Pontiac / Bonneville / 1997
1997 Pontiac Bonneville problems
Owners have filed 188 complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 30.9% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 16%.
Complaints188
Crashes3
Fires25
Injuries10
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 30.9% · 58
Electrical system 16.0% · 30
Power train 10.1% · 19
Steering 7.4% · 14
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.9% · 13
Vehicle speed control 5.3% · 10
Fuel system, gasoline 4.8% · 9
Air bags 2.1% · 4
Severity
Of those complaints, 3 describe a crash, 25 describe a fire and 10 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 11 model years of the Pontiac Bonneville in this data, 1997 sits 4th by complaint volume. 1998 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 4 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 98,774 miles.
In owners' own words
Vehicle stalled unexpectedly on three occassions while driving. This happened while the vehicle was decelerating at speeds ranging from 35-50mph. Vehicle was able to restart after a period time. Once immediately and the other two times after 15-30 min. Vehicle was taken to dealer service and the problem was not able to be detected or repeated. Please provide information on problem and corrective actions taken. Engine and engine cooling
Was traveling 55mph when vehicle started to overheat. Pulled to side of road, checked under hood, and noticed steam & anti-freeze was spilling over everything. Turned vehicle off & anti-freeze just dripped. Noticed it was coming out of bottom of water pump. Let vehicle cool down & refilled it with water & drove home. Dealer replaced water pump, engine coolant system failed. *Slc Engine and engine cooling
Vehicle will stall while in motion unexpectedly and without warning, causing loss of power steering. Consumer had taken vehicle to dealer between 4-6 times, but defect keeps occurring. Finally dealr replaced fuel pressure regulator and defect did stop, but only for 2 years. Currently, defect has reappeared.*Ak fuel pressure regulator was replaced twice in three years. Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Pontiac Bonneville years
1994 123 complaints · 17.9% electrical system 1995 330 complaints · 17.3% engine and engine cooling 1996 181 complaints · 26.5% engine and engine cooling 1998 359 complaints · 58.8% engine and engine cooling 1999 176 complaints · 33.5% engine and engine cooling 2000 301 complaints · 19.6% visibility