The 1983 Pontiac Firebird has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 917,521 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the parking brake. 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.
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…
INSTALL RETAINING SPRINGS ON SPRING COVER OF FRONT SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR AND, WHEN REQUIRED, RETRACTORS WILL BE REPLACED.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“The front seat belts in my firebird have failed and the manufacturer no longer has parts available. They were subject to a recall, 85v169000, in 1985. *ak”
“Dt*: the contact stated the driver's side seat belt does not retract after being extended and the parking brake does not hold the vehicle. There is a nhtsa recall, # 85v169000, 91v055000 regarding the seat belt webbing and parking brake. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the…”
“Dt*: the contact stated the driver's side seat belt does not retract after being extended and the parking brake does not hold the vehicle. There is a nhtsa recall, # 85v169000, 91v055000 regarding the seat belt webbing and parking brake. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the…”
“Please send me information on recalls that would cause accidents. No safety defect listed. *ak”
“Dt: the contact stated the driver's side seat belt does not retract after being extended and the parking brake does not hold the vehicle. There is a nhtsa recall, # 85v169000, 91v055000 regarding the seat belt webbing and parking brake. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the…”
“Dt: the contact stated the driver's side seat belt does not retract after being extended and the parking brake does not hold the vehicle. There is a nhtsa recall, # 85v169000, 91v055000 regarding the seat belt webbing and parking brake. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the…”
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
SUMMARY: GM'S MAY '88 TSB CONCERNS REPAIR PROCEDURES FOR FRAME RAIL CRACKING ON 82-85 CAMAROS. ODI DATA BASE CONTAINS THREE REPORTS OF FRAME RAIL CRACKING ON CAMAROS AND FIREBIRDS.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1983 Pontiac Firebird as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.