For the most part they probably are the same car. But there are small differences here and there. I tend to think of Pontiac as more of a "frill and thrills" version of the trusted original.
Regardless, you have to admit it would be hard to intentionally wear out a set of brake pads in 20 some thousand miles; let alone simply being "hard" on your brakes.
People with all different make cars have brake problems. I was given a ford Taurus once, for a loaner. I put the brakes on hard at 70 MPH and the front end shook like a wet dog. I guess I know brakes are not the best on my cars so I baby them, rear brakes are good for over 100K. I rotate my tires every 5-7 K and always check my brake pads, like I said before the Malibu with 44K were half worn. For some reason the manufactures put marginal brakes on cars, never warped a rotor on any truck I have owned. Way back when I was running Cavaliers, I warped a few. I also own a Sonoma with 55k and original brakes, that is with some towing.
So..to follow up with my 2008 G6 brake issues..after 3 weeks I got confirmation from Pontiac to replace only my rotors..I had to pay for the brakes. This was after three times of being resurfaced. A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!! But..I think that this is not the end of the brake issues. No it makes a clunk noise when I turn the steering wheel..going back to the dealership on Wednesday. They said they know what it is ...but didnt tell me what it is...if I didnt owe so much I would get rid of it!
Clunk when turning a simple fix, needs to be redone every so often. Same clunk in the Malibu, right, same car. I do mine every oil change, then never have a clunk.
I am experiencing some brake squeals. I have almost 18k. I am not a hard braker at all. Mostly highway miles. ONLY, though when my brakes are cold and its been sitting. I leave work at about 10pm, so its cool, and the summer humidity might cause it to become worse.
I will slow down when at slower speed, and its squeals fairly loud! Its sorta embarrassing. Once I brake on them a few times, it then quiets down.
However, there is point in braking when there is usually a slight squeak, such as going through a drive though, I hear it. Fairly minimal. I would say that is about 70% of the time.
Is this normal? Could it be that it needs to be cleaned? Obviously, I have a warranty, I really need to address this issue.
Of course when I take it to the dealer it is not going to duplicate this. Only if they keep it over night and then try it. Then it will show.
I am not too worried... but it does seem to get gradually worse.. not by a lot, only when sitting for a long time.
Sounds like it is just a little rust. With this car (rotors) it seems the rust will start forming any time the humidity is above 0%!!!!
As for the embarrasment, you could either very gently (just barely enough to make contact between the pads and rotors)apply the brakes for the first block you drive in the morning (or after any extended delay). Second option would be to build a temperature and humidity controlled garage. Third option, if someone looks at you funny after hearing it, just pick your nose. They will usually go back to their own business when they see that!
I have a 2007 G6 and am also having problems with the front brake pads and rotors. My question to you all is:
the damage on your rotors and pads, is it all on the inside pad and rotor regardless of the side of the car (driver/passenger). My rotors and pads on the outside of either rotor are in great shape. The inside pads and rotors have a severe goughe on the top of the rotor.
I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of this problem. I have a 06 Pontiac G6 with 35k miles, of course something was wrong with the brakes, needed new pads and both front rotors. Only once they were off it was discovered that I have two different size rotors. In fact I have two completely different brake set-ups on each of my front wheels. I have three uniroyal tires, then a douglas tire on my oddball wheel. I went to pepboys, auto zone and another auto shop and noone has heard of this ever happening. My drivers side wheel is the one that doesn't match the rest of my car, and that's the pad that was worn down to nothing, and the other one fine. My car always pulls the left and the tread on the tires is worn in an unusual pattern too. Very strange, although I know very little about cars, people that do have never come across this. I leased the car with 30 miles on it, and have never had any work done on it, or no accidents, any thoughts would be appreciated. :confuse:
I just took my 2007 G6 Convertible to the shop for the brakes making noise, and was told the brakes were worn out - at 26,000 miles - and that they are not under warranty - and will cost me $600.00 to get them fixed.
They will fix them or they can have the car back. I take very good care of my car and there is no way the ceramic brakes should be worn out at 26,000 miles.
