What breaks most · 2008 to 2010 model years
Pontiac G8 problems by year
Owners have filed 196 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac G8 across model years 2008 to 2010. One year stands out: 2009 for air bags complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2009
- Complaints on file
- 1962008 to 2010, all trims
- Worst year
- 2009129 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 82 fires · 10 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 8Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 2 | 4 | Air bags (22) | |
| 129 | 6 | 4 | Air bags (59) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Stability control (1) |
What fails on the 2009 Pontiac G8
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 46% |
59 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 16% |
20 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2009 Pontiac G8 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
17 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2009 Pontiac G8 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
9 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
6 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2009 Pontiac G8 |
| Tires | 5% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 5% |
6 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2009 Pontiac G8 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
6 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2009 Pontiac G8 |
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.
-
This car clearly has lca (lower control arm) issues. I had mine replaced 10k miles ago. They are noisy again. With just a little research you will find that around 80% of g8 owners have front end suspension issues. Why isn't GM recalling this?
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 G8 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2009 carries the most filings on the Pontiac G8. The 2009 alone has 129 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Pontiac G8 problem?
On the 2009 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 59 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac G8 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac G8 complaints that include mileage is about 50,000 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.