Pontiac Solstice Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

872 NHTSA complaints (2006–2009).Complaint rate: 509.1 per 1,000 vehicles.

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Should I buy a Pontiac Solstice?

Quick answer from 872 NHTSA complaints · 2006–2009

Pontiac Solstice reliability depends heavily on the model year.

Most common Pontiac Solstice problem: Airbags512 complaints (2.1% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Severity Score
7740.8
Complaints
872
Crash Rate
4.4%
Fire Rate
0.5%
Injuries
32
Fatalities

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.

Bottom line: The Pontiac Solstice has consistently lower complaint volume in 2009 compared to other years.

Avoid These Years

No years with significant complaint spikes.

Average

2006–2008
~276/yr complaints

Better Years

2009
~45/yr complaints
Looking at a specific Pontiac Solstice?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Common Pontiac Solstice Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Airbags5122.1%
Electrical Faults695.8%
Seat-Related Issues380.0%
Transmission / Drivetrain273.7%
Engine Problems240.0%
Brakes2025.0%
Hydraulic Brakes1414.3%
Power Train:Driveline:Differential Unit119.1%
Air Bags:Frontal1010.0%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip90.0%

When Each Problem Spiked

Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.

Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (872 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Pontiac Solsticeaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Pontiac Solstice?

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