My car was going the same thing as #114 - so you better get your car in asap.
Hey Jenny, I'm going to attempt to solve this problem again for the second time this week! I was just wondering after almost two months did this solve your problem?
I developed a squeak in the front brakes with 47K miles. It appeared to come primarily front the front left tire. When the breaks were inspected they had about 1/2 half to 1/4 life remaining. Despite this, I requested the front and rear brake pads to be changed. The rotors had never been turned before. It was recommended that the front and rear rotors be turned also. After two weeks of driving and turning the rotor, I developed a significant vibration when braking and the squeaking returned. I upgraded the brake pads and the rotors had to be turned again. After two weeks of driving, I developed a significant vibration when braking again. I elected to replace the rotors. The vibration has stopped but the breaks continue to squeak. Any ideas??
I hope to have responses to this by the afternoon when I meet my mechanic, so please... please...any info you can give me will be most appreciated. I have so many problems with my G6 2006 model brake system with moderate highway miles. Initially, about a year ago.. if you had to press on the brake suddenly, they would go all the way to the floor, with little brake power. I took the car in and was told there was nothing wrong. Then the car developed a shake at speeds over sixty. I was told an alignment was in order. This done, the problem persisted, back the to shop. They told me I needed new pads. They replaced them. Problem persisted, so I took it to another shop (GM dealership). They told me the back was replaced, when when the front pads should have been replaced. Ok, replaced and they turned the rotors. Problem was worse. They told me the rotors were cut wrong and did it again. Then, when the problem persisted, they told me the master cylinder was bad. So they replaced that several weeks ago. Then, four days ago, the brakes locked up on me on a busy highway, Towed the car, and was told a hose had broken, the calipers locked up, and the brakes were burned up. So they were going to replace the brakes AGAIN!!!
Now, I was told the whole hydrolic antilock brake system is bad and will cost 1500 or more to fix. I just got off the phone with the mechanic and he told me it may have been because of faulty brake fluid.
What is going on? I know this model and year of car has problems, especially with the brake system. But am I getting screwed here? Can anyone help? To me, the brake fluid would have been replaced when the master cylinder was replaced. And wouldn't they be able to tell if the ABS was faulty when they replaced the master cylinder?
Like i said, any assistance would prove beneficial.
I HAd A G5 OR 6 AS A RENTAL CAR. ROAD WAS DRY-IN SUMMER-AND I HAD TO STOP SUDDENLY. THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK AS NEEDED. THEY WORKED AFTER I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. RENTAL CO AND INS CO BLAMED MY DRIVING, DESPITE MY REPORT. I WAS Not AT FAULT-BRakes failed. any other drivers find brakes arbitrarily do not work in quick response situations?
thank for your reply. very imp!!!! i wish to alleviate the spike in my ins.
Sorry civicowner, while the brakes on this car seem to be likely to have early wear, they do stop the vehicle. Re-read your words, they seem to support the insurance company's decision. In particular, you had to stop SUDDENLY. Also, to say the brakes worked after hitting the vehicle in front of you, well I would suspect the vehicle in front of you did most of that work!
Anyway, you are still alive and by ommission of other details I presume the people that got it up the trunk are as well; it could have been much worse.
excuse me? You have no clue as to what you are talking about!
2 joy riders in a beat up truck pulled in front of me suddenly, at the cusp of of an intersection. I had pulled in to post mail. as they had to back up to stay out of the middle of the intersection-I guess they planned to pull out and go, but traffic prevented-this put them close to my car. I have already begun to pull away from ther curb, and had to slam on the brakes. The brakes did not employ in time to avoid hitting them. as a delayed action the brakes worked. Too late, I had hit the side of the truck. the ins adjustor took the details, and blamed me without investigating-that is- having the rental car checked. he was too lazy. he was an ahole, and it seems as if he and you would be in good company. cheers.
ABS brake systems have been known to lose braking power at application. The problem is it is hard to prove. Lots of times it is not a accident situation, they just report it to there dealer. Go to the NHTSA site and what's been reported.
Well sounds like your rotor. My car was making that noise even while driving. So far I have had to get my right wheel bearing and a tire rod. My rotors were also replaced now my car drives and sounds perfect. Try resurfacing your rotor first then get them replaced if that don't work. this is a high performance car so I would get the best rotors I could afford. All in all after the front end was fixed I love my g6 and wouldn't trade it.
I have also found this car goes through tires fairly quick. If your tires don't have enough tread the abs will kick in (sounds like grinding brakes) don't fix your abs (like I was told by mechanics) just get new tires. It helped me.
Remember me? I think my first post was somewhere around #98, if you want to refresh your memories, almost a year ago. Sorry I didn't get back here sooner to respond to some of you who were inquiring about the brakes and rotors I purchased. They have met their demise, however, so it probably did me no good. (Read on.)
My Story: 2006 G6, currently with 76,400 miles.
Yes, I drive a lot, but I also take very good care of my car, and, like some of you have mentioned, it's all long-distance open-road driving in the middle of the day with no traffic. And I'm easy on my brakes. Probably overly-easy on them after having two Pontiacs! (Prior to this G6, I drove a Sunfire over 100k miles - had similar issues with its brakes and rotors, although not quite this bad.) Should have learned my lesson!
To you people who say it's my fault - screw you. I can only wish this upon you so that you can learn your lesson. There are so many consumer complaints about this, it's absolutely ridiculous. And every time I take it in, no matter where I take it, everyone tells me that it's a known G6 issue. So nobody is going to convince me this is my fault.
Let me start by saying I LOVE my car. It's the brakes, rotors, and front end alignment that I hate.
And, this car has had the I-Shaft "steering wheel clunk" problem since under 20,000 miles. It was replaced twice, I complained about it numerous times after that, had it re-lubed once (because they told me it was a defective part AND a defective replacement part, so no sense in replacing it again!), and then I just GAVE UP. It just clunks....and clunks, and clunks... And don't think that the re-lube is going to fix it. I had it relubed once, and the first turn I made out of the lot pretty much BROKE it, to the point where the dealer had to replace it AGAIN with another defective part. So screw the re-lubing. Just forget about it and get used to the clunking. It's not going away.
At 21k my brakes were already in the yellow.
At 38k, I replaced the front brakes AND had the car aligned.(Anyone else want to complain about the alignment?)
All of my problems ALWAYS start after the first set of brakes are replaced, so let the games begin!...
At 50k, had to resurface the rotors.
At 54k, had to install new rotors AND new front brakes.
Now, let me explain what I did: For those of you who think that installing high performance, extra cool rotors and special brakes will make some sort of difference... I purchased high performance, cross-drilled rotors, and the brakes that were recommended to go along with them. Figured... Problem Solved! But, no... keep reading!
At a little over 54k, I had to do another alignment.
At 64k, another alignment was recommended and performed.
At 71k, brakes are in the yellow again.
And now, today, at 76k, had to resurface the new rotors!
I can guarantee you that in a couple thousand miles I'll need NEW rotors and front brakes AGAIN.
My high performance rotors lasted 20k before they needed resurfacing. Some of you might think that's better mileage than stock, and it might be, but it's still absolutely ridiculous. It appears there is a 3-year warranty on these, so I am hoping it will be honored.
I thought I had my problem solved. So for those of you who think you are "lucky" because you've replaced these things and you think you aren't going to have any more problems... HA! to you! It'll sneak up on you and bite you in the [non-permissible content removed], I promise.
It's NOT an issue of "cheap" rotors. Let me quote a mechanic from another forum: "It's not the part, it's the design on the vehicle that warps the rotors." PERIOD.
The clunk you all describe - It's a defective I-Shaft. Period. And good luck with that!
First off the clunk is an easy fix, even a women can do it. I owned a 04 Malibu Z, body same car, with 40K not even half worn brakes. Now have a 09 G6 with only 12 K, so not sure how the brakes are doing. Pontiac is rotating them for free. Next year I will then be doing the rotation, will then see what the brakes look like.
