Pontiac Firebird 1997

• Recall 89927 [USA]: This condition may cause inadequate sealing and loss of engine oil, possibly resulting in a fire.
  Certain honeywell fram racing brand hp4 and hp8 oil filters that were manufactured from may 25, 2006, through september 14, 2007, and sold for use as replacement equipment for vehicles list above. The affected filters are marked with a date code a61451 through a72571 sequentially. The date code and part number appear on the filter housing. Fram racing hp4 and hp8 oil filters not bearing a date code in this range are not affected by this recall. The gasket of the oil filter becomes more pliable under high temperatures and pressures.
  honeywell will replace the affected oil filters free of charge. The recall began during november 2007. Owners can contact fram customer service toll-free at 1-800-890-2075.
  customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov.

• Recall 36892 [USA]: Lack of amber side reflectors in the lamps will decrease lighting visibility to other drivers and may possibly result in a vehicle crash.
  Certain aj motorsport combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
  aj motorsport will notify owners and offer reimbursement for the lamps. The recall began on july 31, 2006. Owners may contact aj motorsport at 626-618-2026.
  this recall only pertains to aj motorsport aftermarket lamps and has no relation to any original equipment installed on the listed passenger vehicles.For more information on the lamp model numbers, click on document search and view document titled "lamp model numbers."customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov.

• Recall 13395 [USA]: In the event of a vehicle collision, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
  These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which can cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the fmvss requirement. This does not comply with fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
  dealers will inspect the seat belts for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.
  owner notification:owner notification began in october 1996. Note:owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

• Recall 1996176 [Canada]: Seats and restraints
  Note: convertible vehicles. These vehicles do not comply with c.M.V.S.S. 209 - seat belt assemblies. The front seat belt retractors may lock-up on slopes less severe than the requirement of the standard. As a result, occupants may not be able to extract and fasten their seat belts until the vehicle is moved to a more level surface. Correction: dealers will inspect for proper front seat belt retractor position and those found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.

To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

• Fuel tube retaining clip failure investigation as of 19971113

  Most of the reports reviewed in this investigation are fire incidents in which fuel leakage has been alleged as the cause or the area of origin is consistent with the alleged defect.There is no evidence that the subject clip was a factor in any of these fire incidents and nhtsa testing indicates thatbroken or dislodged retention clip does not result in significant movement of the fuel line bundle toward the left secondary air injection check valve.Failure of the clip places the fuel line bundle assembly in the same configuration as the 1993 model year lti vehicles.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
  

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• Fuel tub retaining clip failure investigation as of 19970724

  Owners have reported failures of the fuel tube retention clip that attaches to the plastic throttle linkage cover.According to gm, the subject retention clip (p/n 12048089) was implemented in production on october 12, 1993, to address a concern with incorrect assembly plant fuel line routing.Mis-routed fuel tubes may fail from contact with a hot air check valve, creating a fire hazard in the engine compartment.Gm maintains that no problems should occur if the clip is properly installed and isnt mishandled during subsequent service operations.Some owners have alleged to odi that the subject clip becomes brittle over time and may also pull free of the throttle linkage cover attachment hole.
  

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Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

• P1870 [5] Transmission Transfer Case Contact Plate Power Short To Ground
• P0400 [1] Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Malfunction

I was driving my car making an exit off the freeway & as i looked over my shoulder too make sure it was safe to merge over i seen there was smoke coming out of the tailpipe i went to turn back around & smoke was also coming from the sides of the steering wheel , i went too put my eyes back on the road & the whole front end of the car was on fire . *tr

The turning signal light sockets on the 1997 firebird (and probably other model years) burn up after a time causing signal failure and marker light failure. The cause is the excessive heat given off by the daytime running lights. Pontiac used the turning signal element of the light assembly as a full on,all the time, visibility light for daytime driving. I love the idea for safety reasons but i feel the signal socket needs to be better able to handle the heat of these lights being on all the time. Visibility is great but having these sockets fail at busy intersections and not being able to signal seems to be a bigger safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. The sockets burn black and haven't caught on fire on my car and i'm not sure of the fire potential of this, but being that the bumper fenders and virtually most of the car is plastic, if they ever did catch fire i'd hate to see how fast the vehicle would burn!. I have had to resort to using a small jumper wire to ground the drl signal out so that i effectively disabled the lights so that i didn't have to continually have to repair the sockets or risk having a fire. The next question asks for a date of incident and i'm not sure how to answer so i'll put today's date in there. The sockets seem to burn out once every few years, even the replacements are prone to failure after a couple years. My sockets have been replaced twice in 134,000 miles and this third set of sockets are scorched after being replace six months ago so i disabled the drl before they got worse. *tr

At 118,000 miles i had my front brakes changed for the third time. I asked the person changing the brakes to check the rear brakes since they have never been changed. I had asked previous people to look at them when inspecting brakes and i was always told they were fine. This time the person really looked at them and informed me that the brakes had never touched the drums (ever). My rear brakes were showroom new and so were the rear drums. I had had an sccident a few years ago and had those brakes been working i guarantee i would have gotten stopped in time to have prevented the accident and my injuries. The dat of inciden will be the date of this discovery.*ak

Abs failed while applying brakes in an emergency / sudden stop, which led to a vehicle crash. Manufacturer was notified.*ak *jlg

Vehicle intermittently stalled while driving. When occurred vehiclle would not restart for an hour or more. Vehicle been to dealers shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information on this matter.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Fuel leakage ; leakage occurred in fuel line that is attached to fuel injector. Consumer noticed problem when coming outside to vehicle, and smelling the gasoline. Contacted dealership, and problem is not fixed yet.*ak

Rough idle after engine is hot. Car would not re-start for 24 hours. *ak

Lack of power, hesitation, backfiring through fuel injection system. Cannot maintain 40 mph on interstate highways, going uphill.

Car had trouble accelerating. Ses light came on. Took car to dealer and was told that spark plug wires had gone bad and also needed new 0-2 sensor. *ak

Front right turn signal went out. Took it to dealer and was told the whole wiring went bad on that light and needed to be replaced. *ak

Premature burn out of rear tail lights. Consumer took the vehicle to t dealership, and mechanic told him that it will will cost $100.00 per light.*ak

Cannot move foot from gas pedal to brake pedal without hitting steering column concern about emergency braking.*ak

Upon taking vehicle in for routine maintenance brake job, due to town & country pontiac advising that brakes needed to be maintained, i was advised (not by the dealership, by another mechanic's shop) that the right front rotar was worn and had to be replaced as required by md. Law. Upon learning this, i then took vehicle to penn pontiac, as town & country looked at my brakes and did not inform me of the unsafe conditions, and penn pontiac confirmed that only the right side rotar had been chewed up. They further advised me that the brake pads were not worn unevenly and that there was no way possible that this occurred from normal wear. They further advised that the right front rotar had to have been machined at some point because the braking system was working properly and the brake pads were normal. When the vehicle was taken in to have the maintenance performed, the brakes had never been repaired or maintained, as the sensor had just began making noise which indicated that it was just then time for the normal maintenance. Therefore, there had to have been a defect in the braking system or town & county pontiac had to have machined that rotar prior to the purchase of said vehicle. This vehicle was purchased with 3000 miles, as it was a demo. Town & country never disclosed any information of prior repairs required prior to my purchase of same. I don't believe it is fair to expect a buyer to assume that repairs would have been performed on a new vehicle with only 3000 miles. *ak

The ses light came on in the vehicle and upon taking it to town & country the first time, they advised that one of the spark plug wires had gone bad and replaced same. I had to return again on 10/07/99 because the ses light came on again and the vehicle was sputtering. I had to have the vehicle towed this time. I called the manufacturer and advised that i refused to return to town & country and the vehicle was then taken to penn pontiac. I was advised once again that it was a spark plug wire and they replaced same and sent me on my way. On 11/24/99 i had to return to penn pontiac for the same problem for the third time. Once again, they advised that it was a spark plug wire and replaced another one again. On 12/10/99, i returned to penn pontiac for the fourth time because the ses light came on again and the vehicle was sputtering and the entire back end was rattling. I was advised this time that this was due to a broken baffle in the muffler and they replaced the muffler. Upon picking up my vehicle after said repairs, the vehicles was rattling worse than it ever had before. There is no way physically possible that they could have test driven the vehicle after said repairs and not noticed the horrible noise, because it was rattling as soon as i started the car. I immediately went in and spoke with the manager. He came out and listened to the vehicle and had a mechanic take it back into the shop. After waiting approx. 30 minutes, the manager then advised me that it was the catilytic converter and that i would have to call the following week to make an appointment to go back again and have the catilytic converter replaced. He assured me that it would only take an hour. I called the following week and had to wait an additional week before they could fit me in. On 01/05/00, i returned to the dealership for the 5th time to have the catilytic converter replaced. And now it is 01/21/00 and the alternator has now failed. The vehicle was acting the same way.

