In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that General Motor Corps. and Pontiac were recalling approximately 8,012 G6 vehicles because of a manufacturing defect that was affecting brake lights. GM officials claimed at the time that corroded wiring connectors were responsible for G6 brake lights either illuminating when the brake pedals weren’t depressed or not illuminating when they were depressed. Regardless of the scenario, the malfunctioning brake lights could cause distractions on roads and highways, as drivers behind any of the affected Pontiac G6 vehicles could be unaware of whether the car is braking or not braking, thus leading to dangerous automobile accidents.
At the time of this recall, both GM and the NHTSA believed that the brake light defects were limited to 2005 and 2006 G6 models, as the problem was traced to vehicles that were manufactured in 2005. However, the NHTSA announced last week that the investigation is being reopened, as new complaints and reports suggest that more models were produced with defective brake lights. In fact, the NHTSA believes that as many as 550,000 G6 vehicles could actually be involved in the original recall, prompting a much wider effort by GM and Pontiac.
In all, the NHTSA has received 212 complaints from Pontiac G6 owners who have experienced issues with their brake lights either failing to work or illuminating unexpectedly. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries have been reported in conjunction with this recall as of yet; however, the investigation and potential inclusion of as many as 542,000 new vehicles could obviously prompt more reports, including originally unknown accidents.
How long the NHTSA could take in determining whether or not an expanded recall is warranted is unknown, but owners of these Pontiac G6 vehicles can contact GM at (800) 620-7668 for additional information about these potential manufacturing defects or the NHTSA at (888) 327-4236 for additional information about the investigation.