1993 Pontiac Lemans Problems: Seat belts (18 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1993 Pontiac Lemans is Seat belts (39% of 18 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Seat belts — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 18 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 1993 Pontiac Lemans?

7 of 18 filings named Seat belts (39% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (3 reports).

There are 2 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 1992 has 21 reports on file; this year has 18. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1993 Pontiac Lemans

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 7 complaints · 38.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 6
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 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.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) appears in 7 of 18 owner complaints (38.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 7 complaints, 38.9% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 crash reports 1 fire reports 7 · 38.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 3 complaints, 16.7% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 · 16.7% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 · 5.6% Engine (ENGINE): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 · 5.6% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 · 5.6% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 · 5.6% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 crash reports 1 · 5.6% Wheels (WHEELS): 1 complaints, 5.6% of reports Wheels (WHEELS) 1 · 5.6% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 13 complaints, 72.2% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 2 crash reports 13 · 72.2% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 7 38.9% 2 crashes · 1 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 16.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 1 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 5.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS) 1 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 13 72.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 1994. 1995-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1994 May 2006 Recall campaign 94V248000 ◆ Recall campaign 94V248000 Recall campaign 06E043000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E043000 Investigation EA94004 ● Investigation EA94004
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 1
1995-Q2 Owner reports 3
1995-Q3 Owner reports 2
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 3
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1997-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 94V248000
Recall campaign 1 06E043000
Defect investigation 1 EA94004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts.

  1. Recall campaign 06E043000

    Safety recall 06E043000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Recall campaign 94V248000

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION CAN PREVENT A PERSON FROM USING THEIRRESTRAINT SYSTEM RESULTING IN AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IN AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL LUBRICATE THE TRACK SYSTEM ON THESE VEHICLES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 18 complaints · page 1 of 1
2002-12-03Wheels (WHEELS)
NHTSA ODI 8023649
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL KEEPS WEARING OUT THE STRUTS AND BRAKES DUE TO A DEFECTED PART IN WHEEL MECHANISM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
2001-05-12Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 745238
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
1999-09-14Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 847732
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TRANSMISSION COOLING UNIT AND LINES IS LEAKING FLUID FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. ALSO, WHEN CONSUMER TURNED VEHICLE ON, STARTER HESITATEDTO TURN OVER/ ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, AND THERMOSTAT NOT REGISTERING THAT ENGINE OVERHEATED. *AK
1999-09-14Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 847731
CrashFireInjuryDeath
RANSMISSION FLUID OR COOLANT IS LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. ALSO, WHEN CONSUMER TURNED CAR ON THE STARTER HESITATED/THERMOSTAT LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. STARTER WILL TURN OVER AT TIMES/ IT IS NOT STARTING, AND THERMOSTAT IS NOT REGESTERING THE ENGINE RUNNING HOT. *AK
1998-01-07Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
NHTSA ODI 820325
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE TOOK OFF ALL BY ITSELF. THE VEHICLE TOOK OFF WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER TO GO INTO A WALL. *AK
1997-03-24Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
NHTSA ODI 515890
CrashFireInjuryDeath
RIGHT REAR LIGHT BULB INOPERATIVE.
1997-03-13Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 809943
CrashFireInjuryDeath
OWNER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY AT 65 MPH AND THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND BROKE WINDSHIELD AND DENTED ROOF. *AK
1996-10-09Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 803364
CrashFireInjuryDeath
IN COLD WEATHER THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STOPPED WORKNG , PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
1996-03-04Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 502051
CrashFireInjuryDeath
BRAKES CALIPERS REPLACED TWICE. *SD
1996-02-28Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 501802
CrashFireInjuryDeath
SEAT BELTS CONTINUALLY FRAY, AFTER RECALL. *DH

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1993 Pontiac Lemans?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 7 of 18 reports (39%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1993 Pontiac Lemans?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1993 Pontiac Lemans?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

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 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources