Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Pontiac G6 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the brake lights had remained illuminated after braking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). The VIN was included but had already been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
I own a 2005 Pontiac G6 which I purchased from a dealer after it had been leased for 1 year. The vehicle had 12000 miles on it when purchase. Numerous problems have occurred with this vehicle after purchase. Starting with a noise, clunk in the steering. This has been in the repair shop for upwards to 7-8 times, each time new repairs done on different parts. This problem has never been resolved. Now at 64500 miles the noise is still there after repairs only 4000 miles ago. Starting in October of 2007 I began having problems with the brake lights and cruise control. Brake lights working only sporadically as well as the cruise control. There has been documented repairs on the is of 7-8 times as well. This problem also has never been resolved. On September 17, 2008 my car was involved in a rear-end automobile accident in most part and no doubt due to faulty brake light system. …
2005 Pontiac G6 - water pours from the interior lights splashing the inside of the car and driver which is as unexpected as a child running in front of a vehicle. The sudden downpour May cause the driver to loose control of the vehicle when they look up to see where the water is coming from.. Nobody was injured in my incident however, the water is coming from the drain tubes from the top of the car which have a tendancy to become disconnected. I am told this is not considered a safety hazard but a driver does not expect to be suddenly soaked by water when driving a car and can cause the driver to become reckless which May cause damage or injury to a vehicle or a person if it has not already. This is a common problem and needs to seriously considered as a safety hazard. …
I have been having an issue with the right rear brake light and signal light on this vehicle for about 3 months. The signal light May or May not blink twice, then goes off. The brake light might come on for as long as 10 seconds when you apply the brake. I changed the bulbs, to no avail. I even purchased a new wiring harness. My mechanic believes it is the brake light control module. I know there is a recall on this vehicle for this. I contacted byford Buick/GMC here in chickasha, okla. To do the recall. This dealer has a history of taking a customers car in for recall, then telling the customer the recall didn't actually fix the problem and running up a huge bill. When I dropped the vehicle off for the brake lamp malfunction recall, I was very specific that they only do the recall, and nothing more. They called two days later and said the car was ready. …
The evening of January.24th,2017 I was traveling on the highway heading home and when I went to slow down because a semi pulled out in front of me I noticed the cars behind me were not reducing their speed & the car behind me almost hit me but swerved to avoid it then laid on their horn cussing me because my brake lights were not working until I let off the brakes they came on and stayed on, so I pulled over put car in park my husband got out and was checking things out and sure enough it was like they had a mind of their own. So I called for my father in law to come follow me home so that I would not cause an accident and when I went to put the car into gear my gear shift would not come out of park! …
When I drive my car, a strong odor of gass fills up my car. It is so strong that it gives me a killer headache. I have a gas leak coming from the back of the car. The shop I take my car to have told me that it is more than likely a fuel pump leakage. They have told me that they have had to fix many, many fuel pump leakages on Pontiac g6s. Also, my tail lights have stopped working for some reason. They both stopped working at the same time. The gas leakage seems to leak durring and after I drive it. The tail lights... I had just gotten off of work when I got into my car and the police officer I work with told me they were not working. That same night I got home and locked my car. I went to get something out of it and they were working fine. After a few days I was pulled over again because they had stopped working again. They currently do not work. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, she was alerted that the brake lights were illuminated despite the brake pedal not being depressed. The failure recurred numerous times. The contact inspected the fuse box and noticed that one of the fuses was covered in what looked like soot. In addition, a portion of the fuse box was melted. The dealer was notified and arrangements were made to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 30,815.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign numbers: 09V039000 (exterior lighting), 14V252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, services brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the failure persisted weeks later. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,134.
Low-beam headlight bulb keeps burning out and bulb harness is melting. Have bought at least 5 plus bulbs and installed. It did this once on the left side low-beam and now it's habitually the right side low-beam headlight bulb and harness.
Too many complaints to write them all up, here are a few: engine makes metal grinding "whooshing" noise independent from acceleration-dealer cannot replicate, warped rotors-dealer wanted over $1,000 to fix, have had radio replaced 5 times due to disc errors-dealer keeps replacing, had steering rack and water pump replaced at 30,000 miles-dealer covered, sensor that turns on lights went-dealer replaced, power steering problems, hard to turn and rough, but no "lock-ups" like others have had(thankfully)-dealer cannot replicate, had drivers side front panel sunroof drain clog, water soaked front carpet(3 inches of water)-dealer fixed but left me with a moldy carpet!, engine flutters/stutters to a start on random-dealer has no answer for me, trunk lid was scraping rear bumper due to latches being tightened wrong-dealer fixed, headlamp full of condensation-dealer fixed, car ridiculously bad …
Related recalls
Exterior lighting › Brake lights
GM is recalling 8,012 my 2005-2006 Pontiac g6 vehicles. The brake lamps May not operate properly because of corrosion in a wiring connector. Corrosion in the connector could cause the brake lamps to illuminate when the brake pedal has not been depressed, or the lamps May not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed.
Remedy: Dealers will apply a dielectric lubricant to the connector to prevent corrosion. This service will be performed for you free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2009.
NHTSA investigations
Brake Light Malfunction
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-001 on February 4, 2013 in response to complaints alleging that the brake lights do not operate properly on model year (MY) 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles. Complainants allege that the brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is not depressed, and turn off once the brake pedal is applied.
Brake Light Switch/Sensor Malfunction
On May 14, 2014 General Motors (GM) announced a recall action (14V-252) involving model year (MY) 2004-12 Chevrolet Malibu, MY 2004-07 Malibu Maxx, MY 2005-10 Pontiac G6 and MY 2007-10 Saturn Aura vehicles.An increased resistance can develop in the Body Control Module connection systems and result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS, or brake light switch) circuit that can cause the brake lamps to…
Headlight complaints in other G6 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Pontiac G6?
NHTSA has 63 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Pontiac G6, 9% of the model year's 679 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Pontiac G6 headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-036 (brake lights, Jan 30, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Pontiac G6 headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.