Pontiac Bonneville Years to Avoid and Recalls

Which Pontiac Bonneville years should you avoid?

Going by 1,902 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Pontiac Bonneville years to avoid are 2001 and 1998.

20012.3× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (20 fires, 6 crashes).
1998277 complaints, 2.1× a typical Bonneville year, most often about the engine.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Crashes	Most reported	Status
2005	27	0	1	2	Air Bags	Routine
2004	28	0	1	—	Steering	Routine
2003	54	2	5	3	Engine	Routine
2002	89	2	3	5	Steering	Routine
2001Avoid	129	0	20	6	Engine and Engine Cooling	High concern
2000	214	2	21	4	Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls	High concern
1999	143	4	9	5	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	Routine
1998Avoid	277	2	28	9	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	High concern
1997	147	2	16	3	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	Routine
1996	150	3	7	6	Air Bags › Frontal	Routine
1995	244	1	4	12	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	Above average
1994	88	0	9	11	Air Bags › Frontal	Routine
1993	138	1	11	12	Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	Routine
1992	113	3	5	13	Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	Routine
1991	22	2	1	3	Power Train › Automatic Transmission	Routine
1990	39	1	1	4	Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	Routine

Year

Complaints

Relative volume

Recalls

Fires

Crashes

Most reported

Status

2005

Air Bags

Routine

2004