Total Complaints
4 filings
PONTIAC SAFARI · model year
1987 PONTIAC SAFARI
4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1987PONTIACSAFARI carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 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 1987 SAFARI is electrical system:wiring:front underhood with 1 filings, followed by steering: steering wheel/handle bar (1) and visibility:windshield wiper/washer (1). 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 1987 SAFARI. 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.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20020412VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
19991012VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
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 GU
19980608STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
THE TILT WHEEL COLUMN IS VERY LOOSE AND MOVES LEFT AND RIGHT.
19950808FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, UNKNOWN CAUSES. TT
Compare 1987PONTIACSAFARI to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1987 PONTIAC SAFARI have?▼
The 1987 PONTIAC SAFARI has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 PONTIAC SAFARI?▼
The most-complained component for the 1987 PONTIAC SAFARI is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR and VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER.
Is the 1987 PONTIAC SAFARI safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.