IllustrationINTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILURE AT ANY SPEED. PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR ,AND VEHICLE HAS NO BRAKING ACTION. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER YET. *AK
1993 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: 10 of 138 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 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports10 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
138 reportsTRANMISSION OIL COOLING LINES DEVELOPED A HOLE CAUSED BY RUBBING AGAINST METAL COOLING LINES BRACKET, SPRAYING TRANSMISSION OIL UNDER CAR AND ON CATALITIC CONVERTER.*AK
AFTER REPLACING FUSE CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER DASH NEAR STEERING COLUMN. *AK ESTIMATED PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS $2,000.*YD
4 ALTERNATOR FAILURES ARE WAY BEYOND WHAT IS NORMAL IN 97000 MILES. OTHER PONTIAC OWNERS INDICATE THAT GM SEEMS TO HAVE A HISTORY OF THIS PROBLEM THOUGH THE DEALERS DENY IT. BASED ON THE PROBLEMS WE'VE HAD I DOUBT WE'D BUY ANOTHER GM CAR. *AK
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RELEASE BUCKLE FOR DRIVER'S RESTRAINT BUCKLE WOULD NOT RELEASE. CONSUMER HAD TO CUT BELT IN ORDER TO EXIT VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND DETERMINED THAT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY LOCKED UP. *AK *SLC
RIGHT REAR SIDEWALL HAD SPLIT ALL AROUND AFTER TRAVELING 70MPH WHEN IT EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO TYPE OF WARNING. TIRE BLEWOUT FROM INSIDE/OUTSIDE AND RIPPED. WAS ATTACHED TO RIM. GOODYEAR EAGLE GA (CANADA), P225/60R16 WITH 500 MILES. NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *AK DOT 0289055. *SLC
STOPPING AT JUNCTION BRAKES LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING VIOLENT STOP AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE COULD NOT BE MOVED UNDER OWN POWER AND HAD TO BE TOWED . BRAKE SHOP HAD TO DISCONNECT ABS SYSTEM AND BLEED BRAKES BEFORE VEHICLE COULD BE MOVED ON OWN POWER.HAD THIS HAPPENED ON EXPRESSWAY 10 M…
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STOPPING AT JUNCTION BRAKES LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING VIOLENT STOP AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE COULD NOT BE MOVED UNDER OWN POWER AND HAD TO BE TOWED . BRAKE SHOP HAD TO DISCONNECT ABS SYSTEM AND BLEED BRAKES BEFORE VEHICLE COULD BE MOVED ON OWN POWER.HAD THIS HAPPENED ON EXPRESSWAY 10 MINUTES EARLIER A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE RESULTED. THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FAILURE AND CLEARLY REPRESENTS AN UNACCEPTABLE FAILURE MODE. HISTORY - (1) RANDOM INTERMITTENT ABS WARNING LIGHT WITH NO OTHER SYMPTOMS - NO PROBLEM COULD BE IDENTIFIED BY BRAKE SHOP. (2) LEAKING MASTER CYLINDER HAD BEEN RECENTLY REPLACED. REPORTED INCIDENT TO GM CUSTOMER HOT LINE IMMEDIATELY AFTER INCIDENT AS A SAFETY ISSUE. HAVE HAD NO CONTACT FROM THEM SINCE.*AK
VEHICLE STALLED AT ANY SPEED ON A DAILY BASIS. TOOK VEHICLE NUMEROUS TIMES TO DEALER, WHO COULD NOT REMEDY PROBLEM. *AK
SIGNAL LEVER CONTROLS THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS: (1) CONTROLS TURN SIGNALS (2) WINDSHIELD WIPER & WASHER (3)CRUISE CONTROL(4) HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAM. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON MY CAR. BOTH TIMES THERE WAS A FAILURE WHILE BEING USED WITHOUT EXCESSIVE FORCE. THE PART WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED AN…
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SIGNAL LEVER CONTROLS THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS: (1) CONTROLS TURN SIGNALS (2) WINDSHIELD WIPER & WASHER (3)CRUISE CONTROL(4) HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAM. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON MY CAR. BOTH TIMES THERE WAS A FAILURE WHILE BEING USED WITHOUT EXCESSIVE FORCE. THE PART WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED AND THE LEVER FLOPPED AROUND LOOSELY AND NO LONGER FUNCTIONED. WHEN DRIVING TO A PONTIAC DEALER TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM IT WAS SNOWING AND I WAS UNABLE TO SIGNAL OR USE THE WIPERS AND WASHER. IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT THE DEALER HAD THE REPLACEMENT PART IN STOCK INDICATING IT IS A FREQUENT FAILURE, AND THE LEVER FLOPPED AROUND LOOSELY NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. I HAD TO DRIVE IT TO A PONTIAC DEALER FOR REPAIR DURING A SNOW STORM WITHOUT WINDSHIELD WIPER, WASHER , AND SIGNAL LIGHTS. THEREFORE I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT. IT IS TO NOTED THAT THE PONTIAC DEALER HAD THIS PART IN STOCK INDICATING THAT IT COULD A FREQUENT PROBLEM.*AK
SIDE WALLS ON 3 OF FOUR TIRES FAILED AND BLOW OUT (DOT NUMBER: ? TIRESIZE: P225/60R16)
Official recalls
196V015000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines
Jan 23, 1996
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 1991 THROUGH JULY 1995. THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE CAN SEPARATE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN LOW TEMPERATURES IN COMBINATION WITH HIGH TRANSMISSION LOADS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: VEHICLE FIRES CAN OCCUR DUE TO THE SPILLAGE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINES.
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
1EA93018 · Fuel Leaks
Opened Jul 13, 1993 · Closed Jun 24, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
There is no summary currently available