RoadVitals

2006 Pontiac Grand Prix Suspension Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Suspension reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Jan 25, 2021
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
4%
of 239 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix 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.

Owner reports naming suspension

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

ElectricalSteeringSuspension
Filed Jan 25, 2021
Fire reported

WHEN I GO TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES IT WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT ,AND WHEN I GO TO PUT ON MY SIGNAL LIGHT TO THE RIGHT MY BRIGHT LIGHTS COMES ON AND WHEN I TURN ON MY HEATER THE DOOR OR SOMETHING THE SHOP TOLD ME WAS NOT OPENING FOR MY HEAT TO COME OUT,AND THAT'S THE PROBLEMS I AM EXPERIENCING,WITH THE PONTIAC THEY ARE EXCELLENT CARS BUT HAS FEW ISSUES,CAN YOU PLEASE HELP WITH FIXING THESE PROBLEMS.I'VE REPORTED THE PROBLEM THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO AND I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ANYONE YET MY NUMBER IS [XXX]THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
11389842
Incident
Jun 18, 2018
Mileage
100,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistancePowertrain (other)+2 more
Filed Dec 13, 2011

BOUGHT A "NICE" USED PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GXP IN 2008 (AN 06 MODEL). THE CAR ONLY HAD AROUND 17,000 MILES ON IT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST MONEY PIT EVER. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE PRIDED MYSELF IN BUYING AMERICAN MADE VEHICLES, BUT NOT ANYMORE! FIRST OF ALL, THE TIRE SIZING AND THE PRICE OF THE TIRES,RIDICULOUS! THE POWER STEERING LINE BROKE, AND OF COURSE IT WASN'T THE LINE THAT WAS COVERED UNDER RECALL, THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A NOISE IN THE FRONT END, ESPECIALLY GOING AT A SLOWER SPEED AND OVER BUMPS, KIND OF POPPING, I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG IN THE FRONT END. IN OCT. 2010, THE HUBS AND BEARINGS WERE REPLACED, THEY WERE STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WE HAD TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE, WHICH WAS QUITE A BIT, THEN IN JULY 2011, WITH 60,000 SOME ODD MILES ON IT, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAY IT'S A SENSOR, IN THE LEFT HUB (THAT WE JUST HAD CHANGED, LESS THAN A YEAR AGO), THE WARRANT HAD RAN OUT ON IT, SO WE PAID ALMOST 500 TO REPLACE THAT, THEN SURPRISE, SURPRISE, IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN THE LIGHTS ARE BACK ON! ALSO, SOMETIMES WHEN I ACCELERATE AT SAY A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT, THERE'S SORT OF A "GRABBING" AND THE CAR DOESN'T WANT TO GO, LIKE IT COULD BE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. THESE ARE ACTUALLY JUST A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE HAD GO WRONG,THERE'S BEEN ODDS AND ENDS THINGS THAT OF COURSE HAVE COST A FORTUNE TO FIX, EVERYTHING ON THIS CAR IS...OH, THE TIE ROD END, THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED...I COULD GO ON AND ON MONEY PIT. I WANT TO GET RID OF IT, BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS, I'VE GOT TOO MUCH INVESTED IN IT..I'D NEVER GET OUT OF IT WHAT I NEED..NO WONDER THEY NO LONGER PRODUCE PONTIACS. FROM THE THINGS I'VE READ, IT SEEMS THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS HAD TROUBLE OUT OF THIS VEHICLE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALOT MORE RECALLS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10439760
Incident
Oct 14, 2010
SteeringSuspension
Filed Mar 10, 2011

1006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX- BAD WHEEL BEARINGS AND STEERING SHAFT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10389728
Incident
Nov 10, 2010
Mileage
78,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Feb 25, 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. HE HEARD A RATTLING NOISE IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED COMPONENTS IN THE STEERING SHAFT, UNKNOWN TO THE CONTACT. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO HEAR THE RATTLING NOISE IN THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED AN UNKNOWN COMPONENT IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED TO THE CONTACT WITH THE SAME RATTLING NOISE. THE CONTACT INVESTIGATED THE VEHICLE FURTHER AND FOUND THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE FAILING. THE DEALER VERIFIED THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE WORN OUT AND THEY WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT 33,000 MILES. WITHIN 12,00 MILES, THE RATTLING NOISE WAS BACK BUT WOULD ONLY OCCUR WHILE TRAVELING OVER ANY UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE. NO ADDITIONAL REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS 46,000.

NHTSA ID
10314405
Incident
Oct 10, 2008
Mileage
33,000 mi
Body & structureBrakesSteering+2 more
Filed May 10, 2009

I AM WRITING A COMPLAINT REGARDING MY CAR. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2006. I HAD TO REPLACE THE STABILIZER PIN, WHEEL BEARINGS, FRONT BRAKES AND IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IS WRONG IN THE STEERING WHEEL. PARTS INSIDE OF THE CAR ARE FALLING OFF. I'VE HAD TO BUY NEW TIRES DUE TO ALL THESE FRONT END PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND NOT KNOWING UNTIL IT HAS CAUSED A PROBLEM SOMEWHERE ELSE. NOW THE TIRES THAT I PURCHASED ABOUT A 1 1/2 YEAR AGO IS NOW VERY WORN FROM THESE FRONT END PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE, I HAVE BEEN ROBBED. I AM A SINGLE PARENT WORKING 2 FULL-TIME JOBS JUST TO PAY FOR A CAR THAT SEEMS TO BE BREAKING DOWN ON ME NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY TO TAKE TOTAL CARE OF IT. PAYING A VERY COSTLY CAR NOTE, INSURANCE, AND WARRANTY. I TELL MYSELF IS THIS WHAT I AM WORKING SO HARD TO PAY FOR. THIS CAR OUT WEIGHS WHAT I PAY FOR RENT EACH MONTH. I REMEMBER A TIME THAT PONTIAC MADE GOOD CARS THAT WAS BUILT TO LAST AS LONG AS YOU TAKE CARE OF IT. NOW IT SEEMS THAT IT IS BUILT TO BREAK DOWN BEFORE YOU COULD PAY THERE VEHICLES OFF. I AM REALLY FURIOUS AND OUTRAGED WITH THIS CAR THAT I CAN'T REALLY RELY ON. *TR UPDATED 06/02/09.*JB

NHTSA ID
10268324
Incident
Jul 15, 2007
Mileage
25,000 mi
BrakesSuspension
Filed Dec 20, 2008

TWICE, MY 2006 GRAND PRIX GXP HAS WORN OUT BOTH FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE FIRST INCIDENT SOCKED ME TO THE TUNE OF ALMOST $700! THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS WITH FEWER THAN 13KMILES ON THE CAR. THIS TIME, I AM AT JUST OVER 30KMILES AND HAVE NOT YET APPROACHED MY DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM! NEITHER TIME WAS THERE EVER A BRAKE-WEAR SENSOR INDICATOR NOISE; BY THE TIME ANY NOISE WAS HEARD, THE ROTORS WERE DESTROYED! I HAVE READ OTHER GRAND PRIX GXP OWNERS SAYING THE EXACT, SAME THING ON MANY AUTOMOTIVE-RELATED WEBSITES/BLOGS. PONTIAC DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY NO HELP WITH THIS UNACCEPTABLY POOR PERFORMANCE!!! I FEEL THAT THIS IS LESS OF A BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM AND MORE OF A FRONT SUSPENSION DEFECT; TAKING PARTICULAR NOTE THIS TIME, THE ONLY NOISE IS MADE WHEN I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EVEN SLIGHTLY AND I GET THAT AWFUL, SICKENING METAL-TO-METAL GRINDING NOISE!!!!!!! *TR UPDATED 2-3-09: WEB USER COMMENTS: PLEASE NOTE THAT SINCE I FILED MY COMPLAINT WITH YOU ON THE ROTORS AND PADS ON MY GRAND PRIX GXP, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE PONTIAC DEALERSHIP WHERE I LEASED THE CAR. THIS TIME, THERE WAS BARELY ENOUGH THICKNESS LEFT ON THE ROTORS FOR THEM TO BE TURNED, BUT I HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS AT ALL 4 CORNERS DONE AND HAD TO REPLACE THE ASSOCIATED BRAKE PADS! FURTHERMORE, THE REPAIR TECH NOTED ON THE RO THAT MY GXP WAS MISSING 3 HUB BOLTS ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION! THIS IS NOT GOOD! I COMPLAINED, ONCE AGAIN, TO THE SERVICE WRITER AND, THIS TIME, TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE'D CONTACT PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE COST OF THIS DANGEROUS, REPEATING PROBLEM. ALAS, PONTIAC REFUSED! I PLAN TO CONTACT PMD MYSELF, AS I DID IN OCTOBER 2007, AND OPEN UP ANOTHER FILE ON MY CAR. IF I DON'T GET ANY HELP THIS TIME, I'LL HAVE MY ATTORNEY DRAFT A LETTER AND GO FROM THERE.

