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2008 Pontiac G8 electrical problems

14 complaints (20% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 88,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
14
of this car's complaints
20%
typical mileage
88,000
crashes
1
recalls
1

Which part fails

  • Instrument cluster/panel
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Pontiac G8 electrical problems in other years

20082009

Related recalls

Electrical system: ignitionReported September 9, 2014 · 47,043 vehicles affected
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

What 2008 Pontiac G8 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 9, 2025 · Electrical · 135,000 miles · GA

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.

Filed Jul 16, 2021 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · SC

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.

Filed Jun 11, 2020 · Airbags, Electrical · 103,302 miles · NV

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.

Filed Aug 25, 2016 · Airbags, Electrical · 78,018 miles · MN

Passenger seat occupancy module - failure the failure of an electronic module located under the passenger seat, defaults the airbag system to "off". Cost is just under $1,000 for dealer replacement. Dealer indicated there was no method to turn on the airbag system - regardless of passenger or not. Because of this failure (many failures recognized since the 2006 solstice model) any passenger is subject to an unsafe condition without active airbag. The value of the vehicle negates the dealer cost to repair. Complaint filer feels the cost of the replacement module should be half of that quoted by the dealer since genuine gm parts are available at $275 instead of dealer cost of $417 and that labor of 2.5 hours to replace module under the seat is excessive based on time taken by others self-correcting the problem. (times indicated ran from 20 minutes to 45 minutes for most). Because of costs, many of these modules will (likely) go un-repaired and potentially un-reported if sold as a used vehicle..

Filed Sep 22, 2015 · Airbags, Electrical · 96,000 miles · CA

I have gotten a "airbag fault" warning every time I start my car. Apparently this is due to a censor giving out and to repair the issue costs about $1000. This is highly unsatisfactory as many users of this particular vehicle have reported this issue when operating this type of vehicle under normal conditions. This in a sense renders the vehicle unsafe to operate as drivers (some unaware), whivh I was not, are operating the vehicle without any operable airbags. The cost to repair is very high for a feature that is a safety standard across the industry. The airbag system of a vehicle should never have any faults or failures unless it has been deployed or tampered with. It is quite disappointing that a system that has never been used or tampered with can have such costly faults/failures. This is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. This is scary. I feel like some thing needs to be done to fix the problem. Gm needs to recall the module that will fix this issue asap. This air fault is putting many families at risk of loss of life!!! Bring attention to this issue or to what is causing it.

Filed Jun 3, 2015 · Electrical · AZ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac g8. The contact received a recall notice on the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v540000 (electrical system), however the parts were unavailable for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was scheduled to be repaired however the vehicle was not repaired. The contact felt that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Filed May 29, 2015 · Electrical · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac g8. The contact stated that the recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v540000 (electrical system) was received in october of 2010. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Filed Feb 15, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 51,214 miles · CO

Rear passenger door and drivers door are not locking with remote key or electric power door switch. This began with only the passenger rear door but has migrated to drivers door as well. This problem could lead to theft of internal contents and worse, vehicle robbery.

Filed Feb 12, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac g8. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired on several occasions, yet the failure kept recurring. The vehicle also exhibited multiple failures with the ignition switch and electrical system that recurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 88,000 miles · GA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac g8. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the contact lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the median strip and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v540000 (electrical system), but the part was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

Questions about the 2008 Pontiac G8 electrical

Does the 2008 Pontiac G8 have electrical problems?

Owners have filed 14 complaints about the electrical of the 2008 Pontiac G8, 20% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2008 Pontiac G8 electrical problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 88,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2008 Pontiac G8 electrical?

Yes, 1 recall: 14V540000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Pontiac G8 have the most electrical problems?

The Pontiac G8 model years with the most electrical complaints are 2009 (20 complaints) and 2008 (14 complaints).

Other 2008 Pontiac G8 problems

Airbags 25Suspension 10Steering 8Transmission 8Engine 6Body 2Brakes 2Seat belts 2Seats 2Visibility 2Acceleration 1Driver assistance 1Locks 1Tires 1Wheels 1

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