NHTSA recalls & complaints · 1995–2002

Pontiac Firebird recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 353 owner complaints for the Pontiac Firebird, covering model years 1995 to 2002. The 1995 model year drew the most complaints (84), and Service Brakes, Hydraulic is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Pontiac Firebird VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

4 recall campaigns on file
353 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
8 model years with data (1995–2002)

most complaints: 1995 (84 for that model year)
top component: Service Brakes, Hydraulic (95 complaints)
latest recall 01V381000 (reported Dec 12, 2001)

38 complaints reporting a crash (10.8%)
25 complaints reporting a fire (7.1%)
21 complaints reporting an injury (5.9%)
1 complaint reporting a death (0.3%)

Pontiac Firebird complaints by model year

8 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 1995 model year has the most complaints: 84 of 353, or 23.8%. Next come 1998 (63) and 1997 (49). The fewest are for 2002, with 21 complaints.

Owner complaints per model yearHighest yearOther years

Pontiac Firebird complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death

Pontiac Firebird complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model year	Complaints	Reporting a crash	Reporting a fire	Reporting an injury	Reporting a death
1995	84	10	14	8	0
1996	41	5	4	1	0
1997	49	5	2	3	0
1998	63	8	2	3	0
1999	47	5	0	2	0
2000	24	4	0	3	0
2001	24	0	2	0	0
2002	21	1	1	1	1
All model years	353	38	25	21	1

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Pontiac Firebird components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Service Brakes, Hydraulic is the component named most often, in 95 complaints (26.9% of all 353), followed by Electrical System (57) and Engine and Engine Cooling (41).

Components named most often in Pontiac Firebird complaints (top 15)

Components named most often in Pontiac Firebird complaints (top 15)
Component	Complaints	Share of complaints
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	95	26.9%
Electrical System	57	16.1%
Engine and Engine Cooling	41	11.6%
Power Train	40	11.3%
Exterior Lighting	27	7.6%
Air Bags	26	7.4%
Vehicle Speed Control	23	6.5%
Steering	21	5.9%
Fuel System, Gasoline	20	5.7%
Visibility	19	5.4%
Unknown or Other	16	4.5%
Seats	12	3.4%
Structure	12	3.4%
Equipment	10	2.8%
Suspension	9	2.5%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Pontiac Firebird recalls

4 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name Firebird, newest first. The 4 campaigns cover model years 1995 to 2002. 4 model years tie for the most campaigns (1 each).

4 recall campaigns

Pontiac Firebird recall campaigns covering each model year
Decade	Years ending in 0	Years ending in 1	Years ending in 2	Years ending in 3	Years ending in 4	Years ending in 5	Years ending in 6	Years ending in 7	Years ending in 8	Years ending in 9
1990s						1995: 1 campaign	1996: no campaigns	1997: 1 campaign	1998: no campaigns	1999: 1 campaign
2000s	2000: no campaigns	2001: no campaigns	2002: 1 campaign

Highlighted: the model years with the most campaigns.

NHTSA campaign 01V381000
Reported Dec 12, 2001
Structure › Frame and Members
Model year 2002
Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of FMVSS No. 208, "occupant crash protection," and No. 214, "side impact protection." These vehicles may have welds near the lower driver's side door hinge that do not meet specifications.
Consequence:
In a crash, an occupant could receive severe injuries.
Remedy:
Dealers will install structural rivets. Owner notification began December 26, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 99V239000
Reported Aug 27, 1999
Power Train › Clutch Assembly
Model year 1999
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The clutch master cylinder may have been built with an incorrect retaining ring.
Consequence:
This may not allow the clutch system to disengage the clutch when the clutch pedal is depressed, resulting in unintentional vehicle movement, increased stopping distances, engine stalls, and difficulty in shifting.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the hydraulic clutch master cylinder with a new cylinder.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 96V219000
Reported Nov 4, 1996
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Model year 1997
These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which can cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the FMVSS requirement. This does not comply with FMVSS No. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
Consequence:
In the event of a vehicle collision, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
Remedy:
Dealers will inspect the seat belts for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 95V046000
Reported Mar 22, 1995
Steering › Gear Box (Other Than Rack and Pinion)
Model year 1995
The steering intermediate shaft could have been improperly assembled causing the shaft lower coupling to loosen and rotate on the steering gear input shaft.
Consequence:
This condition can result in a loss of steering control increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
Remedy:
Dealers will inspect the intermediate steering shaft for the correct lower coupling and replace it as required.
Filed by General Motors, LLC

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means

What each recall field means
Field	What it tells you
Campaign number	NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
Component	The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
Summary	What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
Consequence	The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
Remedy	What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.

Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Pontiac Firebird questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Pontiac Firebird have?

NHTSA lists 4 vehicle recall campaigns for the Pontiac Firebird, covering model years 1995 to 2002. The most recent, 01V381000, was reported on December 12, 2001 and is filed under “Structure”.

Which Pontiac Firebird model year has the most complaints?

The 1995 model year, with 84 of the 353 complaints in NHTSA’s file (23.8%). The next are 1998 (63) and 1997 (49). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Pontiac Firebird complaint?

Service Brakes, Hydraulic is the component named most often: 95 complaints, or 26.9% of all 353. Electrical System (57) and Engine and Engine Cooling (41) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Pontiac Firebird?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Pontiac dealer.

How many Pontiac Firebird complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 353 complaints, 38 report a crash, 25 a fire, 21 at least one injury and 1 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

8 models · most complaints first

The Pontiac models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Pontiac VIN decoder with every Pontiac model page, WMI code and VIN note.

Pontiac G6 2003–2014 · 10 recalls · 5,887 complaints
Pontiac Grand Am 1995–2005 · 17 recalls · 4,591 complaints
Pontiac Grand Prix 1995–2008 · 22 recalls · 4,377 complaints
Pontiac Vibe 2000–2014 · 22 recalls · 1,864 complaints
Pontiac Bonneville 1995–2005 · 10 recalls · 1,502 complaints
Pontiac Sunfire 1995–2005 · 17 recalls · 1,139 complaints
Pontiac Montana 1997–2008 · 20 recalls · 1,054 complaints
Pontiac Solstice 2006–2010 · 5 recalls · 727 complaints

All Pontiac models and WMI codes Look up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.