KnownCarProblems2006 Pontiac G6 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,910 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Pontiac G6, most often about the steering (64% of complaints, typically around 74,000 miles). It is the most complained-about G6 model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2006 Pontiac G6 problems
Steering
1,220 complaints · 64%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, column, hydraulic power assist system, rack and pinion.
Failure of power steering in Pontiac G6 indicated by "power steering" sensor. Intermediate shaft and the power steering light sensor needs to be replaced. Repair being done at sudbay motors, gloucester, ma. Friends owning the same model & year had same problem and repair completed this year under warranty, my car is…
I own a 2006 Pontiac G6. The car has been difficult to start. Then I was making a right hand turn at a stoplight stopped waiting for traffic to clear and the steering wheel got real tight then the power steering message came on the radio. It was very difficult to steer after that. I contacted the dealer and they…
Electrical
245 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, starter assembly.
While driving, suddenly the power steering indicator lights comes on and the steering wheel is impossible to control. This is the fourth time this issue has occurred but every time I shut the car off and turn it back on the problem goes away. Every mechanic I have brought the car to says there is no problem when they…
Brake light malfunction that occurs constantly. Brake illuminates when driving and turn off when the brakes are applied. Vehicle has the same symptoms described in recall id# 28422 but according to Pontiac my vehicle is not covered in the recall.
Lights
199 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, fog lights.
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact was driving 40 MPH when the rear brake lights failed. In addition, the brake lights would illuminate independently without the brakes being applied. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the vehicle was repaired yet the failure recurred shortly thereafter. The…
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the brake lights were continuously illuminating although the brakes were not depressed or engaged. In addition, the contact was unable to switch gears unless she would apply extreme force to the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who could not…
Brakes
181 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, pedals and linkages.
While traveling to work on the highway at about 65mph. I tapped on the brake and turned the wheel to avoid an object in the road. When I released pressure off the brake pedal the wheels were all locked and the brakes were still engaged. I slid out of control and was unable to get the brakes to release pressure off the…
In the past year I have had to get my brake pads and rotors replaced on my 2006 Pontiac G6 gtp. After the first time getting the brake pads and rotors replaced, I have been in the shop every month. Most recently, I had the front and rear rotors and brake pads replaced at the same time. Exactly one month after the…
Air bags
117 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the module censor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
On january 9, 2012 after work I started my vehicle and the airbag light on the dash was on and I have a message to have the airbag serviced on the instrument panel. I went online to do research on the issue and found there are several recalls on this issue for my vehicles year make and model, Pontiac G6 2006. I…
Fuel system
107 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 91,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
I noticed a strong gas smell from the back of my car,I just brought it used last june 11, I also noticed that when sitting in the car either in the front or rear the smell of gas is strong as well, I had to have work done on my car last month and was told that the entire top of my tank was wet from gas and the smell…
My car has a very bad smell of gasoline. It sometimes leave a small puddle of gasoline, but only when parked on an incline nose first. It was suggested to me that it may be a plastic connection from the fule tank to the fuel line. I also understand that gm has recalled certain cars for the same problem, but not the…
Transmission
89 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 105,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, driveline.
On the day after thanksgiving, known as black friday my granddaughter an I got into my 2006 Pontiac G6, and I was unable to steer my vehicle. The power steering had locked up. I was unable to maneuver the vehicle. Gm sent me a notice in the mail 4 months prior to this happening. The letter stated that if I did not…
The transmission shifter cable broken on this car. To repair the car, it had to be towed as it was not drivable. Gm later issued a recall for this problem. It is gm safety recall 14152 issued in july 2014, but noted there were no parts available for this recall notice. A follow-up notice was issued by gm in september…
Engine
88 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While traveling at 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer advised that the catalytic converter had failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 83,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.