I have a 2007 G6 with less than 35K miles. In July of 2009 at 21k miles of driving to/from college and 1 1k trip, there was a groove on the inside of all four (4) rotors. The brake pads had a matching mark, but still had plenty of pad material. The inside of the rotors is protected by a metal shield, so if would be very hard to have a small object get wedged in between pads and rotor. Dealer stated rotors were warped and that caused the groove. How can all FOUR (4) rotors warp in such away to cause the same damage?
Dealer refused to acknowledge a defect and I was told to replace rotors and pads. I looked on internet forums and found thousands of similar complaints. I looked at www.safecar.gov (NHTSA site) and found less than 10 complaints. Today there are 21 specific to brake ware. Stop complaining here and complain where it counts, the NHTSA. Look at Toyota and how long that went on before the NHTSA took action. The more complaints at NHTSA, the more likely they will take notice and do something.
With regards to my brakes. Screw the GM OEM quality. They are less than good. I replaced all rotors with slotted and drilled EBC rotors designed to work with ceramic brakes. I replaced all brake pads with EBC Green Stuff ceramic pads. More than 1 year and 13k miles and rotors and pads look great. Plenty of pad material and the rotors are smooth, clean and straight.
The manufacturers are taking short cuts in materials and quality to save money and refusing to acknowledge problems until Big Brother (NHTSA) gets involved. Replace your components with high quality aftermarket better than OEM equipment and complain, complain, complain at www.safecar.gov.
Curious, how did you find grooves behind the shield of all four rotors, no one ever looks there. As for NHTSA doing something about brake & rotor wear good luck, brakes are normal wear items, fast or slow.
My 09 G6 brake experience. I just received my last free service from Pontiac, they did a complete inspection. 18K miles the front brake pads were good and the rear pads were excellent. I will do the next tire rotation myself and will make another report, at about 25K miles.
2005 g6 with 21,250 miles (yes, I really don't drive that much, because I live in the city). I noticed car would lurch forward, then pull back slightly at full stop for the past 4-5 months. Ignored it, but, this weekend I heard loud grinding for 2-3 seconds when I was pulling out of parking space. Finally checked internet, saw all these posts and brought car in to dealership. End result - all four rotors (OEM) had to be resurfaced; had all pads replaced as well (dealer had brake "special"). That came to about $450. I already know that in 10k-12k miles I'll be coming back to redo the rotors again, or get a new car (lol!). GM dealer's brake tech also said that the brake fluid is "dirty", wants to flush and replace all brake fluid. That's about $150+. Probably will do it.
Well Orion, the timing is certainly on par for a brake job. The lurching you describe sounds weird, like maybe something in your transmission to me, but I am not a mechanic so... However, I would STRONGLY recomend getting a second opinion about your "dirty" brake fluid.
For what it's worth, I myself just gave my front rotors with less than 50K miles their second turning this past weekend. The pads (2nd set) still had over 50% left. Expecting nothing and not being let down, I called the dealership and asked if GM still says this is normal with a straight face. The service coordinator actually laughed with me about that one. So, I have come to the conclusion, just plan to replace brake pads and turn rotors on every fourth oil change as part of your maintenance plan.
For those that go to the shop, I would suggest buying a jack and a small socket set. The job takes about an hour to do and I'm sure their is a tutorial somewhere on the net on how to do this. You know, if GM can't fix this, maybe they can make future models so that you don't even have to have tools to change the brakes, sort of like changing a tail light. :P
I have a 2007 Pontiac G6 with 45xxx miles with the same issues with the brake lights coming on while driving and shutting off when pressing on the brake petal. I have replaced the brake switch, that worked for about 5 days! I had it towed to Dugan Chev. this morning.. Still waiting for them to look at it and tell me what they "think" is wrong with it.. I also called GM yesterday about this issue.. They gave me a case number and are following up with calls to me and to the dealer to tell me if this is a fix they will cover.. If they will not fix the car I will leave it at the lot! I'm not putting thousands into a car that when I bought it I was told that the lease would cover everything! I will update as I find out what they decide to do with the car.. Please if you have had troubles since the last posts on this matter post your issues and fixes.. I am also interested in getting a petition going to GM to get people with these troubles covered! It is a dangerous safelt issue and should be recalled!!
After filing a complaint with NHTSA, we (I credit a concerted effort through this forum) did get a recall for the 2005-2006 models, which is tantamount to them putting some gunk on a connector. See NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V036000. This was too late for my '06 model. After nearly getting rear-ended several times, we had to get some controller module that controlled the switch changed out and this did fix the problem. It sounds like the same problem. I don't think the recall posted until 2009. Good luck!
jenny405, Have your issues been resolved? A petition is not the way to go to make GM aware of an issue. The best way to go about it is exactly as you did, call GM and set up a case for the issue. This is one way GM finds out about widespread problems is by customer calls into customer assistance. I look forward to your response! Christina GM Customer Service
jenny405. Please don't be fooled by the "concerned" customer service rep. If there was really concern, perhaps they should convince the lackluster company they work for, to back the product they sell? I am incensed with GM and the pathetic lack of concern for their "valued customers" Having tried to shop and buy North American made product, and owned or leased, 7 General Motors cars since 1999, I recently had two G-6 cars. A 2005 and 2008 Gt coupe. Same brake and rotor issues for both, every 12,000 km they would require service. Just in to have rotors machined today. Third time in 48,000 km. The OEM parts are garbage, suggest you by your own after market parts and keep the dealer out of it, since they are in bed with Corporate and cannot offer you the proper fix, which is don't buy a GM!!
I own a 2008 G6 and am having the exact same problem with my brake lights. I had them worked on 2 weeks ago and the same problem is happening again. I plan to contact GM to see what they plan to do about this issue. I work with a gentleman who's daughter also owns a G6 and is having this same problem as well. Will keep you updated...thanks.
I have had to take my 08 G6 into the shop twice with this problem, only helps for a couple of months then starts happening again. It's getting to be very frustrating at this point. I have to call again for the third time tomorrow because it started up a few days ago.
dalooch, Have you spoke with GM Customer Assistance? If so, what is your case number? Please feel free to email me. I look forward to hearing from you. Christina GM Customer Service
apage2235, I apologize for your inconvenience. Have you spoke with GM Customer Assistance? Has the dealer involved Technical Assistance? If not, I might ask them to do so. I look forward to your response. Christina GM Customer Service
Hi, I have a 2006 Pontiac G6. At random times while driving i feel that i need to give my car more gas to go. When i take my foot off the gas my car will brake on its own and my brake pedal feels as though it is locked. This could last a few minutes to an hour. When this happens I pull over and turn the car off. When i turn it back on I hear a clank type noise up front by the by the odometer. Has anyone else heard of such a thing? This is getting very frustrating because i took the car to the dealership i bought the car from and they took it to 2 different places to be looked at but no one has ever heard of my problem plus my car wont act up for them. I have also taken my car to 2 places as well and still nothing. I was told to bring my car in while its acting up but my problem is that im never around a mechanic when it happens or they are closed. Im also afraid to drive when my brakes lock up.
A friend said maybe my calipers are sticking. Does this sound like it is something to look into? Any help would be appreciated.
Sounds like you are having problems with your anti-lock brake system. I would start by having the brake fluid replaced, dealership can do it and cycle the anti-lock system to flush out the old fluid in that unit. Since having anti-lock brakes I do mine every 3 years, the fluid will absorb moisture.
I see that you've already been working with your dealership towards resolving the brake concern you're describing. If we can follow up on this for you, please send us an email with more information, including your name/username, contact information (phone and address, please), the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your preferred dealership.
Comments
Regardless, you have to admit it would be hard to intentionally wear out a set of brake pads in 20 some thousand miles; let alone simply being "hard" on your brakes.
I guess I know brakes are not the best on my cars so I baby them, rear brakes are good for over 100K.
I rotate my tires every 5-7 K and always check my brake pads, like I said before the Malibu with 44K were half worn.
