Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Pontiac G6 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost electric power steering assist. The electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the electric power steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering); however, the year and the VIN were not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
I bought this car from a dealership called drive now in lebanon tennessee. About 2 miles after signing and trading my vehicle for this one the ESC, tc off, check engine, low tire pressure sensor lights all came on on the dash. I took it to them 4 different times now and they stated to me it's an electrical problem and they claimed to have fixed it!! A month later it all began again. It starts with the driver side headlight going out then the passenger side headlight goes out and then all the lights come back on again. This time however once I replaced the light on the drivers side I noticed it had melted inside the wires. I drive home and seen the car was smoking from under the hood amd the battery cables were blazing with fire. Luckily I had a gallon of water that I put the fire out with. …
Dear NHTSA; I own a 2010 Pontiac G6 that within the last week incurred a power steering failure. Recall research shows that on March 2014 the NHTSA required GM to issue a recall for this exact problem, however, it only covered the G6 models up to the year 2009. The service advisor at the dealership acknowledged that the "problem" was very similar to the steering problem for earlier models that are subject to the recall. However, since the 2010 model year was not included in the NHTSA recall, the cost to repair the problem falls to the consumer and is estimated to be in the $1,800 to $2,000 range. This is clearly a safety issue and mirrors the same characteristic's as earlier models included in the recall. I have contacted GM regarding this matter and have been assured that a local customer service representative will be contacting me within 48 hours. …
About a year and a half ago, the power steering in my 2010 Pontiac G6 completely stopped working. Every time I would start the car, the power steering worked for a couple seconds and then I would hear a faint sound like a fuse or sensor going out, power steering and service ESC would begin flashing repeatedly on the dash and my power steering would stop working. Shutting the car off and restarting it only caused the power steering to return for a few seconds. At that time, there was roughly 105,000 miles on the car. I went to an auto shop and they told me it was something computerized/electrical within the steering column and would cost $900 to fix. I was unable to afford to get the car fixed so I continued driving the car without power steering. After months of this, randomly the power steering started working 100% of the time again. …
Intermittent problem, city & rural driving, slow and fast speeds, while turning and while on straight, in motion and while parked, smooth roads and rough, raining and dry. However, problem occurred only a handful of times during the winter. Started over 6 months ago, approx 93,000 miles. While driving, 3 bell-dings, "power steering," "disabled ESC," and "service ESC" dash lights come on, along with icon of car w/swervy lines. Continue driving and steering seemed OK. Dash continues to cycle "power steering" and "service ESC" warnings. Issue repeats randomly. After a period of normal use, problem intensifies to dashboard gages, radio scv, and cruise to off ; auto shifting becomes rough. All gages then flutter up and down intermittently. Work done: mechanic = 9 pages of codes. New battery/battery cables. Drove a while, recurred - no codes. …
While driving, unexpectedly, an error will appear stating there is an issue with the power steering. At this time, the power steering stops working which makes it very difficult to control the vehicle. At the same time, a "service ESC" code appears also and it automatically turns off the traction control system. This happens while driving down the highway at higher rates of speeds which poses a critical safety issue. There is no current recall information at this time for this vehicle. Some instances have included the brake lights not working properly or the tail lights not illuminating while the headlights are turned on. This is also a huge safety concern. The vehicle is paid off and expenses have been incurred by the owner to fix this problem, but the issue is recurring. The repair center cannot seem to fix this problem. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Pontiac G6. While the cruise control was activated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the ESC, traction control, and engine warning indicators illuminated. The cruise control deactivated independently. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. The vehicle was restarted and the gear lever failed to shift from park into the drive position until after several attempts. The vehicle resumed normal operation; however, the warning indicators remained illuminated. The vehicle was serviced previously per NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The recall remedy was insufficient and the failure recurred. …
While the car is parked and running the power steering control ESC will be on on the dash and lock up the steering wheel and I can't turn out of a parking spot. When this occurred I used to be able to turn off the car and turn it back on and it would be off. But recently it has been occurring a lot more often. I was parked with car running and the power steering ESC would stay on even after turning it on and off. Then the no traction light appeared. Once the power steering control was off I would drive my car and turn it off but when I turned it back on the power steering would be on again so I can't steer my car. The power steering control ESC has even turned on while driving and becomes very hard to turn. I have done a lot of research and had found that it has happened to a lot of 2010 models, and some have even got into accidents and injured. …
I had an incident in 2013 that might come in to play with a recent recall. I own a 2010 Pontiac G6. As I was driving down a main road traveling at an average speed of 45mph my vehicle became impaired. The dash screen projected service ESC/ low traction. The steering became almost impossible to control and no matter how hard I pushed the gas pedal down the car would not go any faster than 5 MPH. The car also became jerky, jerking the whole car back and forth for a moment. I this happen multiple times. I took the car to the GM shop and after changing a lot of parts that didn't need to be changed they finally changed a part called a sensor and that seemed to stop the problem. It seems there is starting to be a recall on this but not my car and I'm not sure why. This isn't the first problem I had with this car sense I got it. ...updated 08/12/15 updated 9/29/17
When I start the car and running (park) , the power steering control ESC shows on the dash and locks up the steering so I can't turn out of a parking spot. It has locked up while I was driving in town before before to. Whenever this has happened, all I had to do was turn the car off and turn it back on to turn off the power steering control ESC. But recently this had happened while parked the traction control light came on and the power steering control would not go away even after turning it off and on. I have done a lot of research, and a lot of people are having this same problem with their 2010 model and are getting injured. I would advise this problem being recalled, while all other models from 2005-2009 have been recalled, and 2010 seems to be the worse.
Traction Control complaints in other G6 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2010 Pontiac G6?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2010 Pontiac G6, 20% of the model year's 272 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Pontiac G6 traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2010 Pontiac G6, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Pontiac G6 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.