1987 Pontiac Safari 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 1987 Pontiac Safari, 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
- Driver assistance125.0%
- Electrical125.0%
- Steering125.0%
- Visibility125.0%
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
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) BEGAN FAILING AT APPROXIMATELY, THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT SOON WOULD SPORADICALLY COME ON. CAR WOULD RUN ROUGH AND STALL WHEN IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER BRAKES. TPS REPLACED FOUR TIMES.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, UNKNOWN CAUSES. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE TILT WHEEL COLUMN IS VERY LOOSE AND MOVES LEFT AND RIGHT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLS TURN ON AND WORK FINE AT ALL SPEEDS. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN THE WIPERS OFF, (TURN THE WIPER CONTROLL TO THE "OFF" POSITION, YOU CANNOT DO SO UNLESS YOU STOP THE CAR AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THEREFORE ONCE YOU TURN THEM ON AND THEN IT STOPS RAINING, YOU CANNOT TURN OFF THE WIPERS BY JUST SETTING THE WIPER CONTROL TO "OFF". YOU MUST INSTEAD SET THE CONTROL TO "OFF" STOP THE CAR, AND THEN TURN OFF THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. WHEN YOU START THE CAR AGAIN, THE WIPERS WILL BE STOPPED UNTIL THE NEXT TIME YOU USE THEM, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCEDURE AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR INTO OUR LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE IS THE ONE WHO THINKS IT IS IN THE RELAY BOX AND NOT THE MOTOR. HE THINKS IT IS NOT MAKING A GOOD CONTACT SOMEWHERE AND THAT IS WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. HE DID NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE SYSTEM SO HE WAS HESITANT TO TRY AND FIX IT. I THEN CALLED EVERHART O'LEARY MOTORS, BUT THEY WANT TO CHARGE $32.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT, AND ARE GUESSING THAT IT MIGHT COST APPROXIMATELY $150. TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I DON'T RECALL EXACTLY WHEN THE PROBLEM STARTED (I ONLY GUESSED AT THE DATE), BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE SYSTEM WHICH THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ADDRESS. YOUR HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
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 .