Total Complaints
22 filings
PONTIAC FIREBIRD · model year
22 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1985PONTIACFIREBIRD carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 3 fires, 3 injuries, and 2 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1985 FIREBIRD is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 5 filings, followed by seat belts:front:anchorage (3) and seat belts:front:webbing (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 17 investigation files overlapping the 1985 FIREBIRD. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
22 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 5 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | 1 |
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 |
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1985 PONTIAC FIREBIRD. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 91V055000 (PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL). THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THAT HIS VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE IT DID NOT HAVE REAR DISC BRAKES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING AND FEELS THAT HIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 06/17/08. *LJ THE PARKING BRAKE DID NOT HOLD AND COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED. UPDATED
Mileage: 100,000
DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE ARE TWO NHTSA RECALLS CAMPAIGN 85V169000 AND 91V055000 CONCERNING THE FRONT SEAT BELT WEBBING AND PARKING BRAKE. THIS VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALLS, BUT IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALLS DUE TO VIN. *AK
DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE ARE TWO NHTSA RECALLS CAMPAIGN 85V169000 AND 91V055000 CONCERNING THE FRONT SEAT BELT WEBBING AND PARKING BRAKE. THIS VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALLS, BUT IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALLS DUE TO VIN. *AK
UPON RECEIVING MY 1985 PONTIAC FIREBIRD, THE SEAT BELTS HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING PROPERLY. THE RETRACTING BELT IN THE CEILING WILL NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE UNIT ON BOTH SIDES AND THE PLASTIC ON THE LOCKING PIECE NEXT TO THE SEAT IS DESTROYED BY UV RAYS. THE LOCKING PART DOES NOT WORK. THERE IS A POSSIBLE RECALL ON THIS CAR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 85V169000 AND 90V105000 BUT WHEN I CALL GM, THEY ASK FOR MY VIN AND THEN TELL ME THAT THEY HAVE NO RECALL ON MY CAR. *NM
UPON RECEIVING MY 1985 PONTIAC FIREBIRD, THE SEAT BELTS HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING PROPERLY. THE RETRACTING BELT IN THE CEILING WILL NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE UNIT ON BOTH SIDES AND THE PLASTIC ON THE LOCKING PIECE NEXT TO THE SEAT IS DESTROYED BY UV RAYS. THE LOCKING PART DOES NOT WORK. THERE IS A POSSIBLE RECALL ON THIS CAR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 85V169000 AND 90V105000 BUT WHEN I CALL GM, THEY ASK FOR MY VIN AND THEN TELL ME THAT THEY HAVE NO RECALL ON MY CAR. *NM
VEHICLE IS WITHIN THE REMEDY SCOPE FOR RECALL 90V105000 SUBJECT: INTERIOR SYSTEMS: ACTIVE RESTRAINTS: BELT BUCKLES. MANUFACTURER HAS NO RECORD OF THE RECALL, AND WILL NOT AUTHORIZE THE DEALER TO PERFORM ANY REPAIRS UNTIL RECALL IS VERIFIED. CONSUMER DOES HAVE A COPY OF THE RCALL NOTICE THAT WAS SENT BY THE MANUFACTURER.*AK *NLM
EACH OF THESE PROBLEMS HAS A CORRESPONDING RECALL. THE DEALER (WADE RAULERSON) CLAIMS MY VIN IS NO GOOD. THEIR SYSTEM RECEIVES AN ERROR. I CALLED PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-762-2737. JOHN JONES WAS EXTREMELY RUDE AND UNHELPFUL. HE HUNG UP THE PHONE. HE DID ACKNOWLEDGE THE VIN WAS WORKING WITH THEIR DEALER WORLD SERVICE, THE SAME SERVICE THAT ALL DEALERS USE. HE RECEIVED NO COMMENTS WITH MY VIN. HE COULD NOT VERIFY WHETHER THIS WORK HAD BEEN DONE UNDER THE RECALL OF A DIFFERENT OWNER. HE ONLY TOLD ME THAT SINCE THERE IS NOTHING COMING UP, THEN THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO, AND THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. GM IS AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS. THEY ARE NOT COOPERATING IN FIXING THESE SAFETY RELATED ISSUES (RECALLS). NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
CAMPAIGN NUMBER 90V105000 APPEARS TO COVER THIS PROBLEM. *AK
RUST ACCUMULATION UNDER FLEX BRAKE HOSE CENTRE SUPPORT WHICH HAS CRIMPED HOSE AND CAUSING FLEX BRAKE LINE FAILURE. MJS
BRAKE CALIPER STICKS CAUSING OVERHEATING AND UNEVEN BRAKING ABILITY ON ONE SIDE. MJS
DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELTS DON'T WORK. DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT WON'T HOOK AT ALL, AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SHOULDER SEAT BELT IS HARD TO HOOK IN, IT WOULD COME APART. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE LEFT REAR AREA, BELIEVED TO BE CAUSED BY A FUEL LINE CONNECTOR.
THE FEMALE PORTION OF ALL THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES ARE BROKEN IN THE VEHICLE. CANNOT FASTEN THE SEAT BELTS. THESE BUCKLES HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY AFTER RECALL REPAIRS 90V-105. *AK
SEAT BELT RETRACTOR INOPERATIVE WHEN OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING. *SD
VEHICLE FIRE UNDERNEATH REAR OF VEHICLE. TT
VEHICLE FIRE UNDERNEATH REAR OF VEHICLE. TT
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 10 MPH SLID AND WENT TO THE CRUB AND THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT HAD UNLOCKED AND THE SPRING FROM THE SEAT BELT WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR. TT
SAFETY BELT REPLACED.
SAFETY BELT BUCKLE REPLACED. *SKD
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.