NHTSA — Air Bags Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
113,956 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1996 Pontiac Bonneville seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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1996 Pontiac Bonneville Owner Comments

problem #12

Jan 282016

Bonneville

  • 151,474 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. While driving 35 mph, the driver and passenger side air bags deployed inadvertently without warning. The vehicle was not involved in a crash. Due to the failure, the windshield shattered. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 151,474.

- Delray, FL, USA

problem #11

Nov 142014

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. When the contact started the vehicle, the driver and passenger side air bags deployed inadvertently. The impact of the passenger side air bag caused the windshield to shatter. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Updated 1/28/15 updated 9/6/2017

- Yardly, PA, USA

problem #10

Sep 102011

Bonneville

  • 91,500 miles
I left my house on 9/10/2011 and went to gas station. After fueling up I noticed that my airbag light was on. I did not pull over because I thought it was just a sensor problem and I had never heard of anyone having to pull over for the airbag light. I proceeded to the highway and when I reached 57 mph I put on my cruise control. In about 2 minutes both of my airbags deployed and my visibility was 0%. if I had not had both of my front windows down, the powder that engulfed my car could have suffocated me. I am on breathing medicine for copd. Although my car is up there in years it is not up there in mileage. I purchased the car from someone 4 years ago, who only used the car on special occasions. When I purchased the car it had 58,000 miles on it and only has 91,500 today. This whole process took about 15 minutes from start to finish.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #9

Sep 102011

Bonneville

  • 91,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I left my house & stopped for gas. After getting gas I noticed my airbag light was on. I did not pull over thinking it was a sensor problem. I proceeded to the highway & when I reached 57mph I put on my cruise control. In about 2 minutes my airbags deployed & my ability to see was 0%. the entire incident took about 15 minutes from house to deployment. The powder/smoke engulfed my car. If I had not had both my front windows down I think I could have suffocated. I am currently on breathing meds for copd. The vehicle is old in years but not in mileage. I bought it from someone that only used the car for special occasions, 4 yrs ago, it had 58,000 miles on it. It runs great but now I am afraid to drive it.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #8

Apr 192011

Bonneville

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. The contact stated that the vehicle was being driven 15 mph when the front air bags deployed involuntarily. One of the vehicle occupants suffered minor injuries as a result of the deployment. The manufacturer sent an inspector to examine the vehicle and the contact was informed that water had entered the air bag module and caused the failure. Due to the water damage, the air bag module was corroded and caused the air bag to deploy. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Franklin, OH, USA

problem #7

Oct 162010

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • 99,999 miles
My son was at a stop sign in his 1996 Pontiac Bonneville, just as his was getting ready to proceed, both the driver side and passenger side airbags deployed, he hadn't even put his foot on the gas, insurance appraiser, appraised the damage in excess of $2000 and come to find out they won't cover it due to the fact that the car wasn't in an accident, they say it's a manufacturers issue, he received a minor burn on his arm from the airbag deploying.

- Blackstone, MA, USA

problem #6

Apr 052009

Bonneville

  • 200,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. While the vehicle was parked, the contact heard a loud noise. The air bag exploded and shattered the windshield. The insurance company was called and they declared that the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer stated that they were not responsible for the repair. The failure mileage was 200,000.

- South Fallsburg, NY, USA

problem #5

Oct 192007

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • miles
The airbag light came on and about an hour later we were driving about 10 miles an hour and the driver airbag deployed for no reason, no impact of any kind. The driver broke 2 of her teeth, driver and passenger got out of the car to let the smoke from the airbag clear and assess the damage of the teeth and about 5 minutes later the passenger airbag deployed while the car was in park and nobody was in even in the car, that deployment destroyed the dash and windshield. We called Pontiac on Monday Oct. 22 they said someone would call back within a day or two and they did call back this morning Oct. 24th but she just asked all the same questions they asked on Monday and said it would take 7-10 days to get back to us.

- Oakdale, MN, USA

problem #4

May 092007

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. While driving 20 mph, the drivers side air bag deployed without warning. The contact sustained a burn on her forearm. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of failure. Approximately an hour and a half later, the passenger side air bag deployed without warning. The vehicle was towed to a Pontiac dealer who stated that the air bag sensors corroded. The dealer has not repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer made an offer to repurchase the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 118,000.

- Central Square, NY, USA

problem #3

Feb 082006

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 136,000 miles
: the contact stated the airbag warning light illuminated. An hour later, the passenger side airbag deployed. The vehicle was traveling at a speed of 15-20 mph. This occurred without an impact to the vehicle. The deployment broke the windshield. The vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic.

- Whitney Point, NY, USA

problem #2

Dec 232003

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 104,000 miles
Inadvertent airbag deployment.

- Edinburgh, IN, USA

problem #1

Jun 202003

Bonneville 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 135,000 miles
While driving, the vehicle air bags deployed without impact. Then 20 feet down the road the passenger air bag deployed, tearing apart the dashboard and windshield. GM didn't seem to be concerned about what happened and their inspector suggested that there were pine needles on the windshield that caused water not to flow properly. The service dealer found the passenger side floor full of water from front to back. The SDM module had corrosion and water damage which possibly caused the air bag deployment.

- Lake Luzerne, NY, USA

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