2008 Pontiac Solstice Brakes Problems

Random failure of brake lights to either illuminate when the pedal is pressed or turn off when the pedal is released. On two separate occasions, a couple of months apart. I was notified by other drivers my brake lights appear to be working in reverse. When I come to a stop, they turn off when I pull away they turn on and stay on. After the first incident I had the vehicle serviced. They could not duplicate the problem. Apparently they were now working correctly. To be proactive. I asked them to replace the brake light switch with a genuine GM part. They did and they calibrated the switch to the car. This service was performed on 11/14/2023 - 144,621 miles. It appeared to have solved the problem initially. But re-surfaced this morning 12/29/2023. I was notified by another driver of the opposite on -off function again. I continued to work. Visual inspection indicated normal function again. Brake pedal released, lights off. Brake pedal depressed, lights on. Random malfunctions like this at some point will cause an accident, either at an intersection or on the highway. Especially in this age of "Distracted driving". Several similar instances have been reported by owners on the public forums. The consumer stated that they took the vehicle to their local GMC repair facility and the brake light switch was supposedly replaced. The issue still exists.

PARKING BRAKE DOES NOT PREVENT VEHICLE FROM ROLLING WHEN PARKED ON A INCLINED SURFACE. HANDLE IS EXTENDED TO IT'S MAXIMUM POSITION.

AFTER A HARD BRAKE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR STOPPED FINE WITH THE ABS BRAKES KICKING IN AS NEEDED. HOWEVER, AFTER THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, WE STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD, AND THE BRAKES WOULD NO LONGER FUNCTION PROPERLY. AS IT CAME TIME TO STOP AGAIN, I PRESSED THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR, AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I THEN PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO PUMP THE BRAKES, BUT BY THAT TIME, I WAS RIGHT UP ON THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AND I REAR ENDED THAT VEHICLE RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO BOTH THAT CAR AND MINE. GIVEN THAT I ALWAYS HAD ISSUES WITH THE BRAKES NOT SEEMING TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AFTER THE CAR SAT OVERNIGHT OR FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, I AM UNFORTUNATELY NOT SURPRISED THAT THIS HAPPENED. THE CAR SAT ALL DAY WHILE I WAS AT WORK ON A RELATIVELY COLD DAY FOR ME TO HAVE IT ON THE ROAD, AND I HADN'T USED THE BRAKES SINCE THE MORNING. JUST RECENTLY, THE ABS LIGHT HAD COME ON IN THE CAR, BUT AFTER TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE BATTERY (WHICH I SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACED) AND THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ACTUALLY WRONG WITH THE BRAKES, BUT NOW I AM THINKING THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I OWN A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP AND HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND WENT TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL AFTER REPEATED FORCE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONLY WHEN DRIVING IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING AT 5 MPH, HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTART IT TO REGAIN BRAKE CONTROL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT LEAST THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO INSPECTED THE BRAKES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,800.

2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP BRAKES WILL NOT HOLD ON COLD STARTS AND HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN 2007, HOWEVER, THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THEY HAVEN'T HEARD FOR THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING A BRAKE PROBLEM. *TR

EVERYTIME I START THE CAR IN THE MORNING OR WHEN IT HAS BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 4-5 HOURS BRAKES FAIL TO WORK, I HAVE TO LEAVE THE TRANSMISSION ON "PARKED" FOR ABOUT 1 OR 2 MINUTES OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL VERY HARD TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING, THIS ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH THE FIRST DAYS I HAD THE CAR, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2009. I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM UNTIL I STARTED IT UP AND BEGAN TO PULL OUT OF THE NEARBY MALL PARKING LOT AND AS I WENT TO PRESS THE BRAKE, IT MADE A LOW GRINDING NOISE, ALMOST LIKE THE ABS WAS LOCKING UP EXCEPT THE LIGHT WASN'T ON, AND I WAS MERELY CRUISING, NOT EVEN ON THE GAS PEDAL. I REAR ENDED THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME - NOT BAD, JUST KNOCKING OFF MY PONTIAC EMBLEM ON THE HOOD, AND DENTING IT IN SLIGHTLY. THE VERY NEXT DAY, THE SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED. FROM THESE TWO WRECKS ALONE, I RECEIVED FOUR TICKETS, RESULTING IN MY LICENSE BEING SUSPENDED, MY INSURANCE CANCELING ON ME, AND SETTING ME BACK A GOOD COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS IN COURT FEES. I FILED A CLAIM WITH GENERAL MOTORS IN JANUARY ONCE I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND A BULLETIN ON HERE ABOUT THE BRAKES. THEY STILL HAVE YET TO DO ANYTHING, EVEN AFTER I HAVE FAXED THEM NUMEROUS DOCUMENTS INCLUDING MY TICKETS, THE BULLETIN, BILL OF SALE, PAPER STATING MY LICENSE BEING SUSPENDED, AND SO ON. ALSO, I EVEN BROKE MY TOE FROM ONE OF THE COLLISIONS FROM WHERE I HAD ACTUALLY PUSHED DOWN HARDER ON THE BRAKE TO MAKE IT STOP. ROBERT BRONSON, MY CLAIM ADJUSTER FOR GENERAL MOTORS HAS SPOKEN WITH ME SINCE JANUARY, (WHEN I AM ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM) AND HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. THE REAR BRAKES HAD POOR FUNCTIONALITY DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, BUT THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DETERMINE A REMEDY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 17046. UPDATED 3/4/2010 *CN UPDATED 06/18/10.*JB

