The 1986 Pontiac Firebird has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,679,036 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
PARKING BRAKE ADJUSTER FAILS TO OPERATE AND DO NOT WORK AFTER BRAKE PAD WEAR.
PARKING BRAKES WILL NOT COMPLETELY HOLD A PARKED VEHICLEWHEN PARKED ON A SLOPE, CAUSING UNINTENDED VEHICLE ROLLAWAY WHICH COULD RESULTIN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
REPLACE NONFUNCTIONING PARKING BRAKE ADJUSTERS.
PLASTIC COMPONENTS OF SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES DO NOT CONTAIN AN ULTRA VIOLET STABILIZER, AND EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND ELEVATED INTERIOR TEMPERATURES COULD WEAKEN THE PLASTIC COMPONENTS.
THIS COULD RESULT IN BREAKAGE OF PLASTIC COMPONENTS WHICHCOULD PREVENT BUCKLE FROM LATCHING AND PROTECTING OCCUPANT IN A SUDDEN STOP ORACCIDENT.
REPLACE OR REPAIR SEAT BELT BUCKLE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Seat belt casings in the front back are cracking. Seat belt comes out of vehicle. Contacted dealer. *ak consumer states that the buckles have released on several occasions. *slc”
“Consumer stated the emergency brake does not engage properly, when parking on a slope, the brake will not hold vehicle in place.*ak. Consumer stated the brake fails also on a minor incline, which resulted in damage to the front end when vehicle struck a curb after the vehicle rolled down the…”
“Seat belt would not latch due to componet breaking under normal circumstances. *ak”
“The 2 dealerships that I contacted said that campaign id# 90v105000 does not include my particular vehicle, and that they dont have just the buckles in stock I dont see how that is possible and we cannot drive the car safely or legally due to this!!!!!. *ak”
“I intend to send more information on this gmcproduct at a later date. No safety defect listed in the summry. *ak”
“Motorized safety belt has failed and pontiac refuses to fix the problem. *ak”
“Left side of the tractor of the seat belt is locked, and would not allow the shoulder belt part to come across anyone that sat in that seat, to use the seat belt. *ak.et.”
“Whenever at a stop sign engine idled high, had to press the gas pedal in order to bring rpms back down. Contacted dealer and manufacturer, they indicated vehicle was not under warranty. *ak”
There is no summary currently available
SUMMARY: THE REAR DISC BRAKE ADJUST MECHANISM FAILS TO FUNCTION AFTER CORROSION OCCURS. GM HAS REDESIGNED CALIPER ASSM. SAME DESIGN AND PROBLEM ON GM'S E, F, AND P CARS. INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN COMBINED INTO ONE WITH ALL GM CARS USING SAME REAR DISC BRAKE DESIGN.===
SUMMARY: CORROSION IN THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER PREVENTS AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT FOR PAD WEAR. THIS MAY EVENTUALLY CAUSE LOSS OF REAR SERVICE BRAKE AND PARKING BRAKE. GM HAS ADDED CORROSION PROTECTION AND CHANGED SPRING RATE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. SAME BASIC DESIGN USED ON ALL MODELS IDENTIFIED.
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
SUMMARY:REPORTEDLY THE PLASTIC BUCKLE COVER BREAKS AND PIECES FALLINTO THE BUCKLE MECHANISM MAKING THE BUCKLE INOPERATIVE.===
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Pontiac Firebird as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.