For some reason the manufactures put marginal brakes on cars, never warped a rotor on any truck I have owned. Way back when I was running Cavaliers, I warped a few.
I also own a Sonoma with 55k and original brakes, that is with some towing.
I do mine every oil change, then never have a clunk.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f98/gonogo/Copyof1971218.jpg
I will slow down when at slower speed, and its squeals fairly loud! Its sorta embarrassing. Once I brake on them a few times, it then quiets down.
However, there is point in braking when there is usually a slight squeak, such as going through a drive though, I hear it. Fairly minimal. I would say that is about 70% of the time.
Is this normal? Could it be that it needs to be cleaned?
Obviously, I have a warranty, I really need to address this issue.
Of course when I take it to the dealer it is not going to duplicate this. Only if they keep it over night and then try it. Then it will show.
I am not too worried... but it does seem to get gradually worse.. not by a lot, only when sitting for a long time.
Let me know. Thank
As for the embarrasment, you could either very gently (just barely enough to make contact between the pads and rotors)apply the brakes for the first block you drive in the morning (or after any extended delay). Second option would be to build a temperature and humidity controlled garage. Third option, if someone looks at you funny after hearing it, just pick your nose. They will usually go back to their own business when they see that!
I have a 2007 G6 and am also having problems with the front brake pads and rotors. My question to you all is:
the damage on your rotors and pads, is it all on the inside pad and rotor regardless of the side of the car (driver/passenger). My rotors and pads on the outside of either rotor are in great shape. The inside pads and rotors have a severe goughe on the top of the rotor.
They will fix them or they can have the car back. I take very good care of my car and there is no way the ceramic brakes should be worn out at 26,000 miles.
My car was going the same thing as #114 - so you better get your car in asap.
:sick: Amber
I have so many problems with my G6 2006 model brake system with moderate highway miles. Initially, about a year ago.. if you had to press on the brake suddenly, they would go all the way to the floor, with little brake power. I took the car in and was told there was nothing wrong. Then the car developed a shake at speeds over sixty. I was told an alignment was in order. This done, the problem persisted, back the to shop. They told me I needed new pads. They replaced them. Problem persisted, so I took it to another shop (GM dealership). They told me the back was replaced, when when the front pads should have been replaced. Ok, replaced and they turned the rotors. Problem was worse. They told me the rotors were cut wrong and did it again. Then, when the problem persisted, they told me the master cylinder was bad. So they replaced that several weeks ago. Then, four days ago, the brakes locked up on me on a busy highway, Towed the car, and was told a hose had broken, the calipers locked up, and the brakes were burned up. So they were going to replace the brakes AGAIN!!!
Now, I was told the whole hydrolic antilock brake system is bad and will cost 1500 or more to fix. I just got off the phone with the mechanic and he told me it may have been because of faulty brake fluid.
What is going on? I know this model and year of car has problems, especially with the brake system. But am I getting screwed here? Can anyone help? To me, the brake fluid would have been replaced when the master cylinder was replaced. And wouldn't they be able to tell if the ABS was faulty when they replaced the master cylinder?
Like i said, any assistance would prove beneficial.
Thanks...
thank for your reply. very imp!!!! i wish to alleviate the spike in my ins.
Anyway, you are still alive and by ommission of other details I presume the people that got it up the trunk are as well; it could have been much worse.
2 joy riders in a beat up truck pulled in front of me suddenly, at the cusp of of an intersection. I had pulled in to post mail. as they had to back up to stay out of the middle of the intersection-I guess they planned to pull out and go, but traffic prevented-this put them close to my car. I have already begun to pull away from ther curb, and had to slam on the brakes. The brakes did not employ in time to avoid hitting them. as a delayed action the brakes worked. Too late, I had hit the side of the truck.
the ins adjustor took the details, and blamed me without investigating-that is- having the rental car checked. he was too lazy. he was an ahole, and it seems as if he and you would be in good company. cheers.
Lots of times it is not a accident situation, they just report it to there dealer. Go to the NHTSA site and what's been reported.
I think my G6-06 is following the same pattern.