While i was driving on the middle lane on beltway 495 heading to work- i saw a huge tire high in the air & dropping in front of my car. I took my foot off the accelerator. It hit the front grille & went underneath my car causing it to fly over the tire. I landed safely on the middle lane. ( at the time i didn't realized that my airbag should have been released on impact.) at another date someone hit my driver's side door at about 10 mph & the airbag didn't work. *tr

Vehicle experiencing premature front wheel bearing wearing out at 39,000 miles. Dealer notified, and will not repair unless repair charges go to consumer. *ak

The car when slowing down lurches, like a tire has a bubble in it, or the rear-end is slipping, or transmission is slipping; you can actually 'feel' each revolution of the tires--rer-rer-rer-rer.....No mechanical cuases/problems noted from auto shop visits. *ak

Consumer is experiencing brake failure when brakes are wet. Vehicle does not stop properly. It takes a lot longer for vehicle to stop when brakes are wet. Dealer notified, but condition still occurs and unable to correct problem at this time.*ak

While driving the vehicle will accelerate and the braking system will not work. Had to put the vehicle in neutral in order to stop the vehicle. Took to dlr 3 times. Dealer cannot determine problem. *ak

Headrest, designed to adjust at angles, no longer locks at desired angle.

Transmission failed. Mjs

Car has been in shop 4 times for massive oil leaks. Car does not shift well, will not engage into second and reverse. The component above brake interferes with braking. Your foot hits the component above the brake and makes you panic and feel like you cannot find the brake.

The vehicle was crossing a railroad track and both air bags deployed without any warning. The vehicle was traveling about 15mph when the air bage deployed. *ak.

Front seat floor track failure.

Was traveling 30mph & applied the brakes to slow down for a stop, vehicle failed to stop. Vehicle sped up when brakes were applied. Owner experienced brake problems everyday. Problem is not intermittent. Had vehicle towed to dealer. Was informed by mechanic the computer module had broken for abs brakes. It needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving vehicle on highway, began to smell gas inside the vehicle, had to pull over and looked underneath the hood and gas was flooding over the engine, the next time it happened gas was leaking from underneath the vehicle on the driver's side. *ak

Consumer tried ajusting head rest and found that when ajusting to up-down position, the head rest allows approx. 3 inches of space before it locks. The only locking position is a verticle position whereas when ajusting the hea drest would move almost off the seat then it will lock only to secure the head rest from falling off. Consumer has spoken to the head rest manufacturer for pontiac in canada. Canada's manufacturer admitted to problem, and also sent consumer some part to see if it made a difference, the parts did not make a difference. The head rest when up, it will fall down when ever vehicle is in operation. Shimmering of these vehicle will make head rest fall down. *ak

The head restraints on the rirebird trans am and firebird formula models with optional "uplevel seats will not stay adjusted. Since headrest posts are not notched, the head restraints slip back down to the tops of the seatbacks while driving. *ak

Consumer was involved in 55 mph frontal collision. Driver lost control and hit a concrete wall with front of car, and then swung around of the driver's side and hit the same wall. Both driver's/ or passenger's air bags did not deploy, causing occupants to be injured. *ak

Both seats slide foward and backward with no warning.

The vehicle pulled to the left when the brakes were applied. The dealer has been contacted. *nlm

Rear differential makes noise, unable to fix properly.

The gas gauge reads 3/4 full when the tank is actually 1/2 full. The gauge reads 1/2 full when actually 1/4 full. Gauge reads 1/4 full when empty. Pontiac is aware of the problem but will not correct it, of remedy it for customers. Pontiac should remove gas gauge from dash board since the system is this faulty.

Headlights keeps going on and off intermittently .Daytime running module replaced twice and headlamp dimmer switch once , but defect keeps occurring. *ak

There is gas leaking onto the engine, and the engine is also hesitating and making noises. Dealer can't find a solution. *ak

When brakes get wet they become hard, causing, the brakes to gradually stop, resulting in extended stopping distance. *ak

I have had three serious oil leaks with this vehicle which started when it only had 8,000 miles. In addition, the parking brake failed and the power windows broke. The rear bumper rusts after it rains because of the brake dust. You have to use rubbing compound once a week. Overall, the amount of problems have been exhorbinant and not what you would expect from a $28,000 vehicle.

Engine is overheating because of radiator coolant (dex/cool) breaking down. Dealer has been notified. *ak

Consumer states that driver's side door has cracks developing, and dealer indicates that panels are separating. *ak

The gas and brake pedals are poorly placed. Upon moving foot from gas pedal to brake pedal (or vice versa), the top of foot hits steering column. Only way to get from one pedal to other requires a lot of foot/leg movement. *ak

Owner filled the vehicle and forgot to replace the cap. Within one mile of driving, the gas tank was on fire. The fire department stated that the most likely cause was gas spilling out of the tank and running down the side of the vehicle onto the exhaust.

Abs system failed.