1999 Pontiac BonnevilleProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 143 owner complaints about the 1999 Pontiac Bonneville, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.

CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.0× the Bonneville median · #8 of 19 years by complaints

Safety recalls3Free fix at dealers Owner complaints14320 with a crash, fire or injury Typical failure mileage64kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through September 5, 2016. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1999 Pontiac Bonneville has problems

143 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

59Engine and engine cooling6 crash/fire/injury

22Electrical system2 crash/fire/injury

19Fuel system, gasoline2 crash/fire/injury

9Service brakes, hydraulic

8Power train

8Air bags

6Visibility

5Tires

4Vehicle speed control

2411 other systems2 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling	59	6
Electrical system	22	2
Fuel system, gasoline	19	2
Service brakes, hydraulic	9	1
Power train	8	2
Air bags	8	5
Visibility	6	0
Tires	5	0
Vehicle speed control	4	0
11 other systems	24	2

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

3 recalls

1999 Pontiac Bonneville recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

no report yet

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery

Recall 04V-090 · Feb 24, 2004 · 910,873 vehicles

Risk. THE BACKFIRE CAN RUPTURE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Power train: automatic transmission

Recall 99V-089 · Apr 26, 1999 · 99,333 vehicles

Risk. IF THE LINK DISCONNECTS, THE DRIVER'S INDICATED PRNDL STATE MAY DIFFER FROM THE HYDRAULIC STATE OF THE TRANSMISSION.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Wheels

Recall 99V-072 · Apr 12, 1999 · 352 vehicles

Risk. THE TIRE/WHEEL ASSEMBLY COULD SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Pontiac.

Mileage at failure

When do engine and engine cooling problems start?

64kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 29 engine and engine cooling complaints. 93% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 41% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

2under 30k miles27under 100k miles2100k miles or more

Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Engine and engine cooling

8 owners mentioned a cost

$1,100median

Middle half: $975 – $1,425

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

1999 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

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 3 19 17 28 39 22 11313888 24415014727714321412989 54 28 27

'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

NHTSA crash tests

1999 Pontiac Bonneville safety ratings

1999 Pontiac Bonneville SSE 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

Stability control: No
Forward collision warning: No
Lane departure warning: No

4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1999 Pontiac Bonneville, and the recalls they led to.

Oct 22, 2002
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRESEA02030 · closed Mar 9, 2004
Led to recall 04V-090
Jun 12, 2007
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIREEA07008 · closed May 1, 2008
Led to recall 08V-118
Jun 13, 2002
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRESPE02050 · closed Oct 22, 2002
No recall
May 26, 1999
TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCERQ99007 · closed Feb 8, 2002
Led to recall 99V-089

In owners' words

What Bonneville owners report

Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. IN 2003, WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A HUGE CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD BLOWN THE GASKET. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ITSELF.…
Complaint 10235121 · Jul 21, 2008 · 63,000 miles

PLASTIC ENGINE INTAKE PLENUM ASSY MELTDOWN CAUSING COOLANT INTO CYLINDERS OF ENGINE. ORIGINAL INCIDENT IDENTIFIED TO POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO 1ST CYLINDER. PLENUM ASSY REPLACED WITH METAL SLEEVE WHICH MECHANIC CLAIMED WAS SUPERIOR TO ORIGINAL MFG PART. PRIOR DAMAGE TO 1ST AND 2ND CYLINDERS BECAME…
Complaint 10216339 · Jan 28, 2008 · 74,301 miles

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FRACTURED A YEAR AGO WHEN THE CAR HAD 40,000 MILES. THE FRACTURE IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CONSTITUTED A LEAK AND AS A RESULT OF THE LEAK THE ENGINE RAN VERY INEFFICIENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED 3 TIMES TO PROVIDE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE…
Complaint 10164430 · Aug 3, 2006 · 40,000 miles

Own a 1999 Bonneville?

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