2009 Pontiac G8 Pontiac G8 2009

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2009 Pontiac G8 repairs by problem area

Engine (28%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (3%)

Brakes and Traction Control (2%)

Suspension and Steering (20%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (27%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (15%)

Other (5%)

Chart based on 343 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2009 Pontiac G8.

2009 Pontiac G8 engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (2%)

$1000 - $2499 (11%)

$500 - $999 (9%)

$100 - $499 (15%)

< $100 (63%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 82 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2009 Pontiac G8 4dr Sedan

415-horsepower 6.2L V8 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

27000 mi

US $20
Car overheating. A clamp on a radiator hose was not installed properly causing the hose to eventually come off. 
21100 mi Faulty Gas Cap was triggering check engine light. Replaced per service bulletin. 

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2009 Pontiac G8 4dr Sedan

415-horsepower 6.2L V8 6-speed manual RWD

16000 mi Leaking oil pan. Pan was removed. 
22000 mi Bad gas cap, replaced under warranty. 

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2009 Pontiac G8 4dr Sedan

361-horsepower 6.0L V8 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

30000 mi Oil leaking near rear main seal. Dealership put dye in and the car will be checked with blacklight to determine source of leak. 
35000 mi Lifter noise at start up. Dealer could not duplicate. 
24380 mi Oil pan was porous  Exhaust related bulletin 
25920 mi P0521 - oil pressure sensor out of range 
33578 mi Warranty work: Dealer worked with GM engineering on in-depth review of code P0521 and attempted repairs. GM authorized engine replacement. Injectors, some sensors, valve covers, oil pan and accessories were transferred to new engine. Fresh oil and coolant installed. 
14000 mi Check engine light came on (solid, not flashing). Problem determined to be emissions-related, and was diagnosed as a flawed gas cap. Part ordered. Problem code cleared. 
15000 mi Gas cap ordered from last repair trip was installed. 
17000 mi Check engine light was diagnosed as a faulty evap canister. Part needed to be ordered. Previous evap canister problem was fixed by replacing the part. 
15000 mi Rear main oil seal leak. This was likely from when the engine had to have a new camshaft installed 2.5 years ago @ 4800 miles, prior to us owning the vehicle. 
39000 mi

US $8
P0601 error, car shut down and entered safety mode. Reprogrammed ECM (still got error) then replaced ECM. 
53000 mi Throttle body malfunction caused a Check Engine message, along with reduced power for a short distance. Drove the car to the dealership. Dealer gave me a loaner, replaced the throttle body, and I got the car back the next day. 
65000 mi

US $1000
Replaced two motor mounts and transmission mount. 
74000 mi

US $303
AC drive belt broke. I had dealer replace both belts. 
17000 mi Oil leak - previous shop did not attach oil filter on correctly. Oil drained and replaced and new filter installed, no leak after corrected oil change. 
19200 mi P0601 OBDII CEL. Comm error. Replaced ECM with new one. Issue resolved. 
31000 mi Failing AFM lifter on L76 V8 cylinder 2 needing replacement, all lifters replaced, baffles added to oil pan as part of TSB repair. Oil and coolant replaced at same time. 
94000 mi

US $306
replaced throttle body 
56000 mi

US $350
Replaced belts and tensioner assemblies for both serpantine belt and ac belt due to squeaking. 
85000 mi

US $30
A/C belt fell off the pulley. Replaced pulley and belt. Only happened this one time but I've read of it happening to others. There is an updated system with 2 pulleys, but too expensive at $350 for just the parts. 
154000 mi

US $180
Replace idler pulley and serpentine belt 
21400 mi ECM replaced due to car going into reduced power mode and shutting down engine 
ECM/TCM update flash. 
129683 mi

US $698
Vehicle died, reduced power mode, check engine light while sitting in a parking lot. Occurred 3 times during the 24 hours before visiting dealer. Heat may have been an aggravating factor, but vehicle did not overheat. Code P0601. Dealer replaced ECM. No further problems. 
140000 mi

US $30
P0521 - engine oil pressure sensor performance. Replaced oil pressure sender and screen per TSB. Code returned two days later. Changed oil and replaced PF48E filter with UPF48R equivalent (Mobil 1 113A) per separate TSB. Fingers crossed... 
98000 mi

US $20
Power steering pump pulley was not true and had a wobble. Replaced pulley. 
30000 mi Code P0455 gross evaporative emissions leak. Gas cap was repaired by dealer out of warranty as a free fix through GM. The gas cap was replaced. 
54000 mi replaced key. switchblade key found to fail and rotate the ignition to off. 
38000 mi

US $4000
Actual Fuel Management showing initial signs of failure required top end rebuild and cam-swap. 
1000 mi Reflashed computer for a better shifting transmission. 
24000 mi

US $90
Oil pan leak. Warranty covered 
94000 mi

US $550
Radiator connection to the hose broke and new radiator was put in the car. 
103000 mi

US $1250
Replacement of A/C belt and tensioners along with 100k scheduled maintenance. The belt was half broken and that had damaged the tensioners. 
67800 mi

US $960
EVAP solenoid and canister failed, were replaced 
67000 mi

US $450
Lower mufflers failing (loud droning). Replaced with performance tubes (mufflers not replaced). Cost shown is the labor to remove old mufflers and weld in new pipes. Doesn't include price of new pipes. 
115000 mi

US $1100
Engine blipping issue--the ignitions wires were toast. plugs and wires replaced. 
163562 mi

US $1689
One of two fuel sender units failed, and car was leaking gas. Given the car's age and how much work it is to do this repair, opted to replace both sender units and fuel pumps. Time in shop was extended due to time it took to receive new parts. 
164156 mi

US $450
Harmonic balancer was failing, it and its bolt were replaced. 
36000 mi Had the motor mounts replaced under warranty to fix a vibration when it went into cylinder deactivation mode. 
36900 mi The engine had a flattened cam so it had the cam and lifters replaced. 
44000 mi

US $2400
Engine damper at front of crank went bad, was wobbling making noises in serpentine belt. Told if it was not addressed engine bearings could go bad. 
6000 mi Fuel pump located in gas tank. Had to get a tow and a rent a car. 
23300 mi

US $20
E-VAP code so I replaced the gas cap. An OEM pontiac G8 8 cap.. Check Eng. light was out (Off) in less then a minute. 
9000 mi Engine light coming on. Fuel cap replaced. It was leaking pressure and making the system think the cap was off.  
19000 mi Three times early on had car in shop for a rough idle. Ultimately told this is just how the 6-liter V8 idles. 
9000 mi Fuel cap removes itself from the filler neck, causing a vacuum leak and setting acode that turns on the "Check Engine" light. 
26700 mi

US $160
Check engine light kept coming on. Fuel cap replace,problem resolved. 
10000 mi Check engine light due to faulty gas cap, new style cap ordered. 
25000 mi CEL on at approx 24000 mi while on extended trip. OnStar diagnostics advised continue driving for a week or so. After 1000 mi over 6 days, CEL still on. At dealer, found DTC P0442 (evap leak); smoke test ok, but cleaned filler cap gasket. 
35000 mi Taken to dealer with vibration complaint at highway speeds, only apparent during AFM 4-cylinder operation. Engine mounts replaced, problem solved. 
6200 mi oil pan leaking from rear of pan 
9000 mi The oil pan was leaking I had to wait about one month for the part to arrive but was still able to drive the car. 
14000 mi After I had the oil pan resealed, I rechecked it and a block above the pan was leaking.  
17000 mi Oil pan leaking they fixed it and within weeks it was leaking again and they just gave me the run around saying it wasn't the pan. Finally they just resealed the pan. 
21000 mi The key would not stay locked in and the fob was falling apart. 
930 mi Car died, dealer towed. Fuel pump was replaced 
36000 mi kept getting check engine light, gas cap would be loose. replaced under warrenty 
12000 mi Rear main plate / main seal was small motor oil leak. Widely known issue with Generation IV "small block" engines. TSB Technical Service Bulletin exists for problem with solution & parts. 
124000 mi

US $1100
Exhaust replaced, both catalytic converters, exhaust manifolds to headers, all midpipes to mufflers. 
23200 mi broken lifter 
46000 mi Lifters replaced at 22000 miles. Started failing again so i traded the car in 
65000 mi

