2009 Pontiac G8: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 144 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (45% of complaints); the 2008 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 144 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Was leaving for a road trip and the rear passenger door would not latch when closed. We were an hour from home, so I had to use a bungee cord to hold the door closed for the drive back. My son had to sit in the middle seat. That door is rarely used. I have ordered the part and it should be here soon. The drivers door has become difficult to open and close but I am unable to locate the part as it is backordered from GM. I understand the the vehicle is 12 years old but I maintain it very well; it is in great shape and runs well. It's scary to think that these door latches can fail so easily. Other body parts for this vehicle are becoming increasingly difficult to locate.”Owner report · Structure · Nov 2021
“The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he noticed that the airbag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the airbag warning light remained illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2021
“The contact owns a 2009 PONTIAC G8. The contact stated that at start-up, the airbag default warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact proceeded to drive and noticed that the light was no longer on the instrument panel. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that the airbag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the front passenger's side airbag sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V534000 (Air Bags) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 pontiac g8. The contact stated that the air bags warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the front passenger's occupant classification system was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2020
“Today I woke up and starting receiving the air bag fault error. Contacted my local gm dealership and was told it's the passenger side module that need to be replaced. They quoted me $1200 for parts and labor. This is a safety critical component that should not fail as it disables the air bag system which could be life threatening in an accident. It is my request to the NHTSA that this air bag fault and passenger presence module failure should be considered for a recall, as this is a costly repair and is not a mechanical component which wears and tears over the life of the vehicle, additionally it is absolutely required for the safety of the vehicle occupants.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 pontiac g8. The contact stated that shortly after starting the vehicle, the air bag failure warning light illuminated. The contact reached out to the manufacturer and was informed that VIN was not subjected to a recall. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2020
“Door latches goes out on vehicles and the door don't stay shut. The door will flap open will driving, have to use a seat belt around the inside handle and then connect to the seat buckle to keep door close. I have 2 g8s that these have failed on. I think this is a major safety concern that someone can fall out of the vehicle .”Owner report · Structure · Nov 2019
“Typically on colder mornings when I start my car I get an airbag fault. About 30 to 45 minutes into my drive, the fault disappears. I have been reading that my airbags will not work properly while the system is in fault. This happened to me most recently this past thursday and also happened the two previous days. I have noticed again that it seems to happen during colder mornings. It has happened prior to this week on a number of occasions. The first 30 minutes of my commute is on rural roads but within the first 15 minutes, turns to stop and go driving.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 pontiac g8. The contact stated that the rear brake lights remained illuminated. Buick, gmc, cadillac donovan auto & truck center (5800 w kellogg dr, wichita, ks 67209, (316) 768-4891) was notified of the failure, but had not diagnosed the vehicle. The vehicle was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 09v172000 (service brakes, air, tires) and manufacturer recall numbers: 09101 and 09046. The contact planned to have the vehicle inspected and diagnosed by a dealer and an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 32,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 6 of these complaints and injuries in 8 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to December 6, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and cut and fit a revised key blade and housing assembly, in which the blade has been indexed by 90 degrees, to the original RKE transmitter assembly. GM issued an interim notification to owners on December 31, 2014. The recall began on February 4, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14445. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 2, 2007 THROUGH JANUARY 22, 2009. A 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DEVICE (ATD) IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL BARRIER TEST EXCEEDED THE HEAD INJURY CRITERIA (HIC) REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD. WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT POSITIONED FULL FORWARD, THE SEAT POSITION SENSOR WILL CAUSE A 30 MILLISECONDS DEPLOYMENT DELAY BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND STAGES OF THE DUAL-STAGE FRONTAL PASSENGER AIR BAG.
Remedy: GM DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 30, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
GM IS RECALLING 35,038 MY 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT" AND FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS". THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKE LAMPS MAY BE CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED AND FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING. ALSO CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY HAVE INCORRECT VALUES PROGRAMMED INTO THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE TELLTALE UNTIL TIRE PRESSURE FALLS BELOW VALUES REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BRAKE POSITION SENSOR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK RECEIVER WITH THE CORRECT VALUES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 5, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to October 22, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge. These replacement parts reposition the tensioner cable out of the path of entry into the vehicle and uses a more flexible cable, set at a more upright angle. The recall began on July 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 15206.
How other years compare
Check your exact G8 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Pontiac G8 reliable?
NHTSA has 144 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Pontiac G8. The most complained-about area is air bags (45% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Pontiac G8 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 51,650 miles or less.
Does the 2009 Pontiac G8 have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:ignition. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.