NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,096 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.

2009 Pontiac G8 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2009 Pontiac G8 Owner Comments

problem #18

Jul 172021

G8

  • miles

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

7/17/21 (about 94500 miles) - While driving in heavy rain on a congested highway, with my windshield wipers turned on (of course), the wipers suddenly stopped working. This could have easily killed me and my family. The wipers would not turn back on, no matter what I did. At a rest stop that afternoon, and then later during extensive testing, I found that turning the wipers on would never actually make the wipers activate--but it would cause the engine to shut off and caused the car to issue numerous, varying error codes related to numerous vehicle systems (including ABS). Through much difficulty, I was able to find that this was caused by a faulty electrical ground at what's known on the Pontiac G8 as ground point G102. The electrical ground was restored via ground connection elsewhere, and the wipers resumed functioning. Roughly 2 years later (July/August 2023, about 104,000 miles), my low-beam headlights didn't function at ignition one day. Obviously, lacking headlights is a core safety issue. I learned that the low-beams also use ground point G102. Once again, with the electrical ground restored via a connection elsewhere, the low-beams started working again. Two different service stations were unable to figure out the windshield wiper issue. I only solved it by reading what others wrote on a Pontiac G8 enthusiast message board. On those message board threads, you can see that many people have had these same exact issues with the Pontiac G8--all related to the G102 ground point. Obviously, having the windshield wipers and/or headlights fail suddenly and without warning (neither failure gave any warning in advance) in a situation where the wipers or lights are needed could have catastrophic consequences. Since I'm unaware of any other ground point failing on the Pontiac G8, I am wondering if G102, in particular, needs a recall and a repair, to address this. (I am the original owner. The car has been stored outside, in the Northeast.)

- Hartsdale, NY, USA

problem #17

Jun 012021

G8

  • miles
A month ago my passenger air bag light came on indicating there is an issue with the Passenger Air Bag system. This occurs even when there is no one in the passenger seat. This completely disables the airbag system in my car for my passengers and I can no longer reliably transport other passengers for fear of getting into an accident and the air bag not deploying. These parts are not normal mechanical pieces that wear and tear over the course of the cars life, and with a quote from the dealership of almost $1000 it is unreasonable for me to pay as this is a HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, not only to passengers but to myself as I am unsure if this will effect the Drivers Air Bag System. I dont think its fair that with the car only being 12 years old that I should have to pay and replace a faulty air bag system, when this is a common issue with the 2009 Pontiac G8. This needs to be a recall as it is unfair to ask anyone to replace a VITAL and IMPORTANT safety feature of the vehicle. This should not be something Pontiac G8 owners should have to pay for out of pocket, and the Manufacturer needs to realize that this is not a one off issue, but a common issue with owners of the 2009 Pontiac G8. It is the responsibility of the Manufacturer (GM) to fix this issue as it is a basic safety issue. The car would not be legally sold with this issue from the manufacturer, so why is it the owners responsibility to pay for GM (Pontiacs) mistake" Either with $1000 or their lives"

- Edmonds, WA, USA

problem #16

May 012016

G8 8-cyl

  • 79,000 miles
Brake lights will illuminated - when the brake paddle is pushed up the brake lights will turn off for a short time and than illuminate again. This happens when the vehicle is stationary, in motion, on a city street and on the highway.

- Holt, MO, USA

problem #15

Feb 152015

G8

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system); however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- St. Peters, MO, USA

problem #14

Feb 152015

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact received a recall letter for NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #13

Apr 302015

G8

  • 15,722 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system). Upon receiving the vehicle, the contact found that the key would not insert into the ignition. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,722.

- Port Townsend , WA, USA

problem #12

Apr 072015

G8 6-cyl

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G6. The contact received a notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was not available. The contact felt that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure....updated 05/19/15 updated 9/17/2015

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #11

Feb 042014

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. While driving approximately 10 mph and attempting to stop the vehicle, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle failed to stop when the brakes were engaged without warning. The vehicle crashed into the rear driver side of another vehicle. A police report was filed and the front passenger required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was unknown.

- Peru, IL, USA

problem #10

Jan 302014

G8 8-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8 GT. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start until after several attempts and the key was loose in the ignition. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. Updated 5/4/15

- Chatsworth, CA, USA

problem #9

Jan 302015

G8

  • miles
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V540000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Savidson, MI, USA

problem #8

Nov 122013

G8 8-cyl

  • 54,000 miles

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

Our 2009 Pontiac G8 GT with 54,000 miles starting having the air bag fault light show up during startup of the vehicle. This fault stayed illuminated at all times. I researched this fault on the internet, including Pontiac forums, and found that there was a significant amount of other Pontiac G8 owners that have had a similar fault. I also found on the internet that there was a large amount of GM products that has the same fault. I found that the majority of the findings on the internet stated that the issue was the passenger presence module and/or sensor. On 4-22-14, we took our G8 to the dealership for analysis. The dealership found that the failure was the passenger presence module (pn#92225595) and passenger presence sensor (pn#92220398). The air bags in the vehicle will not function with this current fault. The cost to repair the issue quoted by the dealership is $1,193.94. I decided to speak with GM customer representative via phone. GM customer service responded to my concern with a negotiated cost down to $500 + tax. I do appreciate the reduction in cost but feel that this is a known safety issue and that there is alot of history on this issue since 2007 (per the internet research) and I feel that this issue needs to be corrected immediately.

