2008 Pontiac Solstice Complaint Log

THIS COMPLAINT IS IDENTICAL TO ONE ALREADY FILED WITH THE NHTSA, REPRESENTING A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SAFETY ISSUE. WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE FROM A COLD START IN MY NEW PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP DELIVERED ONLY ONE WEEK EARLIER (MILEAGE AT ONE WEEK=200), THE BRAKES FAILED WITH THE CAR IN REVERSE AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL BACKWARD (FORTUNATELY WITHOUT POWER APPLIED DOWN A SLIGHTLY INCLINED DRIVEWAY. WHEN PUT INTO DRIVE, THE BRAKES RESPONDED. LATER IN THE DAY, FROM A COLD START, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN MOMENTARILY WHILE PULLING OUT IN DRIVE. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS VERY RESPONSIVE AND DIAGNOSED A FAILURE OF THE VALVE IN THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER THAT ALLOWS PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN THE HYDRAULIC LINES. THE PART IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER AS A STAC ORDER. I WAS TOLD THAT NO SPARE PARTS HAVE YET BEEN STOCKED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. THE DEALERSHIP PUT ME IMMEDIATELY IN A RENTAL VEHICLE AT GM'S EXPENSE UNTIL THE PART COMES IN, WHICH COULD BE "2 DAYS, 2 WEEKS, OR 2 MONTHS" AS THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID. COULD THIS BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT PRESENT IN ALL BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS, PERHAPS OUTSOURCED, DELIVERED TO THE SOLSTICE GXP ASSEMBLY LINE IN DELAWARE? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. WHILE DRIVING 3-5 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A GRINDING NOISE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. HE HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE FAILURE, IN WHICH THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS NOT TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. AS OF NOVEMBER 20, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 550.

STATED MY 2008 SOLSTICE AND PROCEEDED TO PULL OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME THE CAR SITS OVERNIGHT. I MUST PRESS DOWN "HARD" ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. AGAIN ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. THIS CONDITION WILL INJURE A PEDESTRIAN OR CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. NOTHING IS BEING DONE BY GM TO CORRECT THE BRAKES. DEALER DID NOT EXPLAIN HOW BRAKES WORK. NO WARNING STICKER. *TR

1) STARTED CAR AND PROCEEDED TO BACK OUT OF GARAGE. APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP CAR. 2) CAR WOULD NOT STOP AND CONTINUED TO ROLL DOWN DRIVEWAY. NEARLY HIT FAMILY CAR PARKED BEHIND. BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE CAR UNTIL THERE WAS CONSTANT "PUMPING" OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. 3) CAR BROUGHT IN TO DEALER AND DESCRIBED PROBLEM WITH BRAKES. SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THE DEALER WILL NOT FIX. SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THERE IS NO "FIX" FOR THIS PROBLEM. SERVICE ADVISOR ADMITS THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND SOMEONE CAN GET SERIOUSLY INJURED DURING THIS BRAKE FAILURE. 4) VEHICLE IS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. *TR

AFTER SITTING FOR EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME (3/4 HOURS) OR WHEN COLD THE BRAKES DO NOT WANT TO ENGAGE. IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND YOU ARE TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES. HAD OUR CAR TO DEALER A FEW WEEKS AGO. WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THEY PRINTED OUT A BULLETIN THAT STATED THAT ALL 2008 SOLSTICE, SKYS, AND OPEL GTS ARE SUBJECT TO INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT DUE TO LOW BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM CONDITIONS. THE CONDITIONS MAY EXIST WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD FOR THE FIRST FEW BRAKE APPLICATIONS OR WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME OR AT HIGHER ALTITUDES AND RESTARTED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ADVISED BY GM TO NOT TO ATTEMPT TO REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PARTS FOR WHAT IS CONSIDERED NORMAL OPERATION. SOME OF THIS SAME INFORMATION IS BURIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OWNERS MANUAL. SUBSCRIBE TO A SOLSTICE FORUM SITE AND NUMEROUS PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GET HURT OR WORSE BEFORE GM IS FORCED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM? UNLESS YOU SIT IN CAR WITH ENGINE RUNNING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS TURNED ON. WITH COLD WEATHER BEGINNING ITS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. *TR

WE PURCHASED THE CAR WITH 67 MILES ON IT, WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS OF DRIVING THE CAR WE NOTICED IF IT SAT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME THAT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE AT INITIAL START UP. *TR WE WOULD PLACE THE CAR IN REVERSE AND OR DRIVE PRESS ON THE BRAKE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS HARD,YOU COULD NOT PUSH IT DOWN TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES AT ALL. WE HAVE HAD TO USE OUR EMERGENCY BRAKE NUMEROUS TIMES AFTER START UP TO ENSURE WHILE BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY THAT OUR CAR WOULD STOP. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES LETTING THEM KNOW THAT SOMETHING MAJOR IS WRONG WITH OUR BRAKING SYSTEM, THEY FINALLY ON DECEMBER 19TH REPLACED THE EBCM, BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE, WE STILL HAVE NO BRAKES AT START UP. SOMEONE COULD GET HURT OR AN ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT CORRECTED. BRAKES IN MY EYES ARE AN IMPORTANT FEATURE ON A CAR. GM NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS. I AM ON A FORUM THAT HAS NUMEROUS 08'S WITH THIS SAME ISSUE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THIS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. *TR

I HAVE A BRAKE FAILURE PROBLEM ON MY 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP WITH 2.0 TURBO ENGINE. AFTER STARTING CAR I PROCEEDED TO BACK OUT OF GARAGE, AFTER BACKING UP 5 TO 10 FEET I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO STOP CAR AND CAR WOULD NOT STOP. HAD TO PUSH ON BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES VERY HARD AND TO PULL ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO FINALLY GET IT TO STOP. IF THERE HAD BEEN ANYONE ON SIDEWALK BEHIND MY AT THE TIME IT COULD HAD RESULTED IN A BAD ACCIDENT. THEN I TOOK MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING. AFTER LEAVING CAR AT DEALERSHIP A DAY OR 2 I WENT BACK AND THEY HAD FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN ( DOCUMENT ID# 1982132 ) DATED 6/04/2007 ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHICH STATED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL ON THE PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP AND THE SATURN SKY AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. AFTER THAT I SPOKE WITH THE GENERAL MOTORS REP. AND THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HE TOLD ME THE SAME THING BUT HE WOULD CHECK IN TO THE PROBLEM AND GET BACK WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WITH THE FINDINGS. AFTER A WEEK I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER AND WAS TOLD THAT GENERAL MOTORS WAS WRITING A NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAM AND THAT IT WOULD NOT BE READY FOR 2 OR 3 MONTHS. THAT WAS ON NOVEMBER 3, 2007. AFTER WAITING FOR 3 AND DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING FROM DEALERSHIP I CALLED THEY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SOFTWARE WAS READY AND I COULD BRING MY CAR BACK AND THEY WOULD INSTALL THE NEW SOFTWARE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE NEW SOFTWARE WAS INSTALL ON 3/3/2008. I RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP TO PICK-UP MY CAR ONLY TO FIND THAT THE "NEW" SOFTWARE DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING AND THAT THEY WERE AT THE MERCY OF GENERAL MOTORS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS BRAKING PROBLEM WAS NOT A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE AND IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU START THE CAR WHEN IT IS COLD, EVEN AFTER DRIVING CAR AND THE LETTING IT SET 4 OR 5 HOURS IT DOES THE SAME THING. SO I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT RESOLVED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. *TR

BRAKES WOULD LOCK WHEN I STARTED MOVING VEHICLE EVEN AFTER 5 MINUTE WARMUP. *TR

2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE WITH BRAKE PROBLEMS. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BRAKES DO NOT WORK FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. DEALER TOLD HIM IT IS DUE TO RUST ON THE ROTOR THAT NEEDS TO BURN OFF. THEY ALSO STATED IT WAS FROM BEING PARKED OUTSIDE. *KB