1997 Pontiac Bonneville Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Bonneville years
- About as many complaints as other years 5th of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 147 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville. That ranks 5th out of 11 Bonneville model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (50 complaints, 34%), typically at around 98,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 16 fires, 9 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 147owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Pontiac Bonneville problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 50 | 34% | 98,000 | “intake manifold” (26%) | $1,950 |
| Electrical System | 28 | 19% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 16 | 11% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 14 | 10% | 118,515 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 11 | 7% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 6% | 64,303 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 6% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 3% | 14,995 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 2% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 2% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | 35,700 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 118,515 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Pontiac Bonneville recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seats
Problem: The seat cover trim material does not meet the flammability requirements of fmvss no. 302, "flammability of interior materials."
Risk: If an ignition source were present, a vehicle interior fire can occur.
Fix: Dealers will replace the covers on the front seat backs, rear seat cushion and rear seat back assemblies.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine compartment fires (EA02030) — opened Oct 22, 2002, closed Mar 9, 2004, led to recall 04V090000.
- Engine compartment fires (PE02050) — opened Jun 13, 2002, closed Oct 22, 2002.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Driving an suddenly vehicle shuts down, speed makes no difference.starts back with no problem. This is a regular problem, also happens when idling...makes for a very hazardous situation. Has happened on the freeway surface streets, turning, accelerating, even when braking.there have been times when…
The car lost all power while driving on several occasions. It would just quit and i would have no brakes or steering and all gauges would shut down. Sometimes it would lose power and then it would come back on while i was still driving cutting in and out repeatedly. It happened a lot when i was…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 pontiac bonneville. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The mechanic replaced the battery and…
In early november my car (97 bonneville sse) began experiencing trouble starting. It rarely started right up but required several tries to start. Occasionally i could smell gas after it was started multiple times. The iac valve was replaced but that changed nothing. After several more weeks of the…
I had a 1997 pontiac bonneville. While i was driving down a highway in michigan, the engine compartment suddenly caught on fire. I was not speeding, and my car was perfectly serviced and maintained. By the time the fire service got there, the whole car burnt down. It took less than 20 minutes for…
Other Pontiac Bonneville years
← 1996 Bonneville · 1998 Bonneville →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Bonneville | 27 | 0 |
| 2004 Bonneville | 28 | 0 |
| 2003 Bonneville | 54 | 2 |
| 2002 Bonneville | 89 | 2 |
| 2001 Bonneville | 129 | 0 |
| 2000 Bonneville | 214 | 2 |
| 1999 Bonneville | 143 | 3 |
| 1998 Bonneville | 277 | 1 |
| 1997 | 147 | 1 |
| 1996 Bonneville | 150 | 2 |
| 1995 Bonneville | 244 | 1 |
See all Pontiac Bonneville problems by year, every Pontiac model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Pontiac models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, electrical system, power train problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 50 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Bonneville model years, the 1997 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.