What breaks most · 2003 to 2014 model years
Pontiac G6 problems by year
Owners have filed 5,301 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac G6 across model years 2003 to 2014. Three years stand out: 2006 for steering complaints, 2007 for steering complaints and 2008 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 2004 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 2004, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 53012003 to 2014, all trims
- Worst year
- 20061757 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 22571 fires · 141 injuries · 6 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 31Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 630 | 24 | 6 | Steering (424) | |
| 1757 | 86 | 7 | Steering (1104) | |
| 1117 | 49 | 5 | Steering (472) | |
| 969 | 34 | 5 | Steering (357) | |
| 604 | 23 | 5 | Steering (227) | |
| 220 | 9 | 3 | Steering (128) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Pontiac G6
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 63% |
1104 | 55 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
215 | 7 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 11% |
186 | 2 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Air bags | 6% |
108 | 20 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
103 | 12 | Shop brakes parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
77 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
71 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
64 | 5 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2006 Pontiac G6 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Takata recall, the power steering light keeps flashing on and off when i hit a bump. The steering has not gone out yet but it flashes all the time. I have noticed recalls for this on other 06 pontiac g6 but not for my VIN. This has been happening for a few months.
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My power steering keeps going out while i'm driving and it's affecting my wheels and steering. The car is in motion as this is going on.
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When the car is sitting and idle the steering wheel will shake. When driving the steering wheel shakes and sometimes the power steering will go out when turning. Took it to shop to have it checked and was told that the power steering was electrical.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Pontiac G6 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the Pontiac G6. The 2006 alone has 1757 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Pontiac G6 problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 1104 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac G6 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac G6 complaints that include mileage is about 79,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.