NHTSA — Vehicle Speed Control: Cruise Control Problems

CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague

CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Pontiac G6 has major problems with two areas fairly critical to the act of driving... steering & safety.

The 2006 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 2006 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 this power steering issue, up to 10 years/100k miles. However a large number of 2006 G6 owners have reported they were not covered by this campaign, based on VIN#.

As of late 2013 the NHTSA had well over 700 steering complaints on file for the 2006 G6, with 21 crashes & 12 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 2006 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 2006 Pontiac G6's poor side impact protection & you end up with a vehicle you should steer clear of.

2.7

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,210 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.

2006 Pontiac G6 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2006 Pontiac G6:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2006 Pontiac G6 Owner Comments

problem #7

May 252016

G6

  • 90,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter became stuck and was unable to move out of the park position. In addition, the cruise control failed to operate and disengage. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electronic stability control, electrical system, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Owosso, MI, USA

Add Complaint
problem #6

Jan 012013

G6 6-cyl

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the brake lights illuminated intermittently when the brake pedal had not been applied. The contact also stated that the cruise control was inoperable. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, etc) and contacted two local dealers who had not yet received instructions to remedy the recalled vehicles. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. Updated 9/8/14 updated 1/8/2015

- Holliston, MA, USA

Add Complaint
problem #5

Jul 112007

G6 6-cyl

  • 125 miles
Purchased new Pontiac G6 2006 on June 2, 2007, 72 miles. July 2007, problems with cruise control. Contacted reliable Pontiac with problem. Never returned my call. Took it to thompson's placerville, acted like I did not know how to work a cruise control. Continued to have electrical problems throughout the vehicle. Spoke with david O'keef, Pontiac customer service (866) 790-5600, ext 31952, regarding lemon law. I took the vehicle into thompsons on the following dates (there were several more, but I did not receive an invoice from the dealer): 7/11/07; 8/10/07; 10/05/07; 10/8/07; 10/20/07; 11/16/07; 12/12/07; 4/8/08; 4/23/08 5/14/08; 5/16/08; 5/31/08; 11/11/08; throughout 2009 and 2010; 4/28/11; 9/6/11; 9/14/11; 12/9/11; and 12/14/11. Pulled over by chp several times for brake lights being on, but I was not braking, officer stated vehicle too dangerous to be on road. On 9/6/11, a friend referred me to motortrend recalls. Recall date for air bags was 10/31/2006 and exterior lighting: Brake lights 1/30/2009. Steering needed to be replaced in 2009. I was never contacted by GM or reliable Pontiac. Vehicle was a costly, safety hazard through 12/14/11. Still have issues. Extremely inconvenient to keep taking it to the dealer. Now I know why I was being flipped off by other drivers on the road, they thought I was "brake" checking them.

- Placerville, CA, USA

Add Complaint
problem #4

Sep 162013

G6 6-cyl

  • 104,000 miles

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

The brake lights stay on while driving, but they go off when the brakes are applied. The cruise control works intermittently also. That is, the cruise cannot be set at times and when it is set, it will just go out for no reason and can't be reset.

- Columbus, MS, USA

Add Complaint
problem #3

Aug 012011

G6 6-cyl

  • 80,344 miles
The brake lamps are not operating properly. The brake lamps are illuminated when the brake pedal has not been depressed, or the lamps may not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed. My brake lamps actually turn off when I press them and are on otherwise. In addition, the cruise control may not engage, and greater brake pedal force may be required to shift the vehicle out of park. The cruise control will sometimes disengage sometimes on its own as well.

- Pingree Grove, IL, USA

Add Complaint

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

engine failure engine defect noisy engine engine knock intake manifold gasket leaking coolant oil sludge whining noise stalls while driving Dex-Cool lawsuit intake gasket leak engine complaint electrical issue heater complaint transmission complaint
problem #2

Dec 012010

G6

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6 GT. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the brake lights remain illuminated when the brake pedal was depressed. When the brakes were applied, the brake lights also shut off, in addition the cruise control became inoperable. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no related recalls. The dealer was not advised nor was the vehicle repaired. The current mileage was approximately 100,000. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

- Arlington, TN, USA

Add Complaint
problem #1

Sep 152006

G6 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
I purchased my Pontiac G6 GT in September of 2006. Shortly thereafter, I had to return it to the dealership because the horn would not work properly. It was replaced. 6-8 weeks later, it was back at the dealership for another horn replacement. Then, the starter sounded like it was hanging up, like it would not disengage after the motor started. So, I took it to another dealership, but they could not duplicate the problem and simply reset the computer and returned the vehicle to me. 2 months ago, I noticed that the cruise control was not working. A couple of weeks later I discovered that my brake lights were staying on. I took it to the dealership and a module was replaced regarding the brake lights and cruise control. The next week it was back at the dealership for the same problems. 2 weeks after the return, guess what! it was back at the dealership for the brake lights staying on and the cruise control not working. I got the car back last week, and over this past weekend, I noticed that the cruise was not working yet again. Not only the brakes/cruise, but the starter started hanging again and now the drivers' side heated seat comes on and cannot be turned off!!! my car has been at the dealership since Tuesday and Pontiac says that they will not offer a buy back because the problems are electrical and not mechanical! I guess I will just wait on it to catch fire!

- Monroe, LA, USA

Add Complaint

Not what you are looking for?