Most common 2008 Pontiac G8 problems
Share of the 71 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Pontiac G8 complaints by model year
2008 Pontiac G8 recalls (4)
Seat belts
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to October 22, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge.
Electrical system › Ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to December 6, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and cut and fit a revised key blade and housing assembly, in which the blade has been indexed by 90…
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
General motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Pontiac g8 vehicles manufactured from November 2, 2007 through January 22, 2009. A 5th percentile female anthropomorphic test device (atd) in a 30 MPH frontal barrier test exceeded the head injury criteria (hic) requirements of the standard.
Remedy: GM dealers will reprogram the sensing and diagnostic module free of charge. The safety recall began on November 30, 2011. Owners May contact Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Tires › Pressure monitoring and regulating systems
GM is recalling 35,038 my 2008-2009 Pontiac g8 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment" and federal motor vehicles safety standard no. 138, "tire pressure monitoring systems".
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the brake position sensor and the remote control door lock receiver with the correct values free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before June 5, 2009.
What 2008 Pontiac G8 owners say
Air bags all 25 →
I have gotten a "airbag fault" warning every time I start my car. Apparently this is due to a censor giving out and to repair the issue costs about $1000. 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), whivh I was not, 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. This is scary. …
Passenger seat occupancy module - failure the failure of an electronic module located under the passenger seat, defaults the airbag system to "off". Cost is just under $1,000 for dealer replacement. Dealer indicated there was no method to turn on the airbag system - regardless of passenger or not. Because of this failure (many failures recognized since the 2006 solstice model) any passenger is subject to an unsafe condition without active airbag. The value of the vehicle negates the dealer cost to repair. Complaint filer feels the cost of the replacement module should be half of that quoted by the dealer since genuine GM parts are available at $275 instead of dealer cost of $417 and that labor of 2.5 hours to replace module under the seat is excessive based on time taken by others self-correcting the problem. (times indicated ran from 20 minutes to 45 minutes for most). …
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the key was accidentally bumped, and the ignition switch was knocked out of the run position, turning off the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V540000 (Electrical System). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the recall was marked closed by the dealer without performing the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G8. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the ignition key could not be removed from the ignition switch. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Suspension
Ball joint failure, both sides, front suspension. Loud clunking over irregular surfaces and bumps, vibration in front end, shaking/strong vibration during braking. Inspected by dealer, all ball joints on driver and passenger side failing. GM warranty personnel directed me to continue driving the vehicle, they refuse to cover a loaner or rental and declared that it is "a non-safety issue". Since when are primary attachment points for the steering apparatus, spindle, brakes, and wheels not a safety concern? These people should be criminally indicted for spewing such irresponsible nonsense. Someone will get killed by one of the cars eventually. I can no longer safely use this vehicle as transportation for my family, these components are failing rapidly, and will likely cause an accident or injury when they fail completely. This issue demands a recall. …
I have a 2008 Pontiac G8 gt. The issue is the front suspension. Around 43,000 miles the car started getting very bad sounds and vibrations coming from the front of the car. When applying the brake under certain speeds and conditions the car will go into a violent shake. When driving straight I'm fine but if I head into any kind of a curve in the road the steering wheel is shaking badly and the whole car shutters. I'm out of factory warranty so they couldn't do anything for me. I did have the dealership look at it and they have told me that indeed I do have bad ball joints & control arms and most likely strut bushing issues. They said I could purchase the parts myself but that the parts are on a very long backorder, 2-3 months are common place. …
2008 Pontiac G8 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 24 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Pontiac G8 a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the G8 to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 71 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Pontiac G8?
The air bags — 25 complaints, 35% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (14) and suspension (10).
How many recalls does the 2008 Pontiac G8 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2008 Pontiac G8, the most recent from June 23, 2015 (seat belts). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 2008 Pontiac G8 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 53,000 miles; 46% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.