Pontiac has 144 recall campaigns across 15 models. A defect is admitted 5.71 years after the car was built on average, and 60.4% of campaigns come five years or later.
What gets recalled on a Pontiac
By number of separate campaigns, not by cars affected — one campaign can cover a million vehicles or a thousand.
| System | Campaigns | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 19.4% | |
| Steering | 8.3% | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7.6% | |
| Electrical System | 7.6% | |
| Exterior Lighting | 7.6% | |
| Power Train | 7.6% | |
| Seat Belts | 4.9% | |
| Visibility | 4.9% |
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year they were announced, so we can measure how quickly Pontiac acts once a defect exists.
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average gap | 5.71 years | Between the car being built and the defect being admitted |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 60.4% | Share of campaigns on cars already well used |
| Campaigns on record | 144 | Across 15 models, 1995–2010 |
Across all brands the average is 3.79 years. Faster is better, but a low figure can also mean a young line-up — read it next to the number of campaigns.
Pontiac recalls by model
14 Pontiac models have campaigns on record. The gap between them is wider than the brand average suggests: on the Aztek a defect is admitted in 2.5 years, on the Vibe it takes 8.2 — the same company, the same paperwork, 5.7 years of difference.
| Model | Campaigns | Years covered | Most recalled system | Avg gap before admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac Grand Prix | — | Engine and engine cooling | 7.7 yrs | |
| Pontiac Vibe | — | Air bags | 8.2 yrs | |
| Pontiac Grand Am | — | Exterior lighting | 5.7 yrs | |
| Pontiac Sunfire | — | Steering | 5.3 yrs | |
| Pontiac Montana | — | Latches/locks/linkages | 2.8 yrs | |
| Pontiac Bonneville | — | Fuel system, gasoline | 4.4 yrs | |
| Pontiac G6 | — | Steering | 5.5 yrs | |
| Pontiac Trans Sport | — | Latches/locks/linkages | 4.2 yrs | |
| Pontiac Aztek | — | Fuel system, gasoline | 2.5 yrs | |
| Pontiac G5 | — | Electrical system | 4.1 yrs | |
| Pontiac Solstice | — | Air bags | 6.3 yrs | |
| Pontiac G8 | — | Electrical system | 3.8 yrs | |
| Pontiac Torrent | — | Air bags | 1.3 yrs | |
| Pontiac G3 | — | Service brakes, hydraulic | 5 yrs |
Check your own car
Pontiac has 144 campaigns on record across 15 models, but none of them covers a whole model — only a production range inside it, sometimes a few weeks of assembly. So the 144 figure says nothing about any particular Pontiac: checking the VIN narrows those 144 down to the handful that touch one car, and shows whether the free fix was already carried out on it.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Every manufacturer files recalls; what differs is how many and how fast — see where Pontiac stands among all makes on record →
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does Pontiac have?
144 campaigns across 15 models. On its own the number reflects how many models a brand sells — the response time says more.
Is Pontiac slow to admit defects?
On average a Pontiac defect is admitted 5.71 years after the car was built, against about 3.79 years across all brands. 60.4% of campaigns come five years or later.
Does a recall mean the car is unsafe?
It means a specific fault was found in a specific production range and must be fixed free of charge. A brand with many campaigns is not automatically worse — sometimes it simply reports faster.
How do I check my own Pontiac?
By VIN. Campaigns cover production ranges, so the model alone does not tell you whether your car is affected.
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