Pontiac · G8 · 2008
4
Recalls
71
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2008 Pontiac G8 has 4 recalls and 71 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: air bags (20 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 28, 2026
The 2008 Pontiac G8 page works best as a research starting point. Complaint totals show how much owner-reported activity exists, while recalls and investigations help show whether any of that activity turned into formal safety action.
Because this is a newer-era vehicle page, it usually helps to compare this year against nearby model years before deciding whether a complaint pattern looks isolated or persistent. On this page, the most prominent complaint area is air bags with 20 reported complaints.
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
If you are researching a used vehicle, start with the complaint categories, compare them against the recall list, and then check nearby model years to see whether the same issue profile repeats. That usually produces a better buying or research signal than treating the raw complaint total as a standalone safety ranking.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to October 22, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge. These replacement parts reposition the tensioner cable out of the path of entry into the vehicle and uses a more flexible cable, set at a more upright angle. The recall began on July 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 15206.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to December 6, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and cut and fit a revised key blade and housing assembly, in which the blade has been indexed by 90 degrees, to the original RKE transmitter assembly. GM issued an interim notification to owners on December 31, 2014. The recall began on February 4, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14445. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 2, 2007 THROUGH JANUARY 22, 2009. A 5TH PERCENTILE FEMALE ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DEVICE (ATD) IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL BARRIER TEST EXCEEDED THE HEAD INJURY CRITERIA (HIC) REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD. WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT POSITIONED FULL FORWARD, THE SEAT POSITION SENSOR WILL CAUSE A 30 MILLISECONDS DEPLOYMENT DELAY BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND STAGES OF THE DUAL-STAGE FRONTAL PASSENGER AIR BAG.
Remedy Status
GM DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 30, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
GM IS RECALLING 35,038 MY 2008-2009 PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT" AND FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS". THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKE LAMPS MAY BE CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATED AND FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING. ALSO CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY HAVE INCORRECT VALUES PROGRAMMED INTO THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE TELLTALE UNTIL TIRE PRESSURE FALLS BELOW VALUES REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BRAKE POSITION SENSOR AND THE REMOTE CONTROL DOOR LOCK RECEIVER WITH THE CORRECT VALUES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 5, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the key was accidentally bumped, and the ignition switch was knocked out of the run position, turning off the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure was rel...
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The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the ignition key could not be removed from the ignition switch. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet c...
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WAS DRIVING ON BOTH HIGHWAY & NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AND THE AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT & WARNING TONE CAME ON. AFTER MANY DIAGNOSIS DRIVE TESTS, I LEARNED THAT EVERY TIME MAKING A COMPLETE LEFT U-TURN THE AIRBAG FAULT INDICATOR WOULD DISAPPEAR. HOWEVER ONCE COMPLETING THE FULL LEFT U-T...
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KEEP GETTING AIR BAG LIGHT ON CODE U0170 AND B0081 SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A BIG SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE PONTIAC G8 NEEDS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE REAR ABS SENSORS AND STILL HAVE THE ISSUE WITH IT NOT WORKING AND REPLACED THEM 2 TIMES WITH NEW SENSORS
PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT REGISTER WHEN A PERSON IS SITTING IN SEAT TO ACTIVATE. CODES RECIEVED: U0170, B0081.
PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT REGISTER A PERSON SITTING IN IT TO ACTIVATE AIR BAG SYSTEM. CODES RETRIEVED: U0170 AND B0081. ODOMETER: 86,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.
PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MODULE - FAILURE THE FAILURE OF AN ELECTRONIC MODULE LOCATED UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, DEFAULTS THE AIRBAG SYSTEM TO "OFF". COST IS JUST UNDER $1,000 FOR DEALER REPLACEMENT. DEALER INDICATED THERE WAS NO METHOD TO TURN ON THE AIRBAG SYSTEM - REGARDLE...
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AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT COMES ON WHEN CAR IS STARTED, WHICH MEANS THAT THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT WORK. THERE IS AN AIR BAG RECALL TO THIS CAR, BUT THEY WILL NOT FIX MY CAR'S FAULT LIGHT PROBLEM. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY DEFECT THAT MANY GM HAVE, ACCORDING TO YOUR WEBSITE. THANK YOU MY ...
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MY CAR HAS JUST OVER 100K AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WITH CODES B0081 AND U0170. THE AIRBAGS ARE NOW NOT FUNCTIONING BECAUSE OF A FAULTY PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE. IT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I START THE VEHICLE (ABOUT 95% OF THE TIME). THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, STAYS ON, ...
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Showing 10 recent complaints from 71 total
View Full Complaint LogThe strongest comparison flow is usually: exact vehicle-year page, then nearby years of the same model, then other 2008 Pontiac models. That sequence helps separate one-off year spikes from broader make-wide patterns.
The 2008 Pontiac G8 has 4 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 71 owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Pontiac G8.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2008 Pontiac G8.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2008 Pontiac G8 are air bags (20 reports), suspension (9 reports), electrical system (8 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 4 recalls on record for the 2008 Pontiac G8. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.