The front left wheel indicated something was wrong.
I had it checked by Midas , Canadian Tire. Midas said wheel bearing is not doing great, but suggested to just get tires ( i was suspicious)
Canadian Tire guy just said my tires were not rotated so uneven wear was his explanation ( he rotated the tire to the back)
10 months later:
I have been experiencing vibration/rumble in the same front left wheel when i brake (even with new tires installed 2 days ago)......
The question to be answered: Is it rotor that is bad, or wheel bearing ? Or BOTH !?
In case I have to get rotors , brake pads,bearing ...can anyone suggest what/where should i get something thats going last more then a 1-2 years.
I got a quote from Midas for 384$ rotor + pads+labor ( mid value option)..... is this ok?
Thanks pontiac "fans".
My Story: 2006 G6, currently with 76,400 miles.
Yes, I drive a lot, but I also take very good care of my car, and, like some of you have mentioned, it's all long-distance open-road driving in the middle of the day with no traffic. And I'm easy on my brakes. Probably overly-easy on them after having two Pontiacs! (Prior to this G6, I drove a Sunfire over 100k miles - had similar issues with its brakes and rotors, although not quite this bad.) Should have learned my lesson!
To you people who say it's my fault - screw you. I can only wish this upon you so that you can learn your lesson. There are so many consumer complaints about this, it's absolutely ridiculous. And every time I take it in, no matter where I take it, everyone tells me that it's a known G6 issue. So nobody is going to convince me this is my fault.
Let me start by saying I LOVE my car. It's the brakes, rotors, and front end alignment that I hate.
And, this car has had the I-Shaft "steering wheel clunk" problem since under 20,000 miles. It was replaced twice, I complained about it numerous times after that, had it re-lubed once (because they told me it was a defective part AND a defective replacement part, so no sense in replacing it again!), and then I just GAVE UP. It just clunks....and clunks, and clunks... And don't think that the re-lube is going to fix it. I had it relubed once, and the first turn I made out of the lot pretty much BROKE it, to the point where the dealer had to replace it AGAIN with another defective part. So screw the re-lubing. Just forget about it and get used to the clunking. It's not going away.
At 21k my brakes were already in the yellow.
At 38k, I replaced the front brakes AND had the car aligned.(Anyone else want to complain about the alignment?)
All of my problems ALWAYS start after the first set of brakes are replaced, so let the games begin!...
At 50k, had to resurface the rotors.
At 54k, had to install new rotors AND new front brakes.
Now, let me explain what I did: For those of you who think that installing high performance, extra cool rotors and special brakes will make some sort of difference... I purchased high performance, cross-drilled rotors, and the brakes that were recommended to go along with them. Figured... Problem Solved! But, no... keep reading!
At a little over 54k, I had to do another alignment.
At 64k, another alignment was recommended and performed.
At 71k, brakes are in the yellow again.
And now, today, at 76k, had to resurface the new rotors!
I can guarantee you that in a couple thousand miles I'll need NEW rotors and front brakes AGAIN.
My high performance rotors lasted 20k before they needed resurfacing. Some of you might think that's better mileage than stock, and it might be, but it's still absolutely ridiculous. It appears there is a 3-year warranty on these, so I am hoping it will be honored.
I thought I had my problem solved. So for those of you who think you are "lucky" because you've replaced these things and you think you aren't going to have any more problems... HA! to you! It'll sneak up on you and bite you in the [non-permissible content removed], I promise.
It's NOT an issue of "cheap" rotors.
Let me quote a mechanic from another forum: "It's not the part, it's the design on the vehicle that warps the rotors."
PERIOD.
The clunk you all describe - It's a defective I-Shaft. Period. And good luck with that!
So, let's summarize what we can do:
http://www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm OR 1-888-327-4236 -- FILE A COMPLAINT with the NHTSA
Safercar.gov -- FILE A COMPLAINT with the government
1-800-762-2737 -- Call Pontiac and FILE A COMPLAINT
I just spent another $88 to resurface my "high performance" rotors, and I am PISSED.
