Vehicle make

PONTIAC

38,982 NHTSA complaints and 102 safety recalls across 33 models, every figure pulled straight from federal records.

Complaints
38,982
Recalls
102
Models
33

How does PONTIAC compare?

PONTIACBMWAll makes

Complaints per model(lower is better)Behind BMW
PONTIAC1,181
BMW115
All makes500
Recalls per model(lower is better)Behind BMW
PONTIAC3.1
BMW1.3
All makes3.5

PONTIAC models by complaint volume

Top nameplates, all model-years combined

complaints

What this shows Within PONTIAC's lineup, the G6 carries the most NHTSA complaints. High-volume nameplates accumulate more filings simply because more of them are on the road, drill into a model for its per-year and per-component breakdown.

Source NHTSA consumer complaint database As of 2026

PONTIAC is registered with NHTSA as a vehicle manufacturer and carries 38,982 consumer safety complaints across 33 nameplates in the Office of Defects Investigation public database. The brand has been the subject of 102 safety recalls and is currently tied to 17 active or historical federal investigations. Every one of those figures is pulled directly from NHTSA's published datasets, not from owner forums, manufacturer marketing, or third-party reliability surveys, so the numbers you see reflect the same data federal regulators use when they decide whether to escalate a preliminary evaluation into an engineering analysis or a formal defect order.

Model-level volume varies widely inside any automaker's portfolio: best-sellers accumulate complaints simply because more vehicles are on the road, while limited-run trims and discontinued nameplates often carry disproportionately high complaint rates per unit sold. Inside PONTIAC's lineup, the single highest complaint count sits with the G6 (8,406 filings, model years 2003–2014), followed by GRAND AM and GRAND PRIX. Use the table below to compare nameplate-by-nameplate counts, then drill into a specific model to see which components dominate and which model years concentrate the crash, fire, and fatality reports.

No open NHTSA investigations are currently tracked against PONTIAC in this dataset, meaning the Office of Defects Investigation is not, at this moment, reviewing a specific defect allegation for the brand. Recall status, by contrast, is backward-looking: it tells you what the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy, not what they are being asked to remedy next. Together, complaints, investigations, and recalls form the three-layer early-warning system federal safety regulators have relied on since the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966.

Which PONTIAC models get the most complaints?

ModelComplaints
G68,406
GRAND AM8,105
GRAND PRIX7,302
BONNEVILLE2,576
VIBE2,132
SUNFIRE1,641
MONTANA1,451
TRANS SPORT1,262
TORRENT918
SOLSTICE871
AZTEK829
FIREBIRD801
GTO785
G5505
G8278
SUNBIRD254
TRANS AM195
LEMANS172
FIERO163
PONTIAC132
6000121
G327
PARISIENNE18
TRANSPORT12
SAFARI6
PONTIAC TRUCK6
PURSUIT5
J20002
TEMPEST2
PHOENIX2
GRAND VILLE1
20001
10001

NHTSA Investigations

View all 17 investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints has PONTIAC received?
PONTIAC has received 38,982 NHTSA complaints across 33 models and 102 safety recalls.
Is PONTIAC reliable?
PONTIAC has 38,982 total NHTSA complaints across all models. Compare complaint counts per model and model year to identify which PONTIAC vehicles have the fewest reported issues.
How do I check for PONTIAC recalls?
Browse PONTIAC models on PlainCars to see recall history by model and year, or visit NHTSA.gov and enter your VIN for official recall status. All recall data on PlainCars comes directly from NHTSA.
Where does PONTIAC complaint data come from?
All complaint and recall data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are filed by vehicle owners and NHTSA publishes them publicly.
What do PONTIAC complaints cover?
NHTSA complaints include consumer-reported issues with brakes, engines, airbags, steering, electrical systems, and other safety-related components. Each complaint may note crashes, fires, injuries, or deaths associated with the defect.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Top PONTIAC Models

Nationwide makes with similar ODI profiles

Two cross-make peer sets for PONTIAC. Same-make model lists stay above; these neighborhoods are nearest other makes by published NHTSA totals (complaint floor ≥100, recall floor ≥10).

Similar complaint volume

Nearest makes by total ODI complaints (38,982 here).

Similar recall volume

Nearest makes by recall campaigns (102 here), excluding the complaint-volume set.

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. PONTIAC counts on this page are computed from the NHTSA rows shown in the linked model records; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.