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS (THE SECOND DATE WAS ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO), I HAVE HAD TO MAKE VERY HARD STOPS AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. BOTH TIMES, THE CAR CAME TO A STOP WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FUNCTIONING PROPERLY (BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATIONS INDICATING CORRECT MODULATION). ONCE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP HOWEVER, THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FAILED COMPLETELY. THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BACK PRESSURE. THE CAR BEGINS TO ROLL AGAIN, INDICATING THE BRAKE CALIPER/PADS HAVE RELEASED THE DISK. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO STOP AGAIN WAS TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL, ACTIVATING THE STABILITY CONTROL MODULE TO BOOST HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS SEEMS RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS ISSUE OF BRAKES NOT FUNCTIONING ON START-UP DUE TO LOW VACUUM. FOLLOWING A HARD STOP, THE VACUUM BOOST TO THE BRAKES APPARENTLY BECOMES DEPLETED, CAUSING BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL DANGERS THIS PRESENTS, I FELT IT IMPORTANT TO REPORT THIS SINCE THE DEALERSHIP SEEMED UNWILLING TO PURSUE THE ISSUE. *TR

BRAKE ISSUE - I HAD NO BREAKS WHEN THE CARE WAS COLD. THE DEALER "REPROGRAMMED" THE BRAKES LAST WEEK (7-19-08) HOWEVER THE REPROGRAMMING HAS MADE THE BRAKES UNUSABLE WHEN THE CARE IS COLD. DEALER SAID I JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT, THE CAR IS A TURBO AND THAT IS HOW A TURBO WORKS! PLEASE DO SOMETHING. *TR

THE BRAKES ON OUR CAR HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE DAY 1. THEY PULSATE, DON'T FULLY STOP AT TIMES AND IN A PANIC STOP PULL THE STEERING WHEEL SEVERELY TO THE LEFT, ALMOST OUT OF YOUR HANDS. THE DEALER HAS TRIED, UNSUCCESSFULLY, A COMPUTER DOWNLOAD AND TELLING US TO WARM THE CAR UP FOR 45 SECONDS BEFORE DRIVING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE. WHEN THE CONTACT FIRST STARTS THE VEHICLE, THERE IS A LOSS OF BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT COULD NOT MAKE A REPAIR UNTIL GM FORMULATES A REMEDY. THE VACUUM BOOST SWITCHES TO TURBO ON THE ENGINE AND NEEDS TO BUILD UP. ONCE IT FINALLY BUILDS UP, THE BRAKES WORK NORMALLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500. UPDATED 07/07/08.*LJ UPDATED

I OWN A 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP. WHEN THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A WHILE AND IT IS STARTED.. THE BRAKES DO NOT WORK! I HAVE ALMOST REAR ENDED OTHER MOTORISTS BEFORE AND I HAVE ALMOST BACKED MY CAR OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO STOP! MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM! *TR

BRAKES REQUIRE EXCESSIVE PRESSURE ON COLD START. BRAKE IS SPONGY AT FIRST THEN BECOMES HARD CAUSING THE CAR TO CREEP. UPON HARDER APPLICATION THEY THEN SNATCH. FEELS LIKE THAT YOU DON'T' HAVE FULL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND FEAR THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HIT SOMETHING. AFTER DRIVING 100 YDS THE BREAKS FUNCTION AS NORMAL. *TR

BRAKES, SYSTEM ON PONTIAC SOLSTICE . *TR

2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE HAS NO BRAKES WHEN YOU FIRST START UP EARLY MORNING PONTIAC SAY`S THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS TYPE VEHICLE. WHEN IS NO BRAKES NORMAL FOR A NEW CAR TO HAVE NO BRAKES WHEN YOU FIRST APPLY. *TR

2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE HAS NO BRAKES WHEN YOU FIRST START UP EARLY MORNING PONTIAC SAY`S THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS TYPE VEHICLE. WHEN IS NO BRAKES NORMAL FOR A NEW CAR. *TR

PONTIAC SOLSTICE - 2008 GXP AFTER MY CAR HAS SAT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN IT IS STARTED UP AGAIN THE CAR OVER REVS AND THE BRAKES TO NOT WORK. THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED IT I WAS PUTTING DOWN THE TOP AND BY THE TIME I WAS DONE IT HAS STOPPED REVVING. THE SECOND TIME A DAY LATER I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT AND HEADED TOWARD A GATE. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK ALMOST CAUSING ME TO HIT THE FENCE. AFTER I LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE IT STARTED WORKING OK. THIRD TIME MY WIFE WAS PULLING OUT OF OUR GARAGE WHILE BACKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK CAUSING HER TO ROLL INTO THE STREET. GOOD NEWS IS SHE DID NOT GET HIT. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. TOOK 4 DAYS TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THEY HAD TO REPROGRAM THE CAR BUT IT SHOULD BE FINE NOW. AFTER I PICKED IT UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND DROVE HOME. THE ENGINE FAN RAN FOR 5 MINUTES AFTER IT WAS TURNED OFF. *TR

MY WIFE AND I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ON OUR 2008 PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP TURBO SINCE PURCHASING IT. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT PROBLEM. IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. IN ADDITION, THE ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY COMES ON AND PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *TR