2008 PONTIAC G8 Complaints

I AM INVESTIGATING A FIRE , THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS A 2008 PONTIAC G4. AFTER THE OWNER DROVE THE CAR HE PARKED IT IN HIS GARAGE. WITHIN 20 MIN. OF PARKING THE CAR IT WAS ON FIRE IN HIS GARAGE. THE FIRE LOOKS TO HAVE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. THIS FIRE BURNED HIS HOUSE DOWN AND INJURED HIM. I AM LOOKING FOR ANY INFORMATION THAT I COULD USE IN MY INVESTIGATION INVOLVING FIRES RELATED TO PONTIAC G4 2008 MODELS.. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE USED FOR FIRE DEPT USE IN CONFIRMING THE CAUSE AND BACKGROUND OF THE FIRE. ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED. PLEASE EMAIL ME ANYTHING YOU MAY HAVE RELATED TO THIS MODEL CAR INVOLVED IN FIRES TO : [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. WHILE PARKING, THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND IT FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/09/15*LJ UPDATED 9/5/2017*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V534000 (AIR BAGS) BUT DID NOT WANT TO HAVE THE REPAIRS PERFORMED BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL COMPONENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE AIR BAG THAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THIS COMPONENT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

IGNITION KEY FELL INTO TWO PIECES. BOTH PIECES NEED TO BE TOUCHING TO EACH OTHER TO START THE ENGINE. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO START THE ENGINE IF YOU ARE STRANDED AND NERVOUS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR AS A PREVIOUSLY OWNED VEHICLE FROM WILLIAMS USED CARS, ELKTON, MD 21921 THE 28TH DAY OF MAY 2013. THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR A NEW KEY. SHALL I DO THAT?

THE KEY FOB CONTAINS THE IGNITION KEY AND UNFOLDS WITH A BUTTON PRESS, BUT THE SPRING MECHANISM HOLDING IT OPEN IS A BIT WEAK. WHEN YOU HAVE IT ATTACHED TO A KEY CHAIN, THE WEIGHT OF THE KEYS CAN FAIRLY EASILY MAKE THE KEY FOB FOLD OVER IN AN "L" SHAPE WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING OFTEN, AND BEING 6 FT 1 IN TALL, MY KNEE BUMPED THE KEYS WHILE I WAS PUTTING MY FOOT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE GAS PEDAL AND ON THE BRAKE. DUE TO THE FOLDED OVER KEY FOB ATTACHED TO THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THERE WAS ENOUGH LEVERAGE PLACED ON THE IGNITION SWITCH, TURNING THE IGNITION TO THE OFF POSITION, AND THE CAR SHUT OFF WHILE ROLLING ALONG IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *TR

WITH APPROXIMATELY 72,000 MILES AND LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 PONTIAC G8 GT THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER CHECKING WITH ONSTAR THE ERROR CODES WERE U0170 AND B0081. THERE HAVE BEEN PRIOR RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAMMING ON THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND MY CAR HAS HAD AN AIRBAG MODULE REPLACED ONCE ALREADY. A QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE ON PONTIAC G8S THAT IN MANY CASES HAVE EVEN LESS MILES THAN MINE ON THEM. MANY OF THE STORIES ONLINE ARE LITTERED WITH DEALER ESTIMATES TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM, WITH REPAIRS RUNNING UPWARDS OF $900+ TO REPLACE ONE MODULE (GM PART NO. 92225595), AND THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN FIX THE PROBLEM. IN SOME CASES DEALERS ARE DIAGNOSING THE SENSOR (GM PART NO. 92220398) AS HAVING TO BE REPLACED AS WELL, WHICH IS ANOTHER $900+. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE (AT LEAST THAT ARE REPORTING IT ONLINE) AND THERE MUST BE MANY OTHERS AS WELL THAT HAVEN'T TAKEN TO THE ONLINE FORUMS TO REPORT THEIR PROBLEM. WITH A REPAIR AS COSTLY AS THIS ONE (ON A CAR WHOSE MARKET VALUE IS ROUGHLY $15,000) I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE MANY ARE MAKING THE REQUIRED REPAIRS AS THE COST TO DO IT IS SIGNIFICANT (AND IN MY CASE >10% OF THE TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF THE CAR). I WOULD APPRECIATE A FURTHER LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE WITH A FOCUS ON HOW MANY OF GM PART NO. 92225595 HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED/BOUGHT IN THE LAST 3 YEARS FOR USE ON A PONTIAC G8. I IMAGINE MANY MORE WILL HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE ON CARS THAT HAVE A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF MILES. I BELIEVE A RECALL, OR LOOK INTO A RECALL, IS WARRANTED. THANK YOU *TR

I WENT TO GO ON A SHORT TRIP, AND AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE STARTED THE MESSAGE," AIR BAG FAULT" READ IN MY DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE WAS FAULTY, PART NUMBER 92225595. QUOTED ME ABOUT 800 DOLLARS FOR THE REPAIR. LIKE OTHERS HAVE POSTED ON THIS SITE, WHEN THAT MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED, THAT INDICATES THAT THE WHOLE AIRBAG SRS IS DEACTIVATED. I QUESTIONED HOW THIS WASN'T A RECALL SINCE IT IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ON A CAR THAT IS 5 YEARS OLD, AND THE RESPONSE WAS,"WE DON'T KNOW." I HAVE REPLACED THE MODULE MYSELF AND HAVE HAD A GM DEALER REPROGRAM IT DO MY VEHICLE. WHAT REALLY IRKS ME OFF, IS THAT THE PART NUMBER FOR PART THAT BECAME FAULTY, IS DIFFERENT THAN THE REPLACEMENT PART THAT WAS USED TO FIX THE ISSUE. THIS BLATANTLY INDICATES THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE SINCE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO RECOMMENDED ME TO REPLACE THE FAULTY PART WITH THIS "UPDATED" PART. THIS WOULD NOT BE SUCH A BIG ISSUE BECAUSE I AM WELL AWARE OF THE FACT THAT SOME PARTS ARE SUBJECT TO BEING REPLACED BECAUSE OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, BUT THIS IS A MODULE THAT LITERALLY SITS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM, AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY KIND OF OUTSIDE ELEMENTS, MECHANICAL MOVING CAPABILITY, OR THE ELEMENTS, SO THE ONLY WAY THIS PART COULD FAIL IS BECAUSE OF AN IMPROPER DESIGN OR OTHER ELEMENT THAT THE CUSTOMER HAS NO CONTROL OVER. THAT REASON ALONE SHOWS WHY THIS MODULE, BEING A KEY PART IN THE SRS SYSTEM, SHOULD BE RECALLED AND INSTALLED WITH THE NEW UPDATED MODULE. I HOPE THE NHTSA LOOKS INTO THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY, AND TAKES ACTION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE JERKED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SHORTAGE IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 8 MPH OVER A ROAD BUMP, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT BOTH FRONT STRUTS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000. UPDATED 9/17/13*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V534000 (AIR BAGS) AND REPAIRED. AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS, WHO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000. *TR