I was parked in a mostly vacant parking lot about 8pm. I got into the vehicle after coming out of the grocery store. I put key into ignition but did not shift out of park or move the car. I turned on the dome light to look for something on the passenger seat. As I was leaning toward passenger door, the head curtain and seat side air bags deployed literally in my face. Only the air bags on the passenger side. It was very loud and some powdery type substance had been dispensed into the air. It made interior surfaces feel a bit slippery , had a strong odor and made my eyes burn. Having never experienced air bags deploying ,it seemed like my car had just exploded.for a moment I could not see or hear. I then removed the key and opened drivers door. I saw something dusty float out on the air. I had no idea what had happened. At that point I looked over the car ,saw that the airbags had deployed.there were no other cars anywhere near me nor was there any evidence that anything had hit the car. It was quite a shock to have this randomly happen. I did not know how to deal with it . After starting the car to see how it ran ,I drove it home. I reported it to my insurance company.after many questions and several days of review I was told it was not covered because there was no impact and air bags inadvertently deploying would be considered a mechanical failure.
Pontiac G6 won't shift problems
29 of the 5,891 owner complaints about the Pontiac G6 describe stuck in gear or won't shift, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 67,580
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 4Steering noise 3Slipping 3Jerking 2Won't start 1Wipers 1Warning lights 1Transmission failure 1
What owners say
My son was driving my car tonight. He called me from his friends house and said that the car was stuck in neutral, car was off, but couldn't remove ignition key. I got there, car was parked in friends driveway, I started the car, was able to move the shifter, even though I couldn't feel it shifting into any gear. I then shifted it into what I "assumed" was park, shut car off, removed key, and car started rolling backwards. I applied the e-brake, but the car kept rolling. I went ahead and rolled it backwards out of the drive since I knew it had to be towed from the front end. I had to back my other car up to it, bumper to bumper to stop it from rolling backwards until the tow truck arrived.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 pontiac g6. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift into park. While in a parking lot, the gear shifter would not move into park. The contact called an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle needed a new transmission shifter cable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,000.
The transmission will not shift about 3rd gear and has no reverse, I have research this and have found other gm transmissions have been recalled. I have contacted the dealer multiply times without any response.
Over a short time the transmission kept trying to go in to 1st gear but would slip and go into 2nd gear. It has the right transmission fluid. The shift cable works but when I change to reverse or drive it won't go into gear and basically sits there in no gear. It goes into park but when I put it to drive it doesnt go into any gear and sits there as if it's in neutral
Transmission , when shifting into park it will sometimes not go into park and the car will roll backwards or clanking noise happens. Also when u take the car out of park it will not go into reverse!! Steering, when making turns there something going on it wants to drift and makes a noise! Airbag sensor comes on and goes off by itself even with a passenger in the seat says airbag system not working these are all recalls but says my VIN# isnt part of the recall! But vehicle doing everything thats it says in the recall
While driving , brake lights come on ,stay on go off intermittently. Also on off cruise control , car stuck in park , won't release .
Whinny noise on front transaxle case. Won't shift into fourth gear..
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac g6. The contact stated that the ignition key failed to turn in any direction after numerous attempts. In addition, the gear lever would not shift from the park position. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition cylinder and module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,697.
On accelerating from 0 to 20 MPH the transmission will not shift into 2nd gear, when letting off of the accelerator, the transmission will not shift, when re-accelerating the transmission will not engage and the engine races to 7000 RPM, then the transmission engages at about 5000 RPM and causes the vehicle to jerk forward. I have taken the vehicle into the dealership on 10/30/12, 3/5/13, 8/19/13, 9/12/13. Diagnosis cannot find any problem and the technician tells me I am "tricking" the transmission when I de-accelerate and accelerate again. This has been a constant problem from 30,000 miles to current mileage of 47,000 miles. Recently, I was approaching a red light at about 25mph and the light turned green. I accelerated and the transmission did not engage and the engine raced to 7000 RPM. I was almost hit from the rear. I am fearful to drive the vehicle with the transmission operating in this erratic manner. I do not believe transmissions are engineered to allow a driver to "trick" the transmission. I have read comments from other owners of the same type vehicle that a similar problem exists with their transmissions. I have concluded that there is a manufacture defect with this transmission and the vehicle could be a danger to myself and others should an accident occur.
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 won't shift
Which Pontiac G6 years have stuck in gear or won't shift problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (9 complaints), 2008 (7 complaints) and 2009 (6 complaints).
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