AI Damage1997 Pontiac Firebird: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Pontiac Firebird filed 49 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 49
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 27% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 10% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 13 complaints (27% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (12% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 6 complaints (12% of all).
- Electrical system: 5 complaints (10% of all).
- Fuel system: 5 complaints (10% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
- manual, 6-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 49 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While I was driving on the middle lane on beltway 495 heading to work- I saw a huge tire high in the air & dropping in front of my car. I took my foot off the accelerator. It hit the front grille & went underneath my car causing it to fly over the tire. I landed safely on the middle lane.
Consumer stated that the anti lock brakes failed to stop the vehicle during the accident.
Both driver's/ or passenger's air bags did not deploy, causing occupants to be injured.
Hi my Pontiac firebird got Impounded properly parked for 3 hrs on private property on the same property where Iâm a Tenant at [XXX] Las Vegas it was towed illegally and was in pound yard where I was charged $474.64 by tow guys 3823 losse rd 89030 they did not put sticker they illegally towed no sign on wall saying…
I was driving my car making an exit off the freeway & as I looked over my shoulder too make sure it was safe to merge over I seen there was smoke coming out of the tailpipe I went to turn back around & smoke was also coming from the sides of the steering wheel , I went too put my eyes back on the road & the whole…
The sockets burn black and haven't caught on fire on my car and I'm not sure of the fire potential of this, but being that the bumper fenders and virtually most of the car is plastic, if they ever did catch fire I'd hate to see how fast the vehicle would burn!.
Consumer states that driver's side door has cracks developing, and dealer indicates that panels are separating.
Vehicle intermittently stalled while driving. When occurred vehiclle would not restart for an hour or more. Vehicle been to dealers shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information on this matter.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 5,395 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Firebird has 22 complaints (27 years in the data). This year has 49, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Firebird 19783 sources
- Firebird 19823 sources
- Firebird 19834 sources
- Firebird 198411 sources
- Firebird 198516 sources
- Firebird 198619 sources
- Firebird 198710 sources
- Firebird 198810 sources
- Firebird 198920 sources
- Firebird 19909 sources
- Firebird 199127 sources
- Firebird 199227 sources
- Firebird 199318 sources
- Firebird 199459 sources
- Firebird 199584 sources
- Firebird 199641 sources
- Firebird 199863 sources
- Firebird 199947 sources
- Firebird 200024 sources
- Firebird 200124 sources
- Firebird 200221 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Pontiac Firebird?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine and cooling, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 49. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (6%), headlights and tail lights (6%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Pontiac Firebird?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1997 Pontiac Firebird from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1997 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.