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2009 Pontiac G8

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

126 reports with mileage · 18 unknown

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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports1 fire reports7 injury reports

Seats complaints

5 reports
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60,000 miles · May 4, 2016
SeatsUnknown Or OtherInjury

BOTH FRONT I NSIDE DOOR HANDLES PEELING REVEALING RAZOR SHARP MATERIAL ..WHICH HAS ALREADY CUT MY WIFE ONCE IF YOUY R NOT CAREFUL OPENING DOOR FROM THE INSIDE YOU WILL CUT YOU FINGERS . ALSO DRIVERS LOWER OUTSIDE SEAT TRIM FALLING OFF SEAT ..POSS SCRAPE & OR TRIP HAZZARD

NHTSA ODI #10863046

40,000 miles · Oct 26, 2014
Seats

MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH OWN 2009 PONTIAC G8S, AND THE PANEL THAT SURROUNDS THE POWER SEAT BUTTON ON THE SIDE OF THE DRIVER SEAT HAS BROKEN NOT ONCE BUT TWICE ON HIS VEHICLE AND ONCE ON MINE. THE FIRST TIME WE HAD TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, IT ONLY LASTED A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR. WE RETURNED TO THE DEALER TO BE TOLD IT WASN'T CO…

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MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH OWN 2009 PONTIAC G8S, AND THE PANEL THAT SURROUNDS THE POWER SEAT BUTTON ON THE SIDE OF THE DRIVER SEAT HAS BROKEN NOT ONCE BUT TWICE ON HIS VEHICLE AND ONCE ON MINE. THE FIRST TIME WE HAD TO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, IT ONLY LASTED A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR. WE RETURNED TO THE DEALER TO BE TOLD IT WASN'T COVERED BECAUSE IT WAS 1 MONTH MORE THAN THE 12 MO. WARRANTY COVERED. WE HAVE CONTACTED THE GM 1-800 #, TO BE TOLD BY CUSTOMER SERVICE ,TWICE THEY WOULD NOT HELP. BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL. WE FEEL WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY AGAIN, SINCE THIS SAME PART HAS BROKEN 3 TIMES, AND IN 1 FAMILY WITH EXACT SAME VEHICLES AND SAME BROKEN PART. IT IS A FAULTY PART, THERE IS LOT OF TALK ALL OVER THE WEB ABOUT IT, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CANNOT ADMIT IT. YOU SHOULD HELP! LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10650162

54,000 miles · Apr 25, 2014
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeats

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 …

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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. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10584996

41,361 miles · Apr 18, 2014
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeats

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…

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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 $1,041.00 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. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10583422

7,678 miles · Sep 6, 2011
Seats

PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW ON 2/28/2009 FROM LOCAL GM DEALER. MULTIPLE FAILURES OF GM PART #92207874. OTHER FAILURES OCCURRED ON 8/11/10 (23,629); 10/27/10 (26,082); AND, 7/22/11 (35,300). COMMUNICATED MY CONCERNS ABOUT MULTIPLE FAILURES, OTHER CAUSES, AND POSSIBLE LATENT DEFECT IN DESIGN TO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM AS EARLY AS OC…

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PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW ON 2/28/2009 FROM LOCAL GM DEALER. MULTIPLE FAILURES OF GM PART #92207874. OTHER FAILURES OCCURRED ON 8/11/10 (23,629); 10/27/10 (26,082); AND, 7/22/11 (35,300). COMMUNICATED MY CONCERNS ABOUT MULTIPLE FAILURES, OTHER CAUSES, AND POSSIBLE LATENT DEFECT IN DESIGN TO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM AS EARLY AS OCTOBER 2010 (GM CASE #71-884084012) AND AGAIN IN AUGUST 2011 (GM CASE #71-979563998). FAILURE OF PART PRECLUDES OPERATOR ADJUSTMENT OF SEAT WHILE CAR DOOR IS CLOSED AND IF LEFT UNADDRESSED WILL LIKELY CAUSE CHAFFING OF THE UNDER SEAT WIRING HARNESS, SHORTING OUT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 GM CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM STATES "GM DOES NOT SEE THIS AS A MANUFACTURER'S CONCERN, THE SEAT IS DESIGNED PROPERLY FOR DAILY USE, AND IS OUTSIDE GM FACTORS OF CONTROL." ALL REPLACEMENTS HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER 3YR/36K MILE WARRANTY, BUT NO CORRECTION HAS BEEN MADE TO PRECLUDE FUTURE FAILURES. SIMILAR FAILURE OF OTHER G8 OWNERS IS EVIDENT ON INTERNET FORUM WEB BOARDS SUCH AS: HTTP://WWW.G8BOARD.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=23189 HTTP://WWW.G8BOARD.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=30721 CURRENTLY NEW CAR WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND PART IS NOW COVERED BY ONLY 12M/12K MILE "REPAIR" WARRANTY. GIVEN HISTORY OF FAILURES OF THIS PART I EXPECT OTHER FAILURES TO CONTINUE TO OCCUR. ALSO FILED SAME COMPLAINT WITH TEXAS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND TEXAS MOTOR VEHICLE BOARD ON THIS SAME DATE.

NHTSA ODI #10424818

Official recalls

4

15V399000 · Seat Belts

Jun 23, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to October 22, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge. These replacement parts reposition the tensioner cable out of the path of entry into the vehicle and uses a more flexible cable, set at a more upright angle. The recall began on July 5, 2016. 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 15206.

14V540000 · Electrical System:ignition

Sep 9, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to December 6, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and cut and fit a revised key blade and housing assembly, in which the blade has been indexed by 90 degrees, to the original RKE transmitter assembly. GM issued an interim notification to owners on December 31, 2014. The recall began on February 4, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14445. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

11V534000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Nov 4, 2011

GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 2, 2007 THROUGH JANUARY 22, 2009. A 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DEVICE (ATD) IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL BARRIER TEST EXCEEDED THE HEAD INJURY CRITERIA (HIC) REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD. WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT POSITIONED FULL FORWARD, THE SEAT POSITION SENSOR WILL CAUSE A 30 MILLISECONDS DEPLOYMENT DELAY BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND STAGES OF THE DUAL-STAGE FRONTAL PASSENGER AIR BAG.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THIS DELAY MAY RESULT IN INCREASED HEAD INJURY TO CERTAIN FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS.

Remedy: GM DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 30, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

09V172000 · Service Brakes, Air:antilock:control Unit/module; Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

May 21, 2009

GM IS RECALLING 35,038 MY 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT" AND FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS". THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKE LAMPS MAY BE CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED AND FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING. ALSO CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY HAVE INCORRECT VALUES PROGRAMMED INTO THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE TELLTALE UNTIL TIRE PRESSURE FALLS BELOW VALUES REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: INAPPROPRIATE, NON-STANDARD LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR DRIVING ON A SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER-INFLATED TIRE CAUSES THE TIRE TO OVERHEAT AND CAN LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BRAKE POSITION SENSOR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK RECEIVER WITH THE CORRECT VALUES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 5, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

GM IS RECALLING 35,038 MY 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT" AND FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS". THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKE LAMPS MAY BE CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED AND FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING. ALSO CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY HAVE INCORRECT VALUES PROGRAMMED INTO THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE TELLTALE UNTIL TIRE PRESSURE FALLS BELOW VALUES REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.

Consequence: INAPPROPRIATE, NON-STANDARD LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR DRIVING ON A SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER-INFLATED TIRE CAUSES THE TIRE TO OVERHEAT AND CAN LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BRAKE POSITION SENSOR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK RECEIVER WITH THE CORRECT VALUES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 5, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

Service Brakes, Air:antilock:control Unit/module

GM IS RECALLING 35,038 MY 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT" AND FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS". THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKE LAMPS MAY BE CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED AND FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING. ALSO CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY HAVE INCORRECT VALUES PROGRAMMED INTO THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE TELLTALE UNTIL TIRE PRESSURE FALLS BELOW VALUES REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.

Consequence: INAPPROPRIATE, NON-STANDARD LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR DRIVING ON A SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER-INFLATED TIRE CAUSES THE TIRE TO OVERHEAT AND CAN LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BRAKE POSITION SENSOR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK RECEIVER WITH THE CORRECT VALUES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 5, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.