1986 Pontiac Fiero problems & reliability
26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1986 Pontiac Fiero. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 15 | 58% |
| Parking Brake | 5 | 19% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 8% |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have owned this car since new and never received a recall notice from gm. I see in your database that there have been 4 recalls issued.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 3, 2016
“Recall to my 1986 pontiac fiero (vin# 1g2pf3795gp23433) was never completed during the lifetime of the vehicle. This was a serious recall, as it involved a possibility of engine compartment fire. Gm recall number 88-c-24a. I recently purchased this vehicle on 6/21/2006, unaware that the recall was never done. I tried…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 1, 2006
“The consumer was told that the parts were no longer available. The parking brake system of these vehicle's may contain a nonfunctional parking brake adjuster. *bf recall campaign 91v055000; the consumer received a recall letter for her vehicle. *tc”
Parking Brake · filed Feb 4, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- REAR DISC BRAKES
Compliance Investigation C90001 · opened Feb 21, 1990 · closed Jul 31, 1991
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA89022 · opened Mar 31, 1989 · closed Jul 13, 1990 · led to recall 90V104000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE89023 · opened Dec 13, 1988 · closed Mar 31, 1989
- REAR HUB CARRIER FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE89005 · opened Oct 18, 1988 · closed Dec 29, 1988
- REAR DISC BRAKES
Engineering Analysis EA88036 · opened Jul 22, 1988 · closed Aug 30, 1991
- TIE ROD BREAKAGE
Defect Petition DP88002 · opened Oct 7, 1987 · closed May 18, 1988
- REAR BRAKES
Engineering Analysis EA87008 · opened Dec 17, 1986 · closed Jul 22, 1988
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1986 Pontiac Fiero 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 1986 Pontiac Fiero?
- · 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.