IllustrationA VEHICLE FIRE ORIGINATED IN ALTERATOR WIRING HARNESS AFTER PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. STATE FARM INSURANCE ASKED CONSUMER TO NOTIFY NHTSA. *AK *ML
1990 Pontiac Bonneville
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Bonneville years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 39 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
39 reportsWHEN ABS SYSTEM FAILED I HAD NO BRAKING, I AM ABOUT TO REPLACE THE THIRD ABS SYSTEM. *AK
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BUCKLE THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SEAT BELT IT WON'T LATCH. THERE IS NO CATCHING AND THE BUTTON HAS COLLAPSED. DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. *AK
SEATBACK LATCH COLLAPSED. *AK
BRAKE PEDAL BECAME FROZEN, WOULD NOT MOVE OR GO DOWN IN POSITION TO BRAKE, CAUSING A LOSS OF BRAKES, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT. *AK
BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY IS VERY HARD TO PUSH AND WILL BARELY STOP CAR. SEAT BELT DO NOT TIGHTEN TO HOLD YOU FROM BEING THROWN, THEY ARE VERY LOOSE.
FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAD TO HAVE AN ALTERNATOR INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE TWO TIMES A YEAR. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
DOOR LOCKS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES.
BOLTS THAT HOLD CUSHIONED SEAT ASSEMBLY DETACHED FROM ALUMINUM MOUNTING RAILS, CAUSING DRIVER TO BE THROWN INTO BACK SEAT.
VEHICLE STALL WITHOUT WARNING, LOSSING BRAKES AND STEERING. SAME THING HAPPEN TO SECOND CAR 1988 CHEVROLET CAVALIER VIN# 1G1JC5117JJ224922.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.