NHTSA — Steering Problems

2005 Pontiac G6 (Page 1 of 21)

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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Pontiac G6 has major problems with two areas fairly critical to the act of driving... steering & safety.

The 2005 G6 has a major defect trend with electronic power-assisted steering failure. The power steering cuts out while driving, making it extremely difficult to steer. G6 owners typically report spending $600 - $1,200+ to fix the problem, replacing either the entire steering column or the power assist motor.

In March 2010, GM recalled 1.3 million vehicles for this exact problem "...after receiving 1,100 complaints of power steering failures." However the 2005 G6 wasn't included in that recall.

In July 2010, GM issued a "Special Coverage Adjustment" — TSB #10183 — covering "certain" (not all) 2005, 2006 & 2008 Pontiac G6's for power steering problems, up to 10 years/100k miles.

As of early 2013 the NHTSA had 300+ steering complaints on file for the 2005 G6, with 12 crashes & 4 injuries. The NHTSA closed their initial investigation in 2007, having determined that losing your power steering going over 15-20 mph isn't a big deal & that most crashes occurred at slow speeds, so not a safety risk. Ridiculous? Yep, we think so too.

The 2005 G6 also has an expensive problem with "popping" or "clunking" noises when turning, & that issue extends to newer model years as well.

Factor in the 2005 Pontiac G6's poor side impact protection & you end up with a vehicle you should steer clear of.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
19 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,322 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.

2005 Pontiac G6 steering problems

steering problem

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2005 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 21)

problem #401

Jan 032024

G6

  • 176,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating and became difficult to turn. Additionally, the steering wheel was turning to the left independently. The contact stated that the power steering warning light and the power train warning light were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stuck in a left turn position and would not return to center. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering) however, the recall was previously completed on the vehicle. There was no further information provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.

- Sturgis, SD, USA

problem #400

Jan 012024

G6

  • miles
My steering wheel started twitching and there's Minimal steering. While driving down the road, the steering wheel twitches with lots of slack and no really control. When you turn the car off and back on power steering comes on in message center on radio and car with wrench on dash comes on and steering wheel gets extremely hard to turn. But if you turn the car on and off again then steering wheel gets loose and twitchy again with no control. Electrical, all my relays and curcuits Have low voltage or high voltage showing on a computer scanner.

- Sturgis , SD, USA

problem #399

Oct 012023

G6

  • miles
A few months ago, I was pulling out of a parking lot and started to brake, but my car was not stopping. I quickly pumped my brakes and then my brakes worked. All my brake lights came on; ABS, BRAKE, TC, Check engine; and car maintenance light all came on. They periodically would go away but would return when it rained, or if the brakes gave out. Brakes have gone out twice, once while driving on freeway. Before this issue, I had taken it to a mechanic as the brake light was on, and the -??brake fluid-?? message was on my dash- the mechanic scanned it and said the BCM was malfunctioning, to take it to the dealership. I knew who bought the car originally off the lot, so I knew the specific dealership it was bought from (gmc dealership). When I called and told them the issue, they said they will not touch my car (exact words). It-??s no longer under warranty and that they would not work on the car regardless. I took it to the main GMC dealership in my city, where they said it would cost thousands to diagnose and fix the car properly, even though I told them I knew what the issue was and what part needed replacing. They confirmed my cars issue was what I said it was, but said it would be VERY expensive to replace and fix, so I decided not to repair it (as the price was not what they originally told me). Now that the brakes fail periodically, I started looking around and saw others had similar issues.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #398

Jan 202023

G6

  • miles

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

my steering comp breaks causeing a driver to lose control

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #397

Mar 212023

G6

  • miles
I was driving down the street And I'm about to take that right turn. On The Verge of taking a turn My steering became very hard and I could barely turn the wheel. Luckily that wasn't any uncommon traffic because I had to take the turn wider than expected But was able to pull over. When I got safe to the side of the road, "power steering" was illuminated on my dash. I turn the car off that cracker back up and I was able to get home

