2005 Pontiac Bonneville Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2005 Pontiac Bonneville, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags1234.3%
- Electrical822.9%
- Steering514.3%
- Engine514.3%
- Tires & wheels12.9%
- Transmission12.9%
- Driver assistance12.9%
- Powertrain (other)12.9%
- Suspension12.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING; REPAIR SHOP SAYS SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED
THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD THE AIRBAG WILL NOW ONLY WORK IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS STRAIGHT. IF IT IS TURNED AND I GET HIT, THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
"TAKATA RECALL" UNUSUAL ENGINE NOISE CAR WON'T BRAKE FUMES COMING INSIDE THE CAR. CAR SHAKING AND VIBRATING LOW OIL PRESSURE EVEN WHEN I GOT A OIL CHANGE. AFTER OIL CHANGE CAR WOULDN'T GO NO MORE THAN 16 MILES PER HOUR. CAR WILL NOT CRANK IF IT'S 47 DEGREES OR LOWER TEMPERATURE. IN MOTION IN CITY STREET AND HIGHWAY
AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING; REPAIR SHOP SAYS SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
TRYING TO MAKE HARD TURN EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT MOSTLY WHILE PARKING THE POWER STEERING LOCKS OR GETS REALLY TIGHT. PUT POWER STEERING FLUID IN. DOES NOTHING AT ALL. WHAT CAN I DO. LOOKING AT OTHER POST...OBVIOUSLY NOTHING. *TR
2005 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE, CLUNKING NOISE IN STEERING. PER DEALER, INTERMEDIATE SHAFT IS MANUFACTURER KNOWN PROBLEM, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY SHAFT WAS LUBED, THEN REPLACED, THEN LUBED AGAIN. PROBLEM PERSISTS AND IS WORSE IN COLD WEATHER. STEERING BECOMES LESS THAN ACCURATE PROVIDING IMPROPER ROAD FEEDBACK AND IMPROPER RESPONSE TO DRIVER INPUT. MY CONCERN IS THAT SHAFT WILL FAIL OR WILL CAUSE OTHER STEERING FAILURE. THIS HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT PROBLEM SINCE OWNERSHIP TAKEN 4 SEPT 2004. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
"TAKATA RECALL" UNUSUAL ENGINE NOISE CAR WON'T BRAKE FUMES COMING INSIDE THE CAR. CAR SHAKING AND VIBRATING LOW OIL PRESSURE EVEN WHEN I GOT A OIL CHANGE. AFTER OIL CHANGE CAR WOULDN'T GO NO MORE THAN 16 MILES PER HOUR. CAR WILL NOT CRANK IF IT'S 47 DEGREES OR LOWER TEMPERATURE. IN MOTION IN CITY STREET AND HIGHWAY
ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY PANEL MALFUNCTIONING MY FUEL GAUGE IS MALFUNCTIONING THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CHECK TIRE PRESSURE CHECK OIL ALL THE LIGHTS STAY ON AND I CAN'T RESET THE PANEL I'M ALSO HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR STOPPING WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT TURNS OFF
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER (DIC) ON THE 2005 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE HAS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW. I HAD IT REPLACED ONCE UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO RESET IT. NOW 4 YEARS LATER, I'M EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AND DON'T WANT TO PAY OVER $100 FOR WHAT THE MANUFACTURER OUGHT TO COVER. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING THERE IS HARD SHIFTING AND SLIPPING IN TRANSMISSION. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR SHUT OFF WHILE SITTING AT YIELD SIGN ,WAS REAR ENDED BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSS POWER AND STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES AND WAS HOSPITALIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED BUT THE REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 158,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
VIBRATION AT ABOUT 60 MPH TRIED SEVERAL TIME TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM SOLVED ,NO SOLUTION. I'VE ALSO CALLED GM SEVERAL TIME THEY SENT ME TO A GM DEALER NO SOLUTION.CALLED GM BACK AND WAS TOLD THIS CAR WAS PROBABLY DESIGN TO DO THIS ,YOU CAN BELIEVE OR NOT THIS IS THE TRUTH. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .