1993 Pontiac Bonneville
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
Vehicles › Pontiac › Bonneville › 1993
These records cover every 1993 Pontiac Bonneville. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 1993 Pontiac Bonneville. Newest first.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles manufactured from august 1991 through july 1995. the transmission oil cooler line can separate when the vehicle IS operated in low temperatures in combination with high transmission loads.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Vehicle fires can occur due to the spillage of transmission fluid.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the transmission oil cooler lines.
Owner complaints
138 complaints13 involved a crash11 involved a fire9 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Structure › Frame and members
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. While the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, encountering a speed bump, he heard a loud popping noise outside of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. He observed that the front frame and engine…
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. While the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, encountering a speed bump, he heard a loud popping noise outside of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. He observed that the front frame and engine both detached and were positioned on the ground. The contact was able to drive the vehicle a short distance to the residence at an extremely low speed; and upon reaching the destination the steering column fractured completely. The dealer was notified. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Steering · Structure · Structure › Frame and members
1993 pontiac bonneville (3.8L) rear engine cradle rotted at all for bolt points causing rear of engine cradle to fall out of the car causing steering issues and an eventual loss of steering. 1.) driving down normal paved city street. began turning a corner. (extremely lucky this happened at…
1993 pontiac bonneville (3.8L) rear engine cradle rotted at all for bolt points causing rear of engine cradle to fall out of the car causing steering issues and an eventual loss of steering. 1.) driving down normal paved city street. began turning a corner. (extremely lucky this happened at low speeds on a city street. if this happened on the freeway serious injury could have taken place) 2.) failure occurred once. any failure causing steering loss IS one too many. 3.) not yet repaired in searching the internet I see that gm has issued recalls for this exact type of failure on the pontiac grand prix, but I do not see one listed for the bonneville. in searching the internet I have found many other reports of this occurring. this was critical enough to issue a recall for the pontiac grand prix, then this should be serious enough to include the bonneville as well. *Tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that his vehicle IS leaking transmission fluid. the manufacturer made a report; however, they informed the contact that they were not completely sure if his vin was included in nhtsa campaign ID number 96v015000 (power…
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. the contact stated that his vehicle IS leaking transmission fluid. the manufacturer made a report; however, they informed the contact that they were not completely sure if his vin was included in nhtsa campaign ID number 96v015000 (power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines). they stated that they will investigate and provide him with an answer. the current mileage was 56,000 and failure mileage was 55,000. updated 4/21/08 *cn
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. the contact took her vehicle to midas for a routine oil change. a few hours later, the vehicle shut off while driving. the vehicle was towed and the technician stated that the vehicle's oil was black. the technician stated that the oil change was…
Tl*the contact owns a 1993 pontiac bonneville. the contact took her vehicle to midas for a routine oil change. a few hours later, the vehicle shut off while driving. the vehicle was towed and the technician stated that the vehicle's oil was black. the technician stated that the oil change was not the cause of the failure, but could possibly result from engine failure. as a result, midas fails to reimburse the contact. the vehicle would start, but made a loud knocking noise. the contact has the receipt and paperwork from the event. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 233,065.
