STEERING
2005 Pontiac G6
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 679 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Pontiac G6, most frequently naming the steering, electrical and brakes categories. 6 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 4 NHTSA investigations name it; and 569 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2016 | 4 | 575 |
| May 2016 | 2 | 577 |
| Jun 2016 | 3 | 580 |
| Jul 2016 | 4 | 584 |
| Aug 2016 | 2 | 586 |
| Sep 2016 | 3 | 589 |
| Oct 2016 | 2 | 591 |
| Nov 2016 | 2 | 593 |
| Dec 2016 | 1 | 594 |
| Jan 2017 | 2 | 596 |
| Feb 2017 | 1 | 597 |
| Mar 2017 | 4 | 601 |
| Apr 2017 | 1 | 602 |
| Jun 2017 | 2 | 604 |
| Jul 2017 | 2 | 606 |
| Sep 2017 | 1 | 607 |
| Oct 2017 | 1 | 608 |
| Nov 2017 | 1 | 609 |
| Dec 2017 | 1 | 610 |
| Mar 2018 | 2 | 612 |
| Jun 2018 | 2 | 614 |
| Aug 2018 | 2 | 616 |
| Sep 2018 | 1 | 617 |
| Oct 2018 | 2 | 619 |
| Nov 2018 | 2 | 621 |
| Dec 2018 | 4 | 625 |
| Jan 2019 | 1 | 626 |
| Mar 2019 | 2 | 628 |
| Apr 2019 | 2 | 630 |
| May 2019 | 1 | 631 |
| Aug 2019 | 4 | 635 |
| Sep 2019 | 1 | 636 |
| Oct 2019 | 2 | 638 |
| Nov 2019 | 3 | 641 |
| Jan 2020 | 1 | 642 |
| Feb 2020 | 2 | 644 |
| Apr 2020 | 1 | 645 |
| May 2020 | 4 | 649 |
| Jun 2020 | 3 | 652 |
| Aug 2020 | 1 | 653 |
| Oct 2020 | 1 | 654 |
| Nov 2020 | 2 | 656 |
| Dec 2020 | 1 | 657 |
| Feb 2021 | 1 | 658 |
| Mar 2021 | 2 | 660 |
| Apr 2021 | 1 | 661 |
| Aug 2021 | 1 | 662 |
| Mar 2022 | 3 | 665 |
| May 2022 | 2 | 667 |
| Aug 2022 | 1 | 668 |
| Jan 2023 | 1 | 669 |
| Mar 2023 | 1 | 670 |
| Nov 2023 | 1 | 671 |
| Dec 2023 | 1 | 672 |
| Jan 2024 | 2 | 674 |
| Apr 2024 | 1 | 675 |
| Oct 2024 | 1 | 676 |
| Feb 2025 | 1 | 677 |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 678 |
| Nov 2025 | 1 | 679 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Steering45950.7%
- Electrical899.8%
- Brakes798.7%
- Exterior lighting485.3%
- Powertrain (other)414.5%
- Fuel system333.6%
- Engine303.3%
- Driver assistance293.2%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
6 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING; ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC); EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
Brake Light Switch/Sensor Malfunction
On May 14, 2014 General Motors (GM) announced a recall action (14V-252) involving model year (MY) 2004-12 Chevrolet Malibu, MY 2004-07 Malibu Maxx, MY 2005-10 Pontiac G6 and MY 2007-10 Saturn Aura vehicles.An increased resistance can develop in the Body Control Module connection systems and result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS, or brake light switch) circuit that can cause the brake lamps to malfunction.As a result, and according to GM, the brake lamps may illuminate when pedal application is not being applied or may not illuminate when pedal force is applied.Additionally, the cruise control may not engage or if it is engaged it may require increased pedal travel to disengage.Pedal application may not be required to move the shift lever out of PARK or additional travel may be required to move the shift lever out of PARK. Traction control, electronic stability control (ESC) and panic brake assist features may also become disabled. These failure conditions may increase the risk of a crash.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis EA13-005 on June 6, 2013 to further investigate complaints alleging that the brake lights did not operate properly on MY 2005-08 Pontiac G6 vehicles.The BAS in these vehicles produces a single analog voltage output proportional to the brake pedal's position.The BAS signal is used by various systems to determine both pedal position and rate of displacement, so a failure or inaccuracy of the signal may affect multiple systems.ODI also received similar complaints on MY 2009 Pontiac G6, MY 2004-11 Chevrolet Malibu and MY 2007-09 Saturn Aura vehicles that use the same BAS.All of these above models were included in the subject vehicle population of ODI's Information Request (IR) letter to GM.Prior to the recall announcement date, ODI received 855 reports of brake light malfunction resulting in one or several of the failure conditions.Eight (8) of the reports alleged crashes, with 1 resulting in an injury. Of these crash allegations, 2 were roll-away incidents, in which the shift interlock was moved out of PARK without pedal application and the vehicle rolled into another object.Three (3) crashes involved rear-end hits, which were believed to be due to brake light reversal.ESC/Traction Control failures were the alleged cause of 2 incidents, which resulted in unresponsive brake application and in 1 case caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.One (1) crash allegation was not counted as the circumstances of the crash were not related to any of the failure modes.ODI notes that it is difficult to determine the actual cause of incidents where brake light reversal or ESC/Traction Control failures were the alleged cause.In response to ODI's IR, GM submitted 2,268 unique reports that related to brake lamp malfunction. Combined with the data submitted during Recall Query 13-001, a total of 4,664 unique complaints were submitted.Twelve (12) of the GM reports alleged a crash, with 2 reporting minor injuries and 4 alleging property damage.Of the 12 reports, 3 involved brake light reversal allegations, 4 involved roll-away incidents and 2 involved ESC/Traction Control malfunctions. ODI did not include three (3) reports that involved allegations inconsistent with the alleged defect. This investigation is closed on the basis of GM's announcement of safety recall 14V-252.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID, see the attached list for ODI numbers.
Brake Light Malfunction
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-001 on February 4, 2013 in response to complaints alleging that the brake lights do not operate properly on model year (MY) 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles. Complainants allege that the brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is not depressed, and turn off once the brake pedal is applied. In addition the driver may have difficulty shifting out of PARK, or the cruise control may not engage properly. In response to ODI?s Information Request, General Motors (GM) submitted a significant number of warranty claims and over 1, 100 reports that potentially relate to the alleged problem. ODI is continuing its analysis of this data. One of the GM reports also alleged a vehicle crash. ODI has received a total of 314 complaints, one alleging a crash.Based on the agency's current analysis, ODI has upgraded its investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA13-005) to determine whether the subject vehicles present a safety related defect trend, and to further evaluate scope.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID, see the attached list for ODI numbers.
STOP LAMP MALFUNCTION
GM NOTIFIED THE AGENCY BY LETTER DATED JANUARY 28, 2009, THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF PONTIAC G6 VEHICLES BUILT FROM JANUARY 3 THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2005.VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD HAVE SHOWN A HIGHLY ELEVATED INCIDENT RATE OF IMPROPER OPERATION OF THE BRAKE LAMPS. ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS THAT CONSUMERS WOULD USE THEIR BRAKES AND DISCOVER THAT THE BRAKE LAMPS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE.ALSO, CONSUMERS REPORT THAT THE BRAKE LAMPS WOULD ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT APPLIED.ODI'S REVIEW OF THE COMPLAINT DATA FINDS THAT THE COMPLAINT RATE FOR THE JANUARY 2005 PRODUCTION IS 20 TIMES GREATER THAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.LIKEWISE, THE WARRANTY RATE FOR THE JANUARY 2005 PRODUCTION IS 11 TIMES GREATER THAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.IN ITS LETTER TO THE NHTSA, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) EXPLAINED THAT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THIS BRAKE CONDITION WAS FRETTING CORROSION (OXIDATION) OF THE CONNECTOR PINS ON THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) THAT CONNECT TO THE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SENSOR (BPPS).THE CORROSION PREVENTS THE BCM FROM RECEIVING THE CORRECT SIGNAL VOLTAGE FROM THE BPPS.IN DECEMBER 2008, GM RELEASED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) #08-05-22-009 TO PROVIDE TECHNICIANS THE CORRECT REPAIR PROCEDURES FOR SUBJECT VEHICLES THAT EXPERIENCE IMPROPER ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE LAMPS.THIS ACTION TAKEN BY GM IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.
LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST
DURING THIS INVESTIGATION, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) INDICATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 15,600 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2005 PONTIAC G6 VEHICLES BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 3, 2004 THROUGH JANUARY 5, 2005 MAY EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST DUE TO AN INSUFFICIENT CRIMP AT THE TORQUE AND POSITION SENSOR TRANSDUCER LOCATED IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY. GM HAS INDICATED THAT IT PLANS TO SEND LETTERS TO THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES TO INFORM THEM THAT IT WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE EPS SYSTEM IN THEIR VEHICLES TO 7 YEARS OR 70,000 MILES.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FAILURES IN THE POPULATION AFFECTED BY THE WIRING CRIMP PROBLEM INDICATE THAT THE PROBLEM IS AN EARLY LIFE FAILURE THAT SHOULD OCCUR WITHIN THE TERMS OF THE EXTENDED COVERAGE.GM'S INVESTIGATION OF EPS FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM WITH THE CONNECTOR CRIMPS DURING THE TWO MONTH PRODUCTION RANGE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY EXTENSION.DURING THIS PERIOD THE CRIMPS MAY BE ASYMMETRICAL, RESULTING ININADEQUATE PRESSURE ON THE WIRE THAT CAN LEAD TO ELECTRICAL NOISE IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE SENSOR TO THE CONTROLLER.THE CONTROLLER MAY INTERPRET THIS ELECTRICAL NOISE AS A MALFUNCTION OF THE SYSTEM AND DEFAULT TO MANUAL MODE (I.E., TURN OFF THE EPS SYSTEM).IF THE POWER STEERING ASSIST IS LOST, THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER (DIC) DISPLAYS A POWER STEERING WARNING MESSAGE, A CHIME IS SOUNDED, ANDTHE SERVICE VEHICLE SOON LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE.IN MANUAL MODE THE STEERING REQUIRES INCREASED EFFORT, ESPECIALLY AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 20 MILES PER HOUR (MPH).ODI'S ANALYSIS OF THE FAILURE DATA SHOW THAT APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT OF THE COMPLAINTS AND FIELD REPORTS (569 OF 1913) INVOLVE VEHICLES BUILT IN THE RANGE COVERED BY GM'S EXTENDED POLICY, WHICH ACCOUNT FOR ONLY ABOUT 7 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.THE COMPLAINT RATE FOR THE NON-PEAK MONTHS IS RELATIVELY HIGH, AT 673 PER 100,000 VEHICLES.THE RATE FOR THE PEAK MONTHS IS 5 TIMES HIGHER AT 3,645 PER 100,000 VEHICLES.SIMILAR DIFFERENCES ARE EVIDENT IN THE WARRANTY DATA, WITH APPROXIMATELY 27 PERCENT OF THE EPS WARRANTY CLAIMS (1120 OF 4145) INVOLVING VEHICLES BUILT IN THE PEAK MONTHS.THE WARRANTY RATE FOR THE NON-PEAK MONTHS IS 1.5% AND THE RATE FOR THE PEAK MONTHS IS 7.2%.ODI IDENTIFIED 9 CRASHES THAT ARE POTENTIALLY RELATED TO EPS SYSTEM FAILURE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE CRASHES OCCURRED AT LOW SPEEDS, SUCH AS DRIVEWAY AND PARKING LOT TYPE MANEUVERS.THE CRASHES RESULTED IN ONE ALLEGED INJURY, BUT ODI WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE TYPE OR SEVERITY OF THE INJURY.NONE OF THE CRASHES INVOLVE VEHICLES BUILT IN THE TWO MONTH PERIOD COVERED BY GM'S EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES USE THE SAME EPS SYSTEM AS THE MY 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU VEHICLES INVESTIGATED BY ODI IN EA04-018.ALTHOUGH THE FAILURE RATES ARE HIGH IN THIS INVESTIGATION, PARTICULARLY FOR THE PEAK MONTHS, THEY ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN FOR THE MALIBU VEHICLES INVESTIGATED IN EA04-018.AS IN THOSE VEHICLES, THE EFFECTS ON STEERING EFFORT ARE SMALL AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 15-20 MPH.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Vehicle: 2005 Pontiac G6 VIN: [your VIN] Mileage: 185,000 Issue: Sudden **total loss of power steering assist** — **same symptom as NHTSA Recall 14V153000 (GM 14116)**. Recall **was completed years ago**. **Replacement part installed by GM failed in under 5 years**. GM Customer Assistance **refused coverage** under **Special Coverage #14299 (repeat failure after recall)**. Told me “warranties stopped in 2020” — **incorrect**. #14299 covers **repeat failures of recall parts** with **goodwill/safety extensions** beyond 150k miles. This is a **known safety defect** — steering is extremely heavy, nearly caused crash. GM must repair under **federal safety recall obligations**.
