Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Pontiac Firebird, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes, hydraulic12
- Electrical system8
- Power train7
- Engine and engine cooling6
- Unknown or other3
- Fuel system, gasoline2
- Seats2
- Visibility1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Air bags1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 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 1996 Pontiac Firebird failed the safety check 1.56% of the time — 6% more often than the average 1996 passenger car (1.47%). Median odometer at inspection: 93,637 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the United Kingdom
5 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 9 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
18 of these cars first registered in 1996 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 169,000 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
3 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 11.6–13.3 L/100 km (about 18–20 mpg US), CO₂ 267–306 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firebird · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 13.9 | 8.8 | 11.6 |
| Firebird · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 13.9 | 8.9 | 11.7 |
| Firebird · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 15.4 | 10.2 | 13.1 |
| Firebird · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 16.2 | 9.8 | 13.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1996 Pontiac Firebird.
| 1996080 29 May 1996 | Other NOTE: FIREBIRD FORMULA AND TRANS AM WITH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE. THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT MEET LOCAL OR PROVINCIAL PASS-BY NOISE REQUIREMENTS. CORRECTION: DEALERS … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1996 Pontiac Firebird.
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 1996 Pontiac Firebird: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636700 | SERVICE MANUAL ADVISES INCORRECT USAGE OF CONVERTIBLE TOP FLUID. *TT |
| 634999 | DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKED OR BROKEN TRANSMISSION CASE. *TT 2006 AND PRIOR CARS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *TT |
| 634815 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR SERVICE ENGINE SOON INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1870 SET. *TT |
| 627839 | INFORMATION REGARDING HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT, SERVICE ENGINE SOON, MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, OR CEL ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1870 SET. (1996-2000 CHEVROLET AND GMC LIGHT DUTY TRUCK MODELS) *YH |
| 622930 | SOME OWNERS WITH VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE JANUARY 15,1999 MAY COMMENT ON A HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT AND MAY ALSO HAVE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. *ET |
| 619008 | ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE AIR INJECTION REACTOR (A.I.R.) PUMP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM MAY FAIL TO OPERATE AND CAUSE THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) TO ILLUMINATE. *TT |
| 618141 | A NO REVERSE, NO SECOND GEAR, OR NO FOURTH GEAR CONDITION. *TT UPDATED *EH |
| 618109 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE FAILURES. *JB |
| 618093 | CONCERNS W ITH EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE FAILURES. *JB |
| 617610 | GENERAL MOTORS HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A VOLUNTARY EMISSION CAMPAIGN FOR THE AIR INJECTION REACTOR (AIR) PUMP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM WHICH MAY FAIL TO OPERATE AND CAUSE THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP TO ILLUMINATE. *TT |
| 616774 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY EXPERIENCE A FAILURE OF THE EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION (EGR) VALVE DUE TO CORROSION OF THE INTERNAL DIAPHRAGM PLATE, LEADING TO DRIVEABILITY COMPLAINTS OF A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR EGR VALVE (DTC P0400); OR ENGINE STALL AT IDLE, RUNS ROUGH OR SURGES. *TT |
| 616389 | A CONDITION MAY EXIST WHERE THE AIR INJECTION REACTOR (AIR) PUMP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM MAY FAIL TO OPERATE AND CAUSE THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) TO ILLUMINATE. *TT |
| 615084 | ON SOME CONVERTIBLE MODELS, THE CONVERTIBLE TOP MECHANISM BINDS OR STOPS WHEN HALFWAY OPEN OR CLOSED. *TT |
| 6092567 | VOLUNTARY EMISSION CAMPAIGN INVOLVING THE AIR INJECTION REACTOR (AIR) PUMP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM WHICH MAY FAIL TO OPERATE AND CAUSE THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) TO ILLUMINATE. *TT |
| 6091560 | ON SOME VEHICLES THE AIR INJECTION REACTOR (A.I.R.) PUMP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM MAY FAIL TO OPERATE AND CAUSE THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) TO ILLUMINATE. *TT |
| 6089940 | SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT REGARDING SPARK PLUG WIRE REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 6088977 | SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT FOR SPARK PLUG WIRE REPLACEMENT ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.8L ENGINE. *TT |
| 603086 | SOME VEHICLES EXPERIENCE ENGINE MISS/ POOR DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOMS. *YC |
| 601903 | SUBJECT REGARDING ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS (RE-FLASH CALIBRATION). *YC |
| 54419 | COMMENT THAT THE ABS LIGHT IS ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC'S) 46 AND 86 SET AS CURRENT OR HISTORY. *YC |
| 54345 | ANTI-THEFT ALARM MAY SOUND AFTER VEHICLE GETS WET. *YC |
| 54328 | EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STEERING COLUMN SNAP OR CLICK NOISE WHEN TURNING. *YC |
| 54327 | COMMENTS OF AN ENGINE OIL LEAK THAT APPEARS TO ORIGINATE TOWARD THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE; REAR OF ENGINE. *YC |
| 54065 | COMMENTS ON INOPERATIVE POWER DOOR LOCKS (FRONT AND/OR REAR DOORS). |
| 52600 | CLN INDICATOR APPEARS ON RADIO DISPLAY AND DOES NOT TURN OFF (RESET CLN INDICATOR WITH THE EJECT BUTTON ON TAPE). *TW |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FUEL TUBE RETAINING CLIP FAILURE
FUEL TUB RETAINING CLIP FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation