There are 24 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2008 Pontiac G8in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
KEEP GETTING AIR BAG LIGHT ON CODE U0170 AND B0081 SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A BIG SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE PONTIAC G8 NEEDS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE REAR ABS SENSORS AND STILL HAVE THE ISSUE WITH IT NOT WORKING AND REPLACED THEM 2 TIMES WITH NEW SENSORS
PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT REGISTER WHEN A PERSON IS SITTING IN SEAT TO ACTIVATE. CODES RECIEVED: U0170, B0081.
PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT REGISTER A PERSON SITTING IN IT TO ACTIVATE AIR BAG SYSTEM. CODES RETRIEVED: U0170 AND B0081. ODOMETER: 86,000
AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT COMES ON WHEN CAR IS STARTED, WHICH MEANS THAT THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT WORK. THERE IS AN AIR BAG RECALL TO THIS CAR, BUT THEY WILL NOT FIX MY CAR'S FAULT LIGHT PROBLEM. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY DEFECT THAT MANY GM HAVE, ACCORDING TO YOUR WEBSITE. THANK YOU MY CAR HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
MY CAR HAS JUST OVER 100K AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WITH CODES B0081 AND U0170. THE AIRBAGS ARE NOW NOT FUNCTIONING BECAUSE OF A FAULTY PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE. IT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I START THE VEHICLE (ABOUT 95% OF THE TIME). THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, STAYS ON, AND THE VEHICLE SHOWS AN AIRBAG FAULT WARNING. FROM THE RESEARCH I'VE DONE, THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE PONTIAC G8 AND THE ENTIRE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS INOPERABLE ONCE THIS MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE ARE DOZENS, IF NOT HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS MODULE AND THE FACT THAT IT DISABLES THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND THE END CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL TO REPLACE THIS MODULE, CONSIDERING THAT GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS DEFECT AND THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V399000 (SEAT BELTS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
FAULT LIGHT ACTIVATION,FAULT CODE STATES IT'S THE PASSENGER SEAT MODULE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THERE WILL BE NO AIRBAG ACTIVATION . THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH ALL G8 VEHICLES, DO YOU THINK THERE MIGHT BE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V399000 (SEAT BELTS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. UPDATED 08/16/16*LJ UPDATED 08/17/16. *JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED SOON AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED THREE MONTHS AGO. THE LIGHT HAS REMAINED ILLUMINATED EVER SINCE. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. ...UPDATED 03/31/16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. IT WAS DUE TO A LOOSE WIRE UNDER THE SEAT. UPDATED 04/05/16.*JB
PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT FAULT REMAINS ILLUMINATED INDICATING THAT THE SYSTEM IS DISABLED. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR IS KNOWN BY GM AS BEING DEFECTIVE AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY. THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND STABILITY CONTROL INDICATORS ARE ILLUMINATED AND WILL NOT FUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER SUGGESTED TO CHECK ALL FUSES, THE WIRING HARNESS, REPLACE WHEEL BEARINGS, AND CHANGE ALL WHEEL SENSORS. ALL ITEMS WERE REPLACED AND THE FAILED SYSTEM REMAINS INACTIVE. THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS RECOMMENDED TO BE REPLACED BY REMOVAL OF THE SEAT, CUTTING INTO THE SEAT AND INSTALLING A NEW SENSOR. THEN THE VEHICLE MUST BE REPROGRAMMED BY AN AUTHORIZED GM SERVICE FACILITY. THIS REPAIR IS IN EXCESS OF $1,200.00. THE FAILED SYSTEMS OCCUR IF MOVING OR NOT AND IS A LIFE SAFETY CONCERN.
THE VEHICLE HAS AN AIRBAG FAULT THAT DISABLES THE ENTIRE AIRBAG SYSTEM. TO REPAIR THE ISSUE COSTS OVER $900. THIS IS HIGHLY UNSATISFACTORY AS MANY USERS OF THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUE WHEN OPERATING THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. THIS IN A SENSE RENDERS THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO OPERATE AS DRIVERS (SOME UNAWARE) ARE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY OPERABLE AIRBAGS. THE COST TO REPAIR IS VERY HIGH FOR A FEATURE THAT IS A SAFETY STANDARD ACROSS THE INDUSTRY. THE AIRBAG SYSTEM OF A VEHICLE SHOULD NEVER HAVE ANY FAULTS OR FAILURES UNLESS IT HAS BEEN DEPLOYED OR TAMPERED WITH. IT IS QUITE DISAPPOINTING THAT A SYSTEM THAT HAS NEVER BEEN USED OR TAMPERED WITH CAN HAVE SUCH COSTLY FAULTS/FAILURES. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY.
AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT COMES ON IMMEDIATELY UPON TURNING VEHICLE ON AND SYSTEM CHECKS RUN THROUGH. AFTER THIS OCCURS, THE AIR BAG DUMMY LIGHT INDICATOR TURNS ON AS WELL AND REGARDLESS IF A PASSENGER IS SITTING ON THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DOES NOT TURN ON. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE ISSUE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.
EVER SINCE I WENT TO HAVE THE REPROGRAM DONE ON MY AIR BAGS SYSTEM I HAVE GOTTEN A "AIRBAG FAULT" WARNING EVERY TIME I START MY CAR. SINCE IS HAS HAPPENED I JUST ALWAYS IGNORED IT UNTIL I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT BECAUSE IT DOES THAT, MY ENTIRE AIR BAG SYSTEM IS SHUT DOWN AND MY AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. THIS UPSETS ME VERY MUCH, SINCE I CARING MY FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL LIKE SOME THING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. GM NEEDS TO RECALL THE MODULE THAT WILL FIX THIS ISSUE. THIS AIR FAULT IS PUTTING MANY FAMILIES AT RISK OF LOSS OF LIFE!!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS !!! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V534000 (AIR BAGS) AND REPAIRED. AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS, WHO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000. *TR
I WENT TO GO ON A SHORT TRIP, AND AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE STARTED THE MESSAGE," AIR BAG FAULT" READ IN MY DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE WAS FAULTY, PART NUMBER 92225595. QUOTED ME ABOUT 800 DOLLARS FOR THE REPAIR. LIKE OTHERS HAVE POSTED ON THIS SITE, WHEN THAT MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED, THAT INDICATES THAT THE WHOLE AIRBAG SRS IS DEACTIVATED. I QUESTIONED HOW THIS WASN'T A RECALL SINCE IT IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ON A CAR THAT IS 5 YEARS OLD, AND THE RESPONSE WAS,"WE DON'T KNOW." I HAVE REPLACED THE MODULE MYSELF AND HAVE HAD A GM DEALER REPROGRAM IT DO MY VEHICLE. WHAT REALLY IRKS ME OFF, IS THAT THE PART NUMBER FOR PART THAT BECAME FAULTY, IS DIFFERENT THAN THE REPLACEMENT PART THAT WAS USED TO FIX THE ISSUE. THIS BLATANTLY INDICATES THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE SINCE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO RECOMMENDED ME TO REPLACE THE FAULTY PART WITH THIS "UPDATED" PART. THIS WOULD NOT BE SUCH A BIG ISSUE BECAUSE I AM WELL AWARE OF THE FACT THAT SOME PARTS ARE SUBJECT TO BEING REPLACED BECAUSE OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, BUT THIS IS A MODULE THAT LITERALLY SITS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM, AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY KIND OF OUTSIDE ELEMENTS, MECHANICAL MOVING CAPABILITY, OR THE ELEMENTS, SO THE ONLY WAY THIS PART COULD FAIL IS BECAUSE OF AN IMPROPER DESIGN OR OTHER ELEMENT THAT THE CUSTOMER HAS NO CONTROL OVER. THAT REASON ALONE SHOWS WHY THIS MODULE, BEING A KEY PART IN THE SRS SYSTEM, SHOULD BE RECALLED AND INSTALLED WITH THE NEW UPDATED MODULE. I HOPE THE NHTSA LOOKS INTO THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY, AND TAKES ACTION. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V534000 (AIR BAGS) BUT DID NOT WANT TO HAVE THE REPAIRS PERFORMED BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL COMPONENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE AIR BAG THAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THIS COMPONENT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 134,000.
