2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE Complaints

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG STATUS INDICATOR LIGHT WILL NOT COME ON WHEN A PERSON SITS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE SERVICE AIR BAG IS DISPLAYED ON THE DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE EARLY FAILURE OF THIS PART IS SOMEWHAT COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE. ANY PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE FACES ADDED RISK IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR. IT HAS ALSO BEEN CONFIRMED BY GM THAT NOT REPLACING THE MODULE CAN LEAD TO ARBITRARY INFLATION OF THE AIRBAG OR FAILURE OF ALL AIR BAGS. I HAD IT REPAIRED TODAY FOR $793.16 A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. FOR 47500 MILES. *TR

INTERIOR DOOR LATCH ON DRIVER'S SIDE DOES NOT OPEN LATCH. CHEAP PARTS COMPONENTS FOR AN ESSENTIAL PART ON THE CAR IS WHAT GM IS ALL ABOUT. CAR OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR FAULT. GM PART NUMBER 19124219. PASSENGER AIRBAG REMAINS AT OFF ALL THE TIME. PASSENGERS ARE NOT PROTECTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND WENT TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL AFTER REPEATED FORCE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONLY WHEN DRIVING IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND THE DASH WARNING REFLECTS THAT THE SEAT AIRBAG IS OFF. THE CAR IS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE WITH 16,000 MILES. THIS SAFETY ISSUE HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

"SERVICE AIRBAG" MESSAGE ON DASH. PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT "OFF" EVEN WHEN THERE IS A PERSON SITTING ON PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. DEALER PERFORMED SCAN TEST. FOUND CODES B0081-71 IN THE SIR. FOUND CODE 1063 IN PP MODULE. DEALER TOLD ME THERE WAS NEED TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER PRESENT MODULE. PART # 19124219, MODULE KI 11.419. COST = $607.73 PLUS LABOR OF $138.28. MILLAGE WHEN REPLACED, 60,500. DATE OF REPAIR SERVICE, 1/25/2013. WHAT IS MOST CONCERNING IS: 1.) DOZENS OF SUCH OCCURRENCES OF SAME NATURE FOR THE PONTIAC SOLSTICE HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA YEAR AFTER YEAR AND STILL NO RECALL. 2.) HOW MANY CARS HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED BECAUSE OF THE HIGH COST OF THE PART AND OWNERS ARE DRIVING AROUND WITHOUT AN OPERABLE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG? THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED FAILURE. IT IS ALSO RELATED TO A PART THAT SHOULD NEVER FAIL. THE PART FAILURE AND COST HAS REINFORCED MY LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE GM BRAND. UNLESS I AM EVENTUALLY REIMBURSED, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE. THE ABSENCE OF A RECALL BRINGS INTO QUESTION THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REGULATORY MISSION OF THE NHTSA. IF THIS DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR A RECALL, WHAT DOES?

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS (THE SECOND DATE WAS ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO), I HAVE HAD TO MAKE VERY HARD STOPS AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. BOTH TIMES, THE CAR CAME TO A STOP WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FUNCTIONING PROPERLY (BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATIONS INDICATING CORRECT MODULATION). ONCE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP HOWEVER, THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FAILED COMPLETELY. THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BACK PRESSURE. THE CAR BEGINS TO ROLL AGAIN, INDICATING THE BRAKE CALIPER/PADS HAVE RELEASED THE DISK. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO STOP AGAIN WAS TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL, ACTIVATING THE STABILITY CONTROL MODULE TO BOOST HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS SEEMS RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS ISSUE OF BRAKES NOT FUNCTIONING ON START-UP DUE TO LOW VACUUM. FOLLOWING A HARD STOP, THE VACUUM BOOST TO THE BRAKES APPARENTLY BECOMES DEPLETED, CAUSING BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL DANGERS THIS PRESENTS, I FELT IT IMPORTANT TO REPORT THIS SINCE THE DEALERSHIP SEEMED UNWILLING TO PURSUE THE ISSUE. *TR

THE ISSUE STARTED HAPPENING ON A AFTERNOON I ARRIVED HOME WITH A PASSENGER AND THRU OUT THE TIME NO LIGHTS/ MESSAGE CAME ON AT ALL. SO IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE. I GOT ON THE CAR SO DID THE PASSENGER. TURNED ON THE CAR AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. AS IM DRIVING READY TO HIT THE STOP SIGN ALL I HEAR IS THE CHIME, AND THE DIC DISPLAYS "SERVICE AIRBAG" WAS PRETTY FREAKED OUT NEVER HAD I SEEN THAT MESSAGE BEFORE. SO I TURN OFF THE CAR. WAIT FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE. HAVE THE PASSENGER GET OF THE CAR AND I TURN ON THE CAR BACK ON. AND NO MESSAGE CAME ON. SO THE PASSENGER COMES (PASSENGER WEIGHS 140LB) AND SITS DOWN AND WERE DRIVING OFF AND THEN THE MESSAGE COMES ON AGAIN. EVER SINCE THEN THE MESSAGE COMES ON EVERY TIME I TURN ON THE CAR. HONESTLY, ITS ANNOYING. THE WORST PART ABOUT IT IS THAT IT WENT OUT AT 29000. HOW SAD IS THAT? NOT EVEN HALF THE LIFE OF THE CAR. IF PLEASE CAN TAKE CONSIDERATION INTO THIS FAULTY PART. THANK YOU. *TR

DIC ALERT TO SERVICE AIR BAG SYSTEM. COMES ON REPEATEDLY AND REGULARLY AND SOMETIMES GOES OFF. MANY OWNERS REPORTED DEALERS DIAGNOSE AS THE FOLLOWING: FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR COULD BE DISABLING AIR BAGS WHILE PASSENGER OF APPROPRIATE WEIGHT (ABOVE MINIMUM I.E. CHILD) IS PRESENT. *TR

THE AIR BAG SENSOR IN MY VEHICLE FAILED SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THROUGH A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PROGRAM AT A LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP. FORTUNATELY THIS MODULE AND NEEDED REPAIR IS COVERED UNDER THE CERTIFIED WARRANTY,HOWEVER, EXACTLY ONE MONTH AFTER THE INITIAL REPAIR I AM GETTING THE SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING AGAIN, WHICH DENOTES FAILURE TO THE SYSTEM. WHILE THE REPAIR WILL AGAIN BE COVERED UNDER CERTIFIED WARRANTY, AT THIS RATE IF THIS PROBLEM PERSISTS, EVENTUALLY I WILL BE OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR FOR A PART KNOWN FOR CONTINUED FAILURE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE OWNER'S COST TO FIX THIS ITEM IS PROHIBITIVE ($500 - $800), AND THAT THE EARLY FAILURE OF THIS PART IS SOMEWHAT COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE. ANY PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE FACES ADDED RISK IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR. IT HAS ALSO BEEN CONFIRMED BY GM THAT NOT REPLACING THE MODULE CAN LEAD TO ARBITRARY INFLATION OF THE AIRBAG. *TR