Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1987 Pontiac Firebird, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Seat belts5
- Vehicle speed control1
- Wheels1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Exterior lighting1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1987 Pontiac Firebird failed the safety check 0.83% of the time — 6% more often than the average 1987 passenger car (0.78%). Median odometer at inspection: 80,291 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
21 first registered in 1987 are on Dutch roads; 81% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht3
- Ruitensproeierinstallatie werkt niet1
- Slijtage/beschadiging wiellager hoorbaar of voelbaar1
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen1
- Onderdeel reminrichting beschadigd, gescheurd of gebroken1
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm1
- Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse1
- Remvertraging bedrijfsrem onvoldoende (< 100% >= 95% awet)1
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
5 cars built in 1987 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 20 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
15 of these cars first registered in 1987 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 133,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
1 1987 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1987 Pontiac Firebird.
| 1990091 19 Jun 1990 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the seat belt buckle assemblies may not latch or release due to fracture of the red push button. This would prevent a person from using hi… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
PLASTIC COMPONENTS OF SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES DO NOT CONTAIN AN ULTRA VIOLET STABILIZER, AND EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND ELEVATED INTERIOR TEMPERATURES COULD WEAKEN THE PLASTIC COMPONENTS.
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 1987 Pontiac Firebird: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10006297 | NO SERIAL DATA COMMUNICATIONS USING THE TECH 1 WITH A 1986 OR NEWER CAMARO, FIREBIRD OR CORVETTE WITH A 5.0 OR 5.7 LITRE ENGINE. SIT BULLETIN 1450640. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
THROTTLE STICKING
THROTTLE STICKING
REAR AXLE SHAFT FAILURE
SAFETY BUCKLE BREAKAGE
POWER STEERING BRACKET
P/S BRACKET FAILURE
REAR DISC BRAKES
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation