THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) BEGAN FAILING AT APPROXIMATELY, THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT SOON WOULD SPORADICALLY COME ON. CAR WOULD RUN ROUGH AND STALL WHEN IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER BRAKES. TPS REPLACED FOUR TIMES.
1987 Pontiac Safari
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 Safari years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
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: 0 of 4 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
4 reportsTHE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLS TURN ON AND WORK FINE AT ALL SPEEDS. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN THE WIPERS OFF, (TURN THE WIPER CONTROLL TO THE "OFF" POSITION, YOU CANNOT DO SO UNLESS YOU STOP THE CAR AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THEREFORE ONCE YOU TURN THEM ON AND THEN IT STOPS RAINING, YOU CANNOT TURN OFF THE WIPERS BY JUST S…
Read full complaint
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLS TURN ON AND WORK FINE AT ALL SPEEDS. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN THE WIPERS OFF, (TURN THE WIPER CONTROLL TO THE "OFF" POSITION, YOU CANNOT DO SO UNLESS YOU STOP THE CAR AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THEREFORE ONCE YOU TURN THEM ON AND THEN IT STOPS RAINING, YOU CANNOT TURN OFF THE WIPERS BY JUST SETTING THE WIPER CONTROL TO "OFF". YOU MUST INSTEAD SET THE CONTROL TO "OFF" STOP THE CAR, AND THEN TURN OFF THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. WHEN YOU START THE CAR AGAIN, THE WIPERS WILL BE STOPPED UNTIL THE NEXT TIME YOU USE THEM, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCEDURE AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR INTO OUR LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE IS THE ONE WHO THINKS IT IS IN THE RELAY BOX AND NOT THE MOTOR. HE THINKS IT IS NOT MAKING A GOOD CONTACT SOMEWHERE AND THAT IS WHAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. HE DID NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE SYSTEM SO HE WAS HESITANT TO TRY AND FIX IT. I THEN CALLED EVERHART O'LEARY MOTORS, BUT THEY WANT TO CHARGE $32.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT, AND ARE GUESSING THAT IT MIGHT COST APPROXIMATELY $150. TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I DON'T RECALL EXACTLY WHEN THE PROBLEM STARTED (I ONLY GUESSED AT THE DATE), BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE SYSTEM WHICH THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ADDRESS. YOUR HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
THE TILT WHEEL COLUMN IS VERY LOOSE AND MOVES LEFT AND RIGHT.
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, UNKNOWN CAUSES. TT
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.
Illustration