Your vehicle report
1997 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
- 147
- Received Jan 1997 to Dec 2015
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring15 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant12 complaints · 8.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Horn fails with airbag warning light11 complaints · 7.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #96V196000The seat cover trim material does not meet the flammability requirements of FMVSS no. 302, "flammability of interior materials."
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: 3 crashes, 16 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 16 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 11 |
| 1998 | 15 |
| 1999 | 14 |
| 2000 | 28 |
| 2001 | 14 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 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 | 147 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 15 | 10% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 12 | 8.2% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 11 | 7.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 11 | 7.5% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 6 | 4.1% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 6 | 4.1% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 5 | 3.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 2.7% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 4 | 2.7% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 4 | 2.7% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 3 | 2.0% | – |
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 #96V196000October 8, 199647 vehicles affected
seats
The seat cover trim material does not meet the flammability requirements of FMVSS no. 302, "flammability of interior materials."
If an ignition source were present, a vehicle interior fire Can occur.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the covers on the front seat backs, rear seat cushion and rear seat back assemblies.
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 1997 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