Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AT EVERY CONNECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING DUE TO THE CORROSION. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONTACT THERE WERE 10-15 OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. UPDATED 9/5/2006 - *NM
CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 25 MPH SUDDENLY ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS DIED. NO BRAKES/ NO POWER STEERING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, DEALER POPPED HOOD, AND NOTICED BATTERY ACID ALL OVER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND BATTERY CABLES WERE LOOSE. DEALER REPLACED CABLES, AND PUT JELLY AROUND THEM. FIVE DAYS LATER, CABLES WERE LOOSE AGAIN. CAUSE UNKNOWN. THE CABLE HAS LOOSEN AGAIN AND VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. CONSUMER WAS LEFT STRANDED. *AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE AND STEERING WHEEL VIBRATE, CAUSING DRIVER TO HAVE MINIMAL CONTROL OVER VEHICLE. DEALER HAS SEEN 4 OR 5 TIMES VEHICLE, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
BRAKES MAKE NOISE WHEN APPLYING THEM. ALSO, THERE IS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WHEN WORK WHEN MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. MY BRAKES STOPPED WORKING AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR. THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN THE MATTER OF A FEW MINUTES. *AK
AFTER INSPECTING THE BRAKES, NOTICED UNUSUAL WEAR ON THE SIDE OF THE BRAKE ROTORS, THEY COULD DETERIORATE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE PROBLEM STARTED WITH A THUMPING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT/BRAKE AREA OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF THE SHOPPING CENTER I REALIZED MY BRAKES WERE GONE. MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO RAPID MOTORS THE NEXT DAY AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. JUST OVER 1 YEAR LATER THE SAME PROBLEMS STARTED AGAIN AND AGAIN THE BRAKES WENT OUT AND WE WERE TOLD AGAIN A NEW MASTER CYLINDER WOULD NEED REPLACING. EACH REPLACEMENT HAS COST US A LITTLE OVER $300.00. I UNDERSTAND IT MAY BE TIME TO REPLACE BRAKE PADS BUT I DON'T THAT IS THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER NOT BEING ABLE TO LAST MORE THAN 1 YEAR. THE INVOICE FOR REPAIR OF THE LAST MASTER CYLINDER STATES: "FOUND BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO FLOOR, CHECKED FOR LEAKS, NON FOUND, CHECKED VACUUM - OK. MASTER CYLINDER LEAKING INTERNAL. REMOVED MASTER CYLINDER AND INSTALLED NEW ONE. BLED BRAKES SYTEM, TEST DROVE, WORKING TO FACTORY SPECS." TO SUMMARIZE, THE ORIGINAL MASTER CYLINDER AND A SECOND MASTER CYLINDER HAVE BEEN REPLACE WITHIN THE 2 1/2 YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
STARTER TERM LOOSE CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. NLM
ABS: BRAKE PEDAL VERY HARD. NOT STOPPING VEHICLE. PEDAL AT TIMES GOES TO FLOOR. TOOK TO DEALER. NOT ABLE TO FIND BRAKE PROBLEM, OR UNABLE TO DUPLICATE. *AK
CONSUMER HEARD A METAL TO METAL GRINDING NOISE. WENT TO DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED ROTORS/PADS TO FRONT WHEELS. *AK DEALER STATED THE BRAKE ROTORS ON THE OUTSIDE SURFACE WERE BLACKENED FROM HEAT AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE GLAZED. *SLC
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .