"How reliable is the 1997 Pontiac Firebird?"

"Based on 59 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Pontiac Firebird has a median complaint mileage of 118640 miles. The most common issue is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP."

1997 Pontiac Firebird: Reliability Data

Q: "What are common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Firebird?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Pontiac Firebird is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP, accounting for a significant portion of the 59 total complaints filed."

Source: NHTSA — 59 complaints

Total Complaints

118,640mi

Median Mileage

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

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

74,500 25th Percentile

118,640 Median Mileage

119,280 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

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

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

SEATS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS ARE POORLY PLACED. UPON MOVING FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL TO BRAKE PEDAL (OR VICE VERSA), THE TOP OF FOOT HITS STEERING COLUMN. ONLY WAY TO GET FROM ONE PEDAL TO OTHER REQUIRES A LOT OF FOOT/LEG MOVEMENT. *AK"

"GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDALARE POORLY PLACED. WHEN DRIVER MOVES FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL TO BRAKE PEDAL, THE TOP PART OF THE FOOT HITS THE STEERING COLUMN. *AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 12 GA: 6 FL: 6 IL: 6 MD: 5 MA: 4 MI: 3 AL: 3 TX: 2 VA: 2

Who Files Complaints?

57.6%

Original Owners

42.4%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Firebird — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	29	101,650	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP	4
1992	33	-	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP	4
1994	72	128,500	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS	10
1995	112	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	14
1996	50	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	5
1998	91	69,500	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC	14
1999	76	51,275	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR	6
2000	35	37,500	TIRES	4
2001	36	20,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0
2002	48	13,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2

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