:mad:
I owned a 04 Malibu Z, body same car, with 40K not even half worn brakes. Now have a 09 G6 with only 12 K, so not sure how the brakes are doing. Pontiac is rotating them for free. Next year I will then be doing the rotation, will then see what the brakes look like.
I have a 2007 G6 with less than 35K miles. In July of 2009 at 21k miles of driving to/from college and 1 1k trip, there was a groove on the inside of all four (4) rotors. The brake pads had a matching mark, but still had plenty of pad material. The inside of the rotors is protected by a metal shield, so if would be very hard to have a small object get wedged in between pads and rotor. Dealer stated rotors were warped and that caused the groove. How can all FOUR (4) rotors warp in such away to cause the same damage?
Dealer refused to acknowledge a defect and I was told to replace rotors and pads. I looked on internet forums and found thousands of similar complaints. I looked at www.safecar.gov (NHTSA site) and found less than 10 complaints. Today there are 21 specific to brake ware. Stop complaining here and complain where it counts, the NHTSA. Look at Toyota and how long that went on before the NHTSA took action. The more complaints at NHTSA, the more likely they will take notice and do something.
With regards to my brakes. Screw the GM OEM quality. They are less than good. I replaced all rotors with slotted and drilled EBC rotors designed to work with ceramic brakes. I replaced all brake pads with EBC Green Stuff ceramic pads. More than 1 year and 13k miles and rotors and pads look great. Plenty of pad material and the rotors are smooth, clean and straight.
The manufacturers are taking short cuts in materials and quality to save money and refusing to acknowledge problems until Big Brother (NHTSA) gets involved. Replace your components with high quality aftermarket better than OEM equipment and complain, complain, complain at www.safecar.gov.
As for NHTSA doing something about brake & rotor wear good luck, brakes are normal wear items, fast or slow.
I just received my last free service from Pontiac, they did a complete inspection. 18K miles the front brake pads were good and the rear pads were excellent.
I will do the next tire rotation myself and will make another report, at about 25K miles.
For what it's worth, I myself just gave my front rotors with less than 50K miles their second turning this past weekend. The pads (2nd set) still had over 50% left. Expecting nothing and not being let down, I called the dealership and asked if GM still says this is normal with a straight face. The service coordinator actually laughed with me about that one. So, I have come to the conclusion, just plan to replace brake pads and turn rotors on every fourth oil change as part of your maintenance plan.
For those that go to the shop, I would suggest buying a jack and a small socket set. The job takes about an hour to do and I'm sure their is a tutorial somewhere on the net on how to do this. You know, if GM can't fix this, maybe they can make future models so that you don't even have to have tools to change the brakes, sort of like changing a tail light. :P
Have your issues been resolved? A petition is not the way to go to make GM aware of an issue. The best way to go about it is exactly as you did, call GM and set up a case for the issue. This is one way GM finds out about widespread problems is by customer calls into customer assistance. I look forward to your response!
Christina
GM Customer Service
Pads and rotors are good, little wear, reset TPMS, easy to do.
Please don't be fooled by the "concerned" customer service rep. If there was really concern, perhaps they should convince the lackluster company they work for, to back the product they sell? I am incensed with GM and the pathetic lack of concern for their "valued customers"
Having tried to shop and buy North American made product, and owned or leased, 7 General Motors cars since 1999, I recently had two G-6 cars. A 2005 and 2008 Gt coupe. Same brake and rotor issues for both, every 12,000 km they would require service. Just in to have rotors machined today. Third time in 48,000 km. The OEM parts are garbage, suggest you by your own after market parts and keep the dealer out of it, since they are in bed with Corporate and cannot offer you the proper fix, which is don't buy a GM!!
Have you spoke with GM Customer Assistance? If so, what is your case number? Please feel free to email me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Christina
GM Customer Service
I apologize for your inconvenience. Have you spoke with GM Customer Assistance? Has the dealer involved Technical Assistance? If not, I might ask them to do so. I look forward to your response.
Christina
GM Customer Service
A friend said maybe my calipers are sticking. Does this sound like it is something to look into? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service