"How reliable is the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville?"

"Based on 188 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville has a median complaint mileage of 98774 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Pontiac Bonneville is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 188 total complaints filed."

1997 Pontiac Bonneville: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 188 complaints

188

Total Complaints

98,774mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

65,227 25th Percentile

98,774 Median Mileage

118,136 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVNG VEHICLE FILLED UP WITH SMOKE AND A FIRE STARTED IN THE DASH BEHIND THE RADIO. MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOOSE WIRE IN THE DASH. CAR WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP. STILL NOT FIXED. *AK"

"SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT."

"NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG IN ACCIDENT."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 14 complaints

Median: 110,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 12 complaints

25th: 63,000 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 82,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 8 complaints

Median: 81,980 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 19 IL: 18 PA: 13 MI: 13 NY: 10 OH: 9 GA: 9 NJ: 9 AR: 7 MN: 7

Who Files Complaints?

32.4%

Original Owners

67.6%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Bonneville — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	45	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	4
1991	26	-	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	4
1992	139	153,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	17
1993	183	147,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	17
1994	123	127,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	14
1995	330	115,500	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	18
1996	181	110,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	6
1998	359	70,226	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	12
1999	176	70,096	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	9
2000	301	65,000	VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS	4
2001	179	65,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	6
2002	112	48,927	STEERING	4
2003	64	80,500	ENGINE	4
2004	38	43,000	STEERING	0
2005	37	130,000	AIR BAGS	5

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28