US $500
No oil pressure at cold start and idle speed. Would build normal pressure at higher RPM or warm start. Found broken timing chain tensioner and scored oil pump gears. Replaced timing chain, chain tensioner and oil pump. 
65300 mi

US $1700
Previous problem (oil pump failure) was caused by one worn camshaft lobe/lifter putting metal into the engine. A tapping noise developed 2 weeks after the oil pump repair and the cam/lifters were replaced 
5500 mi Check engine light for fuel evaporative emissions. Faulty connection to fuel tank, fuel tank replaced. Compass in mirror intermittently reversing north and south readings. Rear view mirror replaced and issue resolved. 
6000 mi Check engine light, vacuum test determined leak and smoke test pinpointed at faulty gas cap. New gas cap installed and issue resolved. 
8000 mi Check engine light, came up evaporative emissions related. Dealer said it was a current code, but could not find a leak. Reset light and has not come back since. 
19000 mi Check engine light for evaporative emissions. Could not replicate problem, code was a history code and not presently happening. Reset and has not come back on yet. Same issue in July '09. 
54700 mi

US $240
Check engine light came on, gas cap was bad and replaced (2nd replacement since new). 
99400 mi

US $600
Neck connecting hose to radiator broke off, causing vehicle to overheat. Replaced thermostat and hoses in addition to the new radiator. 
109000 mi

US $1983
Oil leak repair: Replace front crank seals, oil pan gasket, valve cover seals, oil pressure sender, oil pressure filter. 
114000 mi

US $740
The harmonic balancer fell apart. 
125000 mi

US $2600
Looks free failure caused by excessive wear from active fuel management system. 
6000 mi Mass air flow sensor failure 
35000 mi Engine running rough, camshaft lobe and bearing pitted and galled on cylinder 7. Replaced camshaft and bearing. 
26000 mi

US $100
Fuel cap did not seal properly. New cap ordered. 
36000 mi Defective lifter. All lifters were replaced, as was the damaged cam shaft. GM has a TSB on this issue. 
83000 mi

US $600
Evap canister and purge vent solenoid had to be replaced. 
20000 mi Intermittent check engine light because fuel cap kept coming loose. Fuel fill neck missing attachment to body. Dealer replaced filler neck with new part. 
21100 mi Oil leak. Dealer replaced oil pan gasket. 
19000 mi Replaced engine mounts with upgrade design to eliminate vibration during AFM operation. 
8260 mi Minor oil leak at rear of engine, trans dropped to inspect rear main seal. 
24180 mi Oil change mechanic noticed oil stain at back of oil pan while he was doing oil change. Determined that the oil pan Gasket was causing leak. Dropped pan and replaced gasket and reinstalled. Cleaned old oil from pan. Problem fixed. 
465000 mi

C $2060
Car would not start after a 7 hour drive and 20 minute rest. Tow truck mechanic confirmed a 'No Fuel to engine'. Car went to dealer. It took them hours to determine a fuel pump problem. Was going to charge me $1200. for a pump which he would have to order from the States!! I ordered in the Identical GM pump from Rock auto for $445 with the taxes and shipping and less wait time. While removing fuel tank they saw the drive shaft hanger bearing was defective (rubber flex ring was damaged) so they replaced that on the install. Got the car back and drove a 1000 ft and it died. Four more hours @$130 hr, and they replaced the fuel pump relay . The car is displaying other odd electrical issues- Wipers don't work and weird high/ low beam functions but they could not diagnose. 
14000 mi Valvetrain noise at cold start. No longer making the noise 
12000 mi Required reprogramming the computer. 

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2009 Pontiac G8 4dr Sedan

256-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD

43000 mi Fuel Sensor in the gas tank 
74000 mi

US $127
Fuel tank evap sender malfunctioned 
27000 mi Needed to add thrust camshaft washer to the camshaft 
81940 mi

C $200
Purge solenoid had failed, causing check engine light. 
24000 mi replaced faulty gas cap.. 
7000 mi Engine light came on. Gas cap would not "seat" right, had to be replaced 

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2009 Pontiac G8 Engine Problems

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