1. Loss of power assisted steering making it hard to control car. But I turn off car and turn back on, it works. 2. Steering column knuckle or u-joints are making a loud clunking noise when turning steering wheel. 3. BCM or Body Control Mudule is either bad or needs cleaning because cruise control nor traction controls work. I checked fuses and they are ok.
Pontiac G6 harsh shifting problems
185 of the 5,891 owner complaints about the Pontiac G6 describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 185
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical repair cost reported
- $500
- typical mileage
- 50,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Steering noise 71Power steering loss 14Ball joint 12Loss of power 8Grinding brakes 8Adaptive cruise 5Steering lock-up 4Knocking 4
What owners say
A front interior weld on the cross member failed, resulting in a severe slope to the right as well as a noticeable clunk when turning.
The steering intermediate shaft has failed with less than 80,000 miles on the car. It started out as a 'clunk' when accelerating that can be felt in the steering wheel, and eventually got to the point where the steering wheel would bind up when turning, which could potentially cause an accident. I had the same thing happen with a 2007 saturn ion, and my coworker had it happen with a 2008 chevrolet malibu. Both have the same steering intermediate shaft and electronic power steering system.
I'm hearing a increasingly loud clunking noise and feeling excessive shaking in the steering wheel coming from the front left of the car.
The main computer (ECM) is dead, the car reads error in milage and the car is going nuts and it wont start the shifter cable came apart and the starter wont engage tranny slams into gear when parked up hill sticks in park, all happens in park
There is a bumping or clunking noise when the steering wheel is turned slightly at low speed or while still, as if there is a linkage problem. Apparently, this is a common issue for this car, as gm has issued tsb #06-02-32-007f. However, since this is a steering issue, shouldn't there be a recall to correct or repair?
Under hard acceleration and at high speeds the power steering in the vehicle begins to fail and all of the electrical lights on the dash begins to flash and blink in a shortage type of way. The vehicle becomes almost impossible to control. There is a clunking noise in the steering wheel when you turn it left to right. If your going around a corner and hit the gas or use hard acceleration you loose steering control.
Driving on way home from work, whole trip nothing over 45 MPH, the traction control off light came on and stayed on. Its the light with tc and a slash trough it. The light turns off when the car is in park or neutral but comes on when shifter is in reverse or drive. After the light came on I noticed extremely sluggish engine performance, extremely hard shifting all the way through 4th gear with bad slams coming from the transmission. After about 30 mins of driving with the light still on, the check engine light comes on and I can barely get going from a stop light. I parked it for the night to work on it the next day, and to my surprise the next morning the tc off light was gone and after about 10 mins of driving the check engine light goes out and the car runs and drives like normal. The next day it all happened over again with all the same issues and then the warning lights went out again and the car ran fine. Then for a third day it all happened again and now the engine seems to have no power, I might as well be pushing the car down the street. This happened in the middle of my drives on a normal no wet weather day. The dealership and a private garage tried reading the codes through the connector under my stearing wheel and no bodies reader can connect to the ecu. I checked all the fuses and relays and none are blown or damaged. I know the g6 had recalls for this issue a few years ago and my car wasn't included in this but it sounds like the same issue. I can get under the car and look for any melted wires or ground faults but I wouldnt know where to begin. Looking online there are thousands of people experiencing this same exact issue. Tc off light coming on and check engine light coming on with an expensive repair or no solution available. This is causing my vehicle to have little to no acceleration and really spotty shifting. It happens everyday at random times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac g6. While driving various speeds, the contact heard a loud clunky noise coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (thompson sales company, 1555 e independence st, springfield, mo 65804) where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Clunk/knock from front of vehicle while driving and making a turn. Steering is now also becoming tight when making turns.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
Recall number 14V224000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
- Risk
- If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 12V460000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V073000 · Recall details
Questions about the Pontiac G6 harsh shifting
Which Pontiac G6 years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (87 complaints), 2007 (43 complaints) and 2008 (27 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix harsh or hard shifting on the Pontiac G6?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $500 (median of 14 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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