Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1995 Pontiac Firebird submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 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
TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED ONCE AND BEEN REBUILT, STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH IT. ENGINE HAS HAS MULTIPLE LEAKS INCLUDING THE REAR MAIN SEAL, THE HEAD GASKET AND THE MANIFOLD. ANTENA NO LONGER RETRACTS.
COME TO SLOW STOP, LOW TRACTION LIGHT COMES ON, CAR SLIPS FORWARD SLIGHTLY, ABS SYSTEM CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH SCANNER THOUGH ALL OTHER AREAS DO. *AK
THE SHIFT LEVER GEAR WOULD JUMP FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL WHEN NOT PHYSICALLY HOLDING IT. ITS A 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION (T-56). BEEN TO DEALER & NOTHING FOUND. *AK
WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE INTO DRIVE, THE CAR FAILS TO PROCEED, BUT JUST SITS STILL FOR ABOUT 4 SECONDS BEFOR IT STARTS TO MOVE FOREWARD. THIS IS SCARY BECAUSE I HAVE HAD NEAR-ACCIDENTS WITH THIS PROBLEM WHEN AN APPROACHING VEHICLE IS COMING UP ON ME FROM THE REAR ON THE ROADS I HAVE BACKED OUT ONTO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MARSHALL PONTIAC IN CLINTON, IN FOR REPAIRS, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXHISTS REGARDLESS. THIS CREATES ANOTHER POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WHEN THE ROADS ARE SLICK. WHEN THE CAR STARTS TO MOVE FOREWARD, IT ACCELERATES AND CAUSES TIRE SLIPPAGE AND LOSS OF TRACTION. ABOUT THE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM NOW....WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE SHUT OFF, THEY DROP INTO PLACE, BUT THE MOTOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT MAKES A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE FOR ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS. THE DRIVING LIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED ON WITHOUT THE HEADLIGHTS POPPING UP (EVEN THOUGH THE HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT LIT). I FIND MYSELF SHUTTING OFF MY HEADLIGHTS BEFORE I REACH A POPULATED AREA TO AVOID EMBARRASMENT OF THE NOISE. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS, I REALIZE. IT CAN BE HEARD A BLOCK AWAY. I HAVE TALKED TO ABOUT 5 OTHER FIREBIRD AND TRANS AM OWNERS IN JUST MY AREA THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE SHIFT FROM R TO DRIVE. WHEN THEY HAD THE HEADLIGHT MOTOR REPLACED, THEY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM ONCE AGAIN WITH THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR/MODULE. NOW ABOUT THE IGNITION....THE CAR TAKES THREE, SOMETIMES FOUR TRYS TO START. THIS WAS QUITE A PROBLEM FOR ME WHEN I WAS IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION NEEDING TO RUSH MY DAUGHTER TO THE HOSPITAL AS SHE CUT OFF HER THUMB RECENTLY. WE LOST VALUABLE TIME TRYING TO GET THE CAR TO START WHILE SHE WAS LOSING ALOT OF BLOOD. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY FRUSTRATING. MARSHALL PONTIAC IN CLINTON, IN HAS REPLACED HEADLIGHT MOTORS ON THESE 90 MODEL FIREBIRD AND TRANS AMS IN THE PAST WITHOUT INFORMING THE OWNER THAT OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. IF THIS IS A PROB. LOCALLY, WHAT ARE THE NAT'NL NUMBERS?
PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE.
DURING OPERATION THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AT ALL TIMES. WHEN GOING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD THE VEHICLE MAKES A LOUD NOISE.*AK
HATCHBACK LEAKS WATER.
CLUTCH FAILED. *SKD
MAN-TRAN: TRANSMISSION SKIP SHIFT LOCKS OUT 2ND GEAR; PREVENTS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR; FORCES SHIFTING INTO 4TH GEAR; SKIP SHIFT LIGHT COMES ON. TT
VEHICLE HAS DIFFICULTY PERFORMING W/ROUGH RUNNING @ HWY., SPEED SPUTTERING, OVERDRIVE JUMPING BACK AND FORTH. CAUSE UNDERTERMINED BY DEALERS. DESCRIBE DETAIL.
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 .