WITH APPROXIMATELY 72,000 MILES AND LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 PONTIAC G8 GT THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER CHECKING WITH ONSTAR THE ERROR CODES WERE U0170 AND B0081. THERE HAVE BEEN PRIOR RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAMMING ON THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND MY CAR HAS HAD AN AIRBAG MODULE REPLACED ONCE ALREADY. A QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE ON PONTIAC G8S THAT IN MANY CASES HAVE EVEN LESS MILES THAN MINE ON THEM. MANY OF THE STORIES ONLINE ARE LITTERED WITH DEALER ESTIMATES TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM, WITH REPAIRS RUNNING UPWARDS OF $900+ TO REPLACE ONE MODULE (GM PART NO. 92225595), AND THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN FIX THE PROBLEM. IN SOME CASES DEALERS ARE DIAGNOSING THE SENSOR (GM PART NO. 92220398) AS HAVING TO BE REPLACED AS WELL, WHICH IS ANOTHER $900+. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE (AT LEAST THAT ARE REPORTING IT ONLINE) AND THERE MUST BE MANY OTHERS AS WELL THAT HAVEN'T TAKEN TO THE ONLINE FORUMS TO REPORT THEIR PROBLEM. WITH A REPAIR AS COSTLY AS THIS ONE (ON A CAR WHOSE MARKET VALUE IS ROUGHLY $15,000) I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE MANY ARE MAKING THE REQUIRED REPAIRS AS THE COST TO DO IT IS SIGNIFICANT (AND IN MY CASE >10% OF THE TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF THE CAR). I WOULD APPRECIATE A FURTHER LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE WITH A FOCUS ON HOW MANY OF GM PART NO. 92225595 HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED/BOUGHT IN THE LAST 3 YEARS FOR USE ON A PONTIAC G8. I IMAGINE MANY MORE WILL HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE ON CARS THAT HAVE A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF MILES. I BELIEVE A RECALL, OR LOOK INTO A RECALL, IS WARRANTED. THANK YOU *TR
THE PASSENGER SEAT PRESENCE MODULE IN THE VEHICLE FAILS PREMATURELY , IN MY OPINION. THE FAILURE OF THIS MODULE MEANS IF YOU HAVE A CRASH, YOUR VEHICLES SAFETY AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY. YOU START YOUR VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND YOU GET AN AUDIBLE ALARM. I UNDERSTAND I HAVE A 3 YEAR WARRANTY ON MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS UP IN MARCH OF 2011. THERE WAS A RECALL WHERE THE SAME MODULE HAD TO BE REPROGRAMMED, WHICH I HAD DONE IN 2011 I BELIEVE. THERE IS AN ENTHUSIAST WEBSITE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CAR ( G8 BOARD.COM ).ON THIS WEBSITE, I SEE LOTS OF OWNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A $ 1,000.00 REPAIR INCLUDING PARTS / LABOR. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT MY CAR IS SELDOM DRIVEN, STAYS IN A GARAGE UNDER COVER AND HAS ONLY 5,689 AS OFF GETTING THE REPAIR DONE YESTERDAY ( 7-24-13 ). I HELD OFF GETTING REPAIR AS I DIDN'T HAVE THE $ 1,000.00 FOR THE REPAIR WHEN I FIRST GOT THE ALARM. I SEE ON THIS WEBSITE THAT SEVERAL OWNERS ARE REFUSING TO PAY THIS OUTRAGEOUS COST FOR THIS REPAIR AND RIDING AROUND WITHOUT AIRBAGS.I CONSIDER THIS DANGEROUS AND IRRESPONSIBLE ON EVERYONE'S PART . GM'S RESPONSE TO ME WAS THAT MY WARRANTY WAS UP IN MARCH 2011 AND THERE ARE NO RECALLS AS OF NOW, SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR LUCK . I JUST HOPE WE DO NOT NEED A FEW DEATHS OVER A COMPONENT MODULE THAT SHOULD HAVE A LONGER SHELF LIFE THAN 4 OR 5 YEARS. *TR
THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE AIR BAGS IN MY 2008 PONTIAC G8. TWO WEEK AFTER I HAD THIS PROBLEM FIXED AT THE GM DEALER, MY AIR BAG FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON, INDICATING THAT IF I WERE IN A CRASH, MY AIR BAG MAY NOT WORK PROPERLY. I BELIEVE THESE TWO ISSUES ARE RELATED, EVEN THOUGH THE GM DEALER STATED THEY WERE NOT. *JS
Showing 1–20 of 24 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026