Passenger air bag sensor, intermittent failure. This has happened multiple times while my wife has been seated in the passenger seat. This is a known and common problem with the pontiac solstice. The air bag sensor does not always recognize a passenger and turns off while passenger is seated in the passenger seat. This is a known defect throughout the solstice community. The average repair cost is $600-$800 dollars for a safety product !! This must be addressed by the federal safety agency before someone is killed or maimed by this manufacturing defect !!! This is totally unacceptable for a manufacturer to continue to allow an inferior product to be used. This failure has occurred in all different age and mileages in this vehicle. The system may also not recognize a passenger depending on their weight distribution on the seat. A simple fix is a software flash to "always on" or a keyed switch like other vehicles where the airbag can be switched off if required. This issue may cause as many deaths and or injuries as the ignition switch recall which was implemented almost immediately. What will it take for the government to step in and force gm to fix this known defect?
2006 Pontiac Solstice airbags complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 178, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Passenger airbag seat sensor has failed. Number of solstice owners in my car club have this same issue. Expensive dealership repair cost considering the value of the car.
On june 9, 2015 I was driving the vehicle with a passenger. While driving the ?service air bag? Message appeared on the dashboard as well as the red light air bag indicator. I stopped the vehicle turned the engine off then back on. The ?service air bag? Message and the red light did not re-appear. I drove the vehicle home with no further problems....sometime later that day I started the car without a passenger, ?service air bag? Message did not come on. I then drove the car with a passenger and again the ?service air bag? Message appeared. The next day I started the car without a passenger and the ?service air bag? Message did not appear. However later on in the day, the message re-appeared without a passenger in the car. From then on the ?service air bag? Message appeared constantly the car was taken to thomas pontiac gmc in cobourg ontario on june 11, 2015. The fault was diagnosed as a defective passenger air bag sensor which was replaced on june 13, 2015....I obtained the old part from the dealer and found the issue to be a hairline crack in the copper mat that makes up the air bag sensor....when searching for similar instances on a pontiac solstice forum, I found that not only are passenger air bag sensor failures common, but they are also occurring at an early age. In addition the type of failure is similar in most instances right down to the same spot on the sensor. ...updated 09/22/15 *bf updated 12/05/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. When the vehicle was started, the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger presence module failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.
I along with many others are finding our air bags disabled by a faulty seat sensor. To replace it is over $1000. Seems like it ought to be a $300 issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. While attempting to start the vehicle, the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. In addition, the service air bag message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Same problem as stated by many solstice customers...air bag warning light for passenger side is constantly on...certified dealer says passenger side air bag sensor is defective...this is a severe liability issue that can result in serious injury or death...gm should announce an immediate recall to have this defect repaired before injury or death is caused by their negligence...lawsuit waiting to happen.
The passenger side inoperable warning light is constantly on . I understand this is a common defect with most pontiac solstices. Why isn't there a recall requiring this manufacturing defect to be fixed? I'm sure gm has been aware of this since 2006 , but have decided to settle law suits rather than recall cars to fix the problematic sensors with reliable sensors. It seems the government is also willing to go along with with their decision.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp flashed indicating to service the air bags. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The vehicle was to be taken to an authorized dealer for further inspection. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Daughters in 2006 solstice. Drunk driver ran red light going 50 MPH and hit our daughters making a left turn. Severe impact on an angle (front/left side) with 2 foot intrusion into occupant compartment. Airbags did not deploy. Required prolonged extrication; serious injury with bayflight to hospital. 2006 solstice is a gm recall vehicle for defective ignition switch.
On nov 2014 I bought this pontiac roadster from the original owner with the air bag lights on with a mere 32500 miles on it, I drove the car 1 month & parked it for the winter, last week 3-30-2015 I took it to my shop to have the air bag lite code scanned & it read faulty seat rear seat belt module gm part # 15874981-15838918 & would not clear, I called gm to find out it was not under warranty or recall & it was over a 800 $ fix, I was shocked ! I looked up this problem on the internet only to find alot of the same complaints from the 3 years in service on the solstice & sky's all saying the same thing, faulty air bag passenger seat module, this is a gm problem that is totally unsafe car to drive, it needs recalled asap as I understand I have no air bags & no seat belt tensioner also , im scared of this car & I am on a fixed income and can not afford to fix it, there gotta be a way gm can fix this so at least I can have air bags & seat belt tension to the driver at the very least, my wife is afraid to drive in this car with me, I refuse to sell this car until its fixed & safe , if gm will not fix this I will not buy another gm, they only made this car 3 years & they need all the safety features it can have up & running properly, how dare gm not to fix this car in nov with the faulty ignition switch & not fix this air bag safety feature while it was in the gm shop, also am I correct that the seat belt tensioners upon impact will not work w/o the air bags working ? Do you realize how many of these cars are on the road with the seat belt & air bags not working. This needs fixed asap by a recall !!! This is a very serious safety problem that gm needs to fix, sincerely [xxx] age 52 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Letter from senator brown on behalf of constituents re gm ignition claims. *smd 2006 pontiac solstice. The consumer stated in august 2006, she experienced an incident involving the ignition switch where the keys locked up in the auxiliary position rendering which caused the key to become stuck in the ignition. In january 2011, the same issue occurred. On october 11, 2012, the consumers husband was involved in an accident while driving the vehicle. Also, the air bag did not deploy. The consumers husband was injured.
