Total Complaints
23 filings
PONTIAC FIREBIRD · model year
23 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989PONTIACFIREBIRD carries 23 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 1 fire, 2 injuries, and 0 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 1989 FIREBIRD is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 4 filings, followed by equipment:mechanical:accessory scissor/screw/bottle jack/lift (2) and seat belts (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 1989 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
23 filings
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 4 |
| EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
The seatbelts do not click into the buckle properly and the springs have broken.
CONSUMER IS REQUESTING INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO RECALL CONCERNS FOR 1989 FIREBIRD . *MR THE SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT PROPERLY LEAVING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SLACK. *NM
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAUGHT FIRE. THE CAUSE OF WHY THIS HAPPENED WAS UNDETERMINED.
GM WON'T FIX THE RECALLS FOR MY 1989 PONTIAC FIREBIRD. THEY SAY THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE, BUT THERE ARE. *JB
GM WON'T FIX THE RECALLS FOR MY 1989 PONTIAC FIREBIRD. THEY SAY THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE, BUT THERE ARE. *JB
WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN, STEERING COLUMN BROKE INSIDE HOUSING AND CAUSED STEERING WHEEL TWO LOCK UP, RESULTING IN VEHICLE GOING INTO A COMPLETE CIRCLE ON A BUSY STREET. CONSUMER FELT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. *AK THE STEERING COLUMN/HOUSING WAS REPLACED, THE 4 BOLTS THAT HOLD THE COLUMN TO THE HOUSING GET FATIGUED AND BREAK AFTER YEARS OF PEOPLE PUSHING AGAINST THE COLUMN TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *SLC
2 OUT OF 3 ORIGINAL FIRESTONE TRIATHLON II TIRES ARE CRACKING AROUND THE TIRE ALONG THE RADIAL. NLM
FRONT SEAT BELTS BUCKLE BUT DO NOT PROVIDE ANY RESTRAINT, EVEN WHEN STOPPING AT A HIGH SPEED.
BRAKES, AIR CONDITIONING, POWER DOOR LOCKS, HORN RELA
ENGINE FAILED.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 90V105000 MY CAR WAS INSPECTED AT THE FIRST DEALER SERVICE AND FOUND THAT THE BUCKLES WERE OK. THE NATURE OF THIS DEFECT IS THAT THE CAR AND INTERIOR NEED TO BE EXPOSED TO DIRECT SUN LIGHT AND ELEVATED INTERIOR TEMPERATURES, THIS CAR HAS LITTLE SUN EXPOSURE (ABOUT 12 DAYS A YEAR) UNTILL 2 YEARS AGO, NOW IT IS STORED OUT SIDE AND NOW THIS DEFECT HAS OCCURRED. A LOCAL DEALERSHIP SAID IT IS NO LONGER COVERED BY THIS RECALL. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS ON GETTING THIS REPAIRED?? THANKS
WHEN SON APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION THE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. DRIVER HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. DRIVER WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH BECAUSE OF THIS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP, WHERE THE BRAKE BOOSTER ROD CLIP WAS FOUND BROKEN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
WHILE DRIVER WAS BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, THE ENGINE SURGED LIKE THE DRIVER WAS STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN THE DRIVER'S FOOT WAS ACTUALLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE ZOOMED RIGHT OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY INTO A NEIGHBOR'S YARD, BACK END FIRST HITTING A TREE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP TO BE CHECK FOR TROUBLE. A SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED LIKE THIS IN JULY OF 1993 AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE SYSTEM WILL JUST KICK BACK IN. *AK
WHILE DRIVING STOPPED SHORT TO AVOID COLLISION, WAS REAR ENDED AT APPROX. 25MPH; UPON IMPACT, SHOULDER/LAP BELT FAILED TO RETRACT ENOUGH. ALSO, FEMALE PORTION (PLASTIC COVER) BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CRACKED IN HALF, DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD INJURY AS RESULT.
WHILE DRIVING STOPPED SHORT TO AVOID COLLISION, WAS REAR ENDED AT APPROX. 25MPH; UPON IMPACT, SHOULDER/LAP BELT FAILED TO RETRACT ENOUGH. ALSO, FEMALE PORTION (PLASTIC COVER) BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CRACKED IN HALF, DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD INJURY AS RESULT.
WHILE DRIVING, SUDDENLY LOST STEERING CAPABILITY WHEN STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, COULDN'T TURN RIGHT OR LEFT, UPON BRAKING VEHICLE SPINNED OUT, THEN ROLLED OVER.*AK
THE JACK BENT AFTER RAISING VEHICLE OFF GROUND TO REMOVE FLAT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO FALL OFF OF JACK. *DSH
THE JACK BENT AFTER RAISING VEHICLE OFF GROUND TO REMOVE FLAT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO FALL OFF OF JACK. *DSH
HOOD LATCH FAILURE, LATCH HAS BROKEN TWICE. TT
PARK BRAKE CABLE RUBS AGAINST HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE, REPLACED FLEXIBLE RUBBER HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE. TT
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.