1987 Pontiac Bonneville problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1987 Pontiac Bonneville. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 5 | 26% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 16% |
| Power Train | 2 | 11% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 11% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Seats | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 5% |
| Suspension | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The car will momentarily hesitate when attempting to accelerate from a stopped position. It is periodic and not consistent, therefore, hard to duplicate according to the dealer. I asked gm to e-mail some of their nationwide pontiac dealerships and ask for their input on this type of problem but they refused. This can…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed May 7, 2003
“While sitting in seat and leaning back passenger's and driver's seats fell back, consumer was able to put seat back up, but if continuing to lean it would come back down. Consumer feels this is very unsafe in an ancident.*ak *jb”
Seats · filed May 9, 2001
“While driving, doors locked down and interior lights came on. When trying to turn off inerior lights, control switch sunk/melted into dash. Dash ablaze within 2 to 3 minutes, entire vehicle engulfed 3 to 4 minutes later. Escaped through open window. Very unsafe.”
Electrical System · filed Sep 11, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA90017 · opened Mar 26, 1990 · closed Apr 22, 1991
- BRAKE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE89171 · opened Sep 26, 1989 · closed Mar 26, 1990
- REAR BRAKE PIN
Engineering Analysis EA89028 · opened Jul 28, 1989 · closed Jul 27, 1990
- PARKING BRAKE CABLE
Preliminary Evaluation PE89145 · opened Jul 21, 1989 · closed Sep 22, 1989
- REAR BRAKE PIN
Preliminary Evaluation PE89101 · opened Mar 15, 1989 · closed Jul 28, 1989
- ANTI LOCK BRAKES
Preliminary Evaluation PE89098 · opened Mar 10, 1989 · closed May 17, 1989
- STALLING
Engineering Analysis EA87022 · opened Aug 27, 1987 · closed Nov 27, 1991
- THROTTLE SYSTEM FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE87041 · opened Aug 4, 1987 · closed Nov 30, 1987
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1987 Pontiac Bonneville in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1987 Pontiac Bonneville?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.