- NHTSA ID
- 11697857
- Incident
- Mar 15, 2023
I was driving car and went to turn and the steering wheel was very hard to steering. It was as if I had no power to steering. This happed several times without any accidents.
- NHTSA ID
- 11686959
- Incident
- Aug 16, 2025
My Transmission failed on me driving on the highway.
- NHTSA ID
- 11644379
- Incident
- Feb 15, 2023
SERVICE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT on and car has not been in any major accidents requiring an airbag. Also, causes the car horn to not work. Dangerous because if I should happen to get in a major accident the airbag may not deploy, I can not warn cars about to back into me because the horn doesn't work.
- NHTSA ID
- 11622371
- Incident
- Aug 20, 2020
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the brake lights had remained illuminated after braking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). The VIN was included but had already been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11584486
- Incident
- Apr 22, 2024
- Mileage
- 200,000 mi
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating and became difficult to turn. Additionally, the steering wheel was turning to the left independently. The contact stated that the power steering warning light and the power train warning light were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stuck in a left turn position and would not return to center. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering) however, the recall was previously completed on the vehicle. There was no further information provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11563538
- Incident
- Jan 3, 2024
- Mileage
- 176,000 mi
My steering wheel started twitching and there's Minimal steering. While driving down the road, the steering wheel twitches with lots of slack and no really control. When you turn the car off and back on power steering comes on in message center on radio and car with wrench on dash comes on and steering wheel gets extremely hard to turn. But if you turn the car on and off again then steering wheel gets loose and twitchy again with no control. Electrical, all my relays and curcuits Have low voltage or high voltage showing on a computer scanner.
- NHTSA ID
- 11563340
- Incident
- Jan 1, 2024
A few months ago, I was pulling out of a parking lot and started to brake , but my car was not stopping. I quickly pumped my brakes and then my brakes worked. All my brake lights came on; ABS, BRAKE, TC, Check engine; and car maintenance light all came on. They periodically would go away but would return when it rained, or if the brakes gave out. Brakes have gone out twice, once while driving on freeway. Before this issue, I had taken it to a mechanic as the brake light was on, and the ‘brake fluid’ message was on my dash- the mechanic scanned it and said the BCM was malfunctioning, to take it to the dealership. I knew who bought the car originally off the lot, so I knew the specific dealership it was bought from (gmc dealership). When I called and told them the issue, they said they will not touch my car (exact words). It’s no longer under warranty and that they would not work on the car regardless. I took it to the main GMC dealership in my city, where they said it would cost thousands to diagnose and fix the car properly, even though I told them I knew what the issue was and what part needed replacing. They confirmed my cars issue was what I said it was, but said it would be VERY expensive to replace and fix, so I decided not to repair it (as the price was not what they originally told me). Now that the brakes fail periodically, I started looking around and saw others had similar issues.
- NHTSA ID
- 11561581
- Incident
- Oct 1, 2023
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or take a video of the noise for assessment by engineering. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further assistance.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.