IllustrationBRAKES HAD BEEN REPLACED TWICE AT THIS TIME. WHEN CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES THE FRONT STARTED TO SHAKE. *AK
1998 Pontiac Firebird
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Firebird years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 63 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
27 reportsHAVE HAD THE FRONT ROTORS TURNED TWICE. NOW THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE PAD MATERIAL SEPARATED FROM THE METAL BACKING. HAD TO USE TRANSMISSION AND EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON THESE CARS IS TOTAL CRAP. *AK
ROTORS WARPED PREMATURELY CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO VIBRATE AND JERK VIOLENTLY WHILE BRAKING IN CURVES. NM
THE REAR ROTORS SQUEAK WHEN THE BRAKES ARE PUSHED, A GROVE HAS DEVELOPED IN ONE OF MY REAR ROTORS. ALSO, WHEN I FIRMLY APPLY THE BRAKES THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT PADS AND ROTORS ARE ONLY WARRANTEED FOR 12K/12MONTHS. THE VEHICLE IS STILL OPERATIONAL, I AM HOWEVER CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLE…
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THE REAR ROTORS SQUEAK WHEN THE BRAKES ARE PUSHED, A GROVE HAS DEVELOPED IN ONE OF MY REAR ROTORS. ALSO, WHEN I FIRMLY APPLY THE BRAKES THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT PADS AND ROTORS ARE ONLY WARRANTEED FOR 12K/12MONTHS. THE VEHICLE IS STILL OPERATIONAL, I AM HOWEVER CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLEM MAY WORSEN. *AK
ROTORS ARE WARPING IN LESS THAN 10K MILES UNDER NORMAL DRIVING. I HAVE HAD THIS FAILURE TWICE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETY AND MY BRAKING SYSTEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, VEHICLE ACCELERATED BETWEEN 120 MPH AND140 MPH, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO APPLY THE BRAKES WHICH DIDN'T STOP THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. *AK
ROTORS LOOK LIKE CRAP AFTER ONLY A FEW THOUSAND MILES. *AK
ABS COMMINCED DURING NORMAL STOPPING CONDITIONS RESULTING IN THE CAR NOT EVEN SLOWING DOWN EVEN THOUGH I CONTINUED TO APPLY STEADY BREAKING PRESSURE. I PURCHASED MY CAR AT BECK AND MASTEN BUT ERNIE GUZMAN PONTIAC SERVICE DEPT IS EXAMING MY BRAKES, FOUND UNEVEN ROTOR ON ONE BREAK BUT DOES NOT BELEIVE THIS IS THE CAUSE OF ABS BREA…
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ABS COMMINCED DURING NORMAL STOPPING CONDITIONS RESULTING IN THE CAR NOT EVEN SLOWING DOWN EVEN THOUGH I CONTINUED TO APPLY STEADY BREAKING PRESSURE. I PURCHASED MY CAR AT BECK AND MASTEN BUT ERNIE GUZMAN PONTIAC SERVICE DEPT IS EXAMING MY BRAKES, FOUND UNEVEN ROTOR ON ONE BREAK BUT DOES NOT BELEIVE THIS IS THE CAUSE OF ABS BREAK PROBLEM. MY GMC FILE # 99053279. THE SERVICE MGR. AT ERNIE GUZMAN PONTIAC (PHONE 281-493-1500) WHO IS LOOKING INTO THE DILEMA IS CRAIG ABBONDOLA. A COMPUTER CHECK AND TEST DRIVES HAS FAILED TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PROBLEM SO FAR. IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED TO ME TWICE IN SOME 27000 MILES OF DRIVING THIS CAR, BUT REALLY GETS YOUR ATTENION WHEN IT OCCURS, SO FAR NO DAMAGE HAS RESULTED BUT THAT IS ONLY DUE TO GOOD LUCK - SO FAR AT LEAST- BOTH OCCASSIONS AT ABOUT 30-40 MILES/HOUR IN APPROACH TO TRAFFIC SIGNAL.
WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD, I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE BRAKE SHUDDER IN THE STREERING WHEEL WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND STOPPING. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER FOR BRAKE RELATED COMPLAINT. THEY TURNED ONLY FRONT ROTORS. REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK AT REARS. RETURNED AGAIN A FEW MONTHS LATER FOR SAME PROBLEM. SERVICE MANAGER SAID ROTORS…
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WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD, I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE BRAKE SHUDDER IN THE STREERING WHEEL WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND STOPPING. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER FOR BRAKE RELATED COMPLAINT. THEY TURNED ONLY FRONT ROTORS. REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK AT REARS. RETURNED AGAIN A FEW MONTHS LATER FOR SAME PROBLEM. SERVICE MANAGER SAID ROTORS WERE WITHIN FACTORY SPECS AND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THRID TIME INTO DEALER, ROTORS WERE TURNED AGAIN. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME I HAVE THIS PROBLEM. CAR IS BEGINNING TO SHUDDER BADLY WHEN BRAKING. CALLS TO DEALERSHIP OWNER UNRETURNED. CALL TO PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE LED TO ABSOLUTELY NO OFFER OF HELP OR RESOLUTION. MY PONTIAC CASE NO. IS 99050789. THERE IS ALREADY A TSB ON BRAKE PROBLEMS ON ALL 1998 F-BODIES, THAT IS CAMARO AND FIREBIRD MODELS. GM SHOULD BE FORCED TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. IT IS NOT SAFE TO TURN THE ROTORS ANYMORE. I NEED SOME HELP HERE.
FRONT BRAKE OUT OF ROUND. YH
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.