Pontiac Torrent Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 115 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Pontiac Torrent across 4 model years. The 2007 model year has the most (53). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (59% of reports).
- 115air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 16mention a crash
- 14mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- $1,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 68 of 115 complaints (59%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 29 of 115 complaints (25%)
- Someone sitting: mentioned in 8 of 115 complaints (7%)
- Goes off: mentioned in 8 of 115 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the Pontiac Torrent at $1,150, and half of them between $1,100 and $1,250.
Based on 12 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 91 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 115 complaints, 16 mention a crash, 14 an injury.
Pontiac Torrent air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Torrent | 6 | 35% | 63,000 |
| 2008 Torrent | 46 | 37% | 77,500 |
| 2007 Torrent | 53 | 22% | 75,997 |
| 2006 Torrent | 10 | 4% | 115,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags
Model years: 2007
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof rail airbags or optional sunroof fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 201,"occupant protection in interior impact." during nhtsa impact tests, the interior occupant protection test points exceeded the standard requirements.
Risk: The results of this test indicated a possibility of an increased risk of head injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install an energy absorbing foam piece to each of the a-pillar trim assemblies free of charge. The recall began on may 8, 2008. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2007
Problem: Certain sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." in these vehicles, the right front passenger seat is built with a passenger sensing system. When tested with a representative unrestrained small adult, the system is required to turn the right front passenger's frontal airbag on. An error in the seat sensor calibration can cause it to fail this test. In addition, this condition can prevent the airbag from turning off when the seat is occupied by a small child.
Risk: Whenever the front passenger seat is occupied, the driver should always check the airbag indicator to see if the airbag is on or off. If it is not correct for the situation, the passenger should be moved to a different seat. This can increase the risk of injury to a seat occupant during certain crash conditions.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the seat's electronic control unit. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My sons who is a new driver and has a 2008 Pontiac torrent recently has had the passenger air bag light come on saying passenger airbag off when someone is sitting in the seat so I brought it in and was told that it could possibly be fixed but itâs not a guarantee that it will fix the problem and…
The passenger air bag indicator light indicates passenger air bag is OFF even when an adult is sitting in the seat. Therefore. I am afraid that if the vehicle were in an accident where airbags would deploy, the front right passenger airbag would not inflate. There is a recall on the sensors for the…
Passenger air bag light on and seat belt light
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac Torrent. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated while the front passenger seat was not occupied. The vehicle was diagnosed and a failure code for the passenger presence system (PPS) was retrieved. The contact was…
Passenger side air bag light is staying off even when an adult is seated there.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Pontiac Torrents have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 115 owner complaints about air bags for the Pontiac Torrent. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Pontiac Torrent air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the Pontiac Torrent?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,150 (half paid between $1,100 and $1,250), from 12 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Pontiac Torrent?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 68 of 115 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (29).
Other Pontiac Torrent problems
See all Pontiac Torrent problems.