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1988 Pontiac BonnevilleProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 17 owner complaints about the 1988 Pontiac Bonneville, most often about the electrical system. It has no vehicle safety recalls on record.

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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls0None on recordOwner complaints175 with a crash, fire or injuryTop problem5Electrical system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through July 18, 2003. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1988 Pontiac Bonneville has problems

17 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system50
Seat belts21
Structure20
Fuel system, gasoline20
Suspension11
Visibility10
Equipment10
Power train10
Service brakes, hydraulic11
1 other systems10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

0 recalls

1988 Pontiac Bonneville recalls and how many were fixed

No vehicle safety recalls are on record for this model year.

Best & worst years

1988 vs. every other Bonneville year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Bonneville median. How we score

'65'66'69'71'72'74'75'76'77'78'79'81'82'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1988 Pontiac Bonneville, and the recalls they led to.

  1. BRAKE FAILUREEA90017 · closed Apr 22, 1991
    No recall
  2. ANTI LOCK BRAKESPE89098 · closed May 17, 1989
    No recall
  3. PARKING BRAKE CABLEPE89145 · closed Sep 22, 1989
    No recall
  4. BRAKE FAILUREPE89171 · closed Mar 26, 1990
    No recall
In owners' words

What Bonneville owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

THE ALTERNATOR ON MY 1988 BONNEVILLE SSE HAS FAILED FIVE TIMES SINCE NEW, THE LAST TIME AFTER ONLY LESS THAN 18K MILES AND LESS THAN 2 YEARS, EACH TIME STRANDING ME. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ALL BONNEVILLES FROM 1987 THROUGH MID-1992 MODEL YEAR HAVE VERY HIGH FAILURE RATES ON ALTNERNATORS,…
Complaint 748501 · Jul 15, 2001
PRIOR ALTERNATOR LASTED LEST THAN 15K MILES. I GET STRANDED EVERY TIME THE ALTERNATOR FAILS (NOW FOR THE FIFTH TIME). THIS IS DANGEROUS AND COULD LEAD TO MY INJURY OR EVEN DEATH, DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM THE NEXT TIME THE ALTERNATOR FAILS, INCLUDING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN THE…
Complaint 748439 · Jul 14, 2001

Own a 1988 Bonneville?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.