2006 Pontiac G6 problems, complaints & recalls
Updated from NHTSA data · How we count
Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Pontiac G6, most often about steering. There are 4 recalls for this model year.
- Complaints
- 130
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Median mileage
- 160,000 mi at time of problem
Key facts
- Steering is the most-reported problem area, named in 103 of 130 complaints (79%).
- Electrical System (24) and transmission & drivetrain (12) follow.
- Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 160,000 mi.
- Owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries.
- The 2006 Pontiac G6 has 4 recalls on file.
- NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations covering this vehicle.
- It has the most serious complaint record of all 6 Pontiac G6 model years we track.
- That is 242% more complaints than the 2005 model year (38).
2006 Pontiac G6 problems by category
- Steering · 3 crashes103 complaints
- 24 complaints
- Transmission & Drivetrain12 complaints
- Lighting8 complaints
- Brakes8 complaints
- Airbags · 1 crash8 complaints
- Acceleration & Cruise Control5 complaints
- Suspension5 complaints
- Driver Assistance & Safety Tech4 complaints
- Other / Unknown4 complaints
- Engine4 complaints
- Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion4 complaints
- Seats & Seat Belts2 complaints
- Visibility & Wipers2 complaints
- Wheels & Tires1 complaints
A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.
Most-reported components
| Component (as filed with NHTSA) | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering | 103 |
| Electrical system | 24 |
| Power train | 11 |
| Service brakes | 8 |
| Air bags | 8 |
| Exterior lighting | 8 |
| Suspension | 5 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 |
When problems happen (mileage)
2006 Pontiac G6 recalls (4)
- STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured April 1, 2006, to June 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured April 18, 2006, to June 30, 2006. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2015. 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 14772. Note: This is an expansion of recall 14V-153 to cover additional vehicles built between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING · ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH · VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
- POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
Risk: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
- STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
NHTSA defect investigations
Brake Light Switch/Sensor Malfunction
On May 14, 2014 General Motors (GM) announced a recall action (14V-252) involving model year (MY) 2004-12 Chevrolet Malibu, MY 2004-07 Malibu Maxx, MY 2005-10 Pontiac G6 and MY 2007-10 Saturn Aura vehicles.An increased resistance can develop in the Body Control Module connection systems and result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS, or brake light switch) circuit that can cause the brake lamps to malfunction.As a result, and according to GM, the brake lamps may illuminate when pedal application is not being applied or may not illuminate when pedal force is applied.Additiona…
- RQ13001Opened Feb 4, 2013Closed Jun 6, 2013
Brake Light Malfunction
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-001 on February 4, 2013 in response to complaints alleging that the brake lights do not operate properly on model year (MY) 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles. Complainants allege that the brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is not depressed, and turn off once the brake pedal is applied. In addition the driver may have difficulty shifting out of PARK, or the cruise control may not engage properly. In response to ODI?s Information Request, General Motors (GM) submitted a significant number of warranty claims and over 1, 100 …
Stop lamp malfunction
Gm notified the agency by letter dated january 28, 2009, that it will conduct a safety recall of pontiac g6 vehicles built from january 3 through january 31, 2005.vehicles produced during this time period have shown a highly elevated incident rate of improper operation of the brake lamps. Odi opened this investigation after receiving reports that consumers would use their brakes and discover that the brake lamps would not illuminate.also, consumers report that the brake lamps would illuminate when the brake pedal was not applied.odi's review of the complaint data finds that the complaint rate …
- PE07023Opened Apr 25, 2007Closed Sep 25, 2007
Loss of power steering assist
During this investigation, general motors (gm) indicated that approximately 15,600 model year (my) 2005 pontiac g6 vehicles built from november 3, 2004 through january 5, 2005 may experience a loss of power steering assist due to an insufficient crimp at the torque and position sensor transducer located in the steering column assembly. Gm has indicated that it plans to send letters to the owners of these vehicles to inform them that it will extend the warranty coverage for the eps system in their vehicles to 7 years or 70,000 miles.statistical analysis of the failures in the population affecte…
Recent 2006 Pontiac G6 complaints
Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
- Filed Sep 2, 2026ORElectrical SystemSteeringTransmission & Drivetrain
While driving I'm going around a corner and the steering was grabbing and getting tight I had to mussel the car home then it stopped doing it the again and again now my steering has not power steering and when I back up it grabs sometimes out of my hands and almost breaks my arm. This car is a death trap. There were no warnings till it happened
NHTSA complaint #11761483 · source - Filed Jul 6, 2026MTSteering
The vehicle experienced a complete failure of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) motor, matching the identical failure symptoms of NHTSA Recall 15V064000, but this specific VIN is excluded from the campaign. Operating this vehicle without electronic power assist put extreme torsional stress on the manual steering linkage over time. On August 14, 2025, while executing a low-speed turn in a drive-through, the intermediate steering shaft suffered a catastrophic structural…
NHTSA complaint #11748416 · source - Filed May 14, 2026TXSteering
When first started sometimes power steering does not work. Temporary fix is to restart the car. It's gone out while I was driving. This is very scary and hard to turn when it goes out.
NHTSA complaint #11737755 · source - Filed May 7, 2026LAAirbagsSteeringWheels & Tires
Airbag light staying on dash and the passenger seat does not register a person sitting in it. The passage seat bag alert does not making a sound
NHTSA complaint #11736358 · source - Filed May 5, 2026IABrakesElectrical SystemSteering
I have the warning power steering on my dash and it’s getting harder to steer and turn then it quits and does it again it’s not safe at all
NHTSA complaint #11735915 · source - Filed Apr 24, 2026VAEngineSteering
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started pulling to the right. The steering wheel was forcefully returned to the center. Additionally, on other occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. There were two unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a…
NHTSA complaint #11733597 · source - Filed Mar 8, 2026OHCrash2 injuredAirbags
my son was driving the car and had a friend with him. they were involved in an accident which he tboned anoehr car. the driver air bad deployed but that was the only one. no other bad deployed and caused injury to windshield of passenger and caused injury to my son from drivers door.
NHTSA complaint #11722807 · source - Filed Dec 27, 2025MOElectrical SystemSteeringSuspension
The electronic stability control has failed, due to sway bar links are worn out and causing wheels to vigorously wobble causing the Eps input circuit to shut down the system to avoid overloading the circuit and burning up the module , I believe the recall hasn't been fixed , Can you please consider the issue as dangerous and repair my car ... I am not trying to say this but I am homeless and dependent on the car for shelter as well as transportation... Please note don't use…
NHTSA complaint #11707266 · source
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Other 2006 Pontiac models
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology