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2008 Pontiac G5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

96 reports with mileage · 19 unknown

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.

  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

15 crash reports2 fire reports13 injury reports

What owners actually said

115 reports
78,000 miles · Aug 8, 2012
Exterior Lighting

I NOTICED A WHILE BACK THAT MY DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE I HAD NOT TURNED THEM OFF BY ACCIDENTALLY TURNING THEM OFF ON THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. I THEN CHECKED ALL MY FUSES IN THE FUSE BOX, INCLUDING THE DAYTIME RUNNING LAMP FUSE, AND THEY WERE ALL GOOD. TOOK MY CAR TO A…

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I NOTICED A WHILE BACK THAT MY DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE I HAD NOT TURNED THEM OFF BY ACCIDENTALLY TURNING THEM OFF ON THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. I THEN CHECKED ALL MY FUSES IN THE FUSE BOX, INCLUDING THE DAYTIME RUNNING LAMP FUSE, AND THEY WERE ALL GOOD. TOOK MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG AND I WAS INFORMED THAT MANY 2007+ YEAR COBALTS/G5'S HAVE FAULTY WIRING WITH THE DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS AND THE WIRING WILL MELT. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THAT THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX BECAUSE TO DO IT PROPERLY THE WHOLE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE LIGHTING SYSTEM ON THE FRONT OF THE CAR HAS TO BE REPLACED. I WAS QUOTED OVER $500 AT THE DEALERSHIP (OUT OF WARRANTY) TO HAVE MY DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS FIXED. $500 TO FIX A SAFETY FEATURE THAT MY CAR CAME AND GM KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT APPARENTLY ISN'T DOING ANYTHING TO HELP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10469638

31,350 miles · Jul 31, 2012
Suspension

FRONT SUSPENSION BUSHINGS ON THE PONTIAC G5 AND PROBABLY CHEVROLET COBALT WEAR OUT RAPIDLY. ON MY VEHICLE THE DRIVER'S SIDE BUSHING FAILED AT 31,350 MILES AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AT 42,850 MILES. THE FACTORY REPLACEMENT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STARTING TO FAIL AGAIN AT 44,500 MILES. FAILURE IS DEFINED AS A CLUNKING NOISE WHILE …

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FRONT SUSPENSION BUSHINGS ON THE PONTIAC G5 AND PROBABLY CHEVROLET COBALT WEAR OUT RAPIDLY. ON MY VEHICLE THE DRIVER'S SIDE BUSHING FAILED AT 31,350 MILES AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AT 42,850 MILES. THE FACTORY REPLACEMENT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE IS STARTING TO FAIL AGAIN AT 44,500 MILES. FAILURE IS DEFINED AS A CLUNKING NOISE WHILE GOING OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS. THE DESIGN IS EITHER FAULTY OR THE PART IS PRODUCED BADLY AS NEITHER PART SHOWED EFFECTS OF THE RUBBER BEING BONDED TO THE METAL. ALL SUSPENSION BUSHINGS SHOULD HAVE THE RUBBER BONDED TO BOTH THE OUTER AND INNER METAL SLEEVE. WITHOUT BONDING, THE SUSPENSION BUSHING WILL MAKE NOISE IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT OVER TIME AS THE RUBBER DEGRADES, LARGE AMOUNTS OF SUSPENSION MOVEMENT THEN CAN CAUSE THE BOLT TO FAIL AND CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. GM SHOULD CORRECT THE DESIGN AND THEN PROVIDE REPLACEMENT PARTS AS NEEDED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10468415

Mileage unknown · Jul 27, 2012
Fuel/propulsion System

I SMELL FUEL AND SURE ENOUGH, I HAVE A FUEL LEAK WHICH IS A PROB/RECALL FOR THE MAKE, MODEL AND YR. HOWEVER I HAVE CALLED THE DEALER AND DEALER SAID ITS NOT ON NHTSA RECALL LIST. FROM 15 FEET AWAY WE SMELL GAS! IT HAS 93014 MILES AND THE INSIDE OF DRIVER DOOR STATES 8/07 MANUF DATE BUT HOWEVER IT ALSO SAYS 2008. I NEED TO HA…

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I SMELL FUEL AND SURE ENOUGH, I HAVE A FUEL LEAK WHICH IS A PROB/RECALL FOR THE MAKE, MODEL AND YR. HOWEVER I HAVE CALLED THE DEALER AND DEALER SAID ITS NOT ON NHTSA RECALL LIST. FROM 15 FEET AWAY WE SMELL GAS! IT HAS 93014 MILES AND THE INSIDE OF DRIVER DOOR STATES 8/07 MANUF DATE BUT HOWEVER IT ALSO SAYS 2008. I NEED TO HAVE THIS DOCUMENTED IN CASE OF FIRE, DUE TO AGAIN, 15 FT OR CLOSER THEIR IS STRONG GAS SMELL AND NO ONE WILL HELP ME FIGURE OUT THE REAL DATE OF THIS CAR. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10467937

55,000 miles · Jun 25, 2012
Fuel/propulsion System

OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS THE INSIDE OF MY CAR REEKS OF GAS. IT SMELLS BAD AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF MY CAR AS WELL. THE CAR DRIVES FINE BUT IT IS SLOW TO START FOR THE FIRST CRANK OF THE DAY. I TOOK THE CAR FOR AN OIL CHANGE TODAY AND WAS INFORMED THAT GAS WAS ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE THE CAR TO CATCH FIRE.…

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OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS THE INSIDE OF MY CAR REEKS OF GAS. IT SMELLS BAD AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF MY CAR AS WELL. THE CAR DRIVES FINE BUT IT IS SLOW TO START FOR THE FIRST CRANK OF THE DAY. I TOOK THE CAR FOR AN OIL CHANGE TODAY AND WAS INFORMED THAT GAS WAS ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE THE CAR TO CATCH FIRE. I CALLED MY LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE PART, BUT HAVE SEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND NUMEROUS FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEMS WITH THE PONTIAC G5. NEED INFORMATION ON HOW/WHEN GM IS GOING TO FIX THE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10463093

85,500 miles · Jun 19, 2012
SteeringSuspension

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING IN THESE CARS. STEERING WILL STILL LOCK UP, AT LOW VEHICLE SPEEDS. THE RECALL TWO YEARS AGO HAS NOT HELPED THE SITUATION. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING COLUMN AND STEERING RACK WITH THESE CARS. SUSPENSION/STEERING CLUNKS AND RATTLES LIKE IT IS ABOUT TO FALL OFF! VERY UNSAFE…

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THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING IN THESE CARS. STEERING WILL STILL LOCK UP, AT LOW VEHICLE SPEEDS. THE RECALL TWO YEARS AGO HAS NOT HELPED THE SITUATION. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING COLUMN AND STEERING RACK WITH THESE CARS. SUSPENSION/STEERING CLUNKS AND RATTLES LIKE IT IS ABOUT TO FALL OFF! VERY UNSAFE! *JS

NHTSA ODI #10462249

40,000 miles · Jun 14, 2012
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS PERMANENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE FAULTY GROUND WIRES IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE WIRING WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER REPLACE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS PERMANENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE FAULTY GROUND WIRES IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE WIRING WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE MASTER CONTROL MODULE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE REPAIR WOULD REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #10461776

83,000 miles · Dec 9, 2011
Electrical SystemFire

THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF MY SONS 2008 PONTIAC G5 BURNT UP TODAY. IT WAS PARKED OUTSIDE OUR HOME. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WAS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE AND THAT IT APPEARED TO START IN AN AREA NEAR THE DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL. IT APPEARS TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10439232

Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2011
Steering

NO STEERING, CRASHED INTO A POLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10439048

77,000 miles · Oct 3, 2011
SuspensionCrash

VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVIN ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE FRONT RIGHT FELL TO THE GROUND AND THE CAR SPUN OUT AND SLID INTO A DITCH. THE FRONT RIGHT BALL JOINT FAILED AND BROKE APART. MY MECHANIC SAYS HE REPLACES BALL JOINTS ON THESE CARS AT THE RATE OF FIVE CARS PER MONTH. WHILE BEING REPAIRED, I HAD THE CONTROL …

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VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVIN ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE FRONT RIGHT FELL TO THE GROUND AND THE CAR SPUN OUT AND SLID INTO A DITCH. THE FRONT RIGHT BALL JOINT FAILED AND BROKE APART. MY MECHANIC SAYS HE REPLACES BALL JOINTS ON THESE CARS AT THE RATE OF FIVE CARS PER MONTH. WHILE BEING REPAIRED, I HAD THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS, TIE RODS, AND SWAY BAR ENDLINKS REPLACED AGAIN BECAUSE THERE WERE RATTLING AND CLUNKING AGAIN. MY BROTHER WORKS AT A CHEVY DEALER AND HE SAYS THAT COBALT'S/G5'S/HHR'S COME IN ALL THE TIME FOR FRONT SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. GM KNOWS OF THESE ISSUES BUT DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING FOR IT'S CUSTOMERS WHEN THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT. A CRASH CAN VERY WELL HAPPEN IF ONE OF THESE COMPONENTS FAILS WHEN DRIVING AND THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. EVERY SUSPENSION PART ON THESE CARS IS FAULTY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THE SUSPENSION PROBLEMS ON THESE CARS FURTHER. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10428387

40,000 miles · Oct 3, 2011
SteeringSuspension

VEHICLE STARTING MAKING CLUNKING AND RATTLING SOUNDS IN FRONT SUSPENSION. HAD TO HAVE LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS REPLACED, NEW TIE RODS, AND SWAY BAR LINKS INSTALLED. BEFORE THE REPAIRS, THE STEERING HAD BECOME EXTREMELY LOOSE AND WAS HARD TO HANDLE ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10428386

Official recalls

4

14V171000 · Electrical System:ignition

Apr 10, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "Park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "Reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac owners at 1-800-762-2737, and Saturn owners at 1-800-553-6000. General Motors' number for this recall is 14113 for the ignition lock cylinder and key replacement, and 14133 for only key replacements. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.

14V047000 · Air Bags; Electrical System:ignition:switch

Feb 10, 2014

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

Electrical System:ignition:switch

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

12V459000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Sep 19, 2012

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; model year 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, and Saturn ION vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, or Texas; model year 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arizona; and model year 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, or Texas. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the plastic supply or return port on the fuel pump module may crack, which could cause a fuel leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 21, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles in for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

10V073000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 3, 2010

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 CHEVROLET COBALT AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 PONTIAC G5 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. THE DRIVER MAY EXPERIENCE A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST THAT COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF POWER STEERING ASSIST IS LOST, IT WOULD REQUIRE GREATER DRIVER EFFORT AT LOW VEHICLE SPEEDS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS ARE BEING NOTIFIED ON A ROLLING BASIS BETWEEN MARCH 29 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2010. A COPY OF THE MAILING SCHEDULE IS LOCATED IN THE RECALL FILE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

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

1

PE10005 · Electric Power Steering Failure

Opened Jan 27, 2010 · Closed Jul 19, 2010

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System

In a March 1, 2010 letter, General Motors Corporation (GM) provided a defect information report to NHTSA regarding a problem that could result in sudden loss of power steering assist in certain model year (MY) 2005 through 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and MY 2007 through 2010 Pontiac G5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS).The letter indicates that the loss of steering assist could occur at any time while driving and that, once assist is lost, a message is displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and a chime sounds to inform the driver.The letter further states that steering control is maintained in manual mode, but would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds.In the next ignition cycle, power assist is typically regained and the DIC message is no longer displayed.GM's letter identifies the root cause of the EPS failure as the EPS motor and indicates that production of a new motor started in December 2009.GM's recall repair procedure instructs dealers to replace the EPS motor in all recalled vehicles. ODI's analysis of all information available related to sudden loss of EPS assist while driving in the MY 2005 through 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles shows current complaint and warranty rates of 323/100,000 vehicles and 0.4% respectively.In response to ODI's request for information, GM identified 81 complaints where a crash was claimed that may be related to loss of EPS assist.ODI's analysis of all crash claims was based on verifiable factors such as; whether a loss of EPS was indicated at the time of the crash by a chime or malfunction indicator lamp or if a EPS related component malfunction was identified after the crash occurred.With this method ODI identified 36 possible crashes related to EPS failure.GM assessed crash claims based on the available facts and excluded crash claims that indicated that the vehicle was travelling at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater.GM said that it believes if power assist is lost while a vehicle is moving at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater there is a small difference in steering efforts perceived in subjective evaluations at those speeds and it is unlikely to lead to loss of vehicle control. Based on GM's safety recall, this investigation is closed.