1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 148 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (38 complaints · 25.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 6
  • Fires 7
  • Injuries 15
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1995 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 38 of 148 owner complaints (25.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 38 complaints, 25.7% of reports ENGINE 38 · 25.7% · 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 27 complaints, 18.2% of reports AIR BAGS 27 · 18.2% · 4 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 22 complaints, 14.9% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 22 · 14.9% · 4 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 8.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 8.8% · 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 9 complaints, 6.1% of reports STRUCTURE 9 · 6.1% POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 4.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 4.7% SERVICE BRAKES: 7 complaints, 4.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 4.7% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 6 complaints, 4.1% of reports STEERING 6 · 4.1% VISIBILITY: 4 complaints, 2.7% of reports VISIBILITY 4 · 2.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 96 complaints, 64.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 96 · 64.9% · 5 crash reports 6 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 38 25.7% 0 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 27 18.2% 4 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 22 14.9% 0 crashes · 4 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 8.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 9 6.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 7 4.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 6 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 4 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 96 64.9% 5 crashes · 6 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1995. 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1995 Jan 2016 Recall campaign 95V204000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V204000 Recall campaign 96V116000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V116000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Investigation PE02050 ● Investigation PE02050 Investigation EA02030 ● Investigation EA02030
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1997-Q1 Owner reports 6
1997-Q2 Owner reports 3
1997-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q4 Owner reports 6
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1998-Q2 Owner reports 2
1998-Q3 Owner reports 3
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 3
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 3
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 3
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q4 Owner reports 4
2003-Q1 Owner reports 6
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 7
2003-Q4 Owner reports 6
2004-Q1 Owner reports 10
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 4
2005-Q2 Owner reports 3
2005-Q3 Owner reports 3
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95V204000
Recall campaign 1 96V116000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Defect investigation 1 PE02050
Defect investigation 1 EA02030
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V204000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE; THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THE KEY WAS LEFT IN THE IGNITION OR THAT THE SAFETY BELT WAS NOT BUCKLED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF REQUIRED, REPLACE THE MALL MODULE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V116000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A NO-START CONDITION AND POSSIBLY AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE PROGRAMMING. UNTIL THE CAMPAIGN REPAIR IS MADE, THE VEHICLE HOOD SHOULD BE SHUT WHENEVER STARTING THE VEHICLE TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF PERSONAL INJURY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 148 complaints · page 1 of 6

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources