiple electrical issues, most frequently with the ignition. The 1999 model year was covered by GM's 2014 ignition recall, but issues have continued to be reported in more recent years.

A number of owners also report issues with the engine and cooling systems, and brake malfunctions have also been reported. Like many problem-prone Pontiacs, a number of drivers have also reported issues with airbags failing to properly deploy during a collision. Many of the reported issues have not been covered by recalls or investigations to date, and given the age of the car and the relatively small number of examples likely to be left on the roads, it is unlikely that they will be in the future.

The most commonly complained about Pontiac model as of this writing is the 2006 Pontiac G6, which has over 1,800 issues recorded on the NHTSA's database. Like other G6 model years, owners report frequent problems with the car's power steering, with over 1,200 complaints alone regarding the issue. Despite GM issuing a recall in 2015 with the aim of fixing the steering, reports of defects have continued to be logged as recently as 2025.

Many owners report that the power steering intermittently stops working, but some have reported a sudden, total failure. Issues with recalled cars are also reported, with some owners claiming that the steering issue persists even after recall work was supposedly carried out. If that wasn't enough, more than 100 owners have reported problems with the car's airbags, its exterior lighting, and its brakes. That makes the G6 well worth keeping clear of, since many more reliable cars can be bought for equally low prices — including other Pontiac models.