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #396

Jun 012022

G6

  • miles
I have a 2005 Pontiac G6 that we purchased for our daughter about 4 or 5 years ago. The car has been a great first car and an emergency spare for our family, until recently. I was driving in Oklahoma City in 5 pm rush hour and without any type of warning I had zero and I mean zero power steering, I could not get the car off the highway at all, the steering wheel started shaking rapidly, and jearking from left to right. And as quick as it happened it stopped, I was able to pull over and call my husband back home 5 hours away to come get me and the car. Once I was pulled off the highway, I turned the car off and let it set for about 5 minutes then strated it back up, to witch the steering wheel went back to jerking and shaking, I thought well I have to get this thing off the major interstate worse case it goes crazy and I go down the ditch. I put it in drive and the steering wheel stopped shaking and jerking. I was able to get to a parking lot that was safe to wait the 6 hours for my husband and son to get there. When we got it back home, I had been doing research on this issue and discovered this NHTSA Recall 102442, butt for some reason my Vin number is not included in this recall. So I opted to replace. Number 41 in the fuse box under the hood. At first it seemed to help. So we allowed our son to drive the G6 to a friend's house about 5 miles away, he was on his way home and called saying come get me and the G6, it done it's steering wheel craziness again and I had an accident. With no clue how bad it was we went racing to him. Thankfully our sone was not hurt nor was there any damage to the vehicle. We hauled the car home and it sat for about 6 months. When we found our family needing to have it running. We pulled it out put a new battery in it, changed all the fluids and filters. Car yet again ran like it was new. Then we hit a pot hot in the road at about 4 miles an hour and boom there goes the steering wheel and it's craziness again. Please Help

- Fairland, OK, USA

problem #395

Aug 042022

G6

  • miles

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

I had called GMC and there was a recall on the power steering but that was opened back in 2014 and was closed the same year I am having problems with mine I had just bought the car from someone else and the car had not been took care of and I have a new born baby that rides n the car and I'm really worried about this

- Jonesboro , AR, USA

problem #394

May 082022

G6

  • miles
I was driving with my kids from Ohio to wv. Halfway there my steering got super stiff and it was very hard to turn the wheel. Then a light on dashboard of a car with wrench in it came on then the car made ding noise and across radio message center said power steering. I read there was a recall in 2014 for my year make and model of car a 2005 Pontiac G6 but since it's been so long I can't check to see if my vehicle was ever fixed or not. If it was fixed and now has failed again what do I do. When I check Vin it says 0 unfixed I think. I'm at a loss. We could have caused an accident or wrecked ourselves because it just suddenly went out and it took everything I had in me to turn the steering wheel and to get off the road.

- New Matamoras, OH, USA

problem #393

May 082022

G6

  • miles
On 5-8-22, I, along with my 3 children, were driving from Ohio to west Virginia to visit my mother for mother's day. We were about 5 minutes away from getting on the highway where speed limit would've been 70 mph and multiple vehicles. The road we were on the speed limit was 55 mph but I was coming up to a sharp left turn so I was slowed down to about 35 mph. Before I started to go into the sharp left turn, my steering wheel became very hard to turn and I was like what the heck just happened. As I said that out loud a car symbol with a wrench inside of it popped up on my dash and directly after that light came on there was a ding (like when your trunk is open and you try to drive) and my radio message center said power steering. Luckily I was slowed down to 35 mph for the turn and through all my strength I was able to go through the turn and make it into a little parking lot and also luckily traffic wasn't bad on this road at this time. Had I have been going regular speed limit or had I have been on highway when this happened the results could've been worse. Had I not have had experience driving a vehicle with no power steering ( we own a 75 Chevy Nova I've driven quite a bit and of course there's no power steering in it. Also there's big difference in the nova and when this just happened in my G6. The G6 was way more difficult to steer than our old Nova) if I wouldn't have some experience in that and also been going faster than what I was, I don't think I would've been able to make the turn and would've crashed into a hillside. If I'd have made it to the highway when it happened it could have been a very bad car accident involving more than just my vehicle. I seen a while back there was a recall for this same problem on 2005 Pontiac G6 but when I type in vin number it says 0 unfinished recalls or something like that. Well obviously there's a problem with it and I feel it should be taken care of considering years back there was a recall

- New Matamoras , OH, USA

problem #392

Mar 192022

G6

  • miles
Went to get insurance and the recalls were brought to my attention.

- Steelton, PA, USA

problem #391

Mar 132022

G6

  • miles

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

The problem hasn't been happening nearly as much in the cold temperatures. I'm experiencing the same issue that was supposed to be recalled. The power steering goes out while I'm driving. I can pull over, restart it and it usually goes away the first start (sometimes more "restarts" are necessary). The steering wheel also twitches or shakes while the car is just idle. I don't move it... just moves while in park. There was a recall for my car for this issue (power steering torque sensor I believe?) and I'm curious why my car is experiencing it now.

- Almond, WI, USA

problem #390

Aug 092021

G6

  • miles
Steering wheel rattle, steering moving back & forth, locks on startup and and audible chime is heard. I believe it has something to do with the original recall repair on the steering. Feels unsafe.

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

problem #389

Apr 172021

G6

  • 225,000 miles
I was driving home from work on the highway and I noticed my turn was very easy to the left but hard to turn to the right. A few miles later down the road I could barely move my steering wheel at all and then the message power steering popped up on my information center as my steering wheel locked up as I attempted to make a turn. Unfortunately I had to go over a curb and into a parking lot because of the mishap. I turned the car off and back on and my steering was okay for a while but then it would lock up later again. I did this process twice paying attention to steering to make it home since I was only a mile and a half away.

- Columbus, GA, USA

problem #388

Mar 022021

G6

  • 150,000 miles
Sterring wheel is shaking badly and locks up when driving, on the high and street while in motion.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #387

Feb 252021

G6

  • 203,920 miles
Electrical power steering unit stopped working while I was driving. It was almost impossible to turn.

- Papillion, NE, USA

problem #386

Feb 172021

G6

  • 145,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10-15 mph, the steering wheel ceased. The vehicle was towed to randy marion Buick GMC (13701 statesville rd huntersville, nc 28078) where the failure was diagnosed as steering gear assembly failure. The contact previously received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering) but was informed by the dealer that the failure was not associated with the recall. The contact was informed that would provide repair for open recall NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #385

Sep 302020

G6

  • 176,000 miles
My car be driving fine then I hear a dingy song like doors open and shortly after my steering wheel locks up and I am unable to steer my car. I turn engine off and restart it amd most time the steering loosens up amd sometimes it's good for a couple blocks and sometimes it locks up immediately. It's the eps that keeps going off. It's very dangerous happens anytime almost got rearend because of it.

- Ottawa, KS, USA

problem #384

Oct 042020

G6

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated and blinking. The contact coasted to the side of the roadway, waited for a while, and was able to drive normally. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to jensen motors Inc (2525 S broadway St, new ulm, mn 56073) where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under a recall. The vehicle was rejected to be serviced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

- Prior Lake, MN, USA

problem #383

Jul 152020

G6

  • 50 miles
Making loud nosies when steering. Front end very wobblily feeling as thought the front part of the car feel like its going to detach from the car. When the car hit about 50 mph it would shake real bad. Very uncomfortable ride overall

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #382

May 212020

G6 6-cyl

  • 190 miles
My 2005 Pontiac G6 power steering dangerously stops working while driving the car, it does so at random and without notice. I was with my husband, driving on I-5 at high speeds, when the power steering immediately goes off, we almost died in that highway as I was not able to properly use the wheel due to the high energy it requires to turn. After the incident I urgently called Pontiac right when I safely pulled over somewhere, and explained what just happened. But they told me there were no recalls on this, and I could not believe it. GM told me to go to the closest dealership to have it repaired at my own cost. I called the dealership they referred me to (in albany, or) but they told me they were not a Pontiac dealership and they made me wait on the phone only to hang up on me after 15 minutes. To give more detail on how this issue happens, while I drive the car at some point the power goes off, the signal turns on and I hear 3 sounds similar to the ones the car does when a seat belt is not properly plugged in. It does this at random, and in the most dangerous moments, such as while needing to turn, or while driving fast on a highway. Still to this day I have not been able to get my car fixed, or even looked at by a GM dealership since I cannot drive the car at all without risking my life. I just found out about NHTSA and I strongly urge you to put an immediate recall on this life threatening transportation vehicle. I am considering pressing charges if my lawyer deems it to be the best next step for my case. But please, in order to protect americans that own my same car need to be alerted immediately, their cars need to be recalled and properly fixed by the automaker. Please take this into serious consideration as lives will be lost if no one does anything. I would be happy to provide you with all details you need. Thank you very much for your work. -[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Corvallis, OR, USA

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