- Structure › Frame and members
I own a 1993 pontiac bonneville, vin [xxx] with just over 160,000 miles on it. On the evening of april 6TH, 2006 my wife was driving this car near our home. She was at a stop sign on ortman road and as she pulled onto cherry creek road she heard a loud clunk. At the same time she lost all steering…
I own a 1993 pontiac bonneville, vin [xxx] with just over 160,000 miles on it. On the evening of april 6TH, 2006 my wife was driving this car near our home. She was at a stop sign on ortman road and as she pulled onto cherry creek road she heard a loud clunk. At the same time she lost all steering ability. When she turned the steering wheel it just spun in circles as if it were no longer attached to anything. I was called and went to see what had happened. Upon inspection of the vehicle I saw that the sub frame and motor had dropped down about 6 inches. There are four bolts that attach the sub frame to the body of these vehicles. The bolts were all in place and in good shape. Each bolt has a washer, which retains the sub frame to the body of this car. On my car the washers corroded and wore to the point that they would no longer retain the sub frame. The bolts pulled through the mounting holes of the sub frame, thus allowing the engine and all related components to drop about 6 inches. When this happened the shaft from the rack and pinion steering to the steering wheel pulled apart, thereby leaving the operator of the vehicle with no ability to steer. on friday april 7TH I called public service garage in marquette mi. And spoke to the service manager. He said that there was ??no recalls for this problem and that he sees this a few times a year??. I called and filed a complaint with pontiac also. I have been told that it IS ??very unlikely that pontiac will do anything because this only happens in the midwest where the winter roads are salted?? Thus causing high rates of corrosion. this would have been a five-minute fix if it were done before the failure. You could pull the bolts out one at a time and simply remove the old washer and replace it with a new one. I feel that the owners should be made aware of this possible problem. I also believe this problem exists on other makes and models of gm vehicles. *nm updated 07/16/2012*js
- Electrical system › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control module
Went to the store and when I came out my car would not start, the security light was flashing. I read the owners manual and it said to clean the key and checks the fuses. I did both of these and still no start. I called a gm dealer and told him what had happened, he said that the car IS not…
Went to the store and when I came out my car would not start, the security light was flashing. I read the owners manual and it said to clean the key and checks the fuses. I did both of these and still no start. I called a gm dealer and told him what had happened, he said that the car IS not recogoning the key and that IS why it wont start. The key has a chip on it, now this IS in no way something that was caused by neglect, it IS from a defect in the key, yet gm will not pay to get this fix and get the car back on the road.
- Tires › Sidewall
Tire defect. Groove developing on sidewall approximately in the middle of the "brand" and "model" lettering. Looks as if the tire has been rubbing against something, but IS on outside of tire. This IS happening on two tires. One passenger rear, the other, driver front. Possible belt separation?
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Drum › Wheel cylinders · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Vehicle experienced problems with the rear wheel cylinder, and the master cylinder after only 24,000 miles. Consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and had the vehicle serviced for these repairs. However, after 35,000 miles the wheel cylinders were replaced again. Also, when applying the brakes the…
Vehicle experienced problems with the rear wheel cylinder, and the master cylinder after only 24,000 miles. Consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and had the vehicle serviced for these repairs. However, after 35,000 miles the wheel cylinders were replaced again. Also, when applying the brakes the vehicle would not stop.owner had the vehicle towed to the dealer only to find out that the master cylinder was defective. Provide further details.*ak
- Structure › Frame and members
While driving 25 mph front frame dropped. Consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
- Seat belts › Front
Involved in head-on collision, mva. the air bag deployed being a disabled firefighter/paramedic I am an advid wearer of seatbelt's. post accident as I attempted to remove myself from front of vehicle, I reached down to find the seatbelt had not held during the accident. I am going to inspect the car on 03/05, then release it to my insurance company. how do I proceed if it IS found to be faulty? *Ak
- Electrical system · Engine and engine cooling · Power train · Service brakes, hydraulic
The transmission went bad and the intake manifold was leaking coolant and oil. *la there were also brake and electrical problems. *sc *jb
- Steering › Rack and pinion
The driver had difficulty turning the steering wheel in either direction. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. please provide further details. *jb *jb
- Engine and engine cooling
Had the hood open and tried to start car. Car made loud boom and blew off plastic intake manifold and ball of flame shot up. My children were nearby and plastic parts went shooting all around nearby area. *cb
