2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE Complaints

THE VEHICLE'S PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT HAS COME ON AND WILL NOT GO OFF. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AND BEEN TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $900.00 TO REPAIR AS THE SENSOR HAS FAILED. AFTER DOING ONLINE RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE, AND THE COMMON COMPLAINT IS THAT PONTIAC SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL, BUT DID NOT ON THIS PARTICULAR MODEL. APPARENTLY, THE MAJORITY OF SENSOR FAILURES WERE AT APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY THAT HAD THE SENSOR FAIL WELL BEFORE THAT. *TR

SERVICE AIRBAG IS INDICATED ON DASH; PASSENGER AIRBAG 'OFF ' (EVEN WHEN SEAT IS OCCUPIED)--OUR DEALERSHIP FOUND: "PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE FAILED" -- ESTIMATE TO REPAIR, $768. 71. WAS TOLD PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. TRIED TO CHECK ON RECALLS; FOUND MANUFACTURER HAS RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM ON OTHER MODELS (BUT NOT ON SOLSTICE OR SATURN SKY)----THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE VEHICLES AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES. ALSO TRIED CONTACTING THE PONTIAC CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER (TO NO AVAIL); AFTER PLAYING PHONE TAG FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE; WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT HELP US. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH OUR LOCAL DEALER; THEY ARE A GOOD FACILITY AND ARE APPARENTLY JUST FOLLOWING THEIR PROTOCOLS. I DO CONSIDER THIS TO BE A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND WISH TO DOCUMENT THIS SITUATION--------- *TR

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35MPH THE PASSANGER AIR BAG LIGHT STARTED TO SWITCH FROM ON TO OFF. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER CHECKING ON LINE I FOUND THAT THIS HAPPENS TO MOST ALL PONTIAC SOLISTICE'S. *TR

UPON STARTING OUR 2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE AROUND THE FIRST WEEK OF FEB. 2013 TO PULL IT OUT OF THE GARAGE TO LET IT RUN A BIT SINCE IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS DUE TO US LIVING IN AN AREA THAT HAS COLD WINTER TEMPERATURES, I NOTICED THE SERVICE AIR BAG MESSAGE SHOWED UP ON THE DIC AND DID NOT GO OFF. I SHUT THE CAR OFF A COUPLE OF TIMES AND RESTARTED IT THINKING THE SERVICE AIR BAG MESSAGE WOULD GO AWAY, BUT IT HASN'T. OUR PAMPERED 2006 SOLSTICE ONLY HAS 28,000 MILES ON IT. NOT SURE WHY THIS MESSAGE WOULD BE SHOWING UP NOW OUT OF THE BLUE WHEN THE CAR WAS JUST FINE WHEN IT WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE 3 MONTHS AGO. FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD THE SERVICE AIR BAG MESSAGE IS DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. HOW DOES SOMETHING ALL OF THE SUDDEN FAIL JUST SITTING THERE NOT BEING DRIVEN? AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH AND READING HUNDREDS, PROBABLY OVER A THOUSAND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON SAFETY ISSUE THAT I ALONG WITH TOO MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD TO HAPPEN TO OUR CAR'S. SEEMS LIKE IT IS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR PART THAT JUST FAILS RANDOMLY WHICH COULD PUT A PASSENGER IN GRAVE DANGER, AND IT SEEMS FROM WHAT I'VE DISCOVERED GM IS NOT OFFERING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, LEAVING THE OWNERS TO PAY THE HIGH COST TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND REPAIRED. MOST PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE AND SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF A PROCEDURE THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE OF A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF THESE TYPE PASSENGER SEAT SENSORS FAILING. *TR

THE AIR BAG SENOR IN MY VEHICLE FAILED AFTER A CAR WASH AND INTERIOR CLEANING. I'M AFRAID FOR MY PASSENGERS THAT HAVE TO RIDE WITH ME THAT INCLUDES MY WIFE, I'VE SEEN THE REPAIR COST ($500-$800). AT THIS TIME I CAN'T AFFORD THE PRICE FOR IT TO FAIL IN A SHORT TIME AGAIN, WHICH IS FROM WHAT I'VE READ IS A COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE. *TR

IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING MY 2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE IN 2006, I BEGIN EXPERIENCING A NOISE IN THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR REPAIR UNTIL FINALLY IN 2007, PONTIAC RECALLED THE VEHICLE FOR THE POWER TRAIN BEING DEFECTIVE AS LISTED BELOW. I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE PROBLEMS UNTIL 2010 WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGIN TO MAKE THE SAME NOISE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER GM DEALERSHIP AS THE ONE I PURCHASED FROM HAD CLOSED. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORST AND NOW THE NOISE IF GETTING VERY BAD AS I AM DECELERATING AND BRAKING. THE GEARS GET MORE DIFFICULT TO CHANGE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS IS THE SAME WAY IT WAS ACTING BEFORE THE DRIVE TRAIN REPLACEMENT. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER GM DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THEY ONLY REPLACE THEM ONCE UNDER A RECALL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF THEY ARE DEFECTIVE THEY SHOULD REPLACE REGARDLESS. I WAS TOLD THEY COULD CHANGE THE FLUID AND REPLACE FOR $700 AT MY COST. 2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE POWER TRAIN RECALL 07V589000 NHTSA: ACTION NUMBER: N/A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 07V589000 REPORT DATE: DEC 20, 2007 COMPONENT: POWER TRAIN POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED: 275936 MANUFACTURER: GENERAL MOTORS CORP. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR AXLE PINION SEAL DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY EXPERIENCE A FLUID LEAK. CONSEQUENCE: A REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND POSSIBLY LOSS OF CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PINION SEAL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 1, 2008. *TR

THE AIR BAG ON/OFF LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY SAYS OFF, DOES NOT CHANGE, THE MESSAGE CENTER FLASHES SERVICE AIR BAG, AND THE AIR BAG DUMMY LIGHT STAYS ON. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 80 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONER FAILED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AS WHITE SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE HEAD GASKET FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 41,000.

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR DISPLAYS AS NEEDING SERVICE. LIGHT DOES NOT GO OUT WITH PASSENGER IN THE CAR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CARS EFFECTED BY THIS AND A RESOLVE IS NEEDED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. *TR

I MADE A TURN AND AS I WAS PROCEEDING I HAD TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO APPROACHING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL . WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE CAR CAME TO AN APRUPT , JOLTING STOP AND A BIG TRUCK BEHIND SLAMMED ON HIS BRAKES AND NARROWLY STOPPED BEFORE HITTING ME IN THE REAR. I WILL NEVER DRIVE THIS DANGEROUS CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED. *TR