Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Pontiac Solstice owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Random failure of brake lights to either illuminate when the pedal is pressed or turn off when the pedal is released. On two separate occasions, a couple of months apart. I was notified by other drivers my brake lights appear to be working in reverse. When I come to a stop, they turn off when I pull away they turn on and stay on. After the first incident I had the vehicle serviced. They could not duplicate the problem. Apparently they were now working correctly. To be proactive. I asked them to replace the brake light switch with a genuine GM part. They did and they calibrated the switch to the car. This service was performed on 11/14/2023 - 144,621 miles. It appeared to have solved the problem initially. But re-surfaced this morning 12/29/2023. I was notified by another driver of the opposite on -off function again. I continued to work. …
I purchased my 2008 Pontiac Solstice on September 29, 2009. I didn't have a problem until I started it up and began to pull out of the nearby mall parking lot and as I went to press the brake, it made a low grinding noise, almost like the ABS was locking up except the light wasn't on, and I was merely cruising, not even on the gas pedal. I rear ended the person in front of me - not bad, just knocking off my Pontiac emblem on the hood, and denting it in slightly. The very next day, the same incident occurred. From these two wrecks alone, I received four tickets, resulting in my license being suspended, my insurance canceling on me, and setting me back a good couple of thousand dollars in court fees. I filed a claim with general motors in January once I did some research and found a bulletin on here about the brakes. …
After a hard brake on the highway, the car stopped fine with the ABS brakes kicking in as needed. However, after the car came to a complete stop, we started to move forward, and the brakes would no longer function properly. As it came time to stop again, I pressed the brake to the floor, and nothing happened. I then proceeded to attempt to pump the brakes, but by that time, I was right up on the car in front of me, and I rear ended that vehicle resulting in damage to both that car and mine. Given that I always had issues with the brakes not seeming to function properly after the car sat overnight or for long periods of time, I am unfortunately not surprised that this happened. The car sat all day while I was at work on a relatively cold day for me to have it on the road, and I hadn't used the brakes since the morning. …
The Solstice maintenance light on the dash comes on intermittently reading "ESC service". With that the brake lights would come on and stay on without the brake pedal being pushed. After shutting the car off it would reset itself. Now, as soon as we start the car, the brake lights come on and are staying on withought the brake pedal being pushed and there is no ESC service light indication light illuminated. The brake pedal is high and hard to press. In addition we've experienced difficulty shutting off the cruise control. All of these symptoms are called out on a GM recall #13036 for over 2 million vehicles but the Pontiac Solstice is not listed under the recall. It appears it should be. All of the problems noted on this recall are symptomatic to what we are experiencing with our car. The car is not drivable at this point. …
On two separate occasions (the second date was about 2 months ago), I have had to make very hard stops at freeway speeds. Both times, the car came to a stop with the anti-lock brakes functioning properly (brake pedal vibrations indicating correct modulation). Once the car comes to a complete stop however, the brakes suddenly failed completely. The brake pedal goes to the floor with absolutely no back pressure. The car begins to roll again, indicating the brake caliper/pads have released the disk. The only way I was able to stop again was to pump the brake pedal, activating the stability control module to boost hydraulic pressure to the braking system. This seems related to the previous issue of brakes not functioning on start-up due to low vacuum. Following a hard stop, the vacuum boost to the brakes apparently becomes depleted, causing braking system failure. …
This complaint is identical to one already filed with the NHTSA, representing a potentially hazardous safety issue. While backing out of the garage from a cold start in my new Pontiac Solstice gxp delivered only one week earlier (mileage at one week=200), the brakes failed with the car in reverse and the car continued to roll backward (fortunately without power applied down a slightly inclined driveway. When put into drive, the brakes responded. Later in the day, from a cold start, the brakes failed again momentarily while pulling out in drive. The dealer service department was very responsive and diagnosed a failure of the valve in the master brake cylinder that allows pressure to build up in the hydraulic lines. The part is on national back order as a stac order. I was told that no spare parts have yet been stocked to fix this problem anywhere in the country. …
After sitting for extended period of time (3/4 hours) or when cold the brakes do not want to engage. It is almost as if the car is turned off and you are trying to apply the brakes. Had our car to dealer a few weeks ago. Were told that there was nothing wrong with the brakes. They printed out a bulletin that stated that all 2008 Solstice, skys, and opel gts are subject to increased brake pedal effort due to low brake booster vacuum conditions. The conditions May exist when the engine is cold for the first few brake applications or when the vehicle has been parked for an extended period of time or at higher altitudes and restarted. The dealership was advised by GM to not to attempt to repair or replace any parts for what is considered normal operation. Some of this same information is buried in the middle of the owners manual. …
We purchased the car with 67 miles on it, within a couple of days of driving the car we noticed if it sat for a long period of time that the brakes would not engage at initial start up. We would place the car in reverse and or drive press on the brake and the brake pedal was hard,you could not push it down to engage the brakes at all. We have had to use our emergency brake numerous times after start up to ensure while backing out of our driveway that our car would stop. We have taken the car to the dealership 3 times letting them know that something major is wrong with our braking system, they finally on December 19th replaced the ebcm, but this did not correct the issue, we still have no brakes at start up. Someone could get hurt or an accident could occur if this problem is not corrected. Brakes in my eyes are an important feature on a car. GM needs to look into this. …
Pontiac Solstice - 2008 gxp after my car has sat for a period of time when it is started up again the car over revs and the brakes to not work. The first time I noticed it I was putting down the top and by the time I was done it has stopped revving. The second time a day later I was pulling out of my parking spot and headed toward a gate. The brakes would not work almost causing me to hit the fence. After I let it sit for a while it started working OK. Third time my wife was pulling out of our garage while backing down the driveway. The brakes did not work causing her to roll into the street. Good news is she did not get hit. Took the car to the dealership. Took 4 days to figure out the problem. I was told they had to reprogram the car but it should be fine now. After I picked it up from the dealership and drove home. The engine fan ran for 5 minutes after it was turned off.
1) started car and proceeded to back out of garage. Applied brakes to stop car. 2) car would not stop and continued to roll down driveway. Nearly hit family car parked behind. Brakes failed to stop the car until there was constant "pumping" of the brake pedal. 3) car brought in to dealer and described problem with brakes. Service advisor said the dealer will not fix. Service advisor said there is no "fix" for this problem. Service advisor admits this is a dangerous situation and someone can get seriously injured during this brake failure. 4) vehicle is a 2008 Pontiac Solstice.
NHTSA investigations
Inadequate brake power assist
In model year (my) 2007, Pontiac solstice and Saturn sky vehicles equipped with the 2.0l turbocharged engine used an auxiliary vacuum pump to supplement the engine as a source of vacuum to the brake booster during low vacuum conditions, such as immediately after a cold start.the vacuum pump operation was controlled by switches that sensed booster vacuum, turning the pump on when booster vacuum dropped below a…
Brake complaints in other Solstice years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2008 Pontiac Solstice?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the brakes of the 2008 Pontiac Solstice, 23% of the model year's 159 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Pontiac Solstice brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2008 Pontiac Solstice, though it has 4 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 2008 Pontiac Solstice brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 1,000 miles, and 84% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes 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.