- Rogersville, TN, USA

problem #7

Apr 072014

G8 8-cyl

  • 41,361 miles
The air bag fault light came on in our 2009 Pontiac G8. The car has only 41,000 miles. Why would air bag system fail" it has no accidents and low miles. Took to dealer "quality Chevrolet in escondido California to have the codes read as my reader would not display them. Dealer said they would diagnose it for $115.14. Dealer kept it two days as they said they were too busy with GM ignition key recall and didn't have time to read the error codes. The second day, dealer said "bad news", you will need to pay us an additional $1,041 to replace the passenger seat presence module. Total would be $1,156.14. They said all of the air bag system won't work while you have this error code. This is crazy. A safety system like this should not fail and it should not kill all the other air bags. I asked dealer for error codes and part number. The error codes are U0170 loss communication with passenger presence and B0081 passenger presence system. The part number is GM #92225595. I checked the internet and the price for new module from a GM parts seller with 1 year warranty is $262.50. I checked the web NHTSA and other sites and this failure is very common for this Pontiac G8 vehicle. It should be covered by GM for free as a recall or warranty. Plus, it should not disable all the other air bags in the vehicle. This is negligent and unsafe. Plus, the dealer is taking huge profit on replacement fee. It took me 10 minutes to remove the module from under the passenger seat. Why would the dealer "quality Chevrolet in escondido California" be so greedy on safety item and charge $1,156.14 for replacing a $262.50 part that takes only 10 minutes to remove and 10 minutes to replace and 10 minutes to calibrate or program" this is pure greed and dealer is simply capitalizing on this major safety issue.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #6

Mar 222013

G8 8-cyl

  • 73,390 miles
Unable to remove key from ignition...updated 07-05-13

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 202012

G8 8-cyl

  • 35,200 miles
Air bag fault occurred and displayed in two places on my dash when I started my car to go to work. I had not driven this car in a month and just a few weeks prior to the last time it was driven I had another airbag recall performed. Took car to the dealership to find out the passenger sensor module had a short circuit in it. Unknown to me all the vehicle airbags were disabled with this fault per the service tech. It seems terrible unsafe to disable all airbags for a passenger sensing module. It should fail active rather than fail passive for safety. I have also found numerous reports of this module failing near the time of warranty expiration not necessarily after. Though mine was after by date not mileage.

- Woodinville, WA, USA

problem #4

Dec 172010

G8 6-cyl

  • miles
I am the 2nd owner of this vehicle I bought it with 20,000 miles and now it has 41,000. The car has had 5 recalls since I have owned it which I understand is not a bad thing cause they are fixing the problems, but when the problem keeps existing and GM says "ill give you a year free maintenance for the trouble" come on, I have 3 kids that ride in the car, and parts that don't belong on the car because they don't make them anymore, (wiring harness) the engine light keeps coming on and now I have no high beams, GM response to that was "we will put new bulbs in for you to see if that works" hello when both lights go out the same time and the engine light comes on I may not be an expert but I can say I think there just might be a problem, but not to GM. I put the risk of 3 kids lives everyday I drive the car wondering if the car is going to get me from point a to point B because the wiring harness is just pieces of other cars put together to make it work. With my car in the shop again now as we speak, GM does not care about safety of my kids or myself, the car doesn't need to be on the road but im not the original owner and they don't want to do anything about it but offer me a year free maintenance, it wouldn't be a bad offer if I needed my oil changed or tires rotated, but that's not the problem, all 10 recalls on the car have been electrical and with the transmission. My question to GM is why sell a car you cannot fix with the right parts or make it right by taking the car back "??" I am a very unhappy customer!!!

- Bridgeport, WV, USA

problem #3

Jul 222011

G8 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Vehicle will suddenly throw ABS/traction control/brake system/airbags failure notices; vehicle then goes into limp mode and the transmission locks into first gear. Has occurred 3 times, dealership unable to diagnose or repair. They have cleared all mil/dtc codes and re-flashed ECM 3 times. The problem has occurred once on the interstate in heavy traffic at 70mph and twice on city streets in rush hour traffic, with significant chance for accident/crash. When the vehicle exhibits this condition, loss of control occurs, as engine delivers no power to transmission and car is limited to 25mph maximum speed.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #2

Nov 232009

G8

  • 17,150 miles
First occurred N 11/23/2009. On the interstate it loses all power, engine shuts down, ignition stops, power steering stops, brakes fail - complete vehicle stoppage and full operating systems shut down without warning at 70 mph, twice! second occurrence was 1/26/2010.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #1

Nov 232009

G8

  • 16,900 miles
Also occurred again on 1/26/2010/ on the interstate it loses all power, engine shuts down, ignition stops, power steering stops, brakes fail - complete vehicle stoppage and full operating systems shut down without warning at 70 mph, twice!

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

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