Your vehicle report
1993 Pontiac Bonneville
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 138
- Received Feb 1995 to Jan 2011
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up28 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Seat belt fails to latch or retract8 complaints · 5.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Vehicle catches fire from wiring8 complaints · 5.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #96V015000Vehicle 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 11 fires, 9 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 11 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 18 |
| 1996 | 17 |
| 1997 | 21 |
| 1998 | 16 |
| 1999 | 24 |
| 2000 | 14 |
| 2001 | 8 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 138 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 28 | 20% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 8 | 5.8% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 8 | 5.8% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 6 | 4.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 4.3% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 5 | 3.6% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 4 | 2.9% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 2.9% | – | |
| Brake master cylinder leaks fluid and fails | 4 | 2.9% | – | |
| Radiator transmission cooler leaks fluid into transmission | 4 | 2.9% | – | NHTSA recall #96V015000 |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 3 | 2.2% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #96V015000January 23, 1996585,182 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
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.
Vehicle fires Can occur due to the spillage of transmission fluid.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the transmission oil cooler lines.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1993 Pontiac Bonneville.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN