10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
51 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
30 / 1
Average Mileage:
75,713 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2006 Pontiac G6:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #187

Sep 092009

G6

  • 48,000 miles
1. issues with steering. Very tight wheel when turning right, extremely loose when turning left. Steering wheel suddenly wobbles, like you have a flat tire - this mostly happens when backing out of a parking space, but I have also encountered it when driving normally, down the road. 2. the failure: Power steering warning light came on, and the steering locked up, while I was driving. Thank god I was in a parking lot or I may have caused an accident. I did a little research online, and this is a recurring problem with many 2006 Pontiac G6 owners. 3. taking to dealership - actually trying to work up the nerve to go, as I don't want to cause any accidents.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #186

Sep 092009

G6

  • 40,000 miles
Power steering goes out about 4 to 5 times a week for about 7 months. Does not only go out at slow speeds but at highway speeds also. When steering goes out it is very hard to steer, and it also jerks. My husband is 6'4" and he pulled a muscle in his back when it went out with him driving to work one morning and I have injured both wrist. These cars are hard to steer regardless of speed. I have 2 children 8 months and 3 years old and have had to fight the car to a stop more than once when they were in the car. I bought this G6 car used 1 year ago in Aug.2008. This started as a once an a while problem within a month after I purchased the car. Now it happens on a daily basis. Three different dealerships said that they had not heard of this problem, and will do nothing not even try to diagnose it. But they have to know its all over the internet. This is a very serious problem that needs to be dealt with. Even if GM claims this only happens at slow speeds in parking lots and drive ways what about the people including children around these cars. This is not only a safety risk to the drivers of these cars but other drivers and pedestrians around them. Its like a car in motion with out a driver! drive car as little as possible not even to work as I catch a ride with my mom. I have given you the last date incident has happened as of this complaint below.

- Chapel Hill, TN, USA

problem #185

Feb 252009

G6

  • 41,300 miles
On many occasions will I be driving my 2006 Pontiac G6 when the electric power steering goes out. It is not like your normal "fluid" based power steering failure. It is almost impossible to "man handle". this occurs probably on a daily basis now and the only way to solve the problem is stop the car, power off and restart. Problem being of course stopping the car in mid drive when you suddenly lose control. I have researched this issue and have found many, many other people with the same issues. Many of them have actually been in accidents because of the failure, so far I am lucky knock on wood. I haven't pursued a simple fix at the dealer with this because of seeing how the issue is not being resolved for others with the same problem.

- Pulaski, VA, USA

problem #184

Aug 212009

G6

  • 41,000 miles
2006 Pontiac G6.power steering went out almost causing an accident.took vehicle to shop and steering column and electronic power steering assist motor have to be replaced. Cost $1200. Garage made statement they are repairing many G6's with the same issues.there are also complaints all over the internet. Very dangerous and there should be a recall.vehicle only had 41,000 miles.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #183

Jul 282009

G6

  • 63,395 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. When the contact started the vehicle, the power steering would not function properly. The steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 63395.

- Maffillon, OH, USA

problem #182

Aug 252007

G6

  • 37,000 miles
Power steering went completely out as a was turning a corner and has not came back on since...in repair shop now waiting on estimate of repair cost.

- Hobart, IN, USA

problem #181

Jul 242009

G6

  • 27,000 miles
Power steering problems with 2006 pontac G6. It difficult for a mechanic to detect because once the car is turned off the steering reset. I was driving down the highway an my steering locked. I could have caused a major accident. I freaked out.

- Waco, TX, USA

problem #180

Apr 012009

G6

  • 34,000 miles
I have a 2006 Pontiac G6 and the powersteering stops working sometimes. It just locks up and you cant move it at all. This usually happens at lower speeds but if it happened on the freeway or something it would not be so easy to control. You can not move the wheel at all when this happens. This needs to be recalled, I can not believe that GM has not gotten sued over this. I have seen hundreds of people on forums that have had the same problem as me. How many people are going to have to die for a recall to go into effect.

- Canal Winchester, OH, USA

problem #179

Aug 072009

G6

  • 47,000 miles
My Pontiac G6 power steering signal was coming own for repair. I took it to the dealership for repair and found that I needed a new motor pump. The motor got replaced, but that same night I got the same message on my dash about power steering. I took my car back to dealer for another look at the car and they found that my steering column needs repair. I couldn't believe that my steering wheel needs repair considering my car is only 3 years old. My warranty did not cover this specific problem, so I called GM to report the problem and they told me they couldn't do anything. This is a factory problem due to the fact that the car has only 47,000 miles and that its not common for these type of problems early in the mileage. My car is not drivable due to accident concerns, this could really cause death because it pops on out of nowhere and locks your steering wheel. Imagine being on the highway and everyone is going 50-60 mph and you loose control of your car al of a sudden. This really needs to be recalled, and I see a lot of people has had this same problem early in there mileage on Pontiac G6 models (2006). This has to be taken serious or someone could loose there life and things could get real bad for GM.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #178

Aug 152006

G6

  • 52,500 miles
Like a ton of other complaints I have been experiencing intermittent power steering failure with my 2006 Pontiac G6 GT at 50-53K miles. It usually occurs when backing out of the my garage or after making a few turns. Power steering is displayed on the computer and assisted power steering goes completely out. Similar to other I would shut the car off for a 10-15 minutes and it would go away. Within the last week the power steering is going out daily and now is occasionally happening while driving. I have talked to a few mechanics and they have told me they have seen this many times on the 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G6's because this was Pontiac's first attempt at electronic power steering vs. Pump.