NHTSA ID
10252354
Incident
Dec 19, 2008
Mileage
30,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed May 30, 2007
Crash reported

MY VEHICLE HAD 32,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT. IT SEEMED THAT THE STEERING HAD A GOOD AMOUNT OF PLAY IN IT FOR ONLY BEING A YEAR OLD. MY GIRLFRIEND WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND HIT A PARKED CAR. SHE WAS NOT INJURED. SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHY SHE LOST CONTROL AND WAS UNABLE TO STEER IT. IT LOOKED LIKE THE WHEEL CAME LOOSE FROM THE AXLE. THE DAMAGE COST $3,000 TO FIX. THE STABILIZER BAR AND TIE ROD ENDS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10192003
Incident
May 19, 2007
Mileage
37,000 mi
SuspensionTires & wheels
Filed May 16, 2007

THIS IS A CUMULATIVE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND FAILURE MODES ARE IDENTICAL TO THE GTO FAILURE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE07010. MAKE: PONTIAC, MODEL GTO , 2006. COMPONENT : SUSPENSION:FRONT: MCPHERSON STRUT. TIRES:SIDEWALL. DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : FEBRUARY 16, 2007 AND STILL OPEN. ODI RECEIVED 69 COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGED A FRONT STRUT TO TIRE INTERFERENCE CONDITION IN MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2006 PONTIAC GTO VEHICLES. THE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT THE CONDITION CAUSED INNER SIDEWALL WEAR TO THE TIRES. SEVEN OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED TIRE FAILURE CAUSED BY THE INTERFERENCE CONDITION OF THE STRUT TO THE ADJACENT TIRE. FOUR OF THESE COMPLAINANTS CLAIMED THEY WERE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER WHEN THE TIRE FAILED. ONE OF THESE COMPLAINANTS ALSO STATED THE TIRE FAILURE CAUSED A CRASH. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED TO ASSESS THE FREQUENCY, SCOPE, AND POTENTIAL SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT. *AK

NHTSA ID
10190962
Incident
May 11, 2007
Mileage
15,000 mi
SuspensionTires & wheels
Filed May 16, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSIDE TREAD OF THE VEHICLE'S TIRES WERE PREMATURELY WORN. AS RESULT, THE TIRE PENETRATED THE STRUT MOUNTS WHEN THE VEHICLE STRUCK A BUMP IN THE ROAD WHILE TRAVELING 15 MPH. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE RUBBER DEBRIS ON THE STRUT MOUNTS. THE CONTACT REFERENCED SERVICE # 010232001 ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN, NHTSA ITEM # 618086. THE DAMAGED TIRES TREAD DEPTH WAS 1/4 INCH. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 15,700. THE CONSUMER STATED INFORMATION ABOVE IS INCORRECT, ODI HAS RECEIVED 69 COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGE A FRONT TIRE TO FRONT TIRE INTERFERENCE IN 2004 TO 2006 MODELS. THE COMPLAINTS INCLUDE TIRE SIDEWALL WEAR, TIRE FAILURE TO STRUTS, TIRE FAILED AT 40MPH OR MORE, AND ONE CRASH. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DEFECT IS MACPHERSON STRUTS AND NOT THE ACTUAL TIRE. UPDATED 06/08/07 *TR

NHTSA ID
10190960
Incident
May 11, 2006
Mileage
15,700 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Feb 20, 2007

CAR MAKES A GROAN NOISE FROM FRONT END WHEN MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN AT SPEEDS BELOW 5 MPH. *JB

NHTSA ID
10183097
Incident
Oct 15, 2006
Mileage
15,010 mi

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .