Hi my Pontiac firebird got Impounded properly parked for 3 hrs on private property on the same property where I’m a Tenant at [XXX] Las Vegas it was towed illegally and was in pound yard where I was charged $474.64 by tow guys 3823 losse rd 89030 they did not put sticker they illegally towed no sign on wall saying we cannot park at night there I’m parking space got impounded from the wheel in the rear and popped my right front tire pulling it and towed it like that damaging my front suspension I’d like to get my refund . My contact # is [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 1997 Pontiac Firebird problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes14
- Engine7
- Acceleration6
- Electrical5
- Fuel system5
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes14
- Engine7
- Acceleration6
- Electrical5
- Fuel system5
- Seats5
- Transmission5
- Airbags4
- Lights2
- Body1
- Visibility1
- Wheels1
Recalls 1
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which can cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the fmvss requirement. This does not comply with fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle collision, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the seat belts for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.
Recall number 96V219000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 1997 Pontiac Firebird
Defect investigations
Fuel tube retaining clip failure
Most of the reports reviewed in this investigation are fire incidents in which fuel leakage has been alleged as the cause or the area of origin is consistent with the alleged defect.there is no evidence that the subject clip was a factor in any of these fire incidents and the federal safety agency testing indicates thatbroken or dislodged retention clip does not result in significant movement of the fuel line bundle toward the left secondary air injection check valve.failure of the clip places the fuel line bundle assembly in the same configuration as the 1993 model year lti vehicles.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
EA97024
Fuel tub retaining clip failure
Owners have reported failures of the fuel tube retention clip that attaches to the plastic throttle linkage cover.according to gm, the subject retention clip (p/n 12048089) was implemented in production on october 12, 1993, to address a concern with incorrect assembly plant fuel line routing.mis-routed fuel tubes may fail from contact with a hot air check valve, creating a fire hazard in the engine compartment.gm maintains that no problems should occur if the clip is properly installed and isn't mishandled during subsequent service operations.some owners have alleged to odi that the subject clip becomes brittle over time and may also pull free of the throttle linkage cover attachment hole.
PE97036
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Pontiac Firebird 56
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Fuel system, gasoline
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Vehicle Recalls
- This informational bulletin provides the technician with information on what E85 fuel may due to a non E85...
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
1997 Pontiac Firebird fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | RWD | 17 | 26-28 | 20 |
| 5.7L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 23-24 | 18 |
What 1997 Pontiac Firebird owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While I was driving on the middle lane on beltway 495 heading to work- I saw a huge tire high in the air & dropping in front of my car. I took my foot off the accelerator. It hit the front grille & went underneath my car causing it to fly over the tire. I landed safely on the middle lane. ( at the time I didn't realized that my airbag should have been released on impact.) at another date someone hit my driver's side door at about 10 MPH & the airbag didn't work.
I was driving my car making an exit off the freeway & as I looked over my shoulder too make sure it was safe to merge over I seen there was smoke coming out of the tailpipe I went to turn back around & smoke was also coming from the sides of the steering wheel , I went too put my eyes back on the road & the whole front end of the car was on fire .
The turning signal light sockets on the 1997 firebird (and probably other model years) burn up after a time causing signal failure and marker light failure. The cause is the excessive heat given off by the daytime running lights. Pontiac used the turning signal element of the light assembly as a full on,all the time, visibility light for daytime driving. I love the idea for safety reasons but I feel the signal socket needs to be better able to handle the heat of these lights being on all the time. Visibility is great but having these sockets fail at busy intersections and not being able to signal seems to be a bigger safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. The sockets burn black and haven't caught on fire on my car and I'm not sure of the fire potential of this, but being that the bumper fenders and virtually most of the car is plastic, if they ever did catch fire I'd hate to see how fast the vehicle would burn!. I have had to resort to using a small jumper wire to ground the drl signal out so that I effectively disabled the lights so that I didn't have to continually have to repair the sockets or risk having a fire. The next question asks for a date of incident and I'm not sure how to answer so I'll put today's date in there. The sockets seem to burn out once every few years, even the replacements are prone to failure after a couple years. My sockets have been replaced twice in 134,000 miles and this third set of sockets are scorched after being replace six months ago so I disabled the drl before they got worse.
At 118,000 miles I had my front brakes changed for the third time. I asked the person changing the brakes to check the rear brakes since they have never been changed. I had asked previous people to look at them when inspecting brakes and I was always told they were fine. This time the person really looked at them and informed me that the brakes had never touched the drums (ever). My rear brakes were showroom new and so were the rear drums. I had had an sccident a few years ago and had those brakes been working I guarantee I would have gotten stopped in time to have prevented the accident and my injuries. The dat of inciden will be the date of this discovery.
Consumer states that driver's side door has cracks developing, and dealer indicates that panels are separating.
The vehicle pulled to the left when the brakes were applied. The dealer has been contacted.
Abs failed while applying brakes in an emergency / sudden stop, which LED to a vehicle crash. Manufacturer was notified.*ak
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision at 20 MPH and neither air bag deployed. Manufacturer was notified. *ak consumer stated that the anti lock brakes failed to stop the vehicle during the accident.
Vehicle intermittently stalled while driving. When occurred vehiclle would not restart for an hour or more. Vehicle been to dealers shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information on this matter.
Compare the 1997 Pontiac Firebird
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Questions about the 1997 Pontiac Firebird
Is the 1997 Pontiac Firebird reliable?
Owners have filed 49 complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Firebird, 2.0 times a typical Firebird model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Pontiac Firebird?
Brakes, with 14 complaints. Next is engine (7).
How many recalls does the 1997 Pontiac Firebird have?
1 recall, covering seat belts.
What year does the Pontiac Firebird have bad brakes?
The Pontiac Firebird model years with the most brakes complaints are 1998 (28 complaints), 1999 (17 complaints) and 1995 (15 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Pontiac Firebird get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Pontiac Firebird range from 18 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.8L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 17 city and 26-28 highway.
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