2008 Pontiac Solstice brakes problems

Filed Dec 29, 2023 · Brakes · TX

Random failure of brake lights to either illuminate when the pedal is pressed or turn off when the pedal is released. On two separate occasions, a couple of months apart. I was notified by other drivers my brake lights appear to be working in reverse. When I come to a stop, they turn off when I pull away they turn on and stay on. After the first incident I had the vehicle serviced. They could not duplicate the problem. Apparently they were now working correctly. To be proactive. I asked them to replace the brake light switch with a genuine GM part. They did and they calibrated the switch to the car. This service was performed on 11/14/2023 - 144,621 miles. It appeared to have solved the problem initially. But re-surfaced this morning 12/29/2023. I was notified by another driver of the opposite on -off function again. I continued to work. Visual inspection indicated normal function again. Brake pedal released, lights off. Brake pedal depressed, lights on. Random malfunctions like this at some point will cause an accident, either at an intersection or on the highway. Especially in this age of "Distracted driving". Several similar instances have been reported by owners on the public forums. The consumer stated that they took the vehicle to their local GMC repair facility and the brake light switch was supposedly replaced. The issue still exists.

Filed Feb 7, 2017 · Brakes · 28,346 miles · MI

Parking brake does not prevent vehicle from rolling when parked on a inclined surface. Handle is extended to it's maximum position.

Filed Jul 23, 2015 · Acceleration, Brakes · 23,400 miles · MA

The solstice maintenance light on the dash comes on intermittently reading "ESC service". With that the brake lights would come on and stay on without the brake pedal being pushed. After shutting the car off it would reset itself. Now, as soon as we start the car, the brake lights come on and are staying on withought the brake pedal being pushed and there is no ESC service light indication light illuminated. The brake pedal is high and hard to press. In addition we've experienced difficulty shutting off the cruise control. All of these symptoms are called out on a gm recall #13036 for over 2 million vehicles but the pontiac solstice is not listed under the recall. It appears it should be. All of the problems noted on this recall are symptomatic to what we are experiencing with our car. The car is not drivable at this point. It's noted on the recall that any of the above condition increases the risk of a crash. We contacted general motors and opened a claim. We are being told that any repairs / adjustments that are done will need to come out of our pockets as the pontiac solstice is not listed on this recall. This is a very dangerous situation and should be addresses expeditiously.

Filed Nov 3, 2014 · Brakes · 33,000 miles · IL · crash

After a hard brake on the highway, the car stopped fine with the ABS brakes kicking in as needed. However, after the car came to a complete stop, we started to move forward, and the brakes would no longer function properly. As it came time to stop again, I pressed the brake to the floor, and nothing happened. I then proceeded to attempt to pump the brakes, but by that time, I was right up on the car in front of me, and I rear ended that vehicle resulting in damage to both that car and mine. Given that I always had issues with the brakes not seeming to function properly after the car sat overnight or for long periods of time, I am unfortunately not surprised that this happened. The car sat all day while I was at work on a relatively cold day for me to have it on the road, and I hadn't used the brakes since the morning. Just recently, the ABS light had come on in the car, but after taking the car to the dealer, I was told that the issue was somehow related to the battery (which I subsequently replaced) and that there wasn't anything actually wrong with the brakes, but now I am thinking that was not the case. I own a 2008 pontiac solstice gxp and have had the car for about 3 years.

Filed Sep 24, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 26,000 miles · CO

On a trip 6/14/14 half way to my destination, there was a light on the instrument panel showing a car/lock symbol. I checked all doors, trunk and hood, all were closed. Appx. 10 miles later I felt the power suddenly stall. The speedometer, tachometer and gas gage were all going up and down. The fuel light came on and started a warning signal. All system lights were flashing on and off. I pulled over and waited for a few minutes. In about one minute the lock symbol came on again. As I proceeded the same gauges started to go crazy. On approaching my turnoff, I eased off of the gas pedal and started to apply brakes. About mid-brake, the brakes suddenly locked and I was jolted. The following 2 stops were a repeat. I drove home next day at about 35 MPH. A normal trip of 2 1/2 hours took over 4 but I was afraid of having the brakes lock on me. The local gm dealer was contacted for recall. It took from mid-june to sept. 12 for the parts to come in and be installed. The trip home was uneventful except for the key being very hard to turn. On 9/22 I had to make an approx. 400 mile trip. Feeling assured that all problems had been fixed, I drove the normal speed limit. Upon reaching my first destination the brake seemed to stop sharply. Believing that I was just overly concerned I continued to my 2nd destination. About 20 miles later lock light turned on followed quickly by the other monitored system lights flashing. The brakes locked as soon as I applied pressure. I was unable to use my cell or on-star. I went to the nearest gm dealer in pueblo. I had no money to pay for a diagnostic check. I was told by the same service agent that had changed dealerships that I would be safe as long as I didn't do anything "wild". I made the same 4 + hour trip. As I reached my home the car was breaking by itself. Replacing the recalled part didn't fix the problem. A recall on the recall?

Filed Apr 15, 2013 · Brakes · 27,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac solstice. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at approximately 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle did not stop until after repeated force was applied to the brakes. The failure occurred only when driving in reverse. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000.

Filed Jan 29, 2013 · Brakes · 6,000 miles · CA · crash

On two separate occasions (the second date was about 2 months ago), I have had to make very hard stops at freeway speeds. Both times, the car came to a stop with the anti-lock brakes functioning properly (brake pedal vibrations indicating correct modulation). Once the car comes to a complete stop however, the brakes suddenly failed completely. The brake pedal goes to the floor with absolutely no back pressure. The car begins to roll again, indicating the brake caliper/pads have released the disk. The only way I was able to stop again was to pump the brake pedal, activating the stability control module to boost hydraulic pressure to the braking system. This seems related to the previous issue of brakes not functioning on start-up due to low vacuum. Following a hard stop, the vacuum boost to the brakes apparently becomes depleted, causing braking system failure. I have reported this to my dealer and they have been unable to re-create the problem. Due to the potential dangers this presents, I felt it important to report this since the dealership seemed unwilling to pursue the issue.

Filed May 2, 2012 · Brakes · 39,800 miles · OK

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 pontiac solstice gxp. The contact stated that while reversing at 5 MPH, he applied the brakes and the pedal depressed to the floor. The contact had to shut the vehicle off and restart it to regain brake control. The failure occurred at least three times. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who inspected the brakes and could not duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 39,800.

Filed Apr 25, 2011 · Brakes · 50 miles · AL

2008 pontiac solstice gxp brakes will not hold on cold starts and has been a problem since I purchased this car in 2007, however, the dealer has told me they haven't heard for the manufacturer regarding a brake problem.

Filed Jul 14, 2010 · Brakes · AR

Everytime I start the car in the morning or when it has been parked for about 4-5 hours brakes fail to work, I have to leave the transmission on "parked" for about 1 or 2 minutes or else I would have to press the brake pedal very hard to keep the car from moving, this almost caused a crash the first days I had the car, this is a very dangerous issue.