I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 and have experienced numerous problems with acceleration and shifting (automatic transmission). Just recently I was driving and a weird sensor came up reading reduced engine speed and thank goodness there was no one behind me because my car shot all the way down to around 8 MPH. After I…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Pontiac G6 recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began february 24, 2015. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Gm's number for this recall is 14772. Note: this is an expansion of recall 14v-153 to cover additional vehicles built between april 1, 2006 and june 30, 2006.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles manufactured april 1, 2006, to june 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 pontiac g6 vehicles manufactured april 18, 2006, to june 30, 2006. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Stability control: electronic stability control (esc)
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the bas and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an interim letter to customers on july 14, 2014. The recall began on august 18, 2014. Owners may contact general motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (saturn). Gm's number for this recall is 13036.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 chevrolet malibu vehicles manufactured may 16, 2003, through october 11, 2012, 2004-2007 malibu maxx vehicles manufactured june 25, 2003, through april 5, 2007, 2005-2010 pontiac g6 vehicles manufactured may 26, 2004, through january 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 saturn aura vehicles manufactured april 24, 2006, through may 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the body control module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the brake apply sensor (bas) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'park' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash
Transmission: floor shift
Risk: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the âparkâ position, the transmission may not be in âpark.â if the vehicle is not in the "park" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and gm dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact general motors at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for this recall is 14152.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) notified the agency on april 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 saturn aura vehicles. On may 22, 2014, gm increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 chevrolet malibu vehicles manufactured from may 16, 2003, through october 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 malibu maxx vehicles manufactured from june 25, 2003, through april 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 pontiac g6 vehicles manufactured from may 26, 2004, through september 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. Gm expects to send an interim notification around may 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 saturn ion, 2009-2010 chevrolet hhr and 2010 chevrolet cobalts. Dealers will replace the eps motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx, 2005-2006 pontiac g6 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, pontiac g6 and saturn aura built from mar
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, 2004-2006 malibu maxx, 2009-2010 hhr (non-turbo), 2010 cobalt, 2008-2009 saturn aura and 2004-2007 ion, and 2005-2009 pontiac g6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Lights: brake lights
Risk: Brake lamps that are not operating properly may not warn a driver in a following vehicle of the braking status and could lead to a crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will apply a dielectric lubricant to the connector to prevent corrosion. This service will be performed for you free of charge. The recall began on february 17, 2009. Owners may contact pontiac at 1- 800-620-7668 or owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling 8,012 my 2005-2006 pontiac g6 vehicles. The brake lamps may not operate properly because of corrosion in a wiring connector. Corrosion in the connector could cause the brake lamps to illuminate when the brake pedal has not been depressed, or the lamps may not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed. In addition, the cruise control may not engage, and greater brake pedal force may be required to shift the vehicle out of park.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment, a front passenger's level of injury may be increased.
Fix: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (gm) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in gm's letter to owners. The recall began on november 6, 2006. Owners should contact gm at 1-877-477-1022 to begin the process of repurchasing their vehicle.
Full defect summary
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Brake light switch/sensor malfunction
Summary
On may 14, 2014 general motors (gm) announced a recall action (14v-252) involving model year (my) 2004-12 chevrolet malibu, my 2004-07 malibu maxx, my 2005-10 pontiac g6 and my 2007-10 saturn aura vehicles.an increased resistance can develop in the body control module connection systems and result in voltage fluctuations in the brake apply sensor (bas, or brake light switch) circuit that can cause the brake lamps to malfunction.as a result, and according to gm, the brake lamps may illuminate when pedal application is not being applied or may not illuminate when pedal force is applied.additionally, the cruise control may not engage or if it is engaged it may require increased pedal travel to
Brake light malfunction
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened recall query rq13-001 on february 4, 2013 in response to complaints alleging that the brake lights do not operate properly on model year (my) 2005-2008 pontiac g6 vehicles. Complainants allege that the brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is not depressed, and turn off once the brake pedal is applied. In addition the driver may have difficulty shifting out of park, or the cruise control may not engage properly. In response to odi?s information request, general motors (gm) submitted a significant number of warranty claims and over 1, 100 reports that potentially relate to the alleged problem. Odi is continuing its analysis of this data.
Stop lamp malfunction
Summary
Gm notified the agency by letter dated january 28, 2009, that it will conduct a safety recall of pontiac g6 vehicles built from january 3 through january 31, 2005.vehicles produced during this time period have shown a highly elevated incident rate of improper operation of the brake lamps. Odi opened this investigation after receiving reports that consumers would use their brakes and discover that the brake lamps would not illuminate.also, consumers report that the brake lamps would illuminate when the brake pedal was not applied.odi's review of the complaint data finds that the complaint rate for the january 2005 production is 20 times greater than for the remainder of the subject vehicle po
Loss of power steering assist
Summary
During this investigation, general motors (gm) indicated that approximately 15,600 model year (my) 2005 pontiac g6 vehicles built from november 3, 2004 through january 5, 2005 may experience a loss of power steering assist due to an insufficient crimp at the torque and position sensor transducer located in the steering column assembly. Gm has indicated that it plans to send letters to the owners of these vehicles to inform them that it will extend the warranty coverage for the eps system in their vehicles to 7 years or 70,000 miles.statistical analysis of the failures in the population affected by the wiring crimp problem indicate that the problem is an early life failure that should occur w
Questions about the 2006 Pontiac G6
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Pontiac G6?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (1,220 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); electrical (245 complaints, typically around 89,000 miles); lights (199 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Pontiac G6 have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 4, 2015 (steering). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Pontiac G6?
- It is the most complained-about G6 model year since 2000, with 1,910 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.