The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the key was accidentally bumped, and the ignition switch was knocked out of the run position, turning off the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V540000 (Electrical System). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the recall was marked closed by the dealer without performing the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted, and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The worst 2008 Pontiac G8 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags25
- Electrical14
- Suspension10
- Steering8
- Transmission8
- Engine6
- Body2
- Brakes2
- Seat belts2
- Seats2
- Visibility2
- Acceleration1
- Driver assistance1
- Locks1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Pontiac G8
Trouble codes owners of the 2008 Pontiac G8 mention
B0081 5U0170 5
Recalls 4
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
- 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.
Recall number 15V399000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- 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.
Recall number 14V540000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, this delay may result in increased head injury to certain front seat occupants.
- 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.
Recall number 11V534000 · Recall details
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- Inappropriate, non-standard lights could increase the risk of a crash or driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
- 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.
Recall number 09V172000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2008 Pontiac G8 950
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Unknown or other
- New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- Unknown or other
- This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline...
- This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field...
- Unknown or other
2008 Pontiac G8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6‑cyl | RWD | 17 | 25 | 20 |
| 6.0L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 24 | 18 |
What 2008 Pontiac G8 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the ignition key could not be removed from the ignition switch. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Was driving on both highway & neighborhood streets and the air bag fault light & warning tone came on. After many diagnosis drive tests, I learned that every time making a complete left u-turn the airbag fault indicator would disappear. However once completing the full left u-turn, and driving straight center wheel position, the airbag fault indicator light and warning tones would reoccur. When contacting my onstar monitoring service, they were able to do an over the air diagnostic fault code test. It came back as fault code b0012 for clockspring, driver steering wheel airbag deployment loop failure. Whenever the airbag fault indicator is activated on this model, the entire airbag deployment system is completely disabled and nonfunctional in preventing major injuries which can lead to fatalities. I contacted the dealership to inquire of the replacement clockspring part cost, and was quoted in the $450.00 range plus labor tech install. In addition, was told the part was on back order. It has been recognized as a known defect on this model and since is airbag related, should be corrected by the manufacturer, which is general motors. I could be like thousands of other owners to misinterpret the severity of this defect, and be driving a vehicle that will fail to save my life if ever involved in a major collision. This should not go unnoticed & should be investigated & resolved just like the one that was for other major car manufacturers for faulty airbag deployment issues. As to this date 06/11/2020 the issue keeps recurring on every drive on any street or highway. Thank you for serving your citizens & the commitment of making the automobile industry accountable for safety.
Passenger airbag light fault remains illuminated indicating that the system is disabled. The passenger airbag sensor is known by gm as being defective and they would not replace it under warranty. The ABS, traction control, and stability control indicators are illuminated and will not function. The manufacturer suggested to check all fuses, the wiring harness, replace wheel bearings, and change all wheel sensors. All items were replaced and the failed system remains inactive. The airbag sensor in the passenger seat is recommended to be replaced by removal of the seat, cutting into the seat and installing a new sensor. Then the vehicle must be reprogrammed by an authorized gm service facility. This repair is in excess of $1,200.00. The failed systems occur if moving or not and is a life safety concern.
Keep getting air bag light on code u0170 and b0081 seems like this is a big safety problem with the pontiac g8 needs a recall on this problem and replaced the rear ABS sensors and still have the issue with it not working and replaced them 2 times with new sensors
Passenger seat does not register when a person is sitting in seat to activate. Codes recieved: u0170, b0081.
Passenger seat does not register a person sitting in it to activate air bag system. Codes retrieved: u0170 and b0081. Odometer: 86,000
Fault light activation,fault code states it's the passenger seat module. When this happens, there will be no airbag activation . This is very common with all g8 vehicles, do you think there might be an investigation into this problem?
Air bag fault light comes on when car is started, which means that the air bags will not work. There is an air bag recall to this car, but they will not fix my car's fault light problem. This is a big safety defect that many gm have, according to your website. Thank you my car has 30,000 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac g8. While the vehicle was stationary, the air bag indicator remained illuminated without warning. The vehicle was repaired, but the issue recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Compare the 2008 Pontiac G8
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Questions about the 2008 Pontiac G8
Is the 2008 Pontiac G8 reliable?
Owners have filed 71 complaints about the 2008 Pontiac G8, close to a typical G8 model year.
What is the 2008 Pontiac G8 year score?
The 2008 Pontiac G8 scores 73 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Pontiac G8: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Pontiac G8?
Airbags, with 25 complaints, typically around 72,000 miles. Next is electrical (14).
How many recalls does the 2008 Pontiac G8 have?
4 recalls, covering seat belts, electrical system and air bags.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Pontiac G8 airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 11V534000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Pontiac G8 have bad airbags?
The Pontiac G8 model years with the most airbags complaints are 2009 (69 complaints) and 2008 (25 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2008 Pontiac G8 get?
Official estimates for the 2008 Pontiac G8 range from 18 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.6L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 17 city and 25 highway.
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