2009 Pontiac G6 - Safety Review and Crash Test Ratings

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In both government and industry crash tests, the 2009 Pontiac G6 Sedan scores quite well, but not as high as some of its rivals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency responsible for issuing the government's crash-test ratings, awards the Pontiac G6 a full five stars for frontal driver impact and side impacts. They also give the 2009 Pontiac G6 four out of five stars for frontal passenger-side impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) subjects the Pontiac G6 to its own crash tests and awards similar results. The Pontiac G6 earns the IIHS's highest rating, "good," for frontal offset impacts, and the second-highest rating of "acceptable" for side impacts. After subjecting the two-door G6 Pontiac Coupe to its full battery of crash tests, NHTSA awards it five stars for front driver, side driver, and side passenger impacts, along with four out of five stars for front passenger impacts. While these ratings are all commendable, the IIHS deems the G6 Pontiac Coupe worthy of just an "acceptable" rating in side impacts.

The Convertible fares worse, with the IIHS giving it a rating of "acceptable" for frontal offset tests but "marginal" for side impacts. As part of the explanation for the "marginal" rating, the IIHS says that on the driver's side, "the dummy's head was hit by the window sill and the side torso airbag, producing high head and neck injury measures."

Aside from the crash-test results, the 2009 Pontiac G6 Convertible offers a pretty typical assortment of safety features. Edmunds says these include "standard front seat-mounted side-impact airbags" and "four-wheel disc brakes with ABS."