What's Wrong with the 1st Generation G6?
The 1st generation G6 (2005—2010) has 1395 owner complaints, mostly about steering problems. Overall it ranks dead last in reliability out of 27 eligible Pontiac generations.
Reliability rankings are based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average score for a Pontiac generation is 7.46, while this generation comes in at 33.49.
What Owners Complain About
Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.
Worst Issues
1st Generation G6 Key Numbers
6 model years
Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.
1,395 complaints
Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.
27th in reliability
Overall reliability rank out of 27 eligible generations.
Recent 1st Generation G6 News
There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.
It f
els like any GM built in the last 10 years has been pulled back for some sort of repairs. That's especially true for certain Malibu, Malibu Maxx and Pontiac G6 cars that have now been recalled for the 2nd time this month.
Less than two weeks ago, those vehicles were recalled for a faulty wiring harness that could cause the brake lights to go crazy. Now those same vehicles are being recalled again because the transmission shift cable can break. Once that happens your shifter could be lying to you. For example, you could put the car's shifter in park only to have it roll away because the transmission was really in neutral. Or you could put the car in reverse only to end up driving into a storefront because the transmission was actually in drive. It's like a grab bag of fun, without any of the fun.
Here's the breakdown of the 1.1 million cars that are likely to, well ... break down. All the recalled vehicles have automatic transmissions:
- 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu, manufactured between 05/16/03 and 10/05/07
- 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx, manufactured between 06/25/03 and 04/05/07
- 2005-2008 Pontiac G6, manufactured between 05/26/04 and 09/28/07
If you're confused, concerned or just ticked off you can contact GM at 1-800-553-6000 and refer to recall #14152. GM will eventually notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge.
keep readingBack
in June, 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the possessed brakes of the Pontiac G6. Basically, the brake lights would come on when they shouldn't and not work when they should. It was a mess -- not to mention pretty darn confusing to anyone following one of these cars down the road.
NHTSA concluded that "increased resistance in the body control module connection was resulting in voltage fluctuations in the brake apply sensor circuit". Bottom line, the wiring was fubar and the problem was much wider-reaching than just the brake lights of the Pontiac G6. In fact, the cruise control, traction control, electronic stability control and basically any other kind of control could be messed up in millions of GM vehicles.
Thankfully, GM is bringing in 2.4 million vehicles to address the faulty wiring harness. Maybe it has something to do with safety being at the heart of what they do now, but I'm guessing they're just [tired of being sued][20]. Either way, the recalled vehicles include:
- 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu
- 2004-2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
- 2005-2010 Pontiac G6
- 2007-2010 Saturn Aura
There is no schedule for when the recall will begin, but concerned owners can contact Chevy at 800-222-1020, Pontiac at 800-762-2737, or Saturn at 800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 13036. In the meantime, maybe you should brush up on your hand signals?
keep reading