IllustrationPMEMATURE WEAR OF PADS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO VIBRATE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED.
1998 Pontiac Firebird
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 Firebird 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: 4 of 63 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 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
63 reportsBRAKE ROTORS AND PADS FAILED, REPLACED AND STILL DO NOT WORK PROPERLY.
CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP SIX TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE WHENEVER APPLYING BRAKES, IF BRAKING UNDER 15 MPH THE NOISE WILL BE VERY LOW, BUT NOTICEABLE. ALSO THE NOISE WILL PROGRESS AS THE DAY GO ON. *AKWHEN DRIVING AT HIGHER SPEEDS THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A BAG OF BOLTS. DEALER CHANGED BRAK…
Read full complaint
CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP SIX TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE WHENEVER APPLYING BRAKES, IF BRAKING UNDER 15 MPH THE NOISE WILL BE VERY LOW, BUT NOTICEABLE. ALSO THE NOISE WILL PROGRESS AS THE DAY GO ON. *AKWHEN DRIVING AT HIGHER SPEEDS THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A BAG OF BOLTS. DEALER CHANGED BRAKE PADS TWICE, SAND THEM, GRIND DOWN THE ROTORS, CALLED GM TECHNICHIAN AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. CONSUMER IS LEASING VEHICLE AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO AN ENGINEER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
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.