1996 Pontiac Firebird problems
Owners have filed 50 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Pontiac Firebird. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 26% of complaints. Next are electrical system (16%) and engine (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 50 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What the data shows
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Pontiac Firebird with enough data (31 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Consumer contacted the dealer on two occasions in reference to oil leaks, the consumer was driving at 60 MPH and oil was leaking from the transmission dip stick onto the motor, causing the vehicle to catch fire in the engine compartment. ABS light illuminated, dealer replaced ABS. *slc
The ABS braking system failed while pressing the pedal, it went completely to the floor, causing him to run into the window of blockbusters.
This is the second time I've had to replace the mirror on the drivers side of this car. The mirror breaks off of the controls which makes it flop around. You can't use it to drive with, nor can you get it to stay still. You can't replace just the mirror either. You have to buy the whole piece (casing and mirror) then you have to have it painted. Grrrrrrrrrr!