Passenger air bag sensor stopped working. Does not detect if there is a passenger sitting on seat. This should be a recall with all the complaints. Dealer charging $1200 to replace.
The airbag sensor on the passenger side has stopped working. Apparently this has happened to many owners of the pontiac solstice in which the passenger presence detection module has stopped working and makes the airbags not function.
After approximately 36,000 miles I get a "service air bag" message which inhibits the passenger airbag from arming regardless of how much someone weighs in the passenger seat. This appear to be a common issue with the pontiac solstice and directly affects the safety of an adult passenger should an accident occur.
The passenger side airbag sensor is no longer working. The service airbag indicator is illuminated. This causes the entire airbag system to no longer functional and neither airbag will deploy in a crash. This is a safety issue that must be addressed before anyone losses a life due to airbag system malfunction!
The air bag sensor in my vehicle failed shortly after its 'bumper-to-bumper' warranty expired. Any passenger in the car faces added risk if an accident were to occur. It is my understanding that the owner's cost to fix this item is prohibitive ($500 - $800), and that the early failure of this part is somewhat common for this vehicle.
Air bag sensor failed very shortly after having the ignition switch recall completed.
Passenger air bag indicator light came on and has remained on ever since. Dealer diagnosed problem as broken seat sensor which needs to be placed at a cost of $ 750 - $800. Dealer also indicated that this effects the operation of all airbags. Seems to be a consistent problem according to this website.
Started the car and the airbag indicator appeared on my dashboard. The passenger airbag indicator shows off. Repair shop indicated a failed passenger occupancy sensor and quoted a prohibitively expensive price to fix it. Defective sensor fails and prevents normal operation of air bags.
After having the ignition switch recall done, not the air bag light comes on and I get a service air bad display on dash. It does not know whether there is someone in the passenger seat. This seems to be happening to more than just a few owners.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.
Service airbag light came on after dealer recall repair to ignition. Taken to joyce koons gm. Paid $54.00 for diagnostic, which showed the passenger side airbag sensor module needed replaced. Estimate to repair was $779.00 plus tax. Did not repair due to cost. Internet search reveals many, many of the vehicles with the same problem. This is a defective piece of safety equipment and needs recalled. It could fail at any time, thus disabling the passenger airbag, and many such as mine have already failed.
Air bag module went out. I have heard this is happening too frequently in these cars. I fear for the safety of the passenger. Repair is over $800.
The airbag warning icon on instrument panel stays lit and "service airbags" message is on message window. The passenger side airbag system is disarmed even when passenger seat is occupied by an adult. This vehicle has not been involved in a crash. This is a safety issue that a large portion of saturn skys and pontiac solstices share and is very expensive to repair. Since so many other solstice owners are experiencing the same malfunction, I feel gm should consider this for recall before people are killed as a result of their faulty airbag sensors.
Passenger seat sensor was replaced as car was reporting "service airbags". Now passenger seat sensor does not reliably detect an adult in passenger seat. Sometimes it never detects passenger. Sometimes it detects a passenger, then after a few minutes does not detect passenger. Sometimes it detects a passenger well. Passenger seat sensor is unreliable. May not work when needed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. The contact stated the ignition was repaired due to a safety recall. Three weeks later, the air bag indicator remained illuminated. The failure occurred daily. The dealer stated that the air bag unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 55,000. Updated 10/24/14*cn the consumer stated the remote key did not open the doors or the trunk. Updated 12/09/14*lj the consumer feels the cost of the repairs should be covered. Updated 05/19/2015
Vehicle display indicates service airbags. Airbag indicator turns red as well to indicate a airbag problem. Cause of issue is a bad passenger seat sensor. A costly item to repair. Problem appears to be very common with pontiac solstice and saturn sky cars. Owners manual suggest that when the service air bag fault is indicated that the airbags will not work. This is certainly a safety problem. Should someone have a collision before they can get this fixed greater injury could happen. Suggest that manufacturer address the reliability issue of these sensors.
The airbag warning icon on instrument panel stays lit and "service airbags" message is on message window. The passenger side airbag system is disarmed even when passenger seat is occupied by an adult. This vehicle has not been involved in a crash. This is a safety issue that a large portion of saturn skys and pontiac solstices share and is very expensive to repair. Since so many other solstice owners are experiencing the same malfunction, I feel gm should consider this for recall before people are killed as a result of their faulty airbag sensors.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 pontiac solstice. The contact received a notification for recall the federal safety agency campaign id number 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The parts needed to the repairs were unavailable. The dealer was contacted but stated that they could not repair the vehicle for five months. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.
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