Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Pontiac G6 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that the passenger's side air bag service required message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 180,000.
my son was driving the car and had a friend with him. they were involved in an accident which he tboned anoehr car. the driver air bad deployed but that was the only one. no other bad deployed and caused injury to windshield of passenger and caused injury to my son from drivers door.
My car will flash "POWER STEERING" across the stereo notification screen and alarm and the power steering locks up as you drive and makes steering your vehicle impossible and unsafe! This was a recall which was supposedly repaired at Titus Will (dealership) some years prior when the car was previously owned by Kristena Fulton but it is still very much a problem and a HUGE safety risk. I've contacted their location and was yelled at by a female who stated they had repaired it previously and would NOT help me regarding this. This vehicle is dangerous and poses not only a safety risk which could result in serious injury and death should it be driven on a freeway or highway at the time this error occurs. I've taken video of this and am asking for this to be repaired ASAP as I transport my two children and could result in injury to myself and my children.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that when at a parking lot of a school, the contact drove very slowly at an unknown speed, the brake pedal failed to respond when depressed and in addition the vehicle accelerated to an unknown speed. The power steering failed to turn left or right. The failure occurred without warning. The failure caused the contact's vehicle to crash into another vehicle, which made the vehicle come to a stop. Only the air bag on the power steering wheel deployed. The other air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a back injury that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Pontiac G6. While the contact's boyfriend was driving 40 MPH, he was struck from behind by another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver suffered pain and was taken to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The body damage to the vehicle was repaired, but the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that nothing could be done. Also, while turning the wheels to leave a parking spot, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering column and torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there had been a recall; however, it had been completed. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into the side of another vehicle. During the incident, the front end sustained significant damage and the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a concussion as well as injuries to the neck, back, head, and right leg. The contact required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 193,000. The VIN was not available.
Mr. Did evasive manuevers at 65 MPH to avoid deadly collision with fully loaded senior citizen van by a driver with a cell phone. Steering wheel was very loose, brakes pedals were very easily depressed, none of the front air-bags deployed and car seats did not lock. Mr. Hit median concrete at 60 MPH. Ambulance and emergency room dictated, "you all very lucky to have survived." 3rd party administrator(esis) counter claims mr.. That because mr. Collided with median sideways the air-bags did not deploy. Mr. Argues that front driver portion of car hit median first, air bags should have deployed and seat belts should have locked. 3rd party administrator counters. Because there is no proof we cannot claim such fact. She (3rd party) is insisting on us to sign medical release forms and submit pictures of car. Mr. Has advised that car is repaired and has been sold. …
On August 6, 2016 I was merging onto the 33 east from the cayuga road entrance in cheektowaga, ny. As I tried to merge onto the thruway my steering completely went loose and lost control. I couldn't grab hold of the wheel, and my car went completely insane and crossed the 3 lanes of traffic on the thruway and hit the guardrail, then bounced off the guardrail, crossing back through those 3 lanes and I ended up in a ditch on the opposite side of the guardrail.my car is completely totaled, and I was taken to the hospital er by my mother & my car was towed by cheektowaga police to millers towing on genesee street. The only thing the hospital diagnosed me with was whiplash. I have no idea or explanation as to what could have caused my steering wheel and whole car to lose control like that. I contacted general motors and filed a claim with them. …
There are 3 different areas that I assume are the cause of my car's problems. First the passenger side air bag is has stayed off, regardless of passengers being present since 2014, I believe. Using the key does not change the air bag status. Also this May be part of the electrical area, but at around the same time my cruise control also malfunctioned. The car was in motion when I realized both things. Also I've had problems with traction control coming on out of no where, and instead of the engine speed being reduced, the car will not move at all. Sometimes it will like reset after I pull over and wait for over 10 minutes, but it will come back on repeatedly. I have to pull over wait restart, pull over wait restart several times within a usual 20 minute drive at times. Also I'm having problems with the air compressor staying engaged. …
Takata recall. But not only the air bags. There is a clicking noise when I steering, sometimes causing the air bag light to come on. There is a vibrating coming from the driver's side front when at speed that shakes the steering wheel even after the tires are balanced and the struts and tie rods were replaced. If I grab the steering wheel with both hands, it moves up and down. When parallel parking, the power steering fails making it impossible to turn the wheel without hitting the gas and putting the car in motion. I've noticed in my research that other G6 models of this year and surrounding years were recalled for all of the problems I am having. When I asked the person at Chevy dealer about it, she told me I was out of luck until the VIN pops up in their system. …
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Remedy: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (GM) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in GM's letter to…
Airbag complaints in other G6 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Pontiac G6?
NHTSA has 117 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Pontiac G6, 6% of the model year's 1,910 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Pontiac G6 airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-417 (frontal, Oct 31, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Pontiac G6 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 21 crashes, 0 fires and 19 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.