- Dublin, OH, USA

problem #177

Aug 122009

G6

  • 52,000 miles
Steering 50000 miles ball joints are shot are you kidding never heard of this maybe 100000 plus miles on any car.need watch dogs on these foreign parts these front steering parts made in piilpplies"??? we put on these GM cars buy american buy Hyundai 10yr 100000 miles warranty im trading mine in might get clunker price this lost will be cheaper in long run than paying out of my pocket to keep this Pontiac G6 safe. All these complaints on steering problems no one cares??"

- Lima, OH, USA

problem #176

Sep 252007

G6

  • 16,000 miles
I purchased my 2006 Pontiac G6 in July of 2006. When I received it had 300 miles on it and have loved it ever since. I would say I noticed a slight popping noise and I felt it as well when I make turns. Shortly after that my brakes began to sputter and cause my front end to shake when I applied my brakes every so often. For about a year now I have noticed that they shake every single time I apply my brakes and it gets worse and worse each day. One last item of concern is regarding the steering of my car on roads and highways/ freeways. My car is uncontrollable when driving causing it to shift to the left and right quickly making it hard to keep on the road which is hazardous to my safety and to the safety of my passengers. I have read up on these issues and it came to my attention that numerous owners of this vehicle have had the exact same problems so I know that it has nothing to do with the way I drive my car. I am satisfied with my car otherwise, but am extremely disappointed in the issues I am facing today on a car that is only three years old with 33,000 miles on it.

- Puyallup, WA, USA

problem #175

Aug 052009

G6

  • miles
2006 Pontiac G6 I just started noticing that my car at low speeds made a clunking noise. And it is driving me crazy its not so bad at higher speeds but today when I was backing up out of my driveway my steering locked up I had to shut it off and restart the car. I am truly afraid to drive this car now.

- Nokomis, FL, USA

problem #174

Jul 222009

G6

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While driving in reverse at a low speed, the power steering light illuminated and the power steering completely failed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to allow it to reset itself. The failure occurred at least three times. The contact will schedule an appointment with the dealer for further inspection. The failure mileage was 42,000.

- Monticello, IL, USA

problem #173

May 152009

G6

  • 50,200 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While driving approximately 5 mph and proceeding to make a left turn, the steering wheel shook and jerked. Suddenly, the power steering failed. The driver had to exert greater effort to turn the steering wheel. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. When the vehicle was restarted, the steering returned to normal. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the steering crimp at the torque failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The cost for repair was estimated at $1,450. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 50,200 and current mileage was 50,300.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #172

Jul 222009

G6

  • 103,320 miles
Steering wheel starts jerking while sitting at a stop light and steering wheel was shaking while driving so bad that I thought I had a flat tire. I have not had an accident yet and I hope that I don't, but I don't have the funds to take the car to a mechanic. This all happened on the first day of my power steering problems, it also read power steering across my radio that's how I know its my power steering. And as I look into this problem I see that many people are having the same safety problem.

- Denver, NC, USA

problem #171

Jul 192009

G6

  • 63,934 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While attempting to steer the vehicle, the power steering failed. Through online research, the contact discovered numerous complaints regarding the power steering and how it was a common issue for his year, make, and model vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed for this issue. He feels that the vehicle is unsafe because it is difficult to steer and could cause a crash. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 63,936 and failure mileage was 63,934.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #170

Jun 182009

G6

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the electrical steering made a clicking and popping noise near the steering wheel. She took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that this was normal for the G6 models. She visited the dealer at least three times because the noise worsened over time. Recently, the power steering completely malfunctioned. The contact had to turn off and restart the vehicle to reset the steering. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel would jerk back and forth. The vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The current mileage was 65,528 and failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #169

Jul 142009

G6

  • 45,234 miles
Loss of power steering assist due to failure of the torque sensor on 2006 G6. This the exact same problem that the 2005 pontian G6 had a recall on. This has now happened twice within a month.

- Germantown, OH, USA

problem #168

Jul 012009

G6

  • 58,000 miles
About a month ago I noticed intermittent power steering failure. It usually occurred when I was slowly backing out of my driveway or a parking space. When this would occur it was obviously very difficult to turn the wheel, I would then put the vehicle in park and restart it. This seemed to fix the problem for a while. Within the last couple of weeks the power steering is going out daily under these circumstances and now goes out occasionally while the vehicle is moving forward. It seems to only happen at relatively slow speeds such as making a turn, however I am very concerned that this will also happen at higher speeds. I understand that this was an issue on earlier years of this vehicle and I hope this problem will be resolved. A mechanic told me I should report this to you as he has seen it many times with my type of vehicle. He also told me that the repair would be around $750.

- Bartlett, IL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »