Model year record

1983 Pontiac Firebird

2 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 6 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 91V055000

Parking brake: conventional

Component
Parking brake: conventional
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
179,036
Reported to NHTSA
1991-04-11
Owners notified
1991-07-01

Defect description

PARKING BRAKE ADJUSTER FAILS TO OPERATE AND DO NOT WORK AFTER BRAKE PAD WEAR.

Safety risk

PARKING BRAKES WILL NOT COMPLETELY HOLD A PARKED VEHICLEWHEN PARKED ON A SLOPE, CAUSING UNINTENDED VEHICLE ROLLAWAY WHICH COULD RESULTIN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Manufacturer remedy

REPLACE NONFUNCTIONING PARKING BRAKE ADJUSTERS.

Recall campaignNHTSA 85V169000

Seat belts: front: webbing

Component
Seat belts: front: webbing
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
738,485
Reported to NHTSA
1985-12-20
Owners notified
1986-04-18

Defect description

DISLOCATION OF A SPRING COVER WILL NOT ALLOW THE SHOULDER BELT TO RETRACT AFTER BEING EXTENDED. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: ALTHOUGH INERTIAL FEATURE THAT LOCKS THE LAP BELT AND SHOULDER BELT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT ARE NOT AFFECTED, IF SLACK IS MORE THAN RECOMMENDED IN OWNERS MANUAL, INJURIES TO UPPER BODY AND HEAD WOULD BE INCREASED IN AN ACCIDENT.

Manufacturer remedy

INSTALL RETAINING SPRINGS ON SPRING COVER OF FRONT SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR AND, WHEN REQUIRED, RETRACTORS WILL BE REPLACED.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Parking brake: conventional270,000 mi
Seat belts: front: webbing270,000 mi
Seat belts: front1
Unknown or other1

The 1982 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 1984 model has about a third as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.