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Turbo/supercharger
Hey, how you doing. My name IS [xxx]. I took my mothers ([xxx]) 93 pontiac bonneville into the pontiac dealership on 159th st in southholland illinois. I know that dealerships have certified mechanics. the problem IS, my mother's car would crank but wouldn't start. I took it to the dealership, and…
Hey, how you doing. My name IS [xxx]. I took my mothers ([xxx]) 93 pontiac bonneville into the pontiac dealership on 159th st in southholland illinois. I know that dealerships have certified mechanics. the problem IS, my mother's car would crank but wouldn't start. I took it to the dealership, and they told me that I would need a turbo gasket and a manifold gasket. When the job was done they told me the bill came to six hundred and something dollars. however, my car was still not running because that wasn't the problem. They told me I need to get a new turbo system. The problem IS, I don't think that it's fair for the dealerships, certified mechanic to be making guesses on what's wrong with the car when he went to school to know everything about it. at this point, I have to pay out of six hundred dollars for something I don't need, the car IS still not running, because the mechanic didn't know what was wrong. on top of that, you can't take your car to no place better than the dealership .*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
- Air bags
Consumer states the horn assembly does not function because air bag has shifted to the right side of the steering wheel causing horn not to function dealer has been notified however do not have a fix for problem.*jb
- Air bags
Consumer states the air bags has shifted to the right side of the steering wheel resulting in the horn not to working.*jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control › Catalytic convertor
GMC converter lock-up problem.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Hoses/lines/piping/fittings
A leak IS inside of engine coolant line can cause a fire. dealership IS aware of problem.*ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines
While driving transmission cooling line separated, blowing transmission fluid onto exhaust manifold causing vehicle to catch on fire. dealer contacted. *Ak *tt
- Air bags › Side/window
While traveling 45 mph on the interstate. Another vehicle veered into consumer's vehicle, and driver's side airbag didn't go off. dealership was aware of problem.*ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Intermittent brake failure at any speed. pedal will go to the floor ,and vehicle has no braking action. Vehicle not taken to dealer yet. *ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines
Tranmission oil cooling lines developed a hole caused by rubbing against metal cooling lines bracket, spraying transmission oil under car and on catalitic converter.*ak
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
After replacing fuse consumer noticed smoke coming from under dash near steering column. *Ak estimated property damage was $2,000.*yd
- Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
4 alternator failures are way beyond what IS normal in 97000 miles. Other pontiac owners indicate that gm seems to have a history of this problem though the dealers deny it. Based on the problems we've had I doubt we'd buy another gm car. *ak
- Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
When attempting to release buckle for driver's restraint buckle would not release. consumer had to cut belt in order to exit vehicle. dealership examined vehicle, and determined that buckle assembly locked up. *ak *slc
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Fuel leaks
There is no summary currently available
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 6089996Some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60 or 4t60-e transxales may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that IS noticeable when in park on incline.
- 4050700Unknown
- 619370Owners of some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60, 4t60-e or 4t65-e transaxles may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that IS noticeable when standing in park on a hill or slope with the engine running and the parking brake not applied.
- 603085Some customers may comment that there IS corrosion ( rust ) appearing on the left and /or right rocker panel(s).
- 602983Concerns of door handles on white painted vehicles truning yellow.
- 602751Some customers may comment that the vehicle
- 54065Comments on inoperative power door locks (front and/or rear doors).
- 53021Information based on engine idle surge, or mil (malfunction indicator lamp) illuminated with dtc (diagnostic trouble code) p0131, p0171 or 44 set.
- 52564Excessive vibration of electrochromic inside rearview mirror.
- 51497Cold start rattle noise (diagnosis/service procedure).
- 50571Cold start rattle noise.
- 50563Some vehicles may display a condition at 70 mph where the speedometer reads about 4 mph faster or slower than hud.
- 45881Grinding and/or growling noise in park on incline.*sd
- 45811Low illumination of console prndl indicator in lower or all gear positions.
- 43039Unknown
- 43036Unknown
- 39814Dim headlamps, slow windshield wipers, etc resulting from low/no generator output.
- 39633Fuel guage reads empty when fuel tank IS full.
- 39308Cold start rattle noise.
- 39079Heads up display and instrument cluster speed differences.
- 37848Faint buzzing noise from front of dash area.
Every Pontiac Bonneville model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.