Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Steering19
- Visibility13
- Electrical system10
- Engine and engine cooling10
- Power train7
- Suspension6
- Air bags6
- Seats5
- Structure5
- Engine4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 19 2002 Bonneville vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 13 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville failed the safety check 4.44% of the time — 121% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 115,610 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 11.4–12.3 L/100 km (about 19–21 mpg US), CO₂ 262–283 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonneville · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 13.5 | 8.8 | 11.4 |
| Bonneville # · Full-size · Premium gasoline | 14.7 | 9.5 | 12.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville.
| 2003165 2 Jul 2003 | Fuel System On certain Aurora, Bonneville SSEi, Devile and STS vehicles, the fuel tank pressure sensor is unusually susceptible to malfunctions causing excessive vacuum to … |
| 2002151 13 Aug 2002 | Airbag Certain vehicles may have a driver's side airbag inflator that could fracture at a weld during a deployment. Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure veh… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN CADILLAC DEVILLE AND SEVILLE PASSENGER VEHICLES, FUNERAL COACHES, AND LIMOUSINES EQUIPPED WITH A V8 (4.6L) ENGINE, OLDSMOBILE AURORA PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A V8 (4.0L ) ENGINE, AND PONTIAC BONNEVILLE SSEI PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A SUPERCHARGED V6 (3.8L) ENGINE, THE FUEL TANK PRESSURE SENSORS ARE UNUSUALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO MALFUNCTIONS. IF THE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS, EXCESSIVE VACUUM CAN BE APPLIED DURING SELF-DIAGNOSTIC TESTING.
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Pontiac told its dealers about the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637278 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A CONDITION WHERE THE CLOSEOUT PANEL INSIDE THE TRUNK, BETWEEN THE TRUNK AND THE REAR SEAT, MAY FALL DOWN. *TT |
| 637212 | REPORTS OF INOPERATIVE SUNROOFS WHEN DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES DOES NOT IDENTIFY A CAUSE. *TT |
| 636673 | OWNER COMPLAINTS OF AN UNCOMFORTABLE SEAT CUSHION, BOTH ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES OF THE BUCKET SEATS. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634997 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS. *TT |
| 634993 | TECHNICAL INFORMATION REGARDING SHAKE / VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL, FLOOR, SEAT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON SMOOTH ROADS. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634981 | SUBJECT REGARDING SHAKE / VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL, FLOOR, SEAT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON SMOOTH ROADS. *TT |
| 634954 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0713. *TT |
| 634931 | SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0716 AND / OR P0717, P0730, P0753, P0758, P1860, P1887 OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 634803 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A CLUNK TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE DURING A TURNING MANEUVER. *TT |
| 634678 | SUBJECT REGARDNG THE ADDITION OF DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE U1500 FOR GENERATION 4 ONSTAR. *TT |
| 634672 | SUBJECT REGARDING FRONT SEAT BACK SQUEAK. *TT |
| 631820 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE AN INOPERATIVE CIGARETTE LIGHTER. *SLC |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 631227 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRRORS DO NOT RETURN TO THE MEMORY RECALL POSITION WHEN THE REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON IS USED. *SLC |
| 629832 | CONCERNS WITH UNCOMFORTABLE FRONT SEAT CUSHIONS DUE TO SEW SEAMS AT THE REAR OF THE CUSHION BEING TOO FAR FORWARD. *TT |
| 629794 | COMPLAINTS OF EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE AT THE FRONT DOORS. *TT |
| 629793 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMPLAIN OF AN EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE AT THE FRONT DOORS. *TT |
| 629734 | SUBJECT REGARDING COMPLAINTS OF A SQUEAK/RATTLE NOISE COMING FROM BELOW THE HEADREST IN THE FRONT SEATS. *TT |
| 629598 | SUBJECT REGARDING INCORRECT OWNERS MANUAL ILLUSTRATION OF THE COOLING FAN FUSE RELAY BLOCK. *TT |
| 628862 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED WITH HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. *TT |
| 628151 | SUBJECT REGARDING KEY FOB FAILURES. *TT |
| 628147 | INFORMATION ON KEY FOBS. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation