Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
got cutoff on a busy highway going 70mph and they slammed their brakes. i had 6 car lengths between us and immediately started braking but we were just skidding. I had the choice of hitting the vehicle or swerving left towards the median. I chose the latter. The steering locked up, the abs did NOT kick in and the airbags did NOT deploy. we hit a median at 70mph and no airbags?! I was point of impact. It hit the front drivers side, destroying the light and entire front. the car spun around and it hit again but this time it was the back passenger side/light. Again, NO airbags deployed. So my abs, steering, and airbags all had issues. We are so lucky no one is hurt in severeity but I am beyond fuming, scared, and confused why all of those locked up/failed to serve their purpose! …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix. While traveling less than 15 MPH to enter a drive thru, the steering wheel locked to the right and the vehicle crashed into a wall. The contact had extreme difficulty unlocking the steering wheel and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The contact was able to get the vehicle to restart the next day and it was driven to a repair shop. The insurance company repaired the body work. The ignition switch failure and power steering failure were not inspected or diagnosed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V400000 (electrical system), but the contact had not received the recall repair appointment. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09e005000 (steering). A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. …
When I go to press on the brakes it would pull to the right ,and when I go to put on my signal light to the right my bright lights comes on and when I turn on my heater the door or something the shop told me was not opening for my heat to come out,and that's the problems I am experiencing,with the Pontiac they are excellent cars but has few issues,can you please help with fixing these problems.I've reported the problem three and a half years ago and I have not heard from anyone yet my number is [redacted]thank you for your time.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, the vehicle rolled into the curb. After attempting to restart the vehicle, the front of the vehicle caught fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
My car started on fire while on a city road because of the power steering pump pulley completely sprung off serpentine belt melted coolant reservoir melted fuse box be melted from the fire how many other things something to do with the power steering pump leaking fluid and hitting my exhaust causing a fire in my car
The bright lights stay on, my horn doesn't work, the instrument codes will blink off and on.. There is a windshield wiper motor that causes a power surge that blows out the blower motor to go out.. It has burn marks..
My power steering went out and when you try to go over 40 the car lunges forward and has a hard time shifting and will continue while in cruise control. I already had work done on the fuel line cause the line was clogged and the vehicle would lunge forward cause the fuel wasn't getting pushed through. My power steering went out after my boyfriend parked it. He only noticed it when he tried driving away and he couldn't turn the wheel like usual. The cruise control does its thing while in motion. Also the headlamps! The brights stay on, you have to hold the dimmer switch back to get the brights to turn off but if you let go of the switch they turn on and flash people. It only turns off when turning left. The ac compressor blew too. …
I was driving west bound on I-10 towards tucson arizona. I was in the right lane and there was a pickup truck in the left lane. The pickup truck cut me off and moved into my lane without checking his blind spot. I quickly swerved to the right into the lane for the upcoming exit to avoid being hit, and when I tried to correct to left in order to not hit exit sign the brakes felt as if they did not work right and I couldn't get control of the vehicle. The car went into a roll and landed on the passenger side. None of the airbags deployed. I had left town the day before and was on my way back. When I contacted my parents about the accident on the 21st they told me that a recall had come in the mail the day before for my vehicle. The recall was the GM recall notice. Because I was unaware of the recall I had many keys on my key ring. …
My power steering went on my 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix that I purchased from a dealership on 09/22/07. When I first got the car the steering column was making noises. Dealer repaired and all of a sudden in April my wheel got tight and I contacted the dealer and they said there wasn't nothing much they can do and for me to bring the car in for inspection. I was unable to bring it in due to work schedule conflicts. My husband was driving and the wheel locked up and resulted in my car flipping over and a loss of total damage to the car. There were 4 passengers and we all climbed out of the back window while the car was flipped upside down. Me and the other 2 passengers were transported to the er via ambulance.
2006 Pontiac Grand Prix: vehicle engine shuts off while driving regardless of the speed you are going example: 10-65mph, steering wheel locks up so you can't pull to the side of the road to avoid crash. A month or so before engine started shutting off my airbag light an tone was appearing and alarming... I've almost been crashed into 4 times by semi's an school buses. This is very serious an dangerous it almost caused my life an I am 7 months pregnant with a 6 year old who has also been in the car with me. I hope this gets resolved I wasn't warned of any recall good thing I started googling an found out that there has been a recall on my ignition/electrical system.
NHTSA investigations
Power steering fluid leaks - fires
General motors (GM) initiated a customer satisfaction campaign in October of 2006 to address a failure of the power steering hose and/or clamps that could occur when the engine is started in vehicles primarily operated in the following states that experience extremely cold temperatures:alaska, maine, minnesota, montana, new hampshire, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin and wyoming.at the time this…
Steering complaints in other Grand Prix years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the steering of the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix, 18% of the model year's 239 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix, though it has 1 recall 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 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 4 